Locos hit road to begin season
Fans of the United Football League’s Locomotives will have to wait until the middle of the season before they’ll be able to see their team play at home.
The UFL released its revised 2011 schedule on Tuesday and the two-time defending champion Locos, who open the season Sept. 17 at Sacramento, don’t play their home opener at Sam Boyd Stadium until Oct. 8 against the Omaha Nighthawks.
The UFL championship game will be played Nov. 4 or 5 at a site to be determined.
“I think it’s a fair schedule,” said president and head coach Jim Fassel, whose players open training camp Aug. 26 at the Sam Boyd Stadium practice fields. “Obviously, it’ll be a challenge for us with two road games to start the season. But if you can win those games, it puts you in a great position.”
Scheduling conflicts prevented the Locos from playing a home game earlier. However, three of the team’s final four games are in Las Vegas starting with with the home opener against Omaha followed two weeks later by Sacramento on Oct. 22 and then Virginia on Oct. 27. The Thursday night regular-season finale against the Destroyers means playing two games in six days, but Fassel said that’s not a problem.
“If we had to travel for one of the games, it would be a bigger issue,” Fassel said of the short week. “But being home for both games, it shouldn’t hurt us. We’ve got a veteran team and they understand the situation.”
The Locos participated in the dispersal draft of the Hartford Colonials on Monday and took six players, five on defense. Heading the list was linebacker Simoni Lawrence, who led the Colonials in tackles last season with 48, and defensive back Gerard Lawson, who played at Palo Verde High School and averaged 21 yards on 23 kickoff returns for Hartford in 2010.
Also selected by Las Vegas were defensive end Maurice Fountain, who had three sacks last season, linebacker Danny Lansana and safety Quintin Demps. The lone offensive player selected by the Locomotives was tight end Tyson Devree.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.