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Vanderwegen just misses being the hero By Kris Henry CENTRAL POINT � Eric Vanderwegen�s dream moment turned into a nightmare within a matter of seconds Wednesday night in the inaugural game of the National Indoor Football League. On the heels of a 25-yard, fourth-down completion that gave his team a chance at victory, the Southern Oregon Heat quarterback and offensive coordinator had the hero�s role stolen as Yakima�s Joe Martinez stepped in front of a pass with 31 seconds to play for a game-sealing interception. The Shockwave outlasted the Heat, 27-21, in front of about 3,500 at Compton Arena at Jackson County Expo Park. "That�s a quarterback�s dream," said Vanderwegen. "That�s the way it�s supposed to be. Fourth down and goal-to-go on the last possession of the game. You�re supposed to make it happen, and it didn�t work out that way tonight." What did work for the Heat was a ballhawking defense that left Yakima quarterback Jeff Thomas begging for more time to throw and caught many in attendance off-guard with physical tackles to, and sometimes through, the 4-foot-high dasher boards that surrounded the indoor field. "I feel like the fans got their money�s worth," said Heat receiver David Douglas. "We played hard and there were some big plays, so we have nothing to hang our heads about. We had them on the ropes the whole way, we just didn�t get the bounces to go our way." Southern Oregon will hit the road for its second game April 14 in Kearney, Neb., against the Tri-City Diesel. If Wednesday�s play is any indication, Yakima coach Larry Jobe said, the Diesel better be ready to bring their best game. "Southern Oregon has a great looking football team," said Jobe. "We�re lucky to escape here with a win, quite frankly. It went all the way down to the wire, and it doesn�t get any better than that. That�s what indoor football is all about." Jobe was one of the few in attendance who truly knew what the indoor football game was all about, having coached Denver�s team in the Indoor Professional Football League two years ago. Any game played on a 50-yard long and 28-yard wide field surrounded by dasher boards is bound to have a few quirky rules, and it was Jobe�s knowledge of the indoor game that helped swing the contest toward the Shockwave�s favor. With the Heat leading 21-19 early in the fourth quarter, Yakima�s bruising running back, Keith Evans, rumbled right but had the ball jarred loose. Former Southern Oregon University standout J.D. Callicoat appeared to recover the football after it banged off the side boards and a few other players. But as Callicoat was busy sailing the football into the grandstands in celebration, Jobe was busy conferring with the officials � reminding them of the indoor rule that allows for the ball to be awarded to the last person who had possession before it hit the board. Since that person was Evans, the Shockwave retained possession and quarterback Jeff Thomas plowed over the goal line three plays later to give Yakima the lead. Thomas connected with Brian Carter for a two-point conversion to make the score 27-21 with 11:17 to play. Neither team could manage much offense after that until the final two minutes when Vanderwegen and crew fell short. "We came out and didn�t really know what to expect, but the defense came up big for us two or three times tonight," said Heat owner Kevin Wells, who also was thrust into the head coaching duties. "Offensively, we need to work a little bit. We didn�t spread the ball around like we need to and their big guys got some pressure on us." Head coach Brett Wells wasn�t on hand because of a family situation. Vanderwegen completed only 7 of 23 passes, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Duane Patterson in the first quarter and a 23-yard connection with Douglas in the second quarter. "To be honest, I didn�t play a very good game," said Vanderwegen. "I threw some bad balls and didn�t capitalize on some opportunities I had. I�m a little disappointed in my performance that way more than my play calling." Playing the role of offensive coordinator, the 26-year-old even mused about the possibility of benching the quarterback. Wells, however, said that type of change won�t be necessary. "We had a chance to win it and I�ll put my money on Eric every time in that situation," he said. "He usually comes through in that spot." Few changes will be needed on the defensive side of the ball, where defensive back William Salade made seven tackles and secondary teammate Aaron Crawford returned an interception 35 yards for a TD with 11 seconds to play in the first half. Yakima Shockwave........................7 6 6 8 �27 Southern Oregon Heat...................7 14 0 0 �21 Yak � Evans 5 pass from Thomas (Meyers kick) SO � Patterson 6 pass from Vanderwegen (Theolo kick) Yak � Carter 5 pass from Thomas (kick blocked) SO � Douglas 23 pass from Vanderwegen (Theolo kick) SO � Crawford 35 interception return (Theolo kick) Yak � Evans 10 run (run failed) Yak � Thomas 1 run (Carter pass from Thomas) 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.