Raptors roll at Ft. Wayne
July 29, 2005 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Tennessee Valley Raptors aren't dead yet. The eighth-seeded Raptors hammered top-seeded Fort Wayne 57-22 Friday night in the first round of the United Indoor Football playoffs before 4,592 fans at War Memorial Coliseum. Tennessee Valley posted its biggest offensive output of the season as newcomer quarterback Ben Sankey, an ex-Wake Forest standout and former Grey Cup winner with the Calgary of the Canadian Football League, completed 20 of 29 passes for 250 yards and five touchdowns in the victory. The Raptors outgained Fort Wayne 305 yards to 151, dominated time of possession 38 minutes to 22 and wide receiver Luke McArdle was named Player of the Game after catching 11 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, and returning a kickoff 51 yards for another score. "Wow, what a game,'' said Raptors coach Dick Adams, whose squad will face the winner of tonight's seventh-seeded Ohio Valley (6-9) at No. 2 Sioux City (13-2) game next weekend. "We played a great game. I know it's said a lot, but this was a total team effort. Sankey is a veteran quarterback and he displayed his ability. In turn, every phase of our game - with a couple of special teams exceptions - stood up. This was a wonderful win and I just think these guys are on a mission to win a championship. "We went head to head with the best team in the league and we whipped them. I've got a talented group. This is the postseason. We've been getting ready for this for a couple of weeks. It all comes down to the players and they delivered tonight. It was sweet to watch." Tennessee Valley led 26-15 at halftime and by three more points following former Jacksonville State kicker Steven Lee's 55-yard field goal early in the third quarter. A Fort Wayne fumble then set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Sankey to Kevin Galbreath and then McArdle answered a Freedom touchdown with his 51-yard kickoff return for a score and a 43-22 advantage with 9:56 remaining in the third quarter. Safety Tyrone Parsons added a pair of interceptions down the stretch, former Alabama A&M standout Nicholas Wells had a 14-yard touchdown reception and veteran Derric Coakley had a pair of touchdown runs in the win. The Raptors posted a defensive stop to open the game after Josh Telenko missed a 40-yard field goal, but the Freedom answered by sacking Sankey for a safety and a 2-0 lead. Fort Wayne then made it a 9-0 game on Bill Skelton's 3-yard pass to Adrian Reese and Telenko's kick with five minutes left in the first quarter. Tennessee Valley answered quickly. Sankey capped a 44-yard, four-play drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to McArdle and then Lee's kick pulled the Raptors within 9-7 with 3:43 left in the opener. Then Tennessee Valley backed up another defensive stop with a 10-play, 45-yard drive capped by Derric Coakley's 1-yard run. Lee's extra point increased the advantage to 14-9 at 7:40, Fort Wayne's next drive stalled and ended with a missed field goal, and then Sankey led the Raptors on a quick drive that ended on a 19-yard toss to McArdle for a 20-9 lead at 1:31. Fort Wayne responded with a 19-yard field goal from Telenko before the Raptors bounced right back on Sankey's 20-yard strike to former UNA and Alabama A&M standout Chris Gunn with 14 seconds left in the first half. The wild opening half ended with a 40-yard field goal by Telenko that trimmed the Tennessee Valley lead to 11 at the horn.
• Discuss this story on the United Indoor Football Association message board...
United Indoor Football Association Stories from July 29, 2005
- Raptors roll at Ft. Wayne - Tennessee Valley Raptors
- Sioux City Bandits Post-Season Awards Party at Tailgators - Sioux City Bandits
- Raptors ready for UIF playoffs - Tennessee Valley Raptors
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.
