Pittsburgh Power: Power fall to 1-3 after loss to Barnstormers; P.J. Berry game MVP
By Zachary Weiss
Defensive Line Coach LaMonte Coleman said that to win this game, the Pittsburgh Power would need to avoid turning the ball over, and this prediction proved to be true.
Andrico Hines had a first half that consisted of three touchdowns and one interception however he threw three more second half picks. The Power were outscored 28-14 in the second half and lost 55-42 to the Iowa Barnstormers to fall to 1-3 on the season.
“When adversity hits this team, we don’t know how to respond for some reason,” Head Coach Chris Seigfried said at the post game press conference. “We’ve got to stop feeling sorry for ourselves.”
Hines got his second start of the season, with his first coming due to the labor dispute in week one against the Orlando Predators. There were a lot of positives, evident by his five touchdown passes, but the interceptions and miscommunications he had in the second half show him that he has room for improvement.
“I felt a little more confident and comfortable with the offense as opposed to Orlando,” Hines said in an exclusive interview. “There were a lot of things that were going on outside the game that were a distraction, but this week we had a good week of practice. Besides my turnovers, I think we’d have had a better chance to win. I have to clean up my play at the quarterback position with it being such a quarterback driven league, and once I am able to do that, we’ll have a better chance to win.”
The Power led the Barnstormers 28-27 at the half behind solid offense and defense.
The defensive star of the game for the Power was Bryan Williams. Williams was a blanket all game with 8.5 tackles and tons of tips.
Offensively P.J. Berry was the star of game, being named game MVP. His 30 yard touchdown pass in the first quarter may have been the highlight of the Power’s season. When he first caught the ball it looked like he would lose yards, however he reversed field and went back five yards before he outran all of the Barnstormer defenders for the touchdown. Berry also ran a kickoff return for a touchdown bringing the Power fans to their feet.
Berry caught nine passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns, plus the aforementioned kickoff for a touchdown wanted to credit his teammates for his success.
“When you do get opportunities, you’ve got to make the most of them,” Berry said in an exclusive interview. “My teammates did their job and I did was follow the blocks.”
Each week, a different Power receiver has stepped up. Mike Washington did so in week one, Randy Hymes in week two, followed by Lonnell Dewalt in week three and Berry in this game. Berry believes, that because the Power are so skilled at the wide receiver position, being consistent is not something he truly needs to stress over.
“Ironically it’s kind of better to be inconsistent because we have a team where anyone can step up at any time,” Berry said. “If it’s my turn, it’s my turn, that’s the kind of receiving core was have that it doesn’t have to be one person all of the time. Andrico is looking for the open man, if Randy’s [Hymes] open we hit him, if Mike’s [Washington] open, we hit him. If they score, I score.”
Hines had four interceptions in the game one of which bounced off the netting and two of which went off the hands of Power players. Another turnover came when Randy Hymes was hit hard by a Barnstormer defender, forcing the ball out. The fumble was recovered by Jason Simpson, who also had two interceptions on his 29th birthday.
The Power will have a rematch with the Orlando Predators on Saturday April 14. The game is scheduled for 7:30; however the date could change because of the Pittsburgh Penguins first round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers. There is a musical performance scheduled for halftime and fans will receive a window decal upon entering the Consol Energy Center.
The Power defeated the Predators 40-26 in week one. Hines will get the ball in hopes that the Power can get their second win of the season. Despite the attendance of the game, 4,491 being the lowest in Power history, Hines believes that Pittsburghers will support the team as long as they can start getting back into the winner’s circle.
“Hopefully myself and this team can turn things around for the city of Pittsburgh,” Hines said. “This is a winning city, and we want to do nothing less than bring them what they’re used to – and that’s wins. We’ve got our work cut out for us as a team, but I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
Notes:
This game was Military Appreciation Night. One military member sang the anthem. Three military members flew down to the field via a rope from 130 feet. Also at halftime Power Chief Operating Officer Michael Gorham led a group of 45 people in a re-enlistment ceremony.
The military received the loudest cheers of the game and rightfully so, however the second loudest set of cheers went to Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach Dan Bylsma who made a quick cameo. Fans who saw him immediately chanted, “Flyers suck” a reference to their matchup against their Pennsylvania rivals.
Time of game– 2 hours 41 minutes
Offensive Player of the Game – P.J. Berry
Defensive Player of the Game – Jason Simpson
Ironman of the Game – Randy Hymes
Playmaker of the Game – P.J. Berry
Catch of the Game – 4th down touchdown by Berry
Highlight of the Game – Berry kickoff return for a TD
Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter:
Iowa: Filer 2 yard run (Camay kick good) 4:38 7-0
Power: Berry 30 yard pass from Hines (Wagner kick good) 3:25 7-7
2nd Quarter:
Power: Hymes 14 yard pass from Hines (Wagner kick good) 7:55 14-7
Iowa: Thomas 3 yard run (Camay kick good) 3:22 14-14
Iowa: Mohring 0 yard fumble recovery (Camay kick no good) 2:30 20-14
Power: Berry 58 yard kickoff return (Wagner kick good) 1:35 21-20
Iowa: Filer 3 yard run (Camay kick good) 0:31 27-21
Power: Berry 9 yard pass from Hines (Wagner kick good) 0:03 28-27
3rd Quarter:
Iowa: Matthews 9 yard pass from Raterink (Camay kick good) 11:43 34-28
Iowa: Raterink 4 yard TD Run (Camay kick good) 5:55 41-38
Power: Washington 5 yard TD pass from Hines (Wagner kick good) 0:00 41-35
4th quarter:
Iowa: Matthews 44 yard TD Pass from Raterink (Camay kick good) 11:50 48-35
Iowa: Filer 3 yard run (Camay kick good) 55-35 1:00
Power: Washington 9 yard TD Pass from Hines (Wagner kick good) 0:14 55-42