Wolves’ Last-Second Touchdown Upends Pioneers
Michael Balakier
Saturday April 12, 2003
Trailing 35-31 with 1:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton quarterback Chris Boden connected with WR/DB Wali Mumin on a fourth and ten to keep the Pioneers’ hopes alive. Then, with :34 remaining, Boden threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game to recently acquired WR/LB Cosmo DeMatteo, who finished with 9 receptions for 137 yards and 5 TDs, giving the Pioneers a 38-35 advantage. The lead, and potential victory, was short lived, as Mohegan quarterback Mike Bath hooked up with WR/DB Mel Long in the end zone as time expired, sending the Wolves bench scurrying onto the field.
Moehgan Head Coach Mark Stoute said that he felt a feeling of vindication after seeing Long pull down the last-second touchdown reception. “They got up on us early and I told the kids ‘you gotta believe and keep plugging away one play at a time,’” said Stoute. “We were missing a lot of plays, one after another, and just making constant mistakes the whole night. I told (our players) to just settle down, keep playing, believe in each other, don’t fall apart and hang in there. It ain’t over until the last play of the game, and in this case we won it on the last play of the game.”
The Wolves held Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scoreless in the third quarter, and allowed only 14 points in the second half. Mohegan’s defense also stepped up, sacking Boden for a safety early in the third quarter and recovering a Pioneer fumble for a touchdown.
“Our plan that we played against them was a patient plan,” said Stoute. “We knew they were going to be patient on offense and we had to be patient defensively. They hadn’t done anything to us to really scare us off of what we knew we could do. They were playing tough, but it was the way we expected the game. We had to stay focused and take care of business.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Dean Cokinos said that his team played good enough to win, despite the 180-degree turnaround in his team from the first half.
“That’s the game. It’s ups and down. It’s momentum,” said Cokinos. “They made some mistakes in the first half, we came out and started the second half slowly. We hurt ourselves in the second half early.”
Despite the loss, Boden, who finished the game 18-26 for 208 yards and 5 TDs, said that the team did play well in their home opener.
“It’s much like a basketball game where the last shot usually goes,” said Boden. “It happens. It’s a long season. There are definitely some things we can improve on, but I thought we got a great effort from the guys tonight and just came out on the wrong end of it.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton backup quarterback Kelvin Robinson, who also plays wide receiver and linebacker, believes that although the loss is tough, anything can still happen in the Pioneers’ remaining 14 games. “We just have to have amnesia about this [loss],” said Robinson, “remember it, but put it behind us and try to step it up another night. We have 14 more games and it’s a long season.”
Game Notes
Bittersweet Debut: Pioneers WR/LB Cosmo DeMatteo, who caught five touchdowns on nine receptions, said that his arena football debut was bittersweet. “I caught a couple touchdowns, but I’m not used to dropping balls,” said DeMatteo. “If I catch that pass on third and eight we keep the drive going. Those are the little things that take it out of the defense’s hands where they’re not put in such a bad situation.” Cokinos said that DeMatteo is a primetime player and adds a lot of spark to the Pioneers’ offense. Boden agrees, saying that he and DeMatteo have had great chemistry on and off the field. DeMatteo recently participated in the NFL Europe’s Barcelona Dragons’ training camp.
Kibble’s return: Friday night the Pioneers welcomed back inaugural season kicker Jimmy Kibble. The First Union Arena welcomed Kibble back as well, but the building welcomed him back with a vengeance. Kibble, who finished among the af2’s best kickers last season, did not kick a kickoff inbounds or unobstructed until the 4:35 mark in the fourth quarter. But even then, the building was not finished with Kibble, as his last kickoff of the game sailed into one of the steel girders atop the arena’s ceiling. Kibble commented on his return: “I couldn’t get a rhythm on my kickoffs. To be honest with you, it’s hard to say that my first (AFL) game with the New York Dragons wasn’t in the back of my mind.” Kibble said that his main goal for the game was to connect on all his extra points, which he did. Kibble also commented on the last-second loss: “I see this as a positive step, this is what arena football is about.”
Inside the huddle: If you hear laughing inside the Pioneers offensive huddle, don’t be alarmed, it’s just quarterback Chris Boden laughing, which was probably the result of something that WR/LB Cosmo DeMatteo did. Boden explains: “(Cosmo’s) a crazy guy. He makes me laugh out there in the huddle in serious situations.” DeMatteo, who tore his ACL in 2001, explains his sense of humor. “Football is a game I love so much,” said DeMatteo. “You just have fun in football and with almost a career ending injury, you get back out there and that’s what you miss, being around the guys, having fun. You get to go out there, compete, and be a kid again. The real world, all the stress of it, it’s not out there.”
Michael Balakier first discovered a knack for writing during his senior year in high school while reporting for his school`s newspaper. Aside from being an Arenaball fan, Michael is an avid Syracuse University athletics follower, which poses a problem for him, as he attends the University of Pittsburgh. Michael plans on using what he has learned through his Arenafan experience to remain as impartial as he can during future Syracuse/Pitt events. Michael also serves as co-Editor of the af2 section of Arenafan Online.
