Steamwheelers' last-second field goal try leaves QC short in 52-55 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
June 17, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
(Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) - The Quad City Steamwheelers blew a 32-14 halftime lead and missed a last-second, 51-yard field goal attempt to push their game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers into overtime. As a result, the Pioneers held on to win 55-52 after outscoring Quad City 41-12 in the second half.
After jumping to a 32-14 lead in the first half, the Steamwheelers found themselves down by eleven, out of time outs and with nearly no time left on the clock. The score was 55-44, thanks to an errant throw by âWheeler's QB Tim Hicks that was picked off and returned for a touchdown by Pioneer DS Jamie Hatley - but with just under a minute left to play, the Steamwheelers tried to battle back and force an OT.
The ensuing drive for Quad City started in the Wilkes-Barre red zone after a series of Pioneer miscues (including a kickoff that went out of bounds and two Pioneer penalties) gave the Steamwheelers the ball on the Pioneer's five-yard line without completing a single play. Quad City turned to their backup quarterback, Matt Pike, who came in to the game to relieve Hicks following an apparent hand injury on the Hatley interception. Pike immediately located wide receiver/defense back Tim Dodge for a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt, which saw Dodge run the ball into the end zone, pulled the âWheelers to within three at 55-52 with just seconds remaining.
The ensuing on-side kick attempt was recovered by the Steamwheelers and set up a 51-yard field goal attempt that Naehu missed wide to the left. The failed kick brought a wild game with huge swings of momentum to a close.
The Pioneers took advantage of their momentum early in the game, by jumping on a Steamwheeler fumble on the first possession by the visitors. The resulting touchdown put the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team on top 7-0, early. The Steamwheelers followed up with an answer of their own as Hicks' threw his 50th touchdown pass of the year - a 21-yard bomb to Quad City OS Kris Peters. Peters became the first Steamwheeler to record 1,000 receiving yards on the season earlier in the game.
The Steamwheelers defense came up with their first big stop of the first half when DL Mataese Togafau tipped a pass into WR/LB Jack Walker Jr's hands seven yards from the end zone. A few plays later, Tim Dodge recorded his first of two rushing touchdowns on the night on a one-yard run through the right side of the line to give Quad City their first lead at 13-7. After another defensive stop, Peters extended the Steamwheelers lead early in the second quarter. Hicks caught him streaking down the sideline for a wide-open 23-yard grab, extending the Steamwheelers' lead to 20-7.
The Pioneers answered when WR/LB Leroy McFadden grabbed a 30-yard catch over his right shoulder for his first of four touchdowns, pulling the Pioneers back to within five at 20-14. McFadden, a 6'3", 250+ pound wide receiver was recently assigned to the Pioneers and proved to be a factor throughout the game as he earned the Schutt Offensive and the U.S. Army Ironman of the Game honors.
After another Dodge rushing touchdown to extend the Steamwheeler's lead to 26-14. The Quad City defense then held the Pioneers on a fourth-and-goal for the second time in the game, giving the ball back to the offense. After a Wilkes-Barre illegal defense call overturned a Pioneer fumble recovery in the end zone, Hicks threw a 40-yard home-run ball to Peters, for a 32-14 half time lead. Peters finished the game with 131-yards and three touchdowns on nine catches.
The momentum shifted back to the home team after the half, however, as the Steamwheelers were shut out in the third quarter for the second time this season. The Pioneer's McFadden caught two more touchdown catches in the period and another was added by the Pioneers' other WR/LB, Yardon Brantley - effectively erasing the Steamwheelers' lead and giving the Pioneers a two-point advantage heading into the final frame.
Former Steamwheeler, Matt Forbes, picked off a pass by Tim Hicks early in the quarter, giving the Pioneers the ball and, seemingly, the game. But the next play saw the Pioneer's Brantley fumble away a pass reception, returning possession to the Steamwheelers. The wild exchange of turnovers setup a three-yard touchdown rush by FB/LB A.J. Novak, resulting in a Quad City lead of four points, 38-34.
Wilkes-Barre responded by retaking the lead, 41-38 with just 5:15 remaining in the contest. A 19-yard touchdown catch by Dodge gave the Steamwheelers a three-point lead with 3:15 seconds left in the game. The Pioneers blasted back, however, with WR/DB Yaacov Yisrael catching a 25-yard pass to put the Pioneers back on top 48-44 with just 44 seconds remaining.
The game was far from over, even with just over half a minute left to go. But even after avenging Hick's interception, the âWheelers were left with nothing more than hoping Kicker Kimo Naehu, who had missed most of his PAT's that night, could nail a 51+ yarder to tie the game. The kick had the distance and the height but strayed a little to the left, leaving the Steamwheelers to wonder, with a record of 4-7, if they would be able to climb back into the playoff race this season.
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