Offseason Exhibition Update

Well it's been a long break from football so far. The Yukon Yeti reopened their practicies this week with an exhibition game agianst the division rival Bar Harbor Captains. This game went as many people predicted, but this is defenitely an example of where the stats and score don't say it all. Yukon won the game 42-10, but I'm seeing some very solid play from the Captains. The Captains' starting quarterback position has been in crisis these past few regular season weeks, but I think they've found their groove. Adrian Justice the current quarterback for the Captains was acquired during a mid season trade with the Madison Timberwolves. His stats don't say much with a passer rating of 50.2 and a completion percentage of 45, but there were certainly some moments in the game where things looked like they just clicked and Bar Harbor would not be stopped even by the powerful passing defence and pass rush of the Yukon Yeti. Justice completed 20 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. His two interceptions were just a result of excellent defence and poor pass blocking. Justice's favorite target was by far the mid season aqusition from the Yukon Yeti; Wade Thomas. Thomas had 8 receptions for 83 yards and he looked very solid. Bar Harbor's running game, however was not so strong. Luther Hodges rushed for only 23 yards on 10 attempts, a very poor outing, but we must consider this: the Yukon Yeti are ranked first in the NFA in run stopping and they also feature a highly run stop orientated defence, with a lot of 46 sets. Luther Hodges still looks to be an excellent back against most teams. Bar Harbor looked solid despite the heavy loss. Yukon continues to look extremely tough as they come off as defending Super Bowl Champions. Torry Mathis threw for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 61. Mathis only played the first half of the game. Yukon coaches started former rookie prospect Ben Harris during the second half and he looked very strong indeed. Harris threw for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns with a passer rating of 137.8 and a completion percentage of 69. Harris could very well replace Mathis in terms of potential. On the ground Yukon was diverse and strong as usual. The player of the game was Tim Peterson, who ran for 46 yards and 2 touchdowns along with one 2 yard reception for a touchdown. Ben Harris also looked good on the ground as he broke down the Bar Harbor defence on the run with 23 yards on 2 carries. On the recieving end T.J. Oliver led the Yeti with 133 yards on 4 receptions followed by Mack Pleasant with 4 receptions and 89 yards. Yukon continues to spread the ball in ways most teams find hard to do, resulting in many recivers and a defence with mutiple threats to handle from all over the place. However, Yukon cannot hold on to it's advanced recieving core indefenitely, but right now this team looks just as good if not better then last years. Overall I gathered some very interesting insight from watching this game. The Bar Harbor Captains are defenitely not in decline, in fact they look to be on the rise again and I expect them to make the playoffs in a wildcard spot again this year. The loss of Stephen Garner hasn't slowed the Captains one bit. Now the look to be almost as diverse as Yukon in their threats with a lot of developing potential in their very strong rookies. Adrian Justice and Luther Hodges should carry this team far on offence, while 5 year veteren Terrance Bryant looks to make another incredible year for himself and the Captains on defence. Bar Harbor is by far not out of this and would defenitely win this division if Yukon was not in it. This is a rebuilding year for the Captains, but it doesn't look like it. The Bar Harbor Captains are gaining strength and if this rate holds steady I expect them to give Yukon a run for their money next year. That's all my report from this weeks exhibition game, I know it's a long time before the regular season begins, but already many NFA teams are getting ready for the season to resume. This looks like a good contest.

^T.J. Oliver leaps for the touchdown in a practice vs. the Captians^