Sunday, Jul. 26, 2009

Fever finish with a bang

By Ben Reynolds, Herald staff writer

The future of the Tri-Cities Fever will not be decided by one victory or one night when more than 3,600 fans came out to Toyota Center.

All the particulars about the franchise that is on life-support will be handled on conference calls and in several pages of binded documents over the next couple of months.

If Saturday night was the final game the Fever will ever play, it managed to leave a last impression and, at the same time, leave what general manager Randy Schillinger hopes will be a good first impression.

In front of potential buyers for the struggling franchise, the Fever played its best game of the season by far, routing Central Valley 76-35 in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

"We went out blazing tonight," said Fever defensive back Jamie Hattley, who had two interceptions.

The Fever finished a season that has been filled with disappointments and 30-point losses with a 3-13 record.

For most of the team's personnel, they don't know what the future holds for the franchise or themselves.

But for one night, none of that mattered to the players.

The Fever sent Central Valley (3-13) to its 10th straight loss and got a little pay back for a 64-44 loss to the Coyotes on May 2 in Kennewick.

Now the players wish they had just a few more games left in the season.

"It's been tough, but you know we came out here and got a win tonight and it feels great," said Fever receiver Tremayne Kirkland. "We finally put things together."

That league-worst offense that had struggled to score three touchdowns in a half -- let alone in a game -- underwent a superhero-like transformation.

The Fever had 21 points at the end of the first quarter and 42 by halftime, big numbers for a Tri-Cities team that had averaged just over 31 points per game and scored more than 40 points just three times this season.

"Coach told us that this was our ArenaCup," said quarterback Colin Drafts. "We went out and played like it was our last game."

The Fever offense continued to put points on the board in the second half and finished with the second-highest point total in franchise history.

"We just kept everything basic," said Fever offensive lineman Taase Jennings. "This has been a longtime coming."

Kirkland, who returned last week from a hamstring injury, had his best game of the season, catching seven passes for 152 yards and five touchdowns.

Drafts was efficient, completing 16 of 25 passes for 281 yards and seven touchdowns. The Fever got a touchdown on defense and another one on special teams.

Tri-Cities picked off Central Valley quarterback Joe Micco four times and forced two fumbles. The Fever turned the ball over just once itself and committed just seven penalties for 37 yards.

"It was the first time we came out and finished a game," said Fever coach Pat O'Hara.

O'Hara's future is as uncertain as most of his players and the franchise itself, but he said the past three months have been a learning experience.

"It's been interesting," he said. "We've had a lot of lows, but the few highs we had meant a lot. We persevered."

Time will tell if the franchise can do the same.