Post by Banana Cat on Mar 20, 2011 12:24:54 GMT -5
This just in...B.J. Hill has returned another kick for a TD.
Hey, he might have an outside shot at special teams player of the week...naw.
www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110319/GPG0211/103190639/1978/GPG0101/Arena-football-Hill-s-returns-carry-Blizzard-win-home-opener?odyssey=nav|head
www.pantagraph.com/sports/football/professional/arena/extreme/article_27535bc4-51e6-11e0-a5c3-001cc4c002e0.html
Hey, he might have an outside shot at special teams player of the week...naw.
www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110319/GPG0211/103190639/1978/GPG0101/Arena-football-Hill-s-returns-carry-Blizzard-win-home-opener?odyssey=nav|head
Hill's returns carry Blizzard to win in home opener
Mar. 18, 2011
ASHWAUBENON — B.J. Hill was a second-team all-Indoor Football League returner last season for the Green Bay Blizzard.
In only the third game of the season, the 5-foot-7, 180-pounder might have wrapped up a spot on the first team.
Hill returned two kickoffs and two missed field goals for touchdowns to power the Blizzard to a 61-51 victory over the Bloomington Extreme in its home opener Friday in front of 4,169 at the Resch Center.
"It was a collective team effort," said Hill, who had 230 return yards. "We changed some things on kickoff returns …. and my job is to just hit it.
"This type of league is really for offense, but if you can get something from special teams then too, you got a good chance to win."
Green Bay (2-1) not only exacted some revenge for a season-opening loss at Bloomington two weeks ago, but it also prevented the Extreme (3-1) from sweeping the season series and taking a commanding lead in the Great Lakes division.
Hill's final runback, a 58-yard missed field-goal return, gave the Blizzard the lead for good with 6:48 left in the third quarter.
"I was surprised they kept kicking it to him," Blizzard coach Rik Richards said. "If it was me, I would have just kicked it out of bounds and played defense from my 20."
Hill's four scores accounted for Green Bay's first 27 points. They were needed because the offense was cold at the start with Willie Copeland under center before scoring 27 points in the fourth quarter.
The Blizzard gained only 20 yards on 13 plays in the first half and didn't move the football past its 10-yard line until 16 seconds before halftime and newly acquired quarterback Jameel Sewell entered the game and completed a 10-yard pass for team's first first down.
He was intercepted by Winston Taylor on the next play, which ended the half. But Sewell stayed in for the second half and finished 5-for-11 passing for 71 yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing for a 13-yard score.
Copeland, who has been playing with shoulder and rib injuries sustained in the 42-26 loss at Bloomington on March 5, completed 2-of-8 passes for 3 yards and Taylor's first interception ended his night with 1:21 remaining in the first half.
The Blizzard receivers didn't help him, though. They dropped three passes, and the offense went through a 12½-minute stretch during which it didn't touch the ball because of Hill's returns in the first half.After Bloomington scored on the first play of the second quarter to open the scoring, Hill went to work.
He returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the end zone then returned a missed 49-yard field goal on Bloomington's next possession for a 58-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 14-7 lead with 12:07 remaining in the second quarter.
Trailing 16-14, Hill brought back the second-half kickoff for a 46-yard TD. Bloomington retook the lead 24-20 shortly after when Glenn Johnson caught a 25-yard pass from Rocky Hinds for his second TD catch.
But Bloomington got no closer than three points after Hill's fourth runback. Green Bay put the game away with an 11-yard scoring scamper by Green Bay East alum Andrew Verboncouer that made it 61-45 with 2:36 remaining.
The Blizzard defense accounted for two sacks and a pair of turnovers, including Arkeith Brown's league-leading fifth interception on the opening drive of the game.
Bloomington 0 16 15 20 – 51
Green Bay 0 14 20 27 – 61
Second quarter: B, James Walton 3 pass from Rocky Hinds (Steven Fetzer kick), 14:52; GB, B.J. Hill 49 kick return (Joshua Shene kick), 14:45; GB, Hill 58 missed field-goal return (Shene kick), 12:07; Glenn Johnson 33 pass from Hinds (Kick failed), 9:35; B, Fetzer 47 field goal, 1:25.
Third quarter: GB, Hill 46 kick return (Kick blocked and recovered for 1-point safety), 14:51; B, Johnson 25 pass from Hinds (Fetzer kick), 13:43; GB, Hill 58 missed field-goal return (Shene kick), 6:48; GB, Agim Shabaj 13 pass from Jameel Sewell (Shene kick), 3:20; B, Johnny Gray 5 pass from Hinds (Fetzer kick), 1:45.
Fourth quarter: GB, Sewell 13 run (Shene kick), 14:10; B, Hinds 2 run (Kick failed), 9:52; GB, Shabaj 1 run (Kick failed), 4:52; B, Walton 50 pass from hinds (Pass good), 3:44; GB, Andrew Verboncouer 11 run (Kick failed), 2:36; B, Johnson 18 pass from Hinds (Pass no good), :22.8.
Mar. 18, 2011
ASHWAUBENON — B.J. Hill was a second-team all-Indoor Football League returner last season for the Green Bay Blizzard.
In only the third game of the season, the 5-foot-7, 180-pounder might have wrapped up a spot on the first team.
Hill returned two kickoffs and two missed field goals for touchdowns to power the Blizzard to a 61-51 victory over the Bloomington Extreme in its home opener Friday in front of 4,169 at the Resch Center.
"It was a collective team effort," said Hill, who had 230 return yards. "We changed some things on kickoff returns …. and my job is to just hit it.
"This type of league is really for offense, but if you can get something from special teams then too, you got a good chance to win."
Green Bay (2-1) not only exacted some revenge for a season-opening loss at Bloomington two weeks ago, but it also prevented the Extreme (3-1) from sweeping the season series and taking a commanding lead in the Great Lakes division.
Hill's final runback, a 58-yard missed field-goal return, gave the Blizzard the lead for good with 6:48 left in the third quarter.
"I was surprised they kept kicking it to him," Blizzard coach Rik Richards said. "If it was me, I would have just kicked it out of bounds and played defense from my 20."
Hill's four scores accounted for Green Bay's first 27 points. They were needed because the offense was cold at the start with Willie Copeland under center before scoring 27 points in the fourth quarter.
The Blizzard gained only 20 yards on 13 plays in the first half and didn't move the football past its 10-yard line until 16 seconds before halftime and newly acquired quarterback Jameel Sewell entered the game and completed a 10-yard pass for team's first first down.
He was intercepted by Winston Taylor on the next play, which ended the half. But Sewell stayed in for the second half and finished 5-for-11 passing for 71 yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing for a 13-yard score.
Copeland, who has been playing with shoulder and rib injuries sustained in the 42-26 loss at Bloomington on March 5, completed 2-of-8 passes for 3 yards and Taylor's first interception ended his night with 1:21 remaining in the first half.
The Blizzard receivers didn't help him, though. They dropped three passes, and the offense went through a 12½-minute stretch during which it didn't touch the ball because of Hill's returns in the first half.After Bloomington scored on the first play of the second quarter to open the scoring, Hill went to work.
He returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the end zone then returned a missed 49-yard field goal on Bloomington's next possession for a 58-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 14-7 lead with 12:07 remaining in the second quarter.
Trailing 16-14, Hill brought back the second-half kickoff for a 46-yard TD. Bloomington retook the lead 24-20 shortly after when Glenn Johnson caught a 25-yard pass from Rocky Hinds for his second TD catch.
But Bloomington got no closer than three points after Hill's fourth runback. Green Bay put the game away with an 11-yard scoring scamper by Green Bay East alum Andrew Verboncouer that made it 61-45 with 2:36 remaining.
The Blizzard defense accounted for two sacks and a pair of turnovers, including Arkeith Brown's league-leading fifth interception on the opening drive of the game.
Bloomington 0 16 15 20 – 51
Green Bay 0 14 20 27 – 61
Second quarter: B, James Walton 3 pass from Rocky Hinds (Steven Fetzer kick), 14:52; GB, B.J. Hill 49 kick return (Joshua Shene kick), 14:45; GB, Hill 58 missed field-goal return (Shene kick), 12:07; Glenn Johnson 33 pass from Hinds (Kick failed), 9:35; B, Fetzer 47 field goal, 1:25.
Third quarter: GB, Hill 46 kick return (Kick blocked and recovered for 1-point safety), 14:51; B, Johnson 25 pass from Hinds (Fetzer kick), 13:43; GB, Hill 58 missed field-goal return (Shene kick), 6:48; GB, Agim Shabaj 13 pass from Jameel Sewell (Shene kick), 3:20; B, Johnny Gray 5 pass from Hinds (Fetzer kick), 1:45.
Fourth quarter: GB, Sewell 13 run (Shene kick), 14:10; B, Hinds 2 run (Kick failed), 9:52; GB, Shabaj 1 run (Kick failed), 4:52; B, Walton 50 pass from hinds (Pass good), 3:44; GB, Andrew Verboncouer 11 run (Kick failed), 2:36; B, Johnson 18 pass from Hinds (Pass no good), :22.8.
www.pantagraph.com/sports/football/professional/arena/extreme/article_27535bc4-51e6-11e0-a5c3-001cc4c002e0.html
Extreme suffers first loss as Hill, Blizzard break out
Pantagraph staff
March 18, 2011
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — If not for B.J. Hill, the Bloomington Extreme might have dominated the Green Bay Blizzard on Friday night.
Hill returned four kicks for touchdowns before the Blizzard got its offense untracked in the second half for a 61-51 Indoor Football League victory.
Bloomington, which fell to 3-1 and suffered its first regular-season loss in 10 games, didn’t allow Green Bay’s offense to run a play across midfield until midway through the third quarter. But Blizzard backup quarterback Jameel Sewell replaced an ineffective Willie Copeland and engineered five scoring drives to seal the victory.
“Our guys are mature and it’s a long season; it’s hard to run the table,” said Extreme coach Mike Murray, whose team enters its first bye week before hosting the division-rival Slaughter on April 1. “This will hurt for a while but by the time we get off the bus in Bloomington we’ll be focused on Chicago.”
James Walton’s 4-yard touchdown catch on the first play of the second quarter gave the Extreme a 7-0 lead, but Hill returned the following kick 50 yards to tie the game. He added a 58-yard runback of a missed field goal on the next series, then returned the opening kick of the second half 47 yards. His 56-yard return of another short field goal gave Green Bay the lead for good.
“He was explosive tonight, and we just became passive. He kept getting opportunities to return and made us look silly with his ability to get the ball in the end zone,” said Murray.
Rocky Hinds threw six touchdown passes — three to Glenn Johnson — and ran for another score. But the Extreme offense failed to capitalize on three first-half possessions inside the Green Bay 5. Had it converted, Bloomington might have seized control as Green Bay’s offense stalled behind Copeland.
Sewell replaced Copeland, who was 2 of 8 for just 9 yards, in the final minute of the first half. Sewell’s first pass to Agim Shabaj went for 10 yards and gave Green Bay (2-1) its first first down, but his second was intercepted by Winston Taylor — his second of the game — to end the half.
After the break Sewell ran for one score and threw for two more. Shabaj and Aaron Rhea caught one TD apiece, with Shabaj and Andrew Verbancouer adding rushing scores.
“I didn’t adjust well defensively at halftime. We weren’t sure Sewell would be back in after he threw the pick,” said Murray. “He was a lot more of a running threat and we couldn’t get a stop to give our offense a chance.”
Pantagraph staff
March 18, 2011
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — If not for B.J. Hill, the Bloomington Extreme might have dominated the Green Bay Blizzard on Friday night.
Hill returned four kicks for touchdowns before the Blizzard got its offense untracked in the second half for a 61-51 Indoor Football League victory.
Bloomington, which fell to 3-1 and suffered its first regular-season loss in 10 games, didn’t allow Green Bay’s offense to run a play across midfield until midway through the third quarter. But Blizzard backup quarterback Jameel Sewell replaced an ineffective Willie Copeland and engineered five scoring drives to seal the victory.
“Our guys are mature and it’s a long season; it’s hard to run the table,” said Extreme coach Mike Murray, whose team enters its first bye week before hosting the division-rival Slaughter on April 1. “This will hurt for a while but by the time we get off the bus in Bloomington we’ll be focused on Chicago.”
James Walton’s 4-yard touchdown catch on the first play of the second quarter gave the Extreme a 7-0 lead, but Hill returned the following kick 50 yards to tie the game. He added a 58-yard runback of a missed field goal on the next series, then returned the opening kick of the second half 47 yards. His 56-yard return of another short field goal gave Green Bay the lead for good.
“He was explosive tonight, and we just became passive. He kept getting opportunities to return and made us look silly with his ability to get the ball in the end zone,” said Murray.
Rocky Hinds threw six touchdown passes — three to Glenn Johnson — and ran for another score. But the Extreme offense failed to capitalize on three first-half possessions inside the Green Bay 5. Had it converted, Bloomington might have seized control as Green Bay’s offense stalled behind Copeland.
Sewell replaced Copeland, who was 2 of 8 for just 9 yards, in the final minute of the first half. Sewell’s first pass to Agim Shabaj went for 10 yards and gave Green Bay (2-1) its first first down, but his second was intercepted by Winston Taylor — his second of the game — to end the half.
After the break Sewell ran for one score and threw for two more. Shabaj and Aaron Rhea caught one TD apiece, with Shabaj and Andrew Verbancouer adding rushing scores.
“I didn’t adjust well defensively at halftime. We weren’t sure Sewell would be back in after he threw the pick,” said Murray. “He was a lot more of a running threat and we couldn’t get a stop to give our offense a chance.”