Dorados squander postseason opportunity

PHARR -- All the Rio Grande Valley Dorados needed to do was win, and they would be preparing for a first-round arenafootball2 playoff game this week.

The teams the Dorados needed to lose - Amarillo and Boise - each lost, but the opportunity was squandered in a 72-53 defeat to Lubbock on Saturday at Dodge Arena.

"It made it worse," Dorados coach Marty Hammond said about the loss. "Everything actually happened that we needed to happen except win the game."

That the Dorados were in a position to make the playoffs was somewhat unexpected. Although officially not out of the playoffs at 4-8, the Dorados' postseason aspirations seemed in serious doubt with only one month in the season remaining.

RGV (7-9) won three in a row to make the final week of the regular season interesting, but special teams mishaps Saturday helped end it all, one year removed from a 15-1 regular season.

"Last year I came in as a rookie," said Dorados wide receiver Jermaine Carpenter, who led the team with 1,152 receiving yards. "We had a majority of our team last year that were vets. Veteran leadership built team unity throughout the season. Whenever we were down we leaned on each other."

The problem af2 teams face is that they never know if they will have a team of veterans or a whole new squad. Hammond said he was not sure who was coming back next season.

"There are guys like Jermaine, Anthony (Chambers) and Eddie (Jackson) who I know have aspirations to play at the next level," Hammond said. "You just never know."

Carpenter will look to move on if he receives interest from the AFL but would not rule out a return to the Valley.

Quarterback Travis Cole, who missed the final two games of the season with a knee injury, does not want to be back in the af2 and is hoping to land a spot in the AFL.

"I had a great time here," Cole said. "It had nothing to do about my experience, but I'm trying to make a living out of this."

Cole tried out for the AFL's Kansas City Brigade but was let go before he came to the Valley. Cole, who passed for 3,427 yards and 62 touchdowns on 263-for-470 passing, had some bumps this season. He was benched in Week 13 after throwing 11 interceptions during a three-game span. He finished with 22 INTs.

"There were some games that I wish I could take back," Cole said. "I didn't come in thinking I was going to dominate the league, because this was my most substantial playing time I had in five years. But I think I did some things this year that will help me get to the next level."

Hammond said he has not been asked back but expects the organization to ask him to return before his contract expires in September. Dorados General Manager Grant Buckborough concurred.

"We haven't had any discussions with (Hammond)," Buckborough said. "I don't see why we wouldn't want him to return. He is still under contract with us for another month. In a month's time, we will sit down with him and see if he is interested in coming back. If you are asking me right now, there is no reason why he wouldn't be invited back."

Peter Rasmussen covers the Rio Grande Valley Dorados for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448.