Rochester Thumps Thunder for First Win
April 7, 2009 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Muskegon Thunder News Release
Rochester, New York - Muskegon and Rochester entered Saturday night's Indoor Football League contest with identical 0-2 records. The similarities ended there, however, as the host Raiders pummeled their guests by a 71-3 count.
Rochester got the ball first as Muskegon won the coin toss and chose to send the defense out to set the early tone. The strategy almost paid off.
With the Raiders facing a third-and-goal at the Thunder 7 yard line, Muskegon appeared to get a stop as defensive back Ronnie McCrae stripped the ball from Raiders running back Jamil Porter. Muskegon's T.J. Smith recovered the rolling ball in Rochester territory, but officials ruled that the ball carrier's forward progress had been stopped before the fumble occurred. One play later the Raiders cashed in on the new life with an 11-yard scoring toss from Omar Baker to Rob Mager.
Rochester added to the lead with a 45-yard drive culminating in another Baker TD pass to Mike Maciejewski. Kicker Adam Lanctot's second point after conversion made it 14-0 with 7:04 remaining in the opening quarter.
Muskegon temporarily got on the board when kicker Scott Greene nailed a 37-yard field goal through the uprights. Roughing the kicker was called, however, and coach Brent White elected to take the penalty and an automatic first down at the Raider 11 yard line instead of the three points. The drive eventually fizzled and Greene's second attempt, also from 37 yards out, was blocked by Rochester's Jason Coley.
The teams changed sides of the field for the second quarter, but the momentum stayed with the Raiders. The hosts took advantage of the good field position and marched 21 yards in 6 plays as Baker again connected with Mager from 7 yards out. All three scores came on third down plays as Rochester built a 21-0 lead with 13:23 to go before halftime.
Muskegon's defense then forced a turnover that counted as Smith again fell on a loose ball at the Thunder 19 yard line. Three plays later quarterback Dan Richard, who replaced starter Ryan Ferguson after the first series of the game, threw an interception that Raiders defensive back Makis Whitaker ran back to Muskegon's 18 yard line. After a 14-yard burst by Porter, the Raiders called the Temple University grad's number again as he spun his way across the goal line for a 28-0 lead at the 7:07 mark.
Rochester then scored for the fifth time in their six first half possessions, as Baker hit Chris Carter in the corner of the end zone. The 4 yard toss and catch made it 34-0 as Lanctot sent the P.A.T. wide just 2:25 before halftime.
The second half got worse for the visitors as Richard threw a pair of picks that resulted in 10 quick Rochester points. Baker threw his fifth TD pass, a 5-yard strike to Mager and Lanctot added a 20-yard field goal as the lead swelled to 43-0 midway through the third quarter.
Muskegon looked back to Ferguson to stop the bleeding, but after a first down completion, disaster struck again. A bad snap rolled past Ferguson and was picked up by the Thunder's Reggie Frazier. Instead of just falling on the fumble, Frazier heaved the ball downfield to a waiting Whitaker, who returned the interception to midfield. Five plays later the Raiders hit paydirt with an 11-yard screen pass to Porter and it was 50-0.
The fourth quarter was more of the same as Rochester tacked on three more scores. Porter piled over from the 1 yard line, Baker hooked up with Cesare Manning on a 9-yard connection and Tarryl Gano capped the Raiders scoring with a 25-yard interception return.
Muskegon's lone score came with 1:24 remaining as Greene averted the shutout with a 41-yard field goal.
Baker finished 16-of-24 for 140 yards and 7 touchdowns. Carter (6-48-1), Mager (5-42-2) and Maciejewski (3-30-2) did the majority of the damage through the air and Porter added 79 yards rushing on 18 carries and 11 yards receiving to go with three scores.
Defensively, Eddie Bynes, a former CIFL standout with Port Huron, returned from a one-year hiatus to post 5 sacks in his season debut, while Coley led the team with 6.5 stops. Gano (3 picks) and Whitaker (2) combined for five thefts, running the Thunder's total to 12 on the season.
Muskegon's Richard was 5-of-15 for 31 yards and three interceptions as Ferguson, who started and finished the contest, went just 2-of-8 for 17 yards with one pick. Richard Gills had 4 catches for 29 yards to lead an offense that had 1 rushing yard and minus-1 passing yards after sack yardage was deducted as Rochester won the total yardage battle 266-0.
Defensive back Derrick Phillips was credited with 7.5 tackles on 12 involvements for the guests. The lone bright spot statistically for Muskegon was a busy kick return squad which produced 178 yards on 11 runbacks.
Muskegon (0-3) now travels to Saginaw on Friday for a rematch with the Sting, who edged the Thunder in their season opener on March 13 by a 16-9 score. Rochester (1-2) has a bye week and then travels to Muskegon for a rematch with the Thunder on April 17.
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Indoor Football League Stories from April 7, 2009
- Stampede Express Game Preview - San Angelo Stampede Express
- Rochester Thumps Thunder for First Win - Muskegon Thunder
- Odessa Drops Opener To Abilene, 39-24 - West Texas Roughnecks
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