Sports stats



Pittsburgh RiverRats End Regular Season with Game Against Huntington

May 23, 2007 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Erie Explosion News Release


The Pittsburgh RiverRats of the AIFA will finish their first regular-season in franchise history, when they host the Huntington Heroes on Friday, May 25, at the Rostraver Ice Garden Arena in Belle Vernon on "Fan Appreciation Night" when they will pay tribute to all of their fans and sponsors. The RiverRats enter the contest with a 7-6 record having clinched a playoff berth last weekend by virtue of a record-setting 86-72 victory over the Erie Freeze. The 86 points scored by Pittsburgh and the 158 combined points scored by both teams, are both AIFA league records. Both teams enter the weekend on a roll, with Pittsburgh having won 7 of its last 10 games, and Huntington having won 6 games in a row, since installing former assistant coach Dane Damron as its starting quarterback.

This contest marks the second matchup of the season between Pittsburgh and Huntington (9-4). Back on April 21, the Heroes defeated the RiverRats 55-34 at home. Huntington. QB Damron completed 16 of 27 for 212 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 3 of them thrown to WR Gerald Clark. Last week, Huntington forced 5 turnovers and scored the last 17 points of the game to rally from behind at home, and defeat North Division leader Reading 42-29.

Against Erie last weekend, the Pittsburgh offense was just about unstoppable, scoring 10 touchdowns on 10 offensive possessions, and successfully completing 10 two-point conversions in 11 attempts. QB David Dinkins completed 15 of 23 passes for 213 yards and 8 touchdowns and no interceptions, and added a rushing touchdown. Brandon Jackson led the RiverRats receivers with 5 TD catches. Yaacov Yisrael, in his home debut with Pittsburgh, added 2 TD catches, and Marko Thomas the other. WR Beau Gibbs had a touchdown run early in the second half, but didn't play on offense in the second half after a hand injury suffered right before halftime.

RiverRats Head Coach Shawn Liotta knows his team has some work to do before the playoffs: "We have a score to settle with Huntington. They pushed us around quite a bit down there last time, and we need to match their physicality. Dane Damron is very smart and doesn't make mistakes, and we need to neutralize Donte Newsome, probably the best running back in our league. We've played well down the stretch, and we can't afford to lose that positive momentum going into the playoffs. It will be a challenge though, with some our injuries and the quality of our opponent. But, we do have a bye next week to get some rest, which is good because I expect an intense matchup this week. We're looking forward to the challenge."

After this game, the Pittsburgh RiverRats will have concluded their regular season. Their next game will be in the first round of the playoffs when they visit the Reading Express on Saturday, June 9. For more team information, the RiverRats can be reached at (724)379-4070 or online at www.pittsburghriverrats.com.

• Discuss this story on the American Indoor Football Association message board...

American Indoor Football Association Stories from May 23, 2007


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 Erie Explosion Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central