Pioneers Steal Victory
Jason Moyer
Monday August 1, 2005
Needing to gain positive yards to run out the clock, the Knights handed the ball to FB/LB Tyrone Myers. Myers was stopped behind the line of scrimmage, where Sodano ripped the ball out of his hands and rumble, bumbled, and stumbled 43 yards into the end zone for the game winning score.
"I haven’t even thought about it [scoring the winning touchdown]," stated Sodano. "I was just doing what I’m supposed to do and got lucky."
Needless to say, the Macon players and coaching staff were dismayed at the turn of events. When the play ended, they chased down game officials claiming that Myers forward progress was stopped and the whistle should have been blown to call the play dead. Sometimes it is better to allow yourself to be tackled, than battle for the extra yard.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton battled through mistakes, as they seem to do game after game. Missed blocking assignments on back-to-back plays in the first half allowed consecutive sacks resulting in a Macon safety by Darin Damron. The second half included a failed exchange between the center and quarterback resulting in a 19-yard touchdown return by James Hickenbotham on the fumble.
"Those are things we’ll have to shore up," stated Head Coach Les Moss. "I thought their nose guard was offside on the fumble, but the officials said they didn’t see it. There’s nothing you can do about it. We’ll just have to agree to disagree."
Even after the Sodano touchdown, Macon still had a chance to walk out of the Wachovia Arena with the victory. Offensive Player of the Game, Chris Johnson, returned the kickoff to the Pioneer 21-yard line with 14 seconds remaining. Following a completion that took the ball to the 12-yard line, Macon called on kicker Chris Brewer to attempt a 27-yard game winning field goal.
Brewer’s kick sailed wide to the left as the time ran off the clock preserving the win for the Pioneers. The victory secured the fourth position in the American Conference for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton who will host a first-round playoff game next week.
"It’s great to be back next week," commented Coach Moss. "Home field advantage during the playoffs is huge. We’re playing a tough Green Bay team so we’ll see what happens."
Inside the numbers:
Chris Johnson (Macon) was voted Offensive Player of the Game. Johnson caught six passes for 60 yards with three touchdowns. He also returned two kickoffs for 71 yards including a 49-yard touchdown.
Rocco Forgione (WB-S) earned the Ironman of the Game award. Forgione hauled in eight catches for 106 yards and three scores. Forgione also accounted for one tackle and a deflected pass.
Jim Sodano (WB-S) garnered Defensive Player of the Game honors. Sodano’s 43-yard touchdown was the game winning score. He finished with four total tackles and three quarterback hits.
Brian Snyder (WB-S) completed 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.
With his 106 yards in the game, Rocco Forgione broke the singe season record for receiving yards for the Pioneers breaking J.R. Thomas’s mark from last season.
Looking ahead:
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will play the Green Bay Blizzard next week in the opening round of the arenafootball2’s playoffs. The Pioneers and the Blizzard split the season series 1-1, with each team winning on the road. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm at the Wachovia Arena.
Jason Moyer is an elementary school teacher in the western New Jersey area. He is an avid follower of the Arena Football League and has been covering the Philadelphia Soul with ArenaFan.com since 2005. Jason resides in Whitehall, PA with his wife and daughter.
