Emotions Riding High in Tested Loss for LA
Manny Nunez
Sunday April 13, 2014
Even after an inaugural home victory over the Portland Thunder last week, it just seems like the LA KISS have yet to be tested. Their first two wins have been against opponents who have had little experience in a different style of football, and many of the players know that most of these games against formidable opponents have to be earned.
“When you play against a team like Cleveland, they don't make mistakes,” wide receiver Samie Parker said. “They came in 3-0 for a reason and they were ready for us. If we were able to keep the ball in front of us, play our game and use our experience, we knew that there would have been chances that we could have hung at the end of the game.”
A failed drive that had the KISS at the Gladiator 1-yard line for three plays was all the difference as Cleveland was able to maintain its perfect record, winning 40-30 in LA's second home game of the season.
“In a game like this, we needed to make sure that everyone was on the same page,” quarterback J.J. Raterink said. “There were a lot of instances where everything that was happening threw the rhythm off. We made a lot of really nice plays to start the game, but as the game progressed there were a lot of drives that were inconsistent.”
The Kiss had their work cut out against a Gladiators team that sits atop the Eastern Division at 4-0 and have quickly proven to be one of the toughest teams to beat in the Arena League. Cleveland has trailed at the half in all three of its wins and has outscored its opponents in the second half by a 96-49 margin. Along with its solid performance late in games, Cleveland found its arm in quarterback Shane Austin. Austin's stats weren't impressive in terms of connecting with his receivers, but he did manage to have a 21-for-37 night with five touchdowns. Thyron Lewis and Dominick Goodman combined for four of the scores.
The entertainment was rather light with a short performance by Vintage Trouble, and the feel of a typical arena football game had arisen inside the Honda Center for the first time. Hits along the boards, players flying into the stands, and some blood boiling on the field with a few punches thrown throughout the second quarter gave the 10,570 fans a true arena football experience.
“Today's game had no distractions,” KISS head coach Bob McMillen said. “Everything was timed out perfectly. I thought everything went without a hitch, and it felt good to finally win a coin toss for the first time this year. Everything was in our favor.”
Unfortunately, a little too much emotion coiled up with jack linebacker Dexter McCoil, who was ejected for using a closed fist in a brawl. His presence off the field was noticeable, especially in the second half, when the defense allowed too many open passes around the field.
“Losing McCoil really hurt us,” McMillen said. “We even had a few defensive players down here and there, and we were stuck with playing receivers in the game with less than nine minutes to go. We talked all season about being disciplined and not to make any mistakes that can cost us a game. The ejection brought that emotion way down.”
Raternik, who finished with 259 yards and four touchdowns, had a rather rough outing and an inconsistent performance. Throughout the game, the offensive line gave him little time to get things working. He was sacked four times in the first half, and nearly a quarter of his incomplete passes ended up in the stands just trying to get rid of the ball.
“There were a lot of times in which the receivers and I weren't on the same page,” Raterink said. “After a game like this there needs to be more communication. Throughout practice this week we are definitely going to meet more and make sure that things get back into rhythm so that these kinds of mistakes are minimal.”
Leading receiver Donovan Morgan on the stat sheet still played stellar, picking up 115 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the line remained quiet, keeping Beau Bell and the rest of the squad sackless.
The offense's only true highlight in the first half came with a 45 yard pass up the middle to Morgan in the first quarter. After that, scores were traded back and forth throughout the half, but the KISS were able to hang on to the lead after being pinned on third down and long with under a minute to go. With 4th and 15 back inside their own 10, Raterink was able to find Markee White for 15 yards, but the KISS had to settle for a field goal to keep the lead at 17-13.
Defense sat out midway through the third quarter as both teams traded leads in just two plays on each side. After the Gladiators took the lead on a 10-play, 45-yard drive, the KISS took a long kickoff return from Mervin Brookins to the Cleveland 9. Raterink then found Samie Parker one play later. The lead lasted all but a minute as Austin quickly found Lewis deep for a 35-yard touchdown that easily beat the defensive secondary.
After the failed KISS drive to regain the lead, their defense had its chances on a 4th and 3 from midfield to at least get the ball back. All was lost after Austin struck Lewis on a strike to the left corner endzone to dash out all hopes of a comeback midway through the fourth quarter.
At 2-2, the KISS have seen four different teams with four different expectations. Playing in a competitive West Division with Arizona sitting at the top, McMillen and the rest of the teams know that they can get better, but as a football team things need to set back into place. With another road game against the Iowa Barnstormers coming up next Saturday on the road, a chance to stay above .500 is at stake.
“We truly feel with our style of play we should be better than 2-2,” McMillen said. “We had Orlando on the ropes and it felt like we gave them the win. Even holding a team like Cleveland to only 40 points that game should have been ours. It's frustrating, but it is a learning thing. We need to get back into film, see what we need to fix, and get ready for Iowa.”