By Aaron Wilson
The Houston SaberCats have built a highly specific game plan for a week where they don’t have a game.
It’s time for the defending Western Conference division champions to rest and recuperate after a demanding 14 games played.
The SaberCats are 9-5 and atop the Western Conference standings despite a narrow loss to the Seattle Seawolves in their last game.
Now, the SaberCats are determined to get ready for a playoff push.
The SaberCats have their second and final bye of the regular season this week.
“It’s time to recharge, time to heal up and rest up,” prop Pono Davis said. “We can come back and get ready to get after it.”
The SaberCats and Utah Warriors have identical 9-5 records with 48 points apiece.
The SaberCats trounced the Warriors, 40-19, on May 17 at Houston SaberCats Stadium.
The SaberCats return to action for their final two regular-season games June 4 on the road against the Chicago Hounds before wrapping up their home schedule with a June 8 matchup against Anthem RC.
The SaberCats are on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs, but need a strong finish to close out the season.
The SaberCats are dealing with some injuries to key contributors and hope to get some of them back on the field for the stretch run and the postseason.
“Absolutely, the bye week is coming at a great time for us,” team captain Nathan Den Hoedt said. “We need to rest and recoup and use this week off the right way. A lighter week will be very beneficial.
“We’re absolutely very aware that we’ve got two tough games coming up. It’s very important. We haven’t locked up a spot yet. We need to win those two games. That’s certainly the goal.”
The injury bug that has infected the SaberCats lately is a tough obstacle to overcome. The SaberCats have a deep roster, though.
“Definitely,” Den Hoedt said. “The more healthy guys we have, the more depth we have and the more beneficial situations we can create.”
Although the SaberCats absorbed a frustrating loss to Seattle with zero tries despite multiple opportunities, Davis sees an upside.
“Resilient,” Davis said. “That was one thing we could take away. You could see the effort and the fight in the boys. We were fighting to the last minute.”
