By Marc Thaler
Managing Sports Editor

There’s no debating the 2006 Manchester Wolves want to mirror the results produced by their ’05 predecessors.

However, it’s hard to believe starting the season 0-1 – just like last year’s squad – was the game plan the Wolves had in mind.

Nonetheless, the East Division champs must dig themselves out of an early hole after a 48-34 letdown on Opening Day.

“It was like the Twilight Zone out there,” Wolves quarterback D. Bryant said inside the Big V on Friday, April 7. “I don’t know what was going on.”

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Head coach Ben Bennett sure did.

“Dropped balls, fumbles, poor blocking, bad reads, bad throws – you can lump them all into one category,” he said. “And that’s mistakes.”

The Wolves’ most notable nemesis in the opener appeared to be a product of the schedule more than the opposing players.

Forced to sit for its first of two scheduled bye weeks when the af2 opened play on March 30, Manchester hurt itself with unforced errors. Meanwhile, Green Bay, entering its second game in search of win No. 1, wasted little time using the Wolves’ extra week off as a competitive edge.

From the start, the hometown crowd of 7,531 was unable to serve as the Wolves’ ninth man. A pair of first-quarter Blizzard touchdowns, the second TD stemming from a Marc Bacote fumble, resulted in a 13-0 Green Bay lead.

Held scoreless until the first half’s final minute, the Wolves finally cut their deficit to 13-7, with help from a Bryant-to-Steven Gonzalez 2-yard TD strike.

Despite committing two turnovers and four penalties before halftime, Bennett’s boys entered the locker room trailing by just six points. The Wolves seemed to be waking up, poised to wipe the rust from their repertoire.

Then came the second half and a barrage of Blizzard points.

Green Bay hit their hosts with a storm of scores in the first 18 minutes, 18 seconds after intermission. The Blizzard entered Lopsided Land upon building a 34-7 advantage that had fans filing for the exits with 11:42 remaining in the fourth.

“It was just all off,” Gonzalez said. “It’s called the rhythm of the game, and we couldn’t catch that rhythm. Once you can’t catch that rhythm, it was all bad from there.”

Wolves signal-callers Bryant and Kyle Rowley – subjects of a mini quarterback controversy during training camp – were both given opportunities to secure the spot behind center.

Bryant began the game, but Rowley received the call for the third quarter following the starter’s sluggish start.

Early in the fourth, Bryant returned. So did his pattern of ineffectiveness.

“It always seemed when something good happened, something bad happened (next),” Rowley said.

A late rally sparked by improved play on both sides of the ball pulled the Wolves within 34-21. While the hosts entered the end zone two more times in the final 6:40, they were simply trading scores with their division rivals.

Still, Manchester’s inspired play in the final frame was worth noting, Bryant said.

“We want to start next week like we ended this game,” said Bryant, whose club travels to Kentucky for a showdown with the Louisville Fire on Friday, April 14. “We’re gonna be angry this week at practice, hungry to get back on the field again.”