Sunday Breakers Wrap - April 26,2009 - UPDATED

Last night the Southern California Breakers hosted their home opener against the Los Angeles Amazons. Amazon QB/RB Christina Rodriguez led her team to a 42-0 victory over the Breakers. Here's how it went down:

First Quarter: The Breakers had possession first and started on their own 25 yard line. Unfortunately they couldn't score on their first drive and the Amazons ended up starting their first possession on the same Breakers' 25 yard line. At 10:16 on the clock, the Amazons scored a TD but could not convert on the 2 point try. The Breakers didn't let this phase them and RB Vanessa Santillan (28) and RB Kayla Clark (38) both managed to get substantial gains on subsequent possessions. The Breakers were able to intercept an Amazons' pass and start a drive on the 50 yard line. The momentum died with a fumble that the Amazons recovered at 6:41 on the clock. They did get another shot with a bad snap by the Amazons for a punt but then turned the ball back over on the next play.

Second Quarter: The Breakers got a good drive together but missed a field goal attempt at 5:42 on the clock. The Amazons started to get riled up and scored another TD with 1:02 left in the half. A penalty on the subsequent 2 point try made it no good and a second attempt also failed. Score at the end of the half was 12-0 Amazons.

Third Quarter: The Amazons came on strong with a long TD run at 14:24. However, a penalty nullified this run and the team could not regain momentum on the drive. A 3rd and 5 sack by the Breakers gave the Amazons a 4th and 14 they could not overcome. On the following possession by the Breakers, a face mask penalty on the Amazons put the team on the opponent's 19 yard line. Again, the hearts of the team and fans was broken when they were intercepted. At 8:53 on the clock in the 3rd quarter the Amazons scored another TD and made good on the 2 point conversion. The score was now 20-0 Amazons. The Breakers had another opportunity at 6:23 in the 3rd quarter. A wild snap on the punt turned into a roughing the kicker call against the Amazons. This 15 yard penalty made the 4th and 12 disappear and gave the Breakers another shot. Most disappointingly, the Amazons got the ball back on the very next play but also could not capitalize. Later, they turned up the heat and scored another TD at 3:01 showing in the 3rd quarter. The 2 point try was good to make the score 28-0 for the Amazons.

Fourth Quarter: With 13:26 showing on the clock the Breakers had another shot at 3 but the attempt was no good. The Amazons drew blood again at 7:32 and added a very hard-fought 2 point conversion to make the score 36-0. The Breakers tried again to get a drive going only to be intercepted at 6:17 in the 4th. The team made it into the Amazons red zone and put together some nice drives but just could not get over the hump. Again at 2:40 left in the game, the Amazons intercepted the ball and ran back for another TD. The 2 point conversion didn't work this time but it didn't really matter at a score of 42-0. With 0:54 left in the game, newcomer RB Kayla Clark (38) turned a wild snap into a substantial gain for the Breakers. Again though, just when it looked like the team would drive the Amazon intercepted the ball and extinguished any hopes for the Breakers to break off a score.

Okay, in my opinion the final score is misleading but some may call me biased. Seriously, this is a Breakers team that has improved exponentially from last year. With a mix of veteran leadership and explosive new talent, this team has a bright future. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely room to improve as the 42-0 score does read. Fumbles, interceptions, and a few other fixable mistakes are what cost the game for the Breakers against the Los Angeles Amazons. I don't want to take anything away from the Amazons at all though. They are an exceptional team with very talented players. They've got the play action and QB keeper plays down as well as other synergistic moves that make them the powerhouse that they are.

In spite of the loss, the team manages to keep a positive spirit and congratulate each other on the job each has done. New head coach Manny Ojeda is very encouraging to his players and makes sure they all know that he believes in each member of the team.

The IWFL and teams around the league are doing a lot more this year to promote the game and get the fans to interact and have a good time at the game. Last night, the Breakers had a 50/50 raffle and even gave away Angels baseball tickets. The league has a weekly MVP contest that allows fans to vote for the player they believe to be the MVP of the game. There are some big prizes for fans in this contest - check out the information here.

Next Game: The Breakers host the Modesto Maniax at Capo Valley High

Catch Women's Football Talk today at 3:00pm PST for recaps from around women's football and hear my Breakers recap as well as other correspondent reports.



Update - May 3, 2009
I just received more photos from this game courtesy of Marc Roth. Thanks Marc!