And Then, There Were None
May 22, 2006 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
RiverCity Rage News Release
The Lakeland ThunderBolts may have been the only unbeaten team in the Atlantic Conference prior to their game with the 6-1 Rage Saturday in Lakeland, but they no longer can they claim that distinction. Ironically, the Rage used fourth quarter heroics by a trio of Florida players to seal the victory.
Hurtis Chinn, who hails from Miami, gave the Rage a 44-39 lead with 6:39 to go in the fourth quarter on a 38 yard bomb from Anthony Fisher, but Lakeland managed regain the lead 46-44 with 4:34 to go in the game.
The Rage took possession at their own five after the ensuing kickoff, then a holding penalty pushed the ball back to the 3 yard line. Facing a 4th down and 12 for the first, Fisher found another Miami, Florida, native, Mike Lawrence for the play of the game which converted the downs to keep the drive alive. Then, with 4 seconds on the clock at the Lakeland 5 yard line, Kissimmee, Florida, product Moses Regular snagged the game-winning 5 yard touchdown toss from Anthony Fisher to seal the victory for the Rage at 50-46 as time expired.
"You could not have asked for a more exciting game between two evenly matched teams. The lead changed hands 7 times in the second half and we managed to prevail on a strong team effort. Both sides of the football had their shining moments." stated Rage head football coach Mike Wyatt.
The Rage had fallen behind 10-0 in the early goings of the game, largely do to 3 pass interceptions. Anthony Fisher was getting his third start of the season, having served as back-up to Clay Groefsema prior to Clay's injury at a golf outing just after the Cincinnati game. Obviously, Lakeland was the best team that Fisher had faced in that time and he appeared to be unsettled in his role as the field general. Some of that can be attributed to Lakeland who leads the league in scoring defense and is #2 in total defense. However, Fisher's stock and spirits rose in the second half after he finished 22 of 36 in completions for 237 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Hurtis Chinn, on his first game back from injury led all receivers with 9 catches for 111 yards and 2 TDs while Moses Regular catch 8 passes for 72 yards and 3 TDs, including the game-winning grab.
The Rage who lead the Atlantic Conference in scoring in the red zone with an 88 percent success rate held true to form going 6 out of 6 in the contest. Additionally, the ThunderBolts who lead the league in QB sacks, did not manage a sack in the game, while Rage defenders Adam Warren and Mike Matranga, each recorded a sack for the Rage.
Defensively, the Rage again produced a strong effort that saw Lakeland held to a 144 yards in total offense. ThunderBolt QB, James Johnson completed only 7 of 16 passes on the day and was intercepted once by the Rage's Roderick Jefferson.
Rage running back Sha'Ron Edward did most of his damage in the red zone, rushing for 2 TDs and converting 3 times on 2 point conversions, 2 rushing and 1 receiving.
The Rage is back at Savvis Center on Friday, May 26 as they host the Dayton Bulldogs in an Atlantic North Division contest. Tickets for that game can be purchased via Ticketmaster or at the Savvis Center Box Office.
Rage Add Star QB To Arsenal
Josh Lamberson comes to the Rage after leading the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State to the 2005 NCAA Division II Championship game. During his collegiate career, he garnered a 69.5 completion percentage with 65 TD passes and 8,064 all purpose yards. Lamberson's 2005 season ended with many awards including ESPN The Magazine 1st Team Academic All-American and being named to the Daktronics Division II 2nd Team Southwest Regional squad. He was also named Don Hansen DII 3rd team All American. Lamberson graduated from NWMSU with a degree in Corporate Recreation, but he won't be the only former D2 player on the squad, Rage WR Hurtis Chinn and RB Kasey Young both went to Western New Mexico University, while OL Barry Brueggeman played at Quincy University.
Lamberson is represented by St. Louis sports agent James Schottell, Attorney and was scouted Josh was scouted by the coaches of the Rage and the scouting staff of the Indoor Football Scouting Bureau , a national scouting and player personnel staffing agency that provides premier players to professional indoor teams and writes updated scouting reports on the top performing indoor players.
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National Indoor Football League Stories from May 22, 2006
- Another Fever Record Set - Tri-Cities Fever
- And Then, There Were None - RiverCity Rage
- ThunderBolts Fall on Last Play - Lakeland ThunderBolts
- Commentary: NIFL daily buzz - OSC Original by Jerry Hewitt
- NFL to NIFL: No Deal - OSC Original by Paul Reeths
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