Erie Storm Begins Home-and-Home with Baltimore

Published on June 4, 2010 under American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Erie Explosion News Release


(Baltimore, MD) - The Erie Storm of the American Indoor Football Association will travel to Maryland tomorrow to face the undefeated Baltimore Mariners for the first time this season in the opener of a home-and-home series to be played over the next two weekends. The two teams will meet up once again in Erie's home finale of the regular season at the Tullio Arena on Sunday afternoon, June 13 with kickoff scheduled for 2:00 PM.

The last three games of the season are all critical to Erie's postseason ambitions. The Storm enter this weekend's contest with a record of 7-4 and in third place in the AIFA's East division, a half-game behind second-place Harrisburg and one game ahead of fourth-place Reading. Only the first three teams in the division are eligible for the playoffs, so Erie might need to win two of its last three games to ensure itself of a postseason bid. The Mariners, at 10-0, have clinched themselves a playoff berth, but can claim its first division title in franchise history with a victory tomorrow night at home.

The Erie Storm, winners of their last three games and six of their last seven, set several franchise records for offense in route to a 68-58 road victory last weekend over the New Jersey Revolution. Quarterback Rod Rutherford enjoyed the best statistical game in his tenure with the franchise, completing 28 of 42 passes for 308 yards and nine touchdowns with no interceptions, with the 28 completions and nine touchdowns setting franchise records for a single game. In total, the Storm offense set team records for pass completions (29), pass attempts (48), passing yards (318), touchdown passes (9), and first downs (26) in a game. Three Erie receivers got into the scoring column and recorded impressive statistics, including Tim Smith (12 receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns), Eugene Baker (10 catches for 102 yards and four touchdowns), and Trumaine Riley (7 receptions for 95 yards and three scores).

Baltimore leads the AIFA in both scoring offense and scoring margin, mostly as a result of an opportunistic defense that has forced a whopping 40 turnovers in just ten games while their offense has committed just nine. They will be tested by an Erie offense that leads the AIFA in passing yardage and first downs, and is second in the league in total offense. However, the Storm struggled with turnovers in the red zone in each of their four losses, which is an area it must improve on if it hopes to pin the Mariners with their first loss on the season.

Erie's Rod Rutherford is currently second in the league in total offense per game (231 yards) and touchdown passes (47). The top two in the AIFA in receiving yards per game are both members of the Storm wide receiver corps, Eugene Baker and Denayne Dixon, both averaging over 89 yards per game. Baker also leads Erie in touchdown receptions with 15, in just seven games. Defensive back Trent Jones leads the AIFA in total tackles, by a wide margin, with 58, and has a team-high six interceptions. Defensive lineman Ellery Moore is tied for the team lead with seven sacks in his six games with Erie.

Baltimore features running back Isaiah Greer, who leads the AIFA in rushing yardage with 351 yards. Quarterback E.J. Nemeth has a 58% pass completion rate and has thrown for 39 touchdowns against just six interceptions. Wide receiver Scorpio Brown is among the league leaders in touchdown receptions, with 16 scores among his 25 receptions. Defensive back Armar Watson leads the league in interceptions with ten, and defensive linemen Melik Brown and Fearon Wright are among the league leaders in sacks with 9 and 7.5 respectively. Kicker J.R. Cipra makes his return to Erie, leading the AIFA in several kicking categories, including PAT's, field goals made, and total points scored.

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American Indoor Football Association Stories from June 4, 2010


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