Steamwheelers Drop Last Unbeaten

May 16, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release


MOLINE, Ill. – "No question about it. It ain't even close."

Those were the exact words that Quad City Steamwheelers head coach Rich Ingold said when asked if he thought that his Steamwheelers' second ranked defense was better than the top ranked Wichita Stealth's defense.

That was said four days prior to the ‘Wheelers game versus the Stealth. To add more to the game, the Stealth were ranked No. 1 in the latest af2 Coaches' Poll and the last undefeated team in the deuce; the ‘Wheelers were ranked second.

Well Ingold all but hit it on the head, and received the only thing he wanted for his 41st birthday, a Steamwheelers 73-39 victory in front of 6,246 at The MARK of the Quad Cities Saturday night.

The Steamwheelers (6-1) offense showed its potency right off the bat as Ingold elected to go for it on fourth-and-four from their own 21-yard line. The move paid off as quarterback Ronnie Gordon connected with offensive specialist Jeff Hewitt for the 29-yard score.

Then the Steamwheelers defense started with a bang. On the Stealth's first play from scrimmage, quarterback Aaron Sparrow fumbled the snap and ‘Wheelers wide receiver/linebacker Carmelo Ocasio picked up the loose ball and scampered two yards for the score to push the ‘Wheelers lead to 13-0.

Wichita (5-1) responded when Sparrow found offensive specialist Dmaon Thompson for a 15-yard touchdown. The ‘Wheelers added two scores to build their lead to 27-7. The first was a Gordon pass to wide receiver/defensive back Tim Dodge. The second was a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown by lineman Jamaal Cherry.

The Stealth were the first to score in the second quarter when Sparrow rushed two yards for the score. The ‘Wheelers would then rattle off the next three scores to push their lead to 39-13. The teams traded scores to close the half and the ‘Wheelers led 46-19 at half. The 49 points allowed by the Stealth defense was almost double their defensive average of 28.4 points per game.

Things slowed down in the third quarter with both teams scoring a touchdown a piece. The Stealth then cut the lead to 52-33 with 12 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in the game, but failed to recover the onside kick. The Steamwheelers scored three plays later when Gordon rushed 1-yard for the score. Gordon, who rushed for two scores on the night, has successfully rushed for a touchdown in every game this season.

Gordon, who donned the cover of the Navigator (the ‘Wheelers game night program), kicked the Navigator curse and completed 19 of 24 passes for 265 yards and threw for six touchdowns. His eight-touchdown performance earned him Baby Ruth Real Deal Player of the Game honors. The last two players who were covermen for the Navigator failed to score that game.

To close the game out, Wichita added another score and the ‘Wheelers added two more. On the night, the ‘Wheelers defense accounted for two sacks, an interception, two fumbles, seven pass deflections and seven quarterback hurries. They also limited Sparrow, who completed 25 of 45 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns.

Despite leaving the game early in the fourth quarter, ‘Wheelers lineman Bear Brown earned U.S. Army Ironman honors for recording a tackle and a forced fumble. Lineman Jamaal Cherry was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors with the 32-yard interception returned for a touchdown, two quarterback hurries and one pass deflection.

The receiving duo of Dodge and Hewitt had an outstanding night, accounting for five of Gordon's touchdowns. Dodge led the way with eight receptions for 107 yards and two scores, while Hewitt hauled in six passes for 94 yards and three scores.

The game did end on a sour note, however. On the kickoff after the Steamwheelers final score, Stealth lineman Dustin Fish was hit awkwardly and immediately fell to the ground. Doctors and trainers immediately got to Fish and determined that Fish had a compound fracture in his left leg. The final 20 seconds of the game were not played due to the injury.

The ‘Wheelers will now head out to San Diego to take on the Riptide and the Stealth finish their three game road trip at Oklahoma City.



arenafootball2 Stories from May 16, 2004


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.

OurSports Central