11th Marine Cannon Cockers

Playing QB, the most important position on the gridiron, is no easy chore. First of all, you have to be cool under pressure. You have to be buoyant enough to shake off your own mistakes. Toughness is also a prerequisite. You have to endure the hardest licks as if they were kisses from a kitten. You have to pick youself up off the field and return to action, just to prove you mettle to teammates. But most of all you have to have the talen to get the job done. You have to know how to win. Steven Phelps demonstrated all of these qualities Monday night when he reurned from a head injury to lead 11th Marine Regiment to a 12-0 victory over 9th Comm/HQBn at 43 Area Feild on Monday. Phelps who was sidelined last week with a minor concussion during the Cannon Cockers' win over Security Bn, played what he, and his coach Jacob Puda, considered his best performance since joing the team 11th Marines Football program last year. "I think its the best he's played," Puda said of his starting QB, who hurled two long TD passes and completed 12 of 15 passes for 190 yds in the Cannon Cockers' new found quick-strike aerial attack in front of more than 150 lively fans. "I think that he has more confidence than he used to. He's getting better. I really believe that he has grown in poise and confidence." Puda added. Any normal person in Phelps position would have felt an uncertainty about thier job security comeing into this game, becuase last week, after Phelps departure, the Cannon Cockers flourised with Puda under center. It's not easy for somebody to watch another player perform at an exceptional level while they sit on the bench. All that does is make the incumbent press harder to keep his job. "Whenever your a QB, thier is a lot of pressure," Phelps admitted. But the 6 foot 2 signal caller from Texas stepped up and showed his coach what he's capable of accomplishing. Phelps connected on two big plays, the first was a 29-yard TD pass to a wide open Quinton Bell on a play action pass, and later in the second half, a 65 yard TD bomb to 6 foot 4 standout David White as the team improved to 2-0 in thier quest to return to the championship game, which they lost last year to MAG-39. But Phelps isn't the only player makeing a differnce on for 11th Marines. The suqad played excellent on defense, surmounting two contraversial unnecessary roughness penilties against hard hitting saftey Jeremy Knutson allowed a mere 85 yds of offense. "Doc(Knutson)is a hard-hitter, flat out. He plays the game a 150% and shows no mercy," said defensive coach Greg Long. "We told him to just play his game, and let us worry about the calls." The second of thoes penelties put 9th Comm in the red zone. But the oppurtunity was for naught, as the Cannon Cockers dominant defense stiffend. "We were able to overcome thoes calls," said defensive leader Anthony Parker, a Golden Helmet selection at saftey last year. "And that is what good defenses do." Thier defense was suffocating, but without a doubt, Phelps performance stood out most. " I have to hand it to the Offensive line, they played a heck of a game," said Phelps, who also praised his skill players such a WB Larry Lawrence, TB James Russell and WB Chad Morgan who had a first half TD called back on a penelty. Everyone on offense had their moments from Lawrence's big runs to right tackle Chris Brooks' block that sprung morgan for his TD. But Puda, who stood by Phelps through his up's and downs last season was more blunt in analyzing the difference between his QB's perfomance this week as compared to previous weeks. "I think he stopped second guessing himself, I've been pounding that into his head lately. I knew he could make big things happen, he just has to believe in himself." Something Puda never doubted. And now, the rest of the Cannon Cockers shouldn't either. Next action for the team will vs. H&S FSSG/7th ESB next monday at 1600 on the 43 Area Field.