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Heat gets first victory photo by Drew Fleming Defense comes up big against the Bandits By KRIS HENRY CENTRAL POINT - It wasn't a thing of beauty, but the Southern Oregon Heat will take the outcome of Thursday's game every time. Despite being held to just three second-half points in a game marred by penalties, Southern Oregon garnered the most important of all "firsts" for the first-year National Indoor Football League squad - its first victory. John Acosta's 43-yard field goal with 1:58 to play proved to be the difference as Southern Oregon (1-2) staved off a rally by the Sioux City, Iowa, Bandits for a 22-19 victory in the Inferno at Jackson County Expo Park before 2,864 fans. "We probably have the least experience of any team out there, so to get this win means a lot to us," said Heat coach Eric Vanderwegen. "We're on the right track now and have the monkey off our back, so to speak. Now we have a little momentum going into next week. We have that spring back in our step and we're ready to roll." Paving the way for the Heat's first victory was a stingy defensive unit eager to show last week's struggles were not indicative of Southern Oregon's true character. "We had a little something to prove after our last game," said Heat defensive coordinator Will Salade, referring to last Saturday's 49-35 thumping by the Tri-City Diesel of Kearney, Neb. "We gave up a lot of deep balls last week, but this game we came out hard and everybody played solid all the way across." Salade leveled a few crushing blows from his secondary position to help set the tone, while newcomers Tony Redd and Cody Webster each made their marks with key tackles in the second half to keep the Bandits (0-3) at bay. "The defense played great," said Vanderwegen. "They were just awesome out there all night." Redd halted two third-quarter surges by the Bandits with an interception and a forced fumble, while the Heat line of Freddie Taulani, Antwan Harris and Jake Gallop came up big time after time. "We thrived off the crowd's cheering all night, and we really wanted to do it for them," said Salade. David Douglas helped get the Heat's offense on track on the first series, zipping a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Morgan to give Southern Oregon a 6-0 lead. The Bandits answered with a touchdown by Jason Graham and extra point by Jeff Kerns for a 7-6 lead - but that would be the only time Sioux City was on top. After a defensive stand pinned the Bandits at their own end, Taulani blocked a field goal attempt from Sioux City's own end zone and Aaron Crawford recovered the ball at the 5. Two plays later, receiver Mike Morrell lined up at running back and bulled over from the 2 for a TD and a 12-7 Heat lead. Douglas sparked the offense once again late in the second quarter with a perfectly placed 17-yard pass to Morrell for a touchdown. Acosta's PAT made it 19-7, but the Bandits answered the challenge as Mike Orlando bobbled the ensuing kickoff, was hit hard twice but maintained his balance and found a seam for a 35-yard kickoff return for a TD. Southern Oregon's 19-13 halftime lead appeared tenuous, but the chilly conditions in the Inferno rubbed off on each team's offensive attack as neither group mounted much of a threat until Acosta drilled his field goal. Sioux City added a touchdown pass from Kip Kelso to Dennis Short with 34 seconds to play, but the Bandits' onside kick attempt was smothered by the Heat, and Douglas kneeled four times to run out the clock. "We had plenty of opportunities to score," said Douglas. "We should have had more than 22 points on the board, but we'll take the 'W.' "The last two games have been just a couple plays here and there holding us back. We just needed a couple people to step up and make plays and we got that tonight." Next up for the Heat will be a return engagement with the Tri-City Diesel next Thursday at the Inferno. At The Inferno Sioux City Bandits................................7 6 0 6 - 19 Southern Oregon Heat...........................12 7 0 3 - 22 SO - Morgan 5 pass from Douglas (kick blocked) SC - Graham 3 run (Kerns kick) SO - Morrell 2 run (pass failed) SO - Morrell 17 pass from Douglas (Acosta kick) SC - Orlando 35 kickoff return (kick blocked) SO - Acosta 43 FG SC - De. Short 6 pass from Kelso (pass fail) Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.