Nottingham Caesars 6 v 26 Coventry Jets , April 27th 2013, Harvey Hadden Stadium, Nottingham
The Coventry Jets kicked off their 2013 Premiership campaign with a decisive victory over Divisional rivals the Nottingham Caesars.
The Caesars were playing their third match of 2013 but never looked like threatening the new look Jets with veteran quarterback Stuart Franklin at the helm.
Franklin, an off-season signing from the Leicester Falcons stamped his authority on the game on the very first drive, culminating in a precision 26 yard pass to wide receiver Sam Hyde in the endzone.
The Jets young, hungry , defensive unit were in excellent form, giving the offense tremendous ball position on several occasions.
Rookie Josh Cooper came up with two interceptions in his very first game as a Jet. Another rookie, wide receiver Noah Ben-Haim was on the end of two further touchdown passes from Franklin before half time, the first a tremendous catch in the back of the endzone for 55 yards and the second a beautiful 43 yard reception, the Caesars defenders simply not able to keep up with Ben Haim’s lightning speed.
A 37 yard run by Chris “Teflon” Hobbs close to half time placed the ball on the 5 yard line allowing Franklin to scamper over for the final score of the half.
With the Jets leading 26-0 at half time, the coaches decided to blood more rookies and test varying formations and plays in the second half.
Backup quarterback Fraser Oliver took over late in the 3rd quarter and showed his prowess with some excellent passing and a winding 23 yard run, being tackled by the last man between him and the endzone.
On the defensive side of the ball, standout performances came from the Defensive Line and Linebacker units with Matt Favell responsible for 4 tackles in the backfield, earning him the MVP award on the day.
Defensive Captain Adam Gibson contributed with 4 x solo tackles and several tremendous hits, as did Oli Campbell and rookies Dan Hepworth ,Dan Brooks and Ralph Dicka. The Caesars were stopped short of the goal line on 4 occasions with less than 5 yards to go, testament to the toughness of the defense. With the average age of the unit only 21, the future seems very bright for this group of players.
Nottingham’s only score came with two minutes to go when Charlie Paterson scored a consolation touchdown.
Head Coach Paul Rickhuss commented “I am delighted with this victory, we are half way through our rebuilding process now and I couldn’t be happier with today’s performance. I look forward to our young squad facing perhaps the 3rd best team in the country next week and I am sure they will do the city proud on what will be probably our hardest game of the season.”