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Injury-Riddled Lightning Burned

May 3, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


BOISE, Ida. - The Stockton Lightning (1-4), playing with an injury-depleted roster, fell to the Boise Burn by a count of 68-18 before 4,012 fans at Qwest Arena in Boise on Saturday night.

The Burn jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on a pair of 1st quarter touchdown passes (23 yds, 29 yds) from QB Taylor Tharp to wide receiver Nicheren Flowers. Boise would extend its lead to 21-0 when Tharp found WR Jerard Robb in the end zone with 12:38 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

After being held scoreless for much of the first half, the Lightning finally broke through on the scoreboard with 3:10 left in the 2nd, when QB Chad Cavender - filling in for injured starter Andy Collins - hit WR Justin Taplin for a 16-yard touchdown strike to pull the Lightning within 21-6 (PAT failed) at the half.

After the teams traded scores to open the half, the Burn defense, which kept the Lightning from mustering any kind of offensive momentum all night, came up with points of its own, when DB Jomo Wilson intercepted Cavender at the one-yard line and returned the pick 49 yards for a score to extend Boise's lead to 42-12 just 30 seconds into the 4th quarter.

Overall, Boise's defense forced 9 Lightning turnovers on the night (4 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries, and 2 turnovers-on-downs), to turn a game that was statistically close on the score sheet into a lopsided affair. Wilson's defensive score kicked off a 33-point 4th quarter onslaught by Boise that would put the game completely out of reach.

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