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Erie Storm Continues Road Trip In Harrisburg On Saturday

April 2, 2010 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Erie Explosion News Release


(Erie, PA) - The Erie Storm of the American Indoor Football Association will complete a two-game road trip when they visit the state capital on Saturday night to face the Harrisburg Stampede at the PA Farm Show Complex with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 PM.

This matchup is the second of three scheduled meetings between Erie (1-2) and Harrisburg (2-1). In the first encounter, played in Erie on March 14, the Storm committed two costly turnovers near Harrisburg's endzone, resulting in an early 11-point deficit. Erie bounced back and appeared to be on the verge of a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, but committed another untimely turnover at the Stampede 2-yard line, and Harrisburg held on for the 41-34 win.

Harrisburg was off last week while Erie lost a disappointing game on the road at Reading. After being down by two touchdowns entering the fourth quarter to the defending AIFA champion Express, the Storm scored 19 unanswered points to take a short-lived lead, which they couldn't hold, eventually falling by the final score of 53-51. The Storm scored its final touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Rod Rutherford as time expired, however the subsequent two-point conversion pass attempt fell incomplete and the Erie comeback was stopped.

"We did not come out of the gate in our first game against Harrisburg the way we needed to. It goes without saying that we just can not turn over the ball against a good offensive team like the Stampede and expect to win, and sure enough, they capitalized on our mistakes. Three turnovers within their 2-yard line was the ball game, just inexcusable. Our guys were really disappointed last week taking Reading down to the wire at their place, but not quite finishing the job. So we're itching to get back out there. Our games with the Stampede are always close and physical, and we expect more of the same." commented Erie Storm head coach Shawn Liotta.

The Storm offense is led by quarterback Rod Rutherford, who has completed 51=25 of his passes for 548 yards and is responsible for fourteen touchdowns, ten passing and four rushing, in the team's first three games. Wide receiver Eugene Baker is among the league leaders with 25 receptions for 313 yards, and is tied with teammate Darmel Whitfield for the team-lead with 5 touchdown receptions each. On defense, defensive lineman Troy Blackwell has gotten off to a solid start in his first year in Erie leading the team with 3 sacks. Defensive back Trent Jones has made a definite impact in his first season with the Storm, as he is among the league leaders in interceptions and tackles. However, Jones is questionable for this weekend's game after suffering a slight concussion last week. His status will be a gametime decision. If he can not go, veteran Corey Oaks will likely join Sam Reynolds and Chris Blackshear in the Erie backfield.

After a bye next week, the Erie Storm will return home to the Tullio Arena on Friday night, April 16, to host the Richmond Raiders, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 PM. Tickets are available at the Tullio Arena box office and at all Ticketmaster outlets. To stay current on all the latest information on the Erie Storm, visit them on the web at www.stormerie.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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