It came down to one play. Driving downfield during extra time, everything hinged on a last 4th down attempt by Shoulder Shrug. WR Nate Ghiorso broke free on a seam up the middle and Tyler lobbed it deep.
As the ball whistled through the cool night, time itself stood still. “I saw the pass and I immediately thought I had the touchdown and that we had the game,” WR Ghiorso said. The crowd fell silent as Tyler’s ball floated towards the receiver and a victory. “From my angle it looked like FOSS was going to score,” avid fan David Ghiorso commented.
But in one instant everything changed. Out of nowhere, literally, the safety of the W.A. Fajitas cut in front of the pass destined for glory and knocked it to the turf emphatically, sinking FOSS to a 0-2 record.
As the Fajitas celebrated in World Series fashion, Shoulder Shrug walked off the field lamenting about the game that slipped away.
Leading 14-0 in the first half, a series of errors unraveled FOSS like it did the week before. Three interceptions inside their own territory (including two that were returned for touchdowns) negated a strong start by the FOSS offense. Shoulder Shrug fell behind 26-14, but showed resilience in their comeback that fell just short.
“You can put this one on me,” QB Tyler Bennett said after the game via cellphone to reporters. “I will hit the practice field again this week and I’ll be ready to play next Friday.”
Coach Ghiorso had choice words after the game as well. “ The W.A. Fajitas were what we thought they were…everyone played both halves…the Fajitas were who we thought they were. That’s why we took the damn field. If you want to crown ‘em, then crown their asses. But they are who we thought they were. And we let ‘em off the hook.”
Even with the defeat, FOSS has a foundation on which to build. With 21 points scored compared to 6 the week before, FOSS proved their new offensive scheme will produce points.
Look for FOSS to come out next week even stronger. 9:30pm start time at John Kemp Field.
Team Notes: Ben Lehmann will join the team this week after returning from his Mojave Desert field trip and his team ordered suspension. He will get familiar with the playbook and will see reps as rusher and slot receiver this Friday night.
-Nathan Ghiorso
(To contact Nathan with questions, comments, please email Nathan at ThisBetterNotBeHateMailOrIWillKillYou@yahoo.com)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
League Veterans Show No Mercy on Shoulder Shrug
In a game of youth vs. age, and inexperience vs. wisdom, Shoulder Shrug came out on the losing end.
In a 21-6 defeat, Shoulder Shrug showed quick flashes of brilliance and athleticism but were quickly over-matched and overrun by a nine-year veteran squad. “Our inexperience on the field translated into costly drops and needless penalties,” GM Tyler Bennett said after the game.
Trailing 7-0 near the end of the first half, Kyle Woods threw a 50-yard touchdown strike to Nathan Ghiorso, which brought FOSS into halftime trailing 7-6 (the conversion was unsuccessful). FOSS started the 2nd half with the ball and the momentum, but inexperience led to two interceptions on their first two drives.
Down 14-6 with time dwindling, drops and penalties seemed to unravel the young squad. Tim Ghiorso had a would be 75 yard catch and run touchdown, only to be called back by a tick tack “flag guarding” penalty. The call was questionable but was enough to distract FOSS and they quickly turned the ball over on downs, which led to a garbage time TD by the veteran team.
The youth of the team was showcased in an on field interview with WR Drew Blottie, following the end of the game. When asked how FOSS would avenge the loss, Blottie commented, “This game’s not over yet. Were going to come out strong in the 3rd and 4th halves tonight and really turn this around.” Blottie, unaware that the game was actually over, retracted his statement via Twitter later that evening.
Bennett was furious after the game.
“Coach Ghiorso definitely needs to spend more time practicing defense or we might be shopping around for a new head coach.”
GM Bennett’s lack of patience may stem from the financial strain on the team. Currently, Shoulder Shrug is in a legal battle with 10 families of the dead player victims who were worked to death during training camp, literally. Along with this issue, Bennett believes too much money was spent on team uniforms and not enough in the recruitment for a stronger defensive coordinator. “We do look sexy, but we look less sexy when we lose.” Bennett said.
All this aside, FOSS begins the season with a deflating loss. They will look to rebound next week and return to .500 against the W.A. Fajitas. We know one thing, FOSS will look good losing, but they will look even better if they win.
Team Notes: Bryan Sapp and Ben Lehmann were suspended by Coach Ghiorso for the first game. Bryan was giving a sermon and Ben was on a Geology Field Trip in the Mojave Desert. When the coach learned they would be absent, he quickly suspended them instead. “Yes, they will be fined.” Ghiorso says. “Bryan owes me Starbucks and Ben better bring me some sweet looking rocks from the desert.”
-Nathan Ghiorso
(For questions or comments, please email Nathan at ThisBetterNotBeHateMailOrIWillKillYou@yahoo.com)
In a 21-6 defeat, Shoulder Shrug showed quick flashes of brilliance and athleticism but were quickly over-matched and overrun by a nine-year veteran squad. “Our inexperience on the field translated into costly drops and needless penalties,” GM Tyler Bennett said after the game.
Trailing 7-0 near the end of the first half, Kyle Woods threw a 50-yard touchdown strike to Nathan Ghiorso, which brought FOSS into halftime trailing 7-6 (the conversion was unsuccessful). FOSS started the 2nd half with the ball and the momentum, but inexperience led to two interceptions on their first two drives.
Down 14-6 with time dwindling, drops and penalties seemed to unravel the young squad. Tim Ghiorso had a would be 75 yard catch and run touchdown, only to be called back by a tick tack “flag guarding” penalty. The call was questionable but was enough to distract FOSS and they quickly turned the ball over on downs, which led to a garbage time TD by the veteran team.
The youth of the team was showcased in an on field interview with WR Drew Blottie, following the end of the game. When asked how FOSS would avenge the loss, Blottie commented, “This game’s not over yet. Were going to come out strong in the 3rd and 4th halves tonight and really turn this around.” Blottie, unaware that the game was actually over, retracted his statement via Twitter later that evening.
Bennett was furious after the game.
“Coach Ghiorso definitely needs to spend more time practicing defense or we might be shopping around for a new head coach.”
GM Bennett’s lack of patience may stem from the financial strain on the team. Currently, Shoulder Shrug is in a legal battle with 10 families of the dead player victims who were worked to death during training camp, literally. Along with this issue, Bennett believes too much money was spent on team uniforms and not enough in the recruitment for a stronger defensive coordinator. “We do look sexy, but we look less sexy when we lose.” Bennett said.
All this aside, FOSS begins the season with a deflating loss. They will look to rebound next week and return to .500 against the W.A. Fajitas. We know one thing, FOSS will look good losing, but they will look even better if they win.
Team Notes: Bryan Sapp and Ben Lehmann were suspended by Coach Ghiorso for the first game. Bryan was giving a sermon and Ben was on a Geology Field Trip in the Mojave Desert. When the coach learned they would be absent, he quickly suspended them instead. “Yes, they will be fined.” Ghiorso says. “Bryan owes me Starbucks and Ben better bring me some sweet looking rocks from the desert.”
-Nathan Ghiorso
(For questions or comments, please email Nathan at ThisBetterNotBeHateMailOrIWillKillYou@yahoo.com)
Monday, March 14, 2011
Fans Turn to Local Sports as NFL Lockout Looms
Fair Oaks Shoulder Shrug, pictured on the right, is set to begin their inaugural season as a flag football team in the Folsom Community Recreation League. With home games being played at John Kemp Field and away games also being played at John Kemp field, fans now have something to be excited about again. Folsom is predicting record numbers for fan attendance this season due to the NFL lockout which has left many fans feeling hopeless with nothing to do. With the Kings set to leave Sacramento also, this Rec league is sure to see fans in the thousands flock to JK Field to watch the Shoulder Shrugs play underneath the “Friday Night Lights.”
GM Tyler Bennett, alongside Player Coach Nathan Ghiorso have prepared intensively for the past two weeks.
“We flew our team to Mississippi this offseason to practice in the swamp…we tested the true mettle of our players there,” Ghiorso said. Upon return from offseason activities, all players died of exhaustion and dehydration and were immediately replaced with scab athletes. “My condolences go out to the dead players and their families, but now I have my opportunity to represent the school of hard knocks in this league,” WR Drew Blottie comments.
The current roster includes 2 quarterbacks, 7 receivers, and one center. Seriously, it does. Coach Ghiorso and GM Bennett have strategically selected players to fit Folsom’s “pass happy” league. “I’m going deep every play,” WR Tim Ghiorso exclaimed. “I’m throwing deep every play,” GM/QB/Center/Uniform Designer Tyler Bennett also said.
Coach Ghiorso disagrees. “If Tyler thinks he’s just going to throw it deep every play then he’ll be cut from the team before halftime. We will have Tim run deep every time, however, because he really needs the exercise.”
The main problem facing Fair Oaks Shoulder Shrug (FOSS) is their popularity. They are first timers in an unforgiving league and will be looking to put themselves on the social map. Currently the FOSS team page on Facebook only has 30 fans. Publicist Megan Little projects that 30 fans will soon become 30,000 fans if FOSS can reel off wins early. The team is helping achieve this goal by posting videos in every major media outlet known to man. Their latest post: a controversial press conference that got ugly (link in top right corner). What’s next? Possibly a sponsored Gatorade commercial and even a music video, titled “It’s A Shrug Life.” Be on the lookout.
The season kicks off this Friday, March 18th. Come to JK Field wearing neon green or black. Be there or be dead.
-Nathan Ghiorso
(To contact Nathan Ghiorso with comments, questions, email ThisBetterNotBeHateMailOrIWillKillYou@yahoo.com)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
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