EVERETT – The search is on for Question Mark and the Mysterians.
The one-hit wonders from the 1960s – who enhanced their mystique by donning dark glasses – need to be tracked down in order for the Everett Hawks to obtain permission to use ”96 Tears” as a theme song.
Niki Desautels / The Herald
For the fourth consecutive time in its maiden arenafootball2 season Everett came up short, this time bowing 60-41 to the Central Valley (Fresno, Calif.) Coyotes, Sunday at the Everett Events Center.
The final result – played before 4,061 fans willing to overlook the team’s slow start to the season – differed from Everett’s previous losses in that it was not a heartbreaker as were the previous three outings.
Central Valley grabbed a 13-0 lead in the opening minutes and, despite the big-play heroics of Everett’s Milton Myers, was never headed.
Oh, the Hawks did lead once. Myers streaked 58 yards on a kickoff return for a touchdown to cap a spirited comeback that put Everett on top 22-20 with just 35 seconds remaining in the first half.
But, 11 seconds later Central Valley’s all-time leading receiver Lamonte Jones caught a 47-yard TD pass from Scott Rislov to send the Coyotes into halftime with a lead they would not relinquish.
Myers made things interesting by catching a 36-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Julian Reese in the opening moments of the fourth quarter to pull the Hawks within 47-41, but that was as close as they would get.
“We killed ourselves with penalties and turnovers,” Everett coach Rickey Foggie said after the game.
“Our basis of football is not real good right now,” Foggie said. “Blocking, tackling, reading the defense, making checks in the secondary, we’re just not doing a very good job of it.”
With 12 games remaining, nine of them against division foes, is it possible to turn things around?
“It’s possible. We say that every week though. Is there time? Yeah, there’s time,” Foggie said. “But these guys need to make up their minds about what they want to do.”
Both teams piled up a ridiculous number of penalties, which disrupted the flow of the game. Central Valley was flagged 16 times for 107 yards. Everett amassed 15 for 102 yards.
Turnovers were the more telling factor.
Central Valley, which leads the league in turnover margin (+2.33) recovered a fumble by Everett’s newly acquired fullback Wallace House III. The Coyotes intercepted two Reese passes and Vai Notoa returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown early in the third quarter.
Everett, No. 20 in the league in turnover margin (-1.00), did not force any turnovers.
The first quarter was a self-induced nightmare for Everett.
The Hawks had six penalties in the period – including two personal fouls – for 50 yards. A.J. Street and D.J. Humphries each dropped a pass.
The first real sign of trouble came when Everett attempted an on-side kick to start the game. The play backfired when Central Valley’s Wes Borba recovered the ball at the Everett 12-yard line.
Four plays later Borba caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Scott Rislov to give the Coyotes a 6-0 lead.
Things quickly got worse.
Central Valley’s Daniel Jones killed the Hawks’ first possession when he intercepted a pass at midfield after it was tipped by Street.
The opportunistic Coyote’s cashed in when Borba caught a 14-yard TD pass from Rislov to put Central Valley up 13-0 with only five minutes gone in the first quarter.
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