By Lou Bezjak
Published: April 18, 2009
FLORENCE — The Florence Phantoms save their best for last.
The Phantoms have shown a knack for pulling out close games during
their four-game winning streak, which has put them in a tie with
Columbus for first place in the AIFA’s South Division standings.
Three of Florence’s four wins during the streak have come by a combined
11 points, two of which involved touchdowns scored in the final minute.
The third victory was a last-second defensive stand against Harrisburg on March 13.
“I would love to have the game wrapped up a lot sooner, but our guys
are confident at the end of games,” Florence coach Mike Watson said.
“We coach them to believe in themselves as winners and that’s what
they’ve been doing.”Watson attributes a lot of the confidence on the offensive side to the
return of quarterback Omar Jacobs, who was unsigned the first two games.
Since his return, the reigning AIFA MVP has thrown for 814 yards and 19 touchdowns with just five interceptions.Behind those numbers, Florence ranks first in total offense.
“The offense says toward the end of the game, ‘We got it coach,’ and
they believe in themselves,” Watson said. “They think they can score
any time and in any situation.”
Tonight against Carolina, Florence (4-1) will be looking to avenge its
only loss. The Speed (2-3) defeated the Phantoms 37-29 in the season
opener on March 7.
The Phantoms played that game without Jacobs and missed a chance to tie
in the final seconds when Brian Scott’s pass was intercepted at the
1-yard line.
“We have improved 100 percent on offense since then,” Watson said. “But
Carolina has gotten better, too. We just have to continue to play with
confidence and cut down on the mistakes.”
