Shorthanded theme continues for Barbarians

Even before the first play of last Saturday’s game between the Shell Lightning and the Barbarians got underway it was clear to see that the winless warriors would have a difficult time on the gridiron.

While just about all of the undefeated Lightning players were on hand at some point to witness the game between the Tinian Typhoon and the Express Electronics Eagles, only a handful of Barbarians were present at the game’s final whistle.

The team that never quits barely got the chance to start as only 12 players donned their gear during the pre-game warm-ups. Those who did, got a good look at their competition, as the Lightning had a legion on the opposite end of the field preparing for the battle that ensued.

Less than 20 players gathered in the huddle before the Barbarians sent 11 special teamers onto the field for the opening kickoff, and the Lightning had more than double ready to go in from the sidelines.

It was difficult to witness from the press box as the black and gold seemed destined to fail despite overwhelming odds, but it was easy to admire them for buckling their chinstraps and venturing out to the trenches knowing the challenges.

As they game wore on, the Barbarians were unable to play with the same tenacity, but there were some flashes of fury from the 2001 CFL champions.

Syl Teregeyo threw a pass, ran the ball, made tackles, went out in coverage, and punted for his team. The only thing he didn’t do was split into two players and take on two positions at one. Teregeyo wasn’t the only player in Ironman mode as only four of his teammates were off of the field at anyone time under their team tent.

While some speculated that the shortage was due to family events and the motorcades that were parading across Saipan, all Teregeyo knew was that his brothers weren’t there to play.

“We played hard today. They know we had a game today but they just didn’t show up,” he said.

Barbarians’ Jay Tilipao expressed his respect and honor for those of his teammates who did show.

“I feel very good because we had minimum guys who showed up today and we played our hearts out. I’m very proud of these boys because we had probably 14 guys who showed up this morning and we just wanted to go out there and show that we have heart—Barbarian heart, and we showed it,” he said.

Tilipao said that his teammates will have to show for practice for their upcoming game against the Eagles on Saturday, Nov. 19, because it will be their final game of the season. At 0-5, the Barbarians are out of the playoffs, and they are 0-6 if you add in their loss to the Verizon Nitro in last year’s playoffs.

The practice field was equally barren on Wednesday evening when only nine players showed up top the CPA Airport Field to practice at 5pm. It is now or never for the Barbarians as they have to decide between going out on a losing note and coming together as a unit to overcome the Green Machine.

The same doesn’t stand for the Lightning as they secured a spot in the CFL Championship game with their 34-0 win. At 5-0, they have topped all comers, but they will face their first overseas challenge in little more than a week when they pack up their gear and head to Tinian to challenge the Typhoon on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 7:30pm.

After the game, player-coach John Blanco paid respects to the Barbarians and started to look ahead to the battle with the Typhoon.

“I’ve still got to give it to the Barbarians because they were missing their starting quarterback, one of their key defensive players in Asterio Tawanpiy, and a lot of their guys, but they were missing a couple of guys that could have made a difference in the game. Now we’re going down to Tinian…and they are going to throw everything at us—including the kitchen sink, so we’ve got to make sure that our lineman are up to par,” he said.

Regardless of the outcome of their game abroad, the Lightning are a cinch for the final game, and Blanco said that he knows that it could set them up for failure of his teammates go into the game without a solid focus.

“Overall we’re 5-0, we’re happy, and we’re looking forward to the Tinian game. The thing I’m glad for is that we’re locked in for the championship and we don’t have to go through the playoffs. We’re 5-0 and even if we lose in Tinian we’re still automatically in the championship. We’re gonna bring as much firepower as we can because I know they’re gonna bring it. They’re gonna stack up their team and they want the upset,” he said.

All-around Lightning player George Lieto said he’s excited to play in Tinian, and now it’s just a matter of getting ready for his premier in primetime.

“We’re ready to go down to play in the night lights. I know Tinian is gonna bring it like they always bring it, so it’s gonna be a good game,” he said.