Thunder’s mood upbeat as rematch with Talons looms

Mahoning Valley lost in Tulsa, 79-35, on April 11.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — Two weeks ago in Tulsa, Okla., the Mahoning Valley Thunder surrendered a franchise-record-tying 79 points against the Talons.

Last Saturday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., the Thunder watched the Pioneers break the record by scoring 80 in a 37-point victory.

Despite those high-scoring losses and with a rematch with the Talons (3-1) looming, the Thunder (1-3) believe they can compete with the af2’s better teams when they limit mistakes.

“[Against Tulsa on April 11], we made excuses because of turnovers,” said Thunder coach Mike Hold, noting six giveaways that turned a close game into a rout. “In Week 2 and Week 3, we felt turnovers were the reason why we lost.

“This week, [the Pioneers] were the better team and they took it to us,” Hold said.

The Thunder’s 80-43 loss to the Pioneers has them two games behind in the af2’s American Conference North Division.

Coming to Youngstown on Saturday are the Talons, the second-place team in the National Conference’s Midwest Division. The score of the first game was 79-35.

Hold admits it’s a little unusual to play a team from the other conference twice in three weekends, but he doesn’t mind.

“Actually, I kind of like playing them now,” Hold said after a practice this week. “We know what they do [because] we played them. For film study, we study [the first game] plus last week’s game. [Preparation] is a little bit easier playing them [so soon].

That doesn’t mean the Thunder won’t have their hands full.

“To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” Hold said. “We take it as a challenge.

“We felt that we matched up well against them — we just turned it over six times,” Hold said. “And they are a good football team and they took advantage of it.”

Starting his second game for the Thunder will be quarterback Blake Powers, who completed 15-of-29 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns against the Pioneers (3-1).

“Blake played very well,” Hold said. “The bottom line the other night is that on offense, we didn’t pass-protect well in spots. They got on us early and caused us to have to throw the ball before we wanted to. You give credit to them. The name of this game is get to their quarterback. On the flip side, we weren’t getting to theirs. We weren’t getting good push in the middle.”

Powers, who played at Indiana University, said he’s making progress at “seeing the coverage and knowing where to go with the ball, playing faster, picking up on the speed of the game.

“In the outdoor game, you have time to set your feet then make your throws,” Powers said. “A lot of times in the indoor game, you have to throw off-balance and on time. That’s definitely challenging and a big adjustment so I’ve got to keep working at it and try to get better.

Defensive end Michael Alston, who leads the team in tackles for losses, said the Thunder defenders are ready for a second chance.

“We’re approaching this game as if it’s for the first time, but it’s great that we’ve played them,” Alston said. “We’re glad to bring them back here for a home game with our fans behind us.” Last weekend, the Talons avenged their only loss with a 58-31 victory over the Iowa Barnstormers.

“We’ve got film against them and we’ve seen what they have,” Alston said. “We feel as though we gave them a lot of opportunities that they capitalized on. But if we correct our mistakes, we can go out there and get this victory.”

williams@vindy.com