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April 19, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - A 22-point rally by the Central Valley Coyotes, finished by a three-yard touchdown pass by Jason Murietta to LaMonte Jones with 26.5 seconds left helped send the Stockton Lightning (1-2) to a 65-58 loss in the Lightning home opener, before 4,134 fans at Stockton Arena on Saturday, in Week 4 of arenafootball2 play.

Lightning QB Andy Collins rushed for four touchdowns, a single-game franchise record and threw for five more touchdown passes while completing 17 of 30 passes for 187 passing yards.

Murietta threw for a 31-for-46 completion rate, 366 yards and six touchdowns to guide the Central Valley offense, finding Jones for four touchdown receptions. Jones tallied a game-high 185 receiving yards, catching 14 passes for 185 receiving yards.

The Lightning roared out of the gate with a 13-7 lead after one quarter, as Collins began the surge with a 24-yard keeper up the right sideline for a 7-0 Lightning lead with 11:02 left in the opening stanza. Troy McBroom's 15-yard snag from a Collins pass with 6:44 left in the quarter boosted the lead to 13-0 despite a failed PAT kick from Kimo Naehu.

LaMonte Jones hauled in a four-yard heave from Murietta with 2:20 left in the first to get the Coyotes on the board, who trailed by six at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams combined for a wild 53-point second quarter which the Lightning emerged with a 39-34 halftime lead. Following a Collins 13-yard touchdown pass to Ruben Jackson and a six-yard keeper by Collins that put the Lightning up 27-14, Central Valley went on a 20-0 run to take a 34-27 lead, beginning with Murietta's float pass to LaMonte Jones in the left corner of the end zone with 6:45 left in the first half.

Nick Sanchez's interception and 20-yard touchdown return off a Collins pass into the box put the Coyotes up 28-27 with a PAT kick with 4:23 left and George Williams' one-yard rush completed with rally with 47 seconds left in the quarter.

Taplin ended the Coyotes rally in the second on his 25-yard touchdown reception, completing a slant route into the left corner of the end zone with a Collins pass from center field. Taplin's snare cut the Coyotes lead to 34-33.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Lightning recovered a muffled Central Valley kickoff return at the two yard line, followed by another Collins to Taplin lob, this time of a one-yard variety with 12 seconds left to restore the Lightning lead to 39-34 which was paired with a Taplin two-point conversion.

Central Valley struck for the first two scores of the second half on a Murrieta 40-yard bomb to John Roberson with 11:46 left and Tyler Birkley's safety with 9:23 left in the third quarter, which was thwarted on Collins' third rushing touchdown, a four-yard scramble with 5:30 left in the quarter for a 45-43 Stockton lead.

Collins sprinted for a three-yard touchdown run, his record-breaking rush of the game, paired with a failed PAT kick by Naehu to put the Lightning up 51-43 early in the fourth but Murietta quickly answered for the Coyotes with a 43-yard bomb to Jones to level the score at 51-51.

Collins then found Troy McBroom down the right side of the field for a 34-yard missile with 8:42 left to put the Lightning up 58-51. Ruschard Dodd-Masters snuffed the Central Valley rally with 5:45 left with a tackle at the 9-yard line on Robertson, who was stopped shy of a first down on a screen pass by Murietta for no gain.

However, the Coyotes hung around and George Williams put six on the board with 43.7 seconds left with a two-yard scramble off the left tackle to cut the Lightning lead to 58-57. Yet, kicker Giancarlo Martinelli muffed the point-after kick with a line drive under the crossbar, preserving the Lightning's one-point cushion.

The Lightning were in position to close out the Coyotes but Collins' fumble at the Central Valley seven-yard line gave the ball back to the opposition, and Murietta hit Jones with a 35-yard bomb to the Lightning three-yard line and another three-yard strike up the middle to give Central Valley a stunning 65-58 lead with 26.5 seconds left, following a two-point conversion.

The win for Central Valley moved their all-time record to 9-3 against Stockton, snapping a two-game losing streak.

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