Wexford Eagles Halt Kildare’s Crusade – AFI Week 7 Round Up
That was a sneaky little bye last week, wasn’t it? I can’t be the only one who didn’t see it coming! After an off rhythm break last weekend it was business as usual in the Irish American Football League, and it’s hard to believe that the season is almost halfway through! Playoff contenders are beginning to rise, and MVP candidates are starting to emerge. Want to find out how all of the weekend’s games went? Then you better keep reading!
Belfast Trojans 6 – South Dublin Panthers 7
After a hard fought slog of a game in Belfast on Saturday, the South Dublin Panthers are 4-0 and cruising. Sean Goldrick claimed their lone score of the game late in the first quarter, but in the end 7 points turned out to be all they needed to prevail. Darren Quinn pulled a score back for the hosts in the final period of play, however a failed 2 point conversion attempt scuppered any prospect of a comeback. Despite causing a number of fumble recoveries, the Trojans could not convert and this proved to be costly. They now sit at 2-2 and with some stiff tests yet to come, will quickly need to improve on both sides of the ball. The Panthers on the other hand, are proving to be a much improved side this season, and are looking like legitimate semi finalist prospects.
Louth Mavericks 28 – Craigavon Cowboys 32
It’s always going to be close when these two teams get together, and the latest installment continued that trend! Peter Loughran and Odhran O’Kane each strengthened their respective case for Offensive MVP with another stellar performance; the dynamic duo connecting for no less than 4 total touchdowns. Neil Maxwell also added another one for good measure. The Cowboys were up by 18 points early before the Mavericks responded with a Nathan Hearty Touchdown pass to Oisin Finn in the second quarter. Dan Finley then scored twice in quick succession on the ground to pull the game to within 3 points by the third period. Ultimately though it would not be enough, and despite a late Nathan Hearty rushing touchdown, the Cowboys held on for the win. Both sides had some standouts on defense as well: most notably Jason Duddy’s hat trick of sacks and a special teams strip by Gerry Lawless. The race for the Division One title is starting to tighten, with the boys in orange taking a big step forward thanks to their win in Dundalk this weekend.
Dublin Rebels 26 – Belfast Knights 22
A fortnight after hockeying the other Belfast team, the Rebels welcomed the Knights to sunny south County Dublin. Unlike their last outing however, this joust would turn out to be a much closer shave. The Knights jumped out to an early 7-0 lead before their hosts pulled a score back, in what would quickly become a back and forth affair. Ty Henry relied on his favourite targets to get points on the board, connecting with both Johnson brothers for scores, as well as Grant Schutte. Andrej Barlafa added one on the ground for balance. Even with a bad knee, Henry continues to be a menace to opposing defenses. At the half, only a single point separated the sides. A field goal in the third quarter from the ever reliable Marty Caskey gave the Knights a glimmer of hope and an upset looked to be imminent, but a late Rebels score ruined any chance of that. Caskey also had a receiving touchdown on the day, as did Daithi McShane – both from Liam Moores, while Ben Wright punched one in on the ground. Both defenses proved to be troublesome as well: with Ian O’Donnell coming up with a sack for the Knights, Josh Harvey, Kenny McClean and Aaron Black earning INT’s and Turlough McGowan recovering a forced fumble. Not to be outdone, the phenomenal Dave King and Jason Kolokithas also accounted for turnovers on the behalf of the home team. A very good Knights side pushed the Rebels all the way in this one, the result being much tighter than they would have liked!
Cill Dara Crusaders 28 – Wexford Eagles 29
Another tight and tense affair took place in Newbridge on Sunday, and in a wide open race for the Division One title, the Eagles got the better of the Crusaders by a single point. This one really did come down to the wire, and after trading scores all game long, it was the Wexford side who finally came out on top in a thrilling finale. After a huge fourth down stop on their 3 yard line, the Eagles got the ball back with one timeout and 2 minutes left on the clock. They then proceeded to drive the length of the field before Doran Traynor scored with 9 seconds left! What a scene that must have been! The requisite two point conversion was added on a Kyle McLaughlin pass to Terry Carey, and the sideline erupted. For the Crusaders who put on an incredible performance, this must have been a gut buster. Jordan Farrell went for 216 yards passing and 2 touchdowns, one each to Ben Costello and Sidney Pindi. Craig Dooley added 2 rushing scores, while Wello continued to tear it up with 167 rushing yards.
Antrim Jets 26 – Donegal Derry Vipers 48
The outcome of Northern Derby’s are always interesting, but for the Jets it was a consecutive crushing defeat just weeks after being stomped on by the Giants. The Vipers however, came into the game fresh, after their previous fixture against the Razorbacks was postponed. To their credit, the Jets got on the board early and at one point they were even leading 20-16 before their opponents began to pull away. The Vipers struck with multiple scorers, as Gavin Wetherhall, Josh Reid, Gary Melly and Dan Danowski all found the endzone. Melly added an interception on Defense as well. Scores for the Jets came from a Joey Howe passing touchdown, a braces of rushes from Jason Beattie, and another score on the ground from Scott McClean. As the game reached its latter stages, the onslaught became too much for the home side, who eventually succumbed. With victory in hand and a trip to the Mavericks coming up, the Vipers will be hoping they can build on this momentum and stay in contention for a shot at the post season. Best wishes as well to Ryan Mulholland, who suffered an unfortunate injury during the game.
