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BattleWings Head Coach Jon Norris has been looking for a quarterback. Not that he hasn’t had one….or two….or three, but he needs a QB to stay healthy and play well. He got both in the likes of Gary Cooper Saturday night as “Coop” led the Wings to a one point victory over Southwest Division opponent – The Dallas Vigilantes. Both teams were looking to stop a multi-game losing skid: Dallas a five game streak of losses compared to six for the BattleWings.

Cooper and the Wings got on track pretty quickly and led most of the night at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Dallas. Cooper was 32 of 41 for 313 yards and 7 TD’s passing. He added one more on the ground. Three BattleWings receivers caught multiple touchdown passes from Coop: P.J. Berry 2, Randy Hymes 2, and James Jordan caught 3 for scores. Willis Marshall made the biggest play of the first half when he intercepted Dallas QB Collin Drafts and returned it for a score that put the Wings up 21-7 on the last play of the first quarter.

Bossier-Shreveport held the lead until Drafts and Derek Lee hooked up with just 1 second to go in the third quarter for 13 yards, a TD, and a 55-48 lead. It looked like the Wings were done, but not so. A large crowd of BattleWings fans saw their guys outscore Dallas 22-14 in the fourth quarter to garner the Wings 3rd win of the season and 1^st on the road.            

The game did not end without some fireworks, though. Dallas regained the lead with 9:23 to play, and stretched that lead to 14 points. The Wings came roaring back. As time expired in the game, Cooper hit James Jordan for 5 yards for a TD that put the Wings to within 1 point. Jon Norris called a timeout, and with the entire BattleWings bench and fans screaming, “Go for two….go for the win…..” Norris gave the powerful BattleWings offense the green light to go for two and the win. Cooper threw to Randy Hymes on a quick out route. Hymes was dragged down from behind before he could get to the ball, and a pass interference call gave the Wings one more chance. With the ball at the 2, Gary Cooper took the snap, was flushed out of the pocket, and flicked a pass to Jordan in the end zone for the two-point conversion and a 70-69 victory.

“Great to get our first win on the road this season,” quipped a breathless Norris at the end of the game. “But it was even better to see that our guys never gave up. When we were down by 14 late and had every opportunity to quit, they just tightened the screw down a little tighter. We knew what we had to do to take control, and we did it. I’m proud of this team. They showed even themselves what type of guys they are…..and they’re NOT quitters.”

The BattleWings return to the CenturyTel Center Saturday night, June 12 at 7:05 P.M. to host the Iowa Barnstormers. Get tickets to the game at 318-746-8755, the CenturyTel Center Box Office, or at www.ticketmaster.com.

 

 

                                                                        1          2          3          4          Total

BattleWings                                                   21        20        28        22        70

Vigilantes                                                       7          20        28        14        69