VERMONT RAMPAGE FALL LATE TO THE STING
By Chris Thayer VSN.com 8-10-09
In the game of football sometimes you’re the David, and sometimes you’re the Goliath, Sunday afternoon at Alumni field in Rutland it was hard to figure that out just who was who on that pristine playing surface. The Vermont Rampage put up one hell of a fight with the league leading Southern Connecticut Sting for three and a half quarters of hard hitting football, and they finally fell to a much bigger team that was a little slow getting off the bus.
The Rampage played one of their best games of the season in front of a good size crowd that braved the damp drizzly weather. The Sting, who have put up 80 points and not been scored in their first two games this season were a little shell shocked in the first period of play after realizing the good ole boys from Vermont had game in them.
The Rampage played a nice bend but not break defense that did a wonderful job in the trenches with a noticeably much bigger Sting offensive line. “I have to give these guys up here in Vermont all the credit in the world, they brought a game to us like we haven’t seen all season long” said Sting head coach Duane Pierson. “They have more heart than I ever thought possible, they just kept coming at us play after play our hats are off to them on this day for sure”. Even though the Rampage kept coming up with nagging injuries they never stopped getting on the field of play. The team went through three quarterbacks through the game and that at times made things very interesting to say the least.
At the 13:54 mark of the second quarter of the contest the Sting finally found their way to the end zone on a fourth down quarterback keeper play from three yards out giving them a 7 to 0 advantage. The Rampage would come up with a pretty good late second quarter surge but mistakes stalled the drive and the Sting would enjoy a slim lead into halftime. The Rampage took the second half kickoff and put together a nice 9 play drive to knot the game up at 7. Quarterback and player coach Jake Helm, took the ball on what looked like a QB draw play and scampered down the left side of the field for a 27 yard touchdown that brought the house to their feet, as it was the teams first TD in front of the home crowd this season.
With that play the Rampage had found new life and the team started to believe in themselves and more importantly believed they could play with a much bigger Sting team. The momentum swing was very obvious as the Rampage were now playing on both sides of the ball with a new determination that had not been seen this year. As the fourth quarter began the Sting were looking for answers as to how do we score on this team from Vermont. After coughing up the ball Vermont QB Helm took the team on his back and engineered a sweet drive bringing the ball down to the 11 yard line. It looked as if the Rampage could take the lead for the first time in the game only to come up with yet another Quarterback Injury and this time it would cost them big time. After Helm took a helmet to the knee he left the field with help. Third QB of the afternoon Joe Milardo who volunteered as there was basically no one left to lead the team from that position threw an interception to the left corner of the end zone and third down dashing the hopes of the Rampage getting that go ahead score.
From that point on the air seemed to be coming out of the big bubble the Rampage were riding on and fatigue was setting in on the boys from Vermont. They were still bringing the fight but it was a tired one too. “I think we just wore them down, it was a numbers game and we had superior numbers of players on the field today, their injuries took a toll on them as well today and that was the big difference in the end” said coach Pierson.
The Sting recorded a couple of safeties and one nice run play for a score late as well as a interception for a score that rounded out the scoring pushing their score to 32 but that score certainly did not indicate how the game went. “I am so proud of our guys here today they left it all out on the field and deserve a big game ball together as a unit. We hit them harder than they have been hit all season long they knew they were in a football game with a team that can bring it every week, Said Rampage offensive coordinator Si Loomis. “Even with all our injuries we kept up the intensity on the field of play this afternoon. We didn’t match up well at all but we proved something to ourselves today and we will build from that”.
As the story goes Goliath may have put more points on the board, but David gave the big guy lots to think about going into the future, and Vermont's David isn't scared of anyone thats the real lesson of the day. The Rampage did prove a lot today on the field and it now has a new sense of team and how a team can operate when it all comes together. If the Rampage work out the injuries and get more time on the practice field together they can still make some noise in the league. They will be on the road next week and will return home to a special game in Fair Haven, Vermont on Sunday the 23rd of August with a 2 pm start time.
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The Vermont Rampage come up short in home opener.
By Chris Thayer VSN.com 7-27-2009
Rutland VT, Semi pro football has finally arrived in Rutland, and by all accounts it’s with a very big bang. About 400 fans came out to see the newest brand of Football in the Rutland region and even though the scoreboard did not go the Rampage way, no one seemed to leave Alumni field disappointed at all. With Rutland’s Alumni field set as the team’s newest venue for the home season thanks to team Marketing man Roy Thomas, the Rampage seem to be going in the right direction.
Now as the team has stepped up its coaching ranks for 2009 with adding experienced local coaches Brian Coombs and Si Loomis, things should run a little smoother this season for the Rampage. The head coach is a new comer to the head coaching ranks and with that kind of experience to lean on he should come along rather quickly. Jake Healm is a product of Fair Haven high school where he played for Coombs back in the nineties.
Today’s game was an A typical opening season game complete with the team getting to know each other on the field and trying to correct those little mistakes that newly gelled together teams will make. Practice time is so very important in the game of football and getting together twice a week to prepare for games in cutting it a little short. Three field goals were all the Rampage could muster today with a pair of short scores by Brian Mcfarren and a 35 yarder by Chris Loso. The team sputtered a little when it got in to or down by the Red Zone and just could not crack the bend but not break defense of Pioneer Valley.
Rampage starting quarterback Zack Gilligan did a good job of running the offense up and down the field and the running game was handled nicely by Brian Therrian as he was the workhorse in the backfield this afternoon. John Raiche was spotted into the rushing game and came up with some nice big play yards when first downs were needed. “I thought this was a great day for the team and a good start for the new look Rampage” said QB Gilligan of the teams game today. “We did some good things out there and know what we need to work on as well. We are all excited about the future of this organization and where it can go this year” he continued.
Defensively the Rampage did well for its first time out this season and knows what it needs to work on following the contest. Today’s game film should be a great tool to see where the team needs to go with both side of the ball. The big plays of Pioneer Valley broke the backs of the Rampage defense on this day and that one thing they will need to fix sooner rather than later.
The Pioneer Valley Indians were ecstatic just to get a win following the long trip north to play the Rampage. The team is based out of the Chicopee Mass. Area. “It can be tough just getting to a long road game like this one here today, you cant have players showing up fifteen minuets before game time and expect to play well from the start” said Indians coach John Wu. “We will take the win any way we can get it but we have much to work on as well. Vermont gave us a great game and that team will be making some noise in the league this year you can count on that, there a pretty good team over there and seem to be well coached” the Indians coach also said.
With one game in the books and three more home games this season it’s safe to say that Semi Pro Football has finally arrived in Rutland and is here to stay. Football is a game of inches, today inches were not keeping the Rampage from winning over the start of a fan base that loves its football here in the Rutland Region, as the Rampage go forward so will the fans and win loose or draw the Rampage have arrived in Vermont and that’s a very good thing for the football capital of Vermont.
The Vermont Rampage in the Loyalty Day Parade on Sunday May 3, 2009
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Official Radio Station for the Vermont Rampage.
