Stampede Win Opener in Record Breaking Fashion
March 30, 2014 - Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL)
Harrisburg Stampede News Release
HARRISBURG, PA (Mar 30, 2014) - The Harrisburg Stampede kicked off the 2014 season on Sunday in from of a team record of 4,019 fans. The fans were treated to a record-breaking night by QB E.J. Nemeth, as he set a team single game record with 8 rushing touchdowns.
The Columbus Lions started the game hot, jumping out to a 13-3 lead in the 1st quarter. Stampede kicker Cap Poklemba hit on an UNO midway through the 2nd quarter that seemed to spark the Herd. The scoring became more even, as the game began to become a shootout midway through the quarter, and teams went into the half with the Lions leading 34-31.
The shootout continued into the 2nd half, as the scoring continued on both sides. A key stop in the 3rd quarter by the Stampede defense turned Columbus over on downs. The Stampede offense was able to take advantage of the momentum, and put some air between the two teams. Columbus fumbled the snap on a crucial possession in the 4th quarter, and the Stampede recovered and did not look back on their way to a 71-54 victory.
Stampede head coach Bernie Nowotarski after the game, "I think we gave the fans a good show; so did Columbus. I mean it was a heck of a game...that's what an indoor football game is - a lot of points, a lot of action...it was very exciting, and it was a lot of fun. It was really important to get the first win, moving into a new league like this...I think we proved to ourselves that we're definitely going to be competitive, but every week is going to be a battle."
On the day, E.J. Nemeth set a team single game record for rushing touchdowns, and accounted for 10 total TDs, connecting on 21 of 28 pass attempts for 258 yards. He added another 90 yards on the ground.
The Stampede make the trip to Tennessee next week to take on the 1-0 Nashville Venom.
Professional Indoor Football League Stories from March 30, 2014
- Stampede Win Opener in Record Breaking Fashion - Harrisburg Stampede
- Lions Drop Season Opener to Harrisburg - Columbus Lions
- Raiders Fall to Trenton in Season Opener - Richmond Raiders
- Venom Strike Early and Often, Win Over PIFL Champ - Nashville Venom
- Stampede to Celebrate Youth & Sports in Home Opener - Harrisburg Stampede
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.
