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PIFL Lehigh Valley Steelhawks

Steelhawks Beat by the Hammers for First Loss of Season

May 11, 2014 - Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL)
Lehigh Valley Steelhawks News Release


Bethlehem, PA: After a strong fourth quarter comeback, the Steelhawks came up short by a score of 51-48 to suffer their first loss of the 2014 season. QB Adam Bednarik's game tying touchdown run with only :23 seconds remaining, was not enough to force overtime as Alabama kicker Armando Cuko kicked a game winning field goal as time expired to lift the Hammers to their first win of the season.

The Steelhawks started off strong scoring on the third play of the game on a long pass from Adam Bednarik (18-24, 266 yards 4 pass td, 2 rush) to Troy Pascley (4 rec, 100 yd, 2 td). The Hammers answered quickly, scoring on their first possession as Russel Hill found Charles Mcclain on a short pass that turned into a long touchdown run to tie the game at seven a piece. An uno by Armando Cuko on the ensuing kickoff gave them the lead. Lehigh Valley drove down the field, but a series of penalties negated a touchdown run and ultimately led to a missed field goal attempt. The Hammers added another score deep in the quarter on a pass from Hill to Jeremy Grier to boost their lead to 15-7.

Lehigh Valley started off the 2nd quarter in solid field position. Bednarik scrambled his way into the endzone to cut the deficit to one at 15-14. Hill answered back with a quarterback run of his own, followed by another uno from Cuko to build the lead to 23-15 halfway through the quarter. On the next Steelhawks possession, Bednarik connected again with Pascley to cut the lead to two. Alabama moved the ball down field and added three more points to their lead with a Cuko field goal. The Hammers held a 26-21 lead heading into the half.

The Hammers' first possession of the half resulted in a long touchdown pass from Hill to Mico Mcswain to give them their largest lead of the game at 12. Lehigh Valley's offense showed great frustration on their next possession, picking up two personal fouls and turning the ball over on downs. Steelhawks DB Dwayne Hollis came up with a big interception to slow down the Hammers' momentum and cut the lead to 33-27. On the following possession Hollis came up clutch again forcing and recovering a fumble deep in in Steelhawk territory. However, the offensive struggles continued as Bednarik's pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown to put the Hammers back up by 12. Bednarik was intercepted yet again on the following possession, giving Alabama the ball and a 12 point leading entering the final quarter.

The Steelhawks defense continued to put their best efforts forward and forced the Hammers to a turnover on downs. The offense finally got going as Bednarik found his touch and Torieal Gibson in the back of the endzone to bring the score to 40-36 with 9:18 remaining to play. The Hammers could not be stopped next time around as Hill found McClain once again to boost their lead to 13. A third Cuko uno added another point to the lead. The Hawks would not give up as they moved the ball down field resulting in a Bednarik to Devron Clark touchdown pass shrinking the lead to seven with 3:57 remaining. The defense came up with another big stand giving Bednarik and the offense another chance. Bednarik pushed the ball deep into Hammers territory and scurried in for a game tying touchdown with 23 seconds left to play. However, 23 seconds was all the Hammers needed. They drove the ball down field and used their final timeout with :02 remaining to set Cuko up for a game winning field goal as time expired. The loss was the first of the season for the Steelhawks, putting them at 4-1. This was also the Hammers first win of the season, making them 1-4. Final score: Hammers 51, Steelhawks 48.

Tonight's Offensive player of the game is awarded to Adam Bednarik for having a total of six touchdowns, including the game tying score with 23 seconds remaining. Bednarik threw for 266 yds and 4 touchdowns and rushed for 44 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Defensive award goes to Dwayne Hollis for his dominant defensive effort recording 6 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown.

The next home game on Saturday, May 17th will be a Salute to Troops Night as well as a Race for Adam Night.

Keep checking for the latest news and events from the Steelhawks! For further information please call Lehigh Valley Steelhawks Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Clark at (610) 282-3100, or visit our website at www.LVSteelhawks.com for the latest Steelhawks news!

Flex season ticket packages will be on sale after the home opener. It's not too late to get discounted tickets to every 2014 Lehigh Valley Steelhawks game. You can reserve your seats by calling the Steelhawks front office at 610-282-3100. Individual game tickets for each home game are now available as well!



Professional Indoor Football League Stories from May 11, 2014


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