Arizona Caliente Take the "Un" Away From the Undefeated Warbirds MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Cada 602-679-3960 (Phoenix, AZ) The Arizona Caliente winning streak continues to 7, and advances the team to the Pacific Conference Championship. The Caliente defeated the North Pacific Division Champions and top seed in the playoffs, the Seattle Warbirds, Saturday night (2-2-2002) in Kirkland Washington with a score of 22-16. The Warbirds had been the only team left in the WAFL that was undefeated (9-0-1), and the Caliente were more than happy to take the "un" away from them, as the Warbirds were eliminated from the playoffs and ended their successful season at 9-1-1. The Caliente record including the post-season game is now 8-3. Game Recap: The winning play: Arizona's # 14 Angela Reyes caught a 35-yard touchdown pass thrown by #10 Kim Corbett and ran it in as time expired to oust the Warbirds. The winning series: The Warbirds had a chance to win the game with less than a minute left on the clock, but when their field goal attempt from the 31-yard line on third-and-two, fell just inches short, the Caliente had their turn. They started at the 21-yard line, throwing incomplete on first and second downs. Faced with a third and ten with about 30 seconds left, if they threw incomplete they would have to either punt or go for it on a fourth and ten with 20 seconds left and possibly give Seattle the ball again. So, they ran the ball, thinking if #14 Reyes got tackled, the clock would run out (and it would be OT because Seattle was with out a TO left), but then instead of the tackle, Reyes ran for 22 yards and got out of bounds. Now at midfield with 2 time outs left, a completion to # 24 Meservy plus a time out took them to the 35. They went to four wide out, sending everyone for the end zone. #44 Garner, Corbett's go-to receiver, saw that a Seattle defender was coming from way outside, so she didn't run her route but more importantly adjusted to help with the coverage. Corbett realizing that Garner hadn't run her route, looked to find another, and as her and Reyes made eye contact, they went right for the spot between the 2 Seattle safties. Reyes caught the ball at the 5, made a move, and scored as the clock ran out. The Caliente's offensive game began and the tone was set with an early fumble recovery on the Warbird 20 and a quick gain of 14 yards by Arizona's returning RB #19 Winter Barry. Barry, who has been out with a broken wrist incurred in game 3 of the season, is one of the Caliente's trio of unstoppable Running Backs (with # 14 Reyes, and # 28 Latta), and her first play run truly set the pace for the rest of the game. Outstanding rushing yards would keep the ball away from the Warbirds offense, and allow the Caliente to control the time of possession. Reyes finished the game rushing for 149 yards with 18 carries, one of which was the Caliente's first score of the night at 13:06 in the first quarter. Latta ended with 43 yards in 14 carries, and full back # 34 Settles added 7 carries for 22 yards herself. Caliente Owner/General Manager Jennifer Cada stated, "The Caliente were in top form; all the players were really on. It was a total team effort on both sides of the ball, and that was what made it a great game to be watching." Caliente Iron Woman # 44 Christine Garner can be attributed to bringing the offense and defense both up to higher levels, as she not only caught a 5-yard touchdown pass, and then caught the 2 point conversion, but also racked up 5 tackles and an assist. Cada notes, "Garner is an all around quality athlete, but her ability to make the hardest hitting tackle on defense and turn right around to make the big play on offense is where she needs to be credited as the asset she truly is. She quite possibly is the best TE in the league and all of women?s football, and we have been glad to have her on our side as we watch her tear up anyone who gets in her way." She jokes, "She's the kind of player who makes the crowd cower and say 'that had to hurt' when she makes her hits and leaves other players flat (on their back)." The stat that says it all: the Caliente out gained the Warbirds in total offense, 348 to 240. Seattle has been a very aggressive and powerful offensive team, scoring 248 points in their regular season play, but couldn't get by the Caliente defense as often as they needed to. The Arizona defense has been a dominant force all year, and once again delivered the big stops at the right times. Standout games were had by # 65 Angie Darnell (LB) with 6 tackles and 2 Assists, and # 11 Rachel Carlin (DE) with 5 tackles and 4 Assists, with strong performance being turned in by # 1 Carrie Thomas (LB), # 24 Summer Meservy (DB) and # 46 Martha Puletasi-Edmonds (LB). # 80 Kasandra Davis (Safety) snagged an interception, and on the line # 56 Edenburgs, # 67 Slaughter, and # 92 Hoke all made the hard hits even harder. On the flip side, the Warbirds defensive is ranked #1 in the WAFL allowing a mere 29 points in their season?s 10 games (an average of less than a field goal a game), so the Caliente?s feat of scoring 22 points is not being overlooked. Credit needs to be given to the offensive line that has developed over the course of the season. The O-line has been consistently led by #79 Hiroko Suzuki who plays guard/tackle and was the only 'experienced player' coming into the season, but original-defender-turned-center # 89 Becky Gamble, has emerged as the offensive line's strength. Cada points out, "It was a very complete attack of ground yardage and completed passes, and Quarterback # 10 Corbett took control. They (the Warbirds) were a great team, and it was obvious why they have been undefeated, but tonight, we came just came out ahead. I give a lot of credit to our Coaches for taking us this far, but with players like Betty (Hiroko Suzuki), I never doubted we could do it." Offensive Player(s) of the Game: # 14 Angela Reyes / # 10 Kim Corbett Defensive Player of the Game: # 9 Tina "Tink" Murphree Pacific Conference Championship Preview: Arizona Caliente vs. California Quake The Pacific Conference Championship game will pair the 2 teams, both from the South Pacific Division, against each other for what will decide their 'Best of 3' Series. The Arizona Caliente were defeated at home by the Quake early in the season (Nov. 17th, 2001) by a score of 6-19, however, the Caliente handed the Quake a lose at their home field in return near the end of the season (1-12-2002) with that final score of 26-22. The game will be played on Saturday, February 9th, 2002 in Long Beach, California at Veteran's Memorial Stadium with a 7:05pm kickoff.. Pacific Conference Playoff Results: 1-26-2002 Sacramento Sirens vs. California Quake - Final Score 13-40 2-2-2002 Arizona Caliente vs. Seattle Warbirds - Final Score 22-16 The Caliente are scheduling for their post season, working with local girls clubs such as Girl Power and initiating youth clinics and community service projects, but for now, the main focus still remains on bringing home the Championship title. "This year has been a success - women have had the opportunity to play a full season of football and prove it can be done." Cada concludes, "The Caliente future is bright. We will be holding open tryouts in the spring for next year and interviewing those who want to join the team on other levels. We will definitely be looking for more local support and have many sponsorship opportunities available. What's really nice, is that now, with a year under our belt, we have shown what we promised from the beginning - the Caliente are 'The Real Deal'." For more information on the Caliente you can call the hotline at 602-212-HOTT (4688) or visit them online at www.WAFL-Caliente.com