Talons Edge Barnstormers in Iowa
Sunday June 30, 2013
San Antonio Wins Third Straight on the Road 35-34
SAN ANTONIO (June 29, 2013)– The 2012 Central Division Champion San Antonio Talons (8-6) clawed their way to victory against the Iowa Barnstormers (6-9) on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines with a score of 35-34. This win paired with Chicago’s bye week put San Antonio in a great spot going into week 16 tied for first place.
San Antonio encountered a tough start when the opening kickoff hit hard off the goalpost, bouncing back to the 10 yard line. The ball was scooped up by Iowa’s Darius Reynolds and converted for a touchdown. Rohan Davey responded quickly with a pass to wide open Jomo Wilson for the first Talons score of the night with 8:51 left in the first quarter. Barnstormers quarterback J.J. Raterink looked comfortable from the start, sailing passes deep down field to receiver Marco Thomas.
The Talons defense was tested by a comfortable Raterink who connected with Thomas deep in the end zone on a fourth down for the second Iowa score of the night. Talons defense played three strong downs, but couldn't quite finish. Davey looked comfortable for the Talons offense, but failed to find a rhythm, and San Antonio trailed 13-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Davey was put under pressure and fumbled the ball to begin the second quarter. Iowa recovered the ball, and Raterink capitalized on the opportunity finding Thomas for a touchdown and giving Iowa a 20-7 lead. Davey found Holmes for a 15 yard first down to put a spark in the Talons offense, and on the ensuing play Davey handed it off to “Tank” Cook who pushed his way into the red zone. On the very next play, Cook found the end zone cutting the lead 20-14 with 6:02 left in the first half.
Fred Shaw had an incredible night for San Antonio, deflecting a Raterink pass into the hands of Andre Jones for a clutch interception that resulted in a touchdown later on in the drive by Ruffins giving the Talons their first lead of the night 21-20. San Antonio’s defense came through to end the first half with a stop when Shaw stopped a towering Richardson and deflected a pass intended for Darius Reynolds to end the half with the Talons on top.
Marco Thomas continued to be a terror for the Talons defense when he scored to begin the second half. Brent Holmes had the play of the night when he stole an interception away from Iowa in the end zone to steal the lead once again 28-27. San Antonio’s defense fought tirelessly to hold on fourth and goal. Andre Jones was able to prevent Marco Thomas from scoring another touchdown. Just when the Talons offense was finding a rhythm, Glanton stripped the ball from Lee forcing a fumble to be recovered by McIntosh and returned to the Talons 18 yard line. For the second time during Saturday’s matchup, Raterink converted a fourth down touchdown to Marco Thomas and with three seconds left in the third quarter, Talons trail 34-28.
Rohan Davey found Xavier Lee for a touchdown early on in the fourth quarter. Demos’ extra point put the Talons up by one with a score of 35-34 with 8:09 left to play. Tim McGill showed up with a clutch fourth quarter performance that proved to be a game changer for the Talons. After a huge sack for a loss, McGill blocked Scaccia’s field goal attempt with seconds left to play. San Antonio was able to hold on to their one point lead for a final score of 35-34.
Following Saturday’s victory, the Talons return to action in Week 16 in search of their fourth straight road victory against the aggressive San Jose SaberCats on Saturday, July 6, 2013 in San Jose. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 pm CST.
The San Antonio Talons are in their second season in the Arena Football League (AFL). The team 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.
