By: Mike McMurran
Sports Editor
How does a team come back from a disappointing loss on the road? For the River City Rage of the NIFL on Friday night it was simply a matter of average, and then some!
The Rage went into Friday’s game at Family Arena against the Lakeland Thunderbolts averaging 60 points per game and in an offensive display of ESPN type highlights, stayed on track and came away with a 60-38 victory against a team that had previously allowed it’s opponents an average of only 30. The Rage used a number of new defensive formations to shut down the Thunderbolt’s passing game and improve it’s record to 4-1 on the year, good for first place in the Atlantic East Conference. Lakeland fell to 2-4 in the Atlantic South.
“We could hear them yelling ‘they changed the defense, they changed the defense,’ all night long,” said defensive back Maurice McClain. McClain’s interception with just over two minutes left in the game, doomed any chances Lakeland had at a comeback. “This game was over at half-time,” boasted McClain. “The coaching staff had us ready for this one, they never knew what hit ‘em.”
Facing a Thunderbolt team, Coach Mike Wyatt called “far better than it’s record and one with no quit in it at all”, the Rage again used an amazing array of offensive weapons to strike early and often in ringing up 23 first downs, 240 passing yards, and 8 touchdown passes from quarterback Clay Groefsema to three different receivers. The Red-Zone scoring was the real tale-of-the-tape as the team scored on all 6 of it’s chances from inside the 10 yard line. The Rage ran 9 fewer plays from scrimmage, yet still came out on top in every offensive category as the “Pinball Wizards” lit up the scoreboard again to the delight of a Family Arena crowd that has come to expect nothing less.
The confidence of the Rage is becoming contagious. Missouri Valley College product Moses Regular, who again had two first half touchdowns was almost unstoppable. Certainly his 6’4” 285 lb. frame contributes to his dominance, yet he sees things differently. “We have three great receivers on this team, there is no way they can cover all three of us.” The other two receivers would be Hurtis Chinn and Scott Pignel. It brings back memories of another St. Louis football team who fielded three wide-outs. “If they cover me, either Hurtis or Scott is going to be open. They couldn’t stop us tonight and we knew it. More importantly,” he concluded, “they knew it.”
The Rage tilted the scoreboard for two more touchdowns in the final quarter, both on touchdown passes from Groefsema to Pingel. Newly employed running back JerMarsh Robinson’s grab of the two- point conversion on one TD helped account for the final score.
The Rage will attempt to get road victory number two this Friday when the team travels to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the Lincoln Capitals. The game can be heard on 1380 ESPN Radio and audio- streamed on the 1380 website.
