Pioneers Nip Speed In Heart Stopping Finish
David Chappell
Sunday June 1, 2003
Pulling to within one point on quarterback Roy Johnson’s one yard plunge on a superlative second effort on the last play of regulation, Richmond was faced with a game deciding decision. Attempt a PAT kick to try to get the game into overtime or go for an all or nothing two-point conversion to win the game in regulation if successful. With little hesitation, the Speed chose the latter option.
With all zeros showing on the Coliseum clock, Johnson’s lob pass in the left corner of the end zone in the direction of Lawrence Lewis was intercepted by the Pioneers’ LB Terrell Johnson, preserving a dramatic 50-49 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton victory.
With the win, the Pioneers improved to 3-6. The Speed dropped to 4-4, suffering a loss in the final seconds of a game for the third time this year.
While he and his staff did consider attempting a PAT kick to try to tie the game and send it into overtime, Richmond head coach Richard Davis said, “There wasn’t much hesitation in going for two.”
Davis suggested that even if an extra point kick would have been attempted and successfully made (far from a sure thing under any scenario in arena football), the Speed almost inevitably would still have had to make a big play on offense, akin to the two point attempt, to win the game in an overtime.
Davis said that the way the game unfolded, Richmond was fortunate to even have an opportunity to win on the last play. Davis explained, “We were incredibly fortunate just to be in that position at the end considering how horribly we played in the first half. We were lucky to get to that point. Win it right there on the two point try. We just didn’t execute it.”
Speed players fully supported the decision to go for two. Johnson commented, “It was real good that we came back from being down 17 (points) late. To have a chance to win at the end under those circumstances, you can’t ask for anymore than that.”
Richmond FB/LB Corey Middlebrooks echoed the same sentiments about the propriety of the two point attempt. Middlebrooks said, “We encouraged Coach to go for two. I’d rather lose right there with it all on the line than go into overtime. I commend Coach Davis for what he did.”
It was amazing that this game came down to a final play. After spotting Richmond a quick 7-0 lead on a Johnson to Marc Bacote 8 yard TD pass with 10:50 remaining in the first quarter, the Pioneers assumed control.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton sandwiched two rushing touchdowns by FB Kevin Nagle and QB Chris Boden around a 44 yard field goal by Dennis Wuestkamp to take a 17-14 lead into intermission. Richmond was limited to a 56 yard kickoff return by Damon “Redd” Thompson at the 4:45 mark of the second quarter, for its only other tally in a ragged first half.
Davis was left scratching his head regarding his team’s performance in the first half. Davis said, “I have no idea what happened in the first half. I’m hugely disappointed. We just came out flat.”
What was not flat was the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton play along the defensive line. The Pioneers’ pass rush got after Johnson early and often last night, standing up well against several heralded new Speed offensive lineman playing together for the first time last night. Davis said, “[The Pioneers’] pressure was a huge surprise. I am disappointed in the play of my big men. Being some name on paper doesn’t matter. You have to come out and play and get it done on the field.”
The pace picked up considerably in the second half. The Pioneers scored first on a 13 yard Boden to Terrell Johnson touchdown pass with 10:20 remaining in the third quarter. Richmond’s Johnson was intercepted by Pioneers’ LB Harry Brunson on the ensuing possession, and Boden immediately hit DeMatteo with a 30 yard TD toss for a 31-14 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lead with 8:20 left in the third quarter.
Even being ahead most of the game and up by 17 points early in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers’ WR/DB Aman Abye never felt comfortable. Abye, a former Speed player several seasons ago, told his new teammates to brace for a Richmond push in the second half.
“We know that Richmond’s a tough team,” Abye said. “Even when I was playing for Richmond, we’d sometimes get off to a bad start and then come out in the second half and just dominate. That same thing happened tonight. At halftime I talked to our guys and told them [Richmond] is tough; they’re going to come out strong and they’re not going to quit. Just like they ended up doing. They came back hot and almost won the game in the last seconds.”
The game turned markedly towards Richmond on the next to last play of the third quarter. Trailing 37-20 and facing a third and 30 from their own three yard line, the Speed were awarded a first down on a Pioneers’ offside penalty. On the same play where tempers were flaring on both sides, offsetting personal foul penalties were called on both teams.
With new life, the Speed immediately scored on the first play of the fourth quarter on a 29 yard TD pass from Johnson to Thompson to cut the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lead to 37-27.
Trailing 43-27, after another Boden to DeMatteo touchdown pass with 8:20 remaining in the game, the Speed made their final dramatic run.
After returning the ensuing kickoff 29 yards, Thompson caught two consecutive passes from Johnson, the second of which was for a 12 yard score. Jeff Townsley caught the two point conversion pass from Johnson to cut the Speed deficit to eight points at the 5:45 mark.
Richmond then recovered Peter Martinez’s onside kick to give the Speed a critical extra possession. Richmond attempted four onside kicks in the contest, recovering only that one. But the Speed took full advantage of that one. Johnson moved Richmond 42 yards in six plays, finding a wide open Richard Holland in the end zone with 1:35 left. Then under heavy pressure, Johnson drilled a bullet pass to Thompson just across the goal line for the two point conversion to pull Richmond even at 43-43.
Davis then ordered another onside kick, which the Pioneers recovered and scored two plays later on an eight yard Boden TD run to go up 50-43. But the strategy gave Richmond a final possession with enough time on the clock to pull the game out.
With :47 remaining, Richmond’s Lewis returned the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton squib kickoff to the Pioneers’ 17 yard line. Five plays and 17 yards later, Johnson had the Speed back in the end zone and to the brink of victory.
Using an efficient controlled passing attack, Boden was 21-34 for 230 yards and four TDs for the Pioneers. He was not intercepted. Boden also rushed for two scores.
Boden commented, “It was a great game. It makes me happy for the fans. I know Richmond didn’t come out on the winning side, but it was the type of exciting game that was awesome and great to be a part of.”
Abye praised the play of several of his teammates, and said he believes that this win will go a long way towards ensuring that the Pioneers are fully back on the right track.
Abye said, “[Kevin] Nagle our FB/LB stepped up. Cosmo [DeMatteo] our OS was great. Terrell Johnson had a tremendous game. And our defensive line played great—we have some undersized guys there but they’re quick.”
“We have a bunch of new guys who have just gotten to the team,” Abye noted. “This is barely my second week back. We’re just starting to jell. We’re feeling good about ourselves now.”
DeMatteo finished with 11 catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In addition to his game saving play on defense, Terrell Johnson caught four passes for 33 yards and a TD. The Pioneers also rushed eight times for 35 yards.
On defense, the Pioneers were led by LB Johnny Anderson who had four tackles and two assists. Overall, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton recorded five tackles for losses. The Pioneers also sacked the Richmond QB three times.
For the Speed, Johnson was 23-30 for 270 yards and five touchdowns. Uncharacteristically, Johnson was intercepted twice last evening. As usual, Thompson was his QB’s favorite target, catching 10 passes for 136 yards and three TDs. But the Speed were hurt badly by three turnovers.
Jeff Townsley, returning to the Speed after leaving the squad after this year’s second game, had a productive game despite developing cramps in the second half. Townsley caught six passes for 55 yards.
Speaking about his return to the Speed, Townsley said, “I got in [Friday] at 3:30, came right to practice and got the game plan down, and played tonight. I like being here. I had energy when I was on the field even though I had some injuries. I just wanted to be out there on the field. That’s why I came back. Despite the outcome tonight, I still feel good. We fought back and gave ourselves a chance to win.”
On defense, the Speed were led by DS Charlie Robinson who had eight tackles, despite being off the field for stretches with injuries. DB Marcus Richardson chipped in with three tackles and three assists for Richmond.
While the Pioneers will enter their bye week on a high note off their second consecutive win, the Speed must muster up quickly for a crucial road test at Atlantic Division leading Cape Fear (6-2) on Saturday night. Another loss next week would put Richmond perilously close to losing touch with the Wildcats.
Of the Wildcats, Davis said, “Cape Fear is a division opponent that we have to be ready to go down and play. Tonight we put ourselves that much further back in the playoff race.”
“Playing on the road in arenafootball2 is horribly tough, period,” Davis said. “Playing in Cape Fear is one of the tougher environments. We just have to get ready and go down there and win. But we’re not going to beat them if we play like we did tonight.”
Johnson vowed that the Speed would come back strong from the narrow loss to the Pioneers. The Richmond quarterback said, “We will learn from our mistakes tonight. We just have to come back next week. We have a big game at Cape Fear, and we have to go down there and get a win. We’re not out of this thing.”
David Chappell is a native of Richmond, Virginia. He has closely followed local sports in Richmond and vicinity for over thirty years, and Arena Football 2 since its inception. David currently writes extensively for a website that he co-founded which documents professional wrestling in Virginia and surrounding areas from 1974-1986. A former elected prosecutor, David is currently a practicing attorney in a large downtown Richmond law firm.
