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Lightning blast Bakersfield

June 24, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Lightning broke three single-game franchise scoring records and moved into a tie for the eighth and final American Conference playoff spot in an 82-24 victory over the Bakersfield Blitz, before a crowd of 4,715 at Stockton Arena on Saturday night in week 13 of arenafootball2 play.

The Lightning shattered the franchise record for most points (68, at Green Bay - 6/10/06), fewest points allowed (33, at Boise - 5/26/07) and largest margin of victory (24, at Boise - 5/26/07), as head coach Doug Murray's shake-up of the lineup earlier this week moved Stockton into an eight-place tie in the Conference with 5-6 Manchester and Mahoning Valley.

New insertion B'Jay Jones, who took Schutt Offensive Player of the Game and Cutters Catch of the Game honors, led all receivers with eight catches for 134 yards and four touchdown receptions.

With Operator Michael Reinsdorf in attendance, the Lightning struck first on defense, forcing a safety courtesy of Lyndell Hawkins for a 2-0 lead in the first quarter. The offense immediately hiked the score to 9-0 after an eight-yard strike to WR Sale' Key from quarterback Evan Gray with 10:32 left. The Blitz managed to get on the board with 4:52 left in this first quarter after kicker Steve Baker nailed a 22-yard field goal to bring the score to 9-3.

Stockton, who led wire-to-wire, managed to escape the first quarter with a 16-3 lead after QB Evan Gray found Jones in the end-zone via a 25-yard pass.

The second quarter began with Gray finding WR Clarence Cunningham wide open in the left corner of the end-zone for a 13-yard strike, upping the lead to 22-3. The defensive corps struck again when LB Carl Walker scooped up a fumble by Blitz QB Dan Riley in the end-zone to add another score, bringing the score to 29-3.

Bakersfield eventually found six-point paydirt late in the second quarter when Riley found a wide-open DeRonn Finley via a six-yard pass to give the Blitz their first TD of the night, bringing the score to 29-10.

Jones then caught the next two Lightning scores that sandwiched around halftime, pushing the Lightning advantage to 42-10 with 13:05 left in the third frame. Stockton continued their dominant pace after FB Peter Tuialuuluu bounced off a Blitz lineman and spun to his left for a four-yard running score with 10:55 remaining, pushing the lead to 49-10. Nigel Eldridge's one-yard run for Bakersfield was answered by Jones' final touchdown reception of the night, a 20-yard strike from Gray with 3:28 left in the fourth for a 55-18 lead.

With all doubt erased for a Lightning victory, the shattering of team records in the fourth quarter were kick-started with Key's second touchdown reception of the game, a nine-yard bullet from Gray to the right corner of the end-zone with 12:10 left to start a 28-6 run in the quarter. After Will Warren's 29-yard touchdown grab for Bakersfield's final score, Stockton wasted no time in retaliating again when Cunningham caught an over-the-shoulder grab from 20-yards out to hike the lead to 67-24 with 7:09 left.

Tuialuuluu blasted up-the-middle on the record-breaking run for a one-yard score, bringing the cushion to 74-24 with 3:36 left. Bakersfield's attempts to find the end-zone one last time were foiled when Riley was picked off by Lightning LB Jason Hunt, who ran the pick back 49 yards to ice the game with 49 seconds remaining.

The Lightning have equaled their five-win output from 2006. Cunningham, who filled in for the scratched Kenyatte Morgan on kick returns, tallied three runbacks for 83 yards. Gray tied a Lightning single-game franchise record with eight touchdown passes (Josh Blankenship, two times - 2006).



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