Sports stats



PIFL Lehigh Valley Steelhawks

Hawks Can't Handle Venom; Lose Second Straight

May 18, 2014 - Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL)
Lehigh Valley Steelhawks News Release


Bethlehem, PA: The Nashville Venom never looked back after taking an early second quarter lead and came out on top over Lehigh Valley with a score of 52-38. The Venom dominated both offensive and defensive ends of the field to hand the Steelhawks their second consecutive loss.

Lehigh Valley struck first about five minutes into the opening quarter as Adam Bednarik took a quarterback sneak in for a touchdown. Kicker Michael Barnard missed the extra point, but was dead on the rest of the quarter completing two uno's and a field goal. The Venom answered with a long touchdown pass from Charles McCollum to Jordan Jolley to tie the game at 7-7. On Lehigh Valley's next possession, Barnard nailed a 50-yard field goal followed by an uno to put the Hawks up by four. Nashville answered back as McCollum found Phillip Barnett in the end zone to put the Venom up 14-11 to close out the first quarter.

The Steelhawks started the quarter with a nearly 7-minute possession that ended in a short touchdown pass from Bednarik to offensive lineman Corey Konycki to put them ahead 17-14. The Venom took hardly anytime to regain the lead as McCollum connected with Barnett for a long score on the third play of the drive. The Venom Defense quickly came up with an interception that was converted into a touchdown run by McCollum and uno by Christian Reed to give them the largest lead of the game at 29-17. Nashville's defense came up with another stop to close out the half with a 12 point lead over Lehigh Valley.

The Steelhawks started the second half with possession, but it did not last long. Bednarik lost control of the third snap of the half and Venom DB Anthony Kelly recovered and returned it for a touchdown putting Nashville up 36-17. The Hawks bounced back with 14 unanswered points as Bednarik threw touchdown passes to Scott Pillar and Torieal Gibson bringing the score to 36-31 with 13:45 remaining in the game.

After a controversial holding call that the Steelhawks believed should have resulted in a safety, the Venom drove down field and McCollum found Barnett in the end zone for a touchdown boosting their lead to 12. Nashville's defense forced Lehigh Valley to a quick turnover on downs, allowing Reed to add on three more points with a field goal bringing the score to 46-31 with 5:11 remaining to play. The Steelhawks quickly drove the ball down field resulting in a Jeff Link touchdown run to cut the deficit to eight with 3:43 remaining. However, the Venom's explosive offense was too much to handle as McCollum found Jolly for his fifth touchdown pass of the game bringing the score to 53-38 and out of reach for a Steelhawks comeback.

The loss is the second consecutive loss for the Steelhawks and drops them out of first place for the first time this season. They trail the Trenton Freedom by a half a game in the National Conference standings, but have a chance to regain that position as they head to Trenton next weekend.

The Steelhawks' go on the road for a month and a half road trip after this week. They return to the Lehigh Valley for their final home game, and their 2014 PIFL regular season finale, for a June 28th matchup with rival Richmond Raiders. It will also be Fan Appreciation Night.

Keep checking for the latest news and events from the Steelhawks! For further information please call Lehigh Valley Steelhawks Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Clark at (610) 282-3100, or visit our website at www.LVSteelhawks.com for the latest Steelhawks news!

Flex season ticket packages will be on sale after the home opener. It's not too late to get discounted tickets to every 2014 Lehigh Valley Steelhawks game. You can reserve your seats by calling the Steelhawks front office at 610-282-3100. Individual game tickets for each home game are now available as well!

• Discuss this story on the Professional Indoor Football League message board...

Professional Indoor Football League Stories from May 18, 2014


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.

Other Recent Lehigh Valley Steelhawks Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central