Talons Fall to Barnstormers 48-36 at Home
Saturday May 4, 2013
SAN ANTONIO – Three interceptions and a struggling offensive performance proved the difference Friday night, as the San Antonio Talons (2-4) dropped a 48-36 contest to the Iowa Barnstormers (3-4) in front of a crowd of 7,803 at the Alamodome. Quarterback Zach Frazer threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns, while Iowa counterpart Raterink threw for 222 yards and 7 touchdowns.
The first quarter of play proved to be a defensive battle on Friday night with only one touchdown scored. The Talons defense showed up to play from the start. Pressure from the defensive line had Raterink looking fairly uncomfortable early on in the game. After being unsuccessful on fourth and inches, a flag on the defense resulted in an automatic first down and inches for San Antonio. After avoiding a tackle, Frazer found Burl Toler with a diving touchdown catch to put the Talons on top 7-0.
The offensive action began to create excitement in the Alamodome during the second quarter, as Frazer favorited Eley and found Cook who fought through three tackles to find the end zone. Iowa answered back when Raterink found Marco Thomas for a screen pass to put the Barnstormers on the board for the first time, cutting the Talon lead in half with a score of 14-7.
Raterink seemed to find a groove late in the second quarter as he hit receiver Marcus Harris for a 35 yard touchdown pass. The Talons gained some momentum after recovering a fumble in the end zone for a safety with only 2:26 left in the half. San Antonio’s offense fought hard on the last drive which paid off when Frazer completed a 34 yard pass to Jomo Wilson. Demos’ successful extra point ended the first half with a score of 14-29 in favor of the Talons.
There was an immediate shift in control when Iowa came out for the third quarter of play. Raterink found receivers Schmidt and Harris for back to back touchdowns putting the Barnstormers within two points of the Talon lead 27-29 with less than 40 seconds in the third quarter.
The Talons were unsuccessful in the first drive of the fourth quarter after Frazer failed to find his receivers. Raterink found Harris once again to give the Barnstormers their first lead of the game 34-29. The Talons answered back for one last attempt to regain the lead, but to no avail. Raterink’s experience proved to be too much for San Antonio to overcome after he hit most outstanding offensive player Jesse Schmidt for back-to-back touchdowns, bringing the final score to 48-36 Barnstormers.
The San Antonio Talons return to the Alamodome next Saturday, May 11th at 8:30 PM in a nationally televised game against the Jacksonville Sharks for a very special Breast Cancer Awareness night. Tickets are available for purchase by calling 210.227.TEAM or online by visiting www.sanantoniotalons.com. Tickets as low as $7 are available by mentioning promo code “pink” at the box office, over the phone and on Ticketmaster.
RUSSELL ATHLETIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
Iowa Barnstormer Wide Receiver Jesse Schmidt
RIDDELL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
Iowa Barnstormer DB De’Mon Glanton
J. LEWIS SMALL PLAYMAKER OF THE GAME
Iowa Barnstormer Wide Receiver Marcus Harris
CUTTERS CATCH OF THE GAME
Dwayne Eley Jr.’s leaping one-handed catch in second quarter
AFL HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
Opening drive touchdown pass from Frazer to Toler
About the Talons
The San Antonio Talons are in their second season in the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was moved to San Antonio from Tulsa, Okla. in 2012 and won the AFL’s Central Division title, as well as hosted their first AFL playoff game in the 2012 season. For more information or to ask about season tickets please call 210.227.TEAM.
