Ballers Lose 17-16 in Close Battle

SOMEWHERE, Canada (BP) -- The cork pops. The champagne bursts with a pillowing fizz of jubilation that shows the hard work of a whole season paying off.

But that was not the Blackburg locker room.

Instead the Ballers hungtheir heads after a close 17-16 loss to the number 1 seeded Drinkin Hellraisers. The silence in the Ballers locker room was so palpable that you could cut a knife through it. Players packed up their things and headed home in disappointment despite a very successful season.

"It's just very hard to think about the game right now," Exhausted QB Khari Jones said after a 328 yard 1 TD performance. "When you lose a game like we did going down to the wire, it's really tough."

The Ballers fought the whole game with the Hellraisers who were heavy favorites. A 1st quarter TD by Hellraisers QB Dan Cox to star receiver John Wilson gave them a 7-0 lead. After a field goal trade off the Ballers only trailed 10-6 at the half.

However a Michelin Man 7 yard TD score by the Hellraisers brought the lead to 17-6. The Ballers then had a spectacular 44.5 yard TD catch by Sterling Driver and a Troy Westwood FG that brought the game within 1. However the Ballers could not score again and the Hellraisers sealed victory.

The Ballers only allowed 58.5 yards rushing and got good pressure on Dan Cox forcing him to an interception and 2 hurries. Speed McLovin' provided constant pressure from the end but said in the end the team just needs to look forward to next season.

"I know guys are disappointed that the season didn't end up the way we wanted it to, but in the end you can't play the 'what if' game. Saying 'what if' this or 'what if' that isn't going to change the outcome. I think next year is what we need to focus on because you have seen that this team can easily compete against the best.

Looking forward to next season the Ballers do have a lot of very good backups that could command starting positions elsewhere.

"The talent that this team has is definitely going to garner some interest from other teams," Owner Mike said. "It's obvious that teams needing to build their talent are going to look for teams that are successful. Unfortunately we have guys on the roster who have a legitimate shot at starting on a lot of very good teams and we're going to have to let them go."

Despite this he went on to say that there is also a lot of talent on the team that they can keep and this will be to their advantage because teams will "underestimate the level [they] can play at."

In spite of the loss, Blacksburg is looking to a bright future that includes many more playoff appearances. They pulled off a stunning 4 game winning streak that catapulted them into the playoff race, they almost beat the number 1 seeded team in the Canadian AA Western Conference, and they have a roster that is full of talent. Next year fans should be in for a treat because folks from what we've seen throughout this season there is nowhere to go but up.