Rage season ends with heartbreaker at Savvis

July 13, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
RiverCity Rage News Release


Anyone who saw the River City Rage playoff game Sunday night at Savvis Center would give a high-five to the post game thoughts expressed by Rage Head Football Coach Mike Wyatt. Seated on an equiptment trunk, surrounded by media, Wyatt talked more like a fan than a coach who had just seen his team's chase for a NIFL title come to an abrupt and most upsetting end.

"We didn't lose this football game, and I expressed that to my players just a while ago," Wyatt said, with obvious disappointment, "the problem is, we just couldn't win it. We didn't manage the game well, and I take responsibility for that. We had this game in our grasp with a 16 point lead late in the fourth quarter, but give Cincinnati credit, they came into a hostile environment and got the job done. Our objective now is to wish the Marshals luck and learn from this game, focus on the positive things we did accomplish this season, and get ourselves prepared for next year. It's tough to take, but the fans got their money's worth with this one, for sure. You couldn't have asked for a more exciting, entertaining game. It was great to see the crowd into the game, especially in the late stages of the fourth quarter and into the overtimes. Hopefully, from a fan base standpoint, we used this game to build on for 2006."

Rage majority owner Tye Elliott, who spent time in the Rage locker room shaking hands with Rage players, readily agreed. "The thing that's most disappointing is the fact the guys gave everything they had, and with all the excitement surrounding this game, had we won, it would have had to have been in dramatic fashion. There's no telling what this place (Savvis) would have been like next week if we had advanced to the semi-finals. But I think our fans will hang on to this feeling, remember it, and we can use it to build on for next year."

With 7:21 to play in the Atlantic Conference quarterfinal playoff Sunday night, no one could fault Rage fans for centering their next weekend's schedule around a semi-final game at Savvis Center on Saturday night. Playing the Cincinnati Marshals for the third time this season, having beaten them twice and leading in this game 50-34, The Rage saw the dream of a title slip away, but not before everything that makes indoor football exciting had been played out in front of fans, who according to Wyatt, "saw the excitement meter hit 9 or 9.5 on a ten point scale."

The Marshal's comeback began when quarterback Brett Dietz used a 5 play, 45 yard drive to find the end-zone on a one-yard TD pass to wide receiver Ernie Samuels. The two-point conversion attempt was good, and the Marshal's trailed by the score of 50-42.

On first and 10 from the Rage 18, quarterback Clay Groefsema's pass was intercepted at the goal line by Marshal's defensive back Ron Carpenter. The former Ram's player, who won a Super Bowl ring with the team in 2000, returned the football 39 yards to the Rage 11 yard line. A Rage face-mask penalty moved the ball to the 6 yard line, and one play later, it's a tied football game. Dietz completed a 6 yard TD pass to Tobias Deans for the touchdown and converted a 2 point pass to Deans to knot things up at 50 apiece.

The Marshal's big break and perhaps the turning point of the game came on the next kick-off. Cincinnati's Jesse Obert booted a line drive squib kick that bounced off the pads of River City's Sha-Ron Edwards and was recovered by the Marshal's at the Rage 14 yard line. On third and four at the Rage 8 yard line, Dietz hit Johnell Wyatte with a strike in the end zone, Obert converted the P-A-T and with 23 unanswered points in less than 5 minutes, the Marshals were ahead 57-50.

But the 12 play drive that followed showed Savvis Center fans and those listening on 1380 ESPN Radio why this team was and will be one of the premier teams in the NIFL! Facing fourth down twice in the drive and with it's season and championship hopes on the line, The Rage got to the Cincinnati one yard line, and on fourth down, called timeout with one final play to extend the season. Quarterback Clay Groefsema ran a 1 yard bootleg into the end-zone with no time left on the clock. All the pressure was on Kicker Mike Matheny, but his P-A-T split the posts, and under a crowd noise that even the Marshal's players and coaches later called 'unreal' we're headed for overtime!!

The Rage won the toss, but elected to defend. Under NIFL rules, the team with possession takes control at the 25 yard line (midfield) to begin play. On third and 10, Dietz completed an 11 yard strike to Tobias Deans for a Marshal first down. On third and 3, Dietz again came through for Cincinnati, connecting with Deans on a 4 yard pass for another first down. Two plays later, Dietz found the end-zone on a one yard run, the P-A-T was good, and the Marshals shot ahead 64-57.

From first and 10 at midfield, no time restraints clockwise, and 25 yards from extending it's season, the Rage again brought the Savvis crowd to it's feet, when on 4th and 7 from the 22, and one play left to make it happen, Groefsema found All-Star wide receiver Scott Pingel four an apparent 8 yard completion that would get the first down, but Pingel managed to break a tackle and turn into a touchdown covering the 22 yard distance. Matheny's kick split the uprights and this playoff opener was headed for double overtime.

With the Rage in control, and heading for the end zone on the next series of overtime downs, on third and one at the Cincinnati 3 yard line and a chance to forge ahead, Rage QB Clay Groefsema rolled out to his right on a play action pass and tried to connect with wide receiver Hurtis Chinn. It's the one call, the one play, Rage Football Coach Mike Wyatt says, "I wish I could have back. It wasn't the best call under the circumstances, and I usually don't second guess myself, but I regret having put Clay in that position to have to make that pass."

It was picked off at the goal line by Ron Carpenter, who returned it to the Cincinnati 15. Wyatt later said of Carpenter, "you've got to keep in mind, here's a guy who been in the NFL, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Rams, and is not a player easily fooled. It was a heads-up play by a veteran player and it turned the game around in their favor."

Under NIFL rules, the ball was given to the Marshals at the 25 and after gaining a first down, on third and goal at the Rage four yard line, Rayshawn Askew plunged to the Rage one yard line but was turned back by Lenny Williams and Terrell Washington. With both team's seasons on the line on 4th down, Cincinnati's Jesse Obert drilled a 17 yard field goal, sending the Marshals into the semi- final round and bringing down the curtain on the River City Rage 2005 season long quest for the first NIFL title in franchise history.

Rage running back Sha-Ron Edwrds capped a stellar season by rushing for 129 yards on 20 carries in the loss to Cincinnati. Quarterback Clay Groefsema completed 20 of 35 passes for 152 yards and 6 touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. He also rushed for 3 TDs, accounting for 9 scores on the night.

Scott Pingel led Rage receivers with 12 catches for 97 yards and 3 TD's with two of those catches coming on clutch 4th down plays to keep the Rage in the game.

But it was the overall performance of this 2005 River City Rage football team that has Wyatt already anticipating next season, his third overall as Head Football Coach and second of a three year contract with the team's new management, GST Sports, Inc.

Prior to 2004, the best season for the NIFL's St. Louis franchise was only 4 wins for the year. And woven in that span was a 17 game losing streak at one point. This team over the last two seasons has won 19 games, been to the playoffs two years straight, and won the title this year in a division (Atlantic East) that sent 3 teams to the post-season play. This team individually and the league as a whole has raised the bar as regards the caliber of player, with so many rosters filled with division one and two players with extensive college backgrounds.

"I only see things getting better and better for the River City Rage and the NIFL as the years progress. We're already preparing for off season activity that will improve our team and changes are being contemplated that will stoke up our off the field personnel and make us more visible in both the sports community and the greater St. Louis community as well." added Wyatt.

In March, Coach Mike Wyatt was quoted as saying that "nothing short of a NIFL championship will be sufficient for this team in 2005."

For the River City Rage players, coaches, owners, front office staff and fans, that lofty goal will remain the same, only a new timetable will be established to make it happen.

Two Rage players will represent the team at the NIFL All-Star game to be played in Odessa, Texas the weekend of August 5-6th, 2005. Rage wide receiver Scott Pingel will be making his third straight All-Star appearance and entering the game with some impressive statistics for the year. Pingel finished 8th in scoring with 23 touchdowns, 14 XTpts, good for 152 points over 14 games. A league leader in receptions, he hauled in 88 passes for 863 yards, an average of 61.6 yards per game.

On the defensive side, Big number 99, defensive end Bruce Blue ends his rookie season for the Rage with trip to the elite post-season contest. Blue wound up fourth on the NIFL list for Tackles for Loss with 16, and was a league leader with 37 unassisted and 43 assisted tackles on the year, good for 58.5 lost yards for the opposing team. Bruce was the Rage team leader in sacks, totalling 11 for 2005.

And for guiding his team to the best record in the Atlantic Conference, Rage Head Football Coach Mike Wyatt has been tabbed as a co-head football coach for the All-star team. He will handle the sideline duties with Everett Hawks head coach Dan Maciejczak, whose team went undefeated in the 2005 regular season. Wyatt, the Atlantic Division Coach of the Year in 2004, says the selection is an honor and a good opportunity to "meet and get to know some of the other high caliber players from other teams, and see what makes them tick."

QUOTES FROM RAGE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH MIKE WYATT

(On the opening round playoff loss to Cincinnati)

"We lost to a good, solid, well coached team, and one that came in having defeated two playoff bound teams in it's last two regular season games, so it was no surprise to us that they were ready to play. They won the turnover battle and nine times out of ten, that makes the biggest difference in any game, especially in the playoffs."

"Obviously, we're disappointed and with all due respect to the Marshals, I doubt anyone would argue the fact that it was an upset loss for us. It just makes us more determined for next year and I could see that in the eyes of our players after the game Sunday night. As for the fans and the operations at Savvis, it was great. The management at Savvis went out of it's way to assist us and the fans saw probably the most entertaining and exciting game of the year. It's just too bad it ended the way it did, but I think they'll remember this, maybe tell a friend or two about what a great time they had, and hopefully a new fan base will emerge from this game."



National Indoor Football League Stories from July 13, 2005


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