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AIF Lehigh Valley Steelhawks

Steelhawks Unbeaten No Longer

May 1, 2016 - American Indoor Football (AIF)
Lehigh Valley Steelhawks News Release


Allentown, PA: The Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (5-1) fell to the Central Penn Capitals (2-4) 65-56, dropping their first game of the season. In a game that the Steelhawks never seemed to get into, the game felt further out of reach than the scoreboard showed.

The 'Hawks first possession seemed promising as QB Jake Jablonski (10 for 16, 84 yds, 1 td, 2 ints, 1 rushing td) finished the drive on a qb keeper for the early touchdown and Lehigh Valley led 7-0. The Capitals' would quickly turn the game around with two pick sixes, both by DB Mark Granville (6 tackles, 2 ints, 1 pbu), on consecutive possessions.

Lehigh Valley would get the lead back after a WR Warren Oliver Jr. (5 catches for 29 yds, 2 tds) snared a 7 yard touchdown grab and K Spencer Hotaling connected on a deuce. But this would be their last lead of the game. With Steelhawks starting Quarterback Jake Jablonski knocked out of the game early in the second quarter, Central Penn would go on a 21 point run before the Steelhawks could get more points on the board. WR Jerrell Young (6 catches for 89 yds, 1 td) grabbed a 30 yard touchdown pass from QB Clay Belton (18 for 33, 177 yds, 4 tds) with 25 seconds left in the half. For a second it seemed as if the Steelhawks could get some momentum back going into intermission. But the Capitals' had other ideas - QB Ray Wagner (16 of 20, 208 yds, 4 tds) found WR Brian Richards (8 catches for 83 yds, 3 tds) for a 31 yard scoring pass with just four seconds remaining in the half to give them a twenty point lead at the half.

The third quarter felt slow in comparison to the Capitals' 35 point second quarter. Each team got into the endzone once - Central Penn first on another Goodman run, followed by a K Drew Newcomer PAT and deuce; Lehigh Valley on Oliver Jr.'s second touchdown grab, with WR Brandon Renford (8 catches for 68 yds, 2 tds) on the receiving end of the two-point conversion. The fourth quarter was a little too late for the 'Hawks. They scored 20 points in the final 2:16 of the game, but were already in too big of a hole. The final score giving the Capitals' a playoff impacting win, 65-56.

There are now four teams tied atop the North Division - Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia, Western Michigan, and River City; each with one loss.

After a loss, Coach Ron Rivera once said, "This was a disappointing loss. We're going to find out what kind of mental strength we have. It's back to the one-game mentality." Its likely Steelhawks Coach Chris Thompson paraphrased something similar in the locker room after the game. The Steelhawks need to learn from their loss and re-focus during the bye week to finish out the season on the right track.

Even in the loss, the Steelhawks completed the Domino's 50 Point Challenge. Fans can now get 50% off menu-priced pizzas at all participating Lehigh Valley locations for the next three days, simply use the code SH50 when ordering.

The Steelhawks have a break this coming weekend with a bye, then they will be back at home for another two game home stand to finish the regular season. They will host the visiting Triangle Torch of NC on Saturday, May 14th, 7pm kickoff. Presented by ESSA Bank & Trust, the first 1,000 fans will receive a 6-pack cooler. It's not too late to get 2016 flex packs either. Both they and individual game packages to watch the Steelhawks play inside the PPL Center are on sale now. 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. Reserve your seat now by calling the Steelhawks office at 610-282-3100. The Steelhawks play all of their home games on Embassy Bank Field inside the PPL Center.

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