A Win Is A Win For the Kansas City Command
Sharon Soares
Monday April 25, 2011
It may not have looked pretty, but the Kansas City Command won their second game of the season against the Chicago Rush with a final score 58-51.
The Command showed up, ready to play this game, and ready to put last week's loss behind them. If you mess up one play, another play is around the corner. If you lose one week, another week is around the corner. “Especially in arena ball, you have to have short term memory,” said Command reciever Sergio Gilliam.
The Command did not let the fact that they were 1-4 defeat them. They walked into Chicago's arena, knowing they could beat the Rush if they showed up as a team, and they did.
Command quarterback J.J. Ratterink came home to the Allstate Arena. He played backup quarterback for Chicago last year and started part of the season after an injury occurred to starter Russ Michna. Ratterink had a lot of friends and fans at the game from the Chicago area. They cheered him on through several quarterback keeps and a touchdown. He ran for 47 yards with 2 touchdowns and was named offensive player of the game.
Chris Royal had four tackles and three pass break-ups proving that even though his name had not been mentioned much in other games, he had the heart to make the plays and proved he wanted to be part of this team. Bryan Robinson blocked the extra point kick against Chicago for the second touchdown, one tackle and one pass break-up. Sergio Gilliam had three tackles, 1 assist, and two break-ups. Plays went back and forth for quite a while but the Command took the lead late in the second quarter and never trailed the second half. 31 points scored in the second quarter was the key to the Command win.
Stephen Savoy had a great game. 136 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns including an awesome catch in the endzone which ended up on SportsCenter's top 10 reel as the number two play of the game. His games are starting to be consistent where each of the last three games, he has had over 100 yards receiving and at least two touchdowns. Bret Smith had a good night with almost 100 yards and 1 touchdown.
All night, Chicago would come up with an explosive play. They missed two opportunities to convert interceptions into points. The Command would tick away at the clock and little by little would score; the whole team was involved. Even though backup quarterback, Steve Wasil, does not get in the game much, he's included in the celebration at the end of every touchdown. The team, may have played messy, penalties on both sides, but when they played as a team, they were unbeatable.
If the Command shows up as a team next week against Dallas Vigilantes, it has been said before, the team (Command) will win. It will be the second game against Dallas and the fever for wins is contagious. A close game, messy play, teamwork, and great clock management by Coach Danton Barto, will prove the Command can take on any team. They are already moving up in the division and can continue to move up, as a team.
