Racine Raiders Silence Wolves
ByPlay St. Paul Pioneers in Northern Conference Championship Next Saturday
Racine, WI – The Racine Raiders closed out the home part of their season with a 32-0 victory over the Traverse City Wolves in the third round of the North American Football League (NAFL) playoffs. The Raiders advance to the Northern Conference championship against the St. Paul Pioneers in St. Paul, Minn., next Saturday.
The game was played on an extremely muddy field that was chewed up the night before by a high school game. The Raiders scored the first points of the game when fullback Adam Chorazy pounded the ball into the end zone from one-yard out with ten minutes remaining in the first quarter.
With 12:17 left in the second quarter, a Tim Merchut field goat attempt sailed wide left. A minute later Raiders cornerback Donald Woodard intercepted a Wolves pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Eric Feest had trouble with the hold on the extra point attempt, but completed a lob pass to Steve Kleist for two points, giving the Raiders a 15-0 lead.
The Raiders would strike again late in the second quarter on a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ron Ricciardi to wide receiver Curtis “Flash” Gordon.
Traverse City started the second half with an onside kick that they were able to recover but they were unable to gain any positive yardage. The Wolves didn’t get a first down in the game until nearly 42 minutes into the game.
The Raiders got on the scoreboard for the final time on a two-yard run by Reggie Johnson with 9:26 left in the game, giving Racine a 29-0 lead. Merchut would add a 32-yard field goal to give the Raiders the final margin of victory, 32-0
The muddy and wet field led to five fumbles in the game. The Raiders gained 165 yards on the ground, with Bryan Jennings Jr. leading the way with 50 yards on 13 carries.
Ricciardi completed 7 of 13 passes for 65 yards, an interception, and a touchdown. Gordon led all Raiders receivers with three catches for 28 yards and a touchdown.
The Raiders defense was dominant, as it has been all season long. They limited the Wolves to 16 yards rushing, 15 yards passing, and intercepted three passes. The Wolves only had four yards of total offense in the first half.
The Raiders now head on the road for the remainder of the NAFL playoffs. The first stop is St. Paul, Minn., next week Saturday to battle the St. Paul Pioneers who defeated the Dakota Lawdawgs 7-0 to advance to the Northern Conference championship game.
For more information about the Racine Raiders, please visit http://www.racineraiders.com.
Posted @ 12:05 a.m.
