Knust’s return surges Pioneers to victory
Michael Balakier
Monday June 3, 2002
On the Brigade’s first possession of the second quarter, Pioneers lineman Eddie Bynes answered Argiriadi’s call by sacking Rochester quarterback Matt D’Orazio. After that sack, the Pioneers never looked back as they cruised to a 52-35 victory over Rochester.
“In the first two or three drives we didn’t get very much pressure,” Karg said. “We were a little tight and they did a good job. D’Orazio had a clean pocket and threw the ball well early. As the game went on, we started to get more and more pressure and then we were able to climax at the end with the last drive or two.”
And it wasn’t just the Pioneers defense that gelled - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s offense and special teams came alive as well. And they were led by a ‘rookie’, well sort of. Fresh off the injured reserve from a broken wrist, the newly converted receiver John Knust, who played quarterback all his life, came out with an explosive performance, leading the Pioneers with 8 receptions for 90 yards and 4 touchdowns.
“I had no idea it would turn out like this,” Knust said with a smile on his face after the game.
Pioneers head coach Terry Karg also commended Knust’s performance.
“John came in tonight and did a heck of a job as receiver,” said Karg. When asked if Knust’s four-touchdown game was surprising, Karg said that he’s not surprised “That’s why I put him there - to make plays. Tonight it paid off and he did a good job.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came into Saturday night’s game knowing that Rochester had one of the best quarterback-receiver connection in the af2, but it turned out that the Pioneers may have very well established a connection of their own – the Snyder-Knust connection.
“I have a lot of confidence in Bryan and I have a lot of confidence in John Knust,” Karg said. “I wouldn’t have moved him from quarterback to receiver if I didn’t. I think he can do some things. It was good to see that they really connected some times tonight.”
However, had it not been for a probable season ending injury to Pioneers OS Bob Washington, Knust may not have had the breakthrough game that he had. Karg even said that he was unsure if Knust would even have played the game has Washington been available. “I’m not sure,” said Karg. “That’s a good question.” Karg wasn’t even sure if Knust would be available for Saturday’s game. “We’re fortunate that Knust’s wrist healed and things worked out,” Karg said.
Ironically, Knust, who is just returning from a broken wrist that had him sidelined for over a month, will most likely be the replacement for Washington, who also has a broken wrist. Washington broke his wrist two weeks ago against New Haven, but did not find out that it was broken until after last week’s game against Albany, which Washington played in.
Although the Pioneers win over Rochester was only their second of the season, the Pioneers showed sign of turning their season into a complete 180-degree turn. For perhaps the first time all season, the Pioneers turned out an equal performance in every aspect of their game, and possibly just in the nick of time too.
“This is a good time for it to happen,” Karg said. “Our emphasis was to really play much better the second half of the season. We want to play much better. The rest of our games are in the division so we’re gonna prepare the best we can and go out and play our tails off. As poorly as we played at times this year, the guys have always played hard and practiced hard. By doing that, especially the foundation players, that’s what’s gives us a chance to positive things now.”
Rochester head coach Mark Saunders also credited the Pioneers on their win. “They played well,” Saunders said. “They played really well. They got a good team. They’re gonna beat some teams down the stretch. I was hoping it would not be us tonight, but they got hot tonight and played well. They’re a dangerous team. They’re gonna beat a lot of people.”
Knust, the game’s MVP, also agreed that the team’s performance came at exactly the right time.
“We’ve got a chance to really roll,” Knust said. “We’re playing all the teams in our division right now and we need to come together.”
The Pioneers will look to continue their roll next week, as they prepare for back-to-back games against Mohegan.
Game Notes
A change of letters: As the Pioneers starting lineup was called prior to the start of their game against Rochester, John Knust looked bewildered when his name and picture went on the scoreboard with the letters “OS” next to his name. Knust, who has played quarterback all his life, has become the Pioneers newest offensive specialist. Knust began the season as starting quarterback, but head coach Terry Karg switched Knust to the wide receiver position after Tyler Tomich was granted the starting job behind the center. Knust then broke his wrist and made his return Saturday night. Knust spoke on being called out as an offensive specialist and how he views his new position. “It’s weird. I cannot get past it,” Knust said. “To me, I think of it as a really good opportunity to go be an athlete. I want to find out what kind of athlete I am and this is a great chance.”
OPIO-neers: Pioneers WR Opio Gary gave the fans something to cheer about as he returned a Rochester missed field goal 50-yards for a touchdown. The touchdown gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 21-20 lead and put the Pioneers ahead for good. Pioneers head coach Terry Karg said that in practice he really emphasized on getting a return this week against Rochester. And Gary did not disappoint. “Opio did a great job as far as making guys miss,” Karg said on Gary’s return.
A kicker’s #1 fan: With under 7:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers turned to kicker Jimmie Kibble to attempt a 25-yard field goal. The ball sailed towards the left upright and then proceeded to bank off of it and land just behind the right upright, giving the Pioneers a three-possession lead. After the game, Kibble expressed his thoughts on who may have had a play in the kick. “The only thing I can say is who says God doesn’t watch af2 football,” Kibble joked. “When I hit it [the football], it felt really good…and when I saw it go in, all I could do is drop to my knees.” (Side note:. If God played a role in Kibble’s field goal, then the Pioneers front office should consider signing God up for a season ticket package. Then the playoffs would certainly not be out of the question.)
The ninth man: Although Saturday’s game was the lowest attended game for the Pioneers this season, it was by far the loudest. “The crowd really got into it in the second half,” Karg said about the crowd of 6,358. “We didn’t have near the crowd that we have had at times, but they were very vocal. There’s no doubt about it, they’re really starting to understand this game and get into a groove and get right on our back and give us a hand and be the ninth man. It’s very exciting.” Pioneers wide receiver Opio Gary also expressed his gratitude to the fans. “We didn’t want them to lose faith in us and we just came out here and gave it our all,” said Gary. “We knew we could do it. Every time we lose, it’s by little things. So we just tried to keep the tone going and make it happen.”
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.
