Pirates Can`t Keep Stealth On Radar
Steve Robinson
Sunday May 25, 2003
No one can be quite sure what he was exactly thinking as he sat there, but he gave a possible hint to the media in the post-game interview. “We let opportunity slip away when we had (scoring) chances,” the second-year af2 head coach said. “We can’t do that against a team. They’ll be some roster changes.”
Peoria quarterback Charlie Peterson connected to receiver Jack Walker during the Pirates’ first drive of the second half, capping a 2-play, 30-yard march for the end zone with a 16-yard touchdown pass, giving Peoria its first lead of the night, 35-31, after Majors’ successful point-after.
Goolsby’s 2-yard run, concluding Wichita’s longest possession on the night – 40 yards in 11 plays, eating up seven minutes on the clock – returned the lead back to Wichita, 38-35, with 13:25 left in the contest.
A Peoria turnover turned into a 5-yard running touchdown at 11:55 in the fourth quarter for Wichita running back Daren Williams, increasing Wichita’s lead, 45-35 after the point-after.
Peterson and Walker would click again on a 7-yard pass at 8:18 in the fourth quarter. Majors’ extra point would pull Peoria within three, 45-42. Wichita running back Dan Dawson would spoil Peoria fans’ moods with 56 seconds left in the game, scoring after a 4-play 7-yard march. The point after gave Wichita their decisive margin.
Peterson would connect with Walker in a rush to bring it close in a 7-yard scoring play, topping 5-play 38-yard drive, but it would not be enough.
Following the game, reporters approached Peterson for his assessment of the game, but without saying a word, he declined interviews by shaking his head.
The Rundown: Wichita, under new head coach Sean Ponder, jumped out to a fast 10-0 lead thanks to two quick scores. First, at 10:48 in the first quarter, a 2-yard run by running back Brian Goolsby, followed by a point-after by kicker Jason Corse, put the Stealth up 7-0.
On Peoria’s next possession, Goolsby picked off Peterson on a second-and-two play, giving Wichita good field positioning for their next score – a 27-yard field goal by Corse, pushing the Stealth under Peoria’s radar early, 10-0, with 6:08 left.
Peoria’s first score came at the end of a 4-play, 44-yard drive, ending in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Peterson to wide receiver Versie Gaddis, newly returned from injury for four weeks. Kicker Brett Majors’ kick closed the gap at 10-7, with 2:47 left in the first quarter.
Peoria was forced to claw throughout the first half to keep up with an improved Stealth team, with a 29-yard scoring pass from Peterson to Walker being Peoria’s closest shot before halftime, with Majors’ point-after narrowing Wichita’s halftime lead to 31-28.
Steve Robinson, a freelance writer since 1984, has written about the Peoria Pirates since the Pirates were members of Indoor Football League, beginning in 1999. He covers the Pirates currently for the Bloomington IL Pantagraph.
