Muskegon Edges Kalamazoo in Overtime

by Randy Snow
April 5, 2008 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Kalamazoo Xplosion


Going into Friday night's game in Muskegon (April 4), the Kalamazoo Xplosion (4-0) and the Muskegon Thunder (2-1) boasted the two best records in the Continental Indoor Football League's Great Lakes Conference. But in the end, it was Muskegon who came out on top 44-37 in overtime

Kalamazoo had beaten Muskegon twice last year and was looking to remain undefeated so far this season, but Muskegon refused to quit, even thought they trailed for most of the game. It was the first overtime game ever for Muskegon and the third for Kalamazoo this season!

Kalamazoo jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter. The first touchdown was a 10-yard reception by former Thunder running back Brent Lesniak, who now plays for the Xplosion.

A seven-yard touchdown catch and two-point conversion, both by Xplosion wide receiver Brian Dolph, increased the Kalamazoo lead to 20-10 in the second quarter. Muskegon quarterback Dan Richard scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to cut the lead to 20-17 a few minutes later.

At the end of the first half, the Thunder was poised to take the lead for the first time in the game, but Kalamazoo defensive back David Gator recorded his 10th interception of the season. He returned the ball 50 yards for a touchdown with no time left on the clock. Kalamazoo held a 10-point lead, 27-17, going into halftime.

In the third quarter, Kalamazoo defensive lineman Andy Storey picked up a fumble, hurdled over a couple of players and raced 40 yards for a touchdown, giving the Xplosion its biggest lead of the game, 34-17. From that point on, however, the Kalamazoo offense struggled to sustain any kind of momentum.

Thunder running back Preston Garris scored his second touchdown of the game, a 23-yard reception, bringing Muskegon back to within 10 points of Kalamazoo, 34-24. A botched field goal attempt by the Xplosion deep in their own end of the field led to a five-yard recovery and return for a touchdown by Thunder linebacker Mitch Cumings. That cut the Xplosion lead to 34-31.

Muskegon finally took the lead for the first time in the game, 37-34, when wide receiver Tremaine Rembert caught a 21-yard touchdown pass with 6:47 remaining in the game. Kalamazoo kicker Brad Selent booted a 29-yard field goal with 3:57 left to tie the game at 37-37.

Muskegon had two chances to win the game in regulation, but kicker Mike Brennan missed field goals of 32 and 31 yards respectively in the final minute.

In overtime, Muskegon got the ball first and scored on a six-yard touchdown pass to Garris, his third of the game, giving the Thunder a 44-37 lead. On Kalamazoo's overtime possession, the team drove down the field and appeared ready to score, but Muskegon defensive lineman Adam Pringle sacked Xplosion quarterback Randy Hutchison on fourth down and the game was over. Kalamazoo was held to just 10 points in the second half and none was scored by the offense. A fumble return for a touchdown and a field goal accounted for all of Kalamazoo's second half points.

Thunder head coach Shane Fairfield said after the game that he was proud of the way his team never gave up during the game. "For us to battle back in this game showed the true character of this football team," Fairfield said. "It's good to win a game like that."

A boisterous crowd of 2,487 was in attendance at L.C. Walker Arena and Fairfield knows that the fans are eager to cheer on a winning team. "Muskegon is a winning town and the community wants a winner, but we've still got to prove it to them. We don't mind accepting that challenge. If (the fans) keep coming out like this, we'll keep playing like this."

As far as the slow start the Thunder had in the game, Fairfield said it may have been a case of being too prepared. "I think we might have over-prepared for this game. We had every game (of Kalamazoo) of film and I think we were so prepared that we were afraid to play. We were looking for everything we went over (on film) instead of letting things come to us."

For Kalamazoo, quarterback Randy Hutchison completed 16 of 32 passes for 135 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Brian Dolph had seven receptions for 71 yards, one touchdown and a two-point conversion while teammate Brent Lesniak had five receptions for 14 yards and one touchdown.

For Muskegon, quarterback Dan Richard completed 18 of 24 passes for 250 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Wide receiver Preston Garris caught six passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Tremaine Rembert also had six catches for 75 yards and one touchdown while Tony Terrell added six receptions for 66 yards.

Kalamazoo still holds the top spot in the conference with a 4-1 record while Muskegon is right behind them at 3-1. The two teams will meet again in Kalamazoo for a rematch on Saturday night, May 3. Kickoff is slated for 7:30.

TRIVIA

Xplosion running back Brent Lesniak, who played for Muskegon in 2007, scored the first touchdown in Muskegon Thunder franchise history last season. It was a two-yard touchdown run against the Summit County Rumble on March 24, 2007.

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Randy Snow is a freelance football writer from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Since 2003, he has covered the Arena Football League, arenafootball2, United Indoor Football, the Continental Indoor Football League, the All American Football League and the Canadian Football League. Randy has been a member of the Arena Football League Writer's Association since 2005 and can be reached at randysnow22@yahoo.com.



Continental Indoor Football League Stories from April 5, 2008


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