Wake-up call for Wheelers?
By Craig DeVrieze/ QUAD-CITY TIMES

Nor did Lincoln Dupree wait long after the kickoff to do his new thing.

Dupree was everywhere as the Pirates avenged a pair of one-sided losses last season to the Steamwheelers.

"They came in talking a lot of trash," said Dupree after the 81-56 Peoria victory, "but even when they tied it up in the fourth quarter, I wasn't worried."

Oh, well, I was a little worried. Were you at all worried, Bruce Cowdrey? "Heck, yes, I was worried," said the Pirates head coach, who had words with Quad City head coach Rich Ingold before the game.

"That was a wild game," said Cowdrey. "I thought if we could score 50, we'd be in it."

If wild is what indoor football should be, this had to be the best game for Carver Arena spectators in the four-year history of the game in Peoria.

"I haven't seen one any better against a good team," said Cowdrey, who was coaching in Florida last year when the Steamwheelers took two from Peoria by a combined 86-7. "They're good."

They're also minus the unbeaten record they came in with, thanks in large part to a speedster who hasn't played on offense since starring in high school at Sacramento (Calif.) Grant.

"In my infinite wisdom, we were short a man in practice and I told Lincoln to get in there and try going both ways," said Cowdrey, explaining how a cornerback becomes a triple threat on a moment's notice.

Dupree returned a missed field goal to open the scoring, then caught three touchdown passes, had two kickoff returns to set up touchdowns, defended a few Quad City passes in the end zone and put a hit on Steamwheelers speedster Ira Gooch that hurt to hear it.

That performance overshadowed even the pregame confrontation.

"We had copies of that (Quad-City Times) newspaper article and read them in the locker room before the game," said Dupree.

The article was written by Craig DeVrieze, the guy who won a bet and removed my ponytail at halftime last season. Ingold, angry at being unable to acquire game films to prepare for this game was quoted as saying the Pirates "are liars. Unprofessional."

Never one to let a situation fester, Cowdrey reportedly told Ingold what he thought of that quote. Diplomatically, of course.

"Things came out that should not have come out," said Ingold after the conversation. "I try not to get involved (in the sideshow area of the indoor game), and I'm disappointed in myself for doing it."

After the game, DeVrieze said to Cowdrey, "I understand you were a little upset."

"No, a lot," said Cowdrey, whose strong suit is not discretion when riled.

Now, I refuse to get involved in this inter-city nastiness, so I'll just say there would be no Quad City if someone had forgotten to invent the sump pump and the sandbag.

Anyway, the game films Ingold wanted to study would have shown Lincoln Dupree playing excluseivly on defense.

"We all made plays," said Dupree. "This is a great win. Our front dominated the game in the fourth quarter. I did want an interception, though."

Don't be greedy Lincoln. But don't stop pestering Cowdrey to include you in more pass patterns.

"Coach had a great game plan," said Dupree. "I just kind of teased him during practice to have (quarterback Walter) Church throw me a deep ball.

"I told him if they threw me a deep ball and I didn't catch it, no one else would, either."

Not that Dupree came in with the idea of beating Quad City by himself. Just beating the Steamwheelers was more than enough.

"They came in here with their heads high, thinking they were going to whup us the way they did last year," he said. "It wasn't going to happen this year."

"We feel very fortunate that we were able to play at the level of intensity required to defeat Quad City," said Cowdrey, who apparently planned to shake Ingold's hand after the game. Ingold apparently walked the other way.

Happy about stirring things up, DeVrieze? "I just wrote what the man said," answered the visiting writer, who owes me a ponytail because the Steamwheelers are on probation for cheating last year.

If they still want a game film, Coach, send them this one.