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‘Rats no worse than first by Richard W. Kozak, Jr.  |
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Entering last weekend’s contest against the Reading Express, no incarnation of the RiverRats team had ever beaten the Reading Express. That, my friends, is nothing more than a mere historical footnote at the moment.
With one week remaining in the 2008 American Indoor Football Association regular season, the ‘Rats pummeled the visiting Express 51-32 before nearly 3,000 boisterous fans in the Tullio Arena. The win solidifies at least a share of first place in the North Division for the ‘Rats who stand all alone in first place with a 10-3 record. With the loss, the Express fall to 8-4 with two games remaining on the schedule.
While the ‘Rats can technically finish tied upon the top with the Express, the Erie club still has some motivation for this weekends culmination of the home and home series that concludes in Reading, PA. With a victory, the RiverRats can finish with only three loses and lock up Eastern Conference home field advantage throughout the conference playoff structure.
The Mississippi Mudcats and Wyoming Calvary of the Western Conference still have better records than the ‘Rats but that fact won’t come into play until a possible championship game scenario.
On Saturday, the first quarter seemed to be a harbinger of awful things to come. Would the game be nothing more than a mere image of Express games past? Right out of the gate, the ‘Rats faltered against their most hated foes.
On Erie’s first offensive play from scrimmage, star quarterback Rod Rutherford was picked off by Reading’s Mike “Don’t call me Alex” Baldwin. On the same day that “Big Brown” was upset in the Belmont, the sun started to shine brightly on the Tullio Arena.
One play later, the tide turned towards Erie as Reading quarterback Rob Flowers tried to throw a dangerous pass down field. Erie’s Sam “Bam” Reynolds snared the ball and returned the tri-colored synthetic pigskin 28 yards to inside Reading territory.
Two plays later, the dangerous Rutherford broke into the end zone for a 6-0 Erie lead. A botched PAT left the score at 6-0 before Reading answered to take a brief 7-6 lead. A little more than a minute later, Rutherford found the elusive Darmel Whitfield for a 17 yard TD reception for a 13-7 Erie lead at the end of one quarter of play.
The Express began the 2nd quarter with a TD pass of its own to tie the game at 13-13, but Rutherford’s ‘Rats would answer on another rushing touchdown for the pivot to make the score 20-13. Some change of possessions would keep the score down until J.R. Cipra connected on a 39-yard field goal to up the Erie lead to 23-13.
On Reading’s kicker would add his own three pointer and the ‘Rats headed into the locker room with a 23-16 lead.
Erie controlled the third quarter as Whitfield added another touchdown reception. Cipra drilled an UNO, but Eugene Baker “The touchdown maker” scored the first major of his RiverRats career on nine-yard touchdown catch from Rod “The Mod” Rutherford.
Carmelo Ocasio scored the lone Express touchdown in the third quarter as Erie held a 38-23 advantage entering the fourth quarter. In the final stanza, David Dinkins would catch a Rutherford pass for a score and Reynolds applied the coup de grace with a 39-yard interception return to make the final score 51-32 for Erie.
Rutherford accounted for four passing touchdowns, two rushing and 173 yards in passing. Chris Blackshear had two interceptions for Erie to thwart Reading drives.
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