Chill Back in Playoff Hunt as they Slam Minnesota 40-8

The entire Green Bay Chill team has finally arrived to support the efforts of their star quarterback Anne Erler. In the past, they’ve struggled to show up with the same focus and intensity that Erler brings to the field. Tonight, it was a different story as her receivers Jessica Payton and Anna Heisman were reliable targets, her running back Amber Mane supplied a real threat out of the backfield, and center Hallie Jiskra continues to shine from the line. Head coach Gilbert Brown has officially put his name in the mix as one of the great coaches of this league; someone who can look at defeat and use it as motivation to turn around a season.

One of the growing stars on the Chill struck first blood tonight as running back Amber Mane scored back to back opening touchdowns to put Green Bay up 14-0. Just as the Valkyrie seemed to appear confident in pressuring Erler and stuffing the run, center sensation Hallie Jiskra snuck into the end zone with 16 seconds left in the half and caught her 4th touchdown pass of the season. After Amber Mane ran in the 2-point conversion, the Chill were headed into the locker room with a comfortable 22-0 lead.

Despite being lit up on the scoreboard, the rookie-filled Valkyrie showed signed of maturity on both sides of the ball. Rookie quarterback Kari Janes was elusive in scrambling from pressure and showed good speed when extending the play. However she suffered the woes of a young LFL player, throwing an interception in her own territory and fumbling the ball into the end zone after making a great run. The Minnesota defense, led by ballhawk strong safey Laurie Jo Miller and veteran linebacker Leekplay Paye, were surprisingly physical tonight. They tackled well and pressured Erler all night long. Unfortunately Anne “Showtime” Erler is too much of a playmaker to be held down for long. She was just too unrelenting in her passes down field and continued her aerial attack in the second half.

First though, she had to put on her show with her legs. After the Chill defense came up with an unlikely fumble recovery in the end zone for a heartbreaking touchback, the offense put a drive together attempting to stomp out any hopes of a Valkyrie comeback. Halfway into the third quarter Erler zigzagged her way into the side of the end zone to put the Chill up by 28. This drive was defined by a different play however as the shaky handed wideout Jessica Payton caught a deep pass in traffic to build her confidence and regain Erler’s trust.

As the fourth quarter began, it seemed that the Minnesota bench would have to use small victories as a means of motivation. Despite suffering another touchdown reception from Chill center Hallie Jiskra, (again, who would have thought a center would be leading the league in TD receptions) the Minnesota bench was inspired by the great stuffs that came during the point after attempts. Their sportsmanship and class was on display as the Minnesota offense put together a late drive and capped it with a touchdown run from Kari Janes on a draw play. Although the score was meaningless in tonight’s contest, this team’s willingness to not be shut out in their 2013 debut showed that they are a different team this year.

The Chill would bury the Valkyrie in the fourth with a touchdown reception from Anna Heasman, who also regained some respect as a ball catcher tonight. The Green Bay Chill were all over the field tonight. Their offense is now in sync with receivers who can make plays, and they now have some swagger on defense as Laure Gelis-Diaz AKA “Frenchy” is now on the LFL’s radar as a safety to be reckoned with. Game MVP Anne Erler showed off her skills as a defender tonight as well, picking off Kari Janes on the final play of the game.

The Valkyrie will head back to Minneapolis, regroup, and prepare to meet the LFL’s hottest team, the Seattle Mist, on July 6th. Meanwhile the Chill are officially back in the hunt for the playoffs. They’ll meet Las Vegas in “Sin City” on June 22nd to try and improve to a winning record. It all leads to the 2013 season closer against their rival the Chicago Bliss on August 10th in what will likely be a playoff deciding game. The Chill stomp the Valkryie tonight in Green Bay, 40-8!