July 14th 2014
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Preds Annihilate Iowa; Morris leads Orlando with 8 passing TD's
Orlando, FL- The Predators hosted the Iowa Barnstormers at the CFE Arena on Monday night. The Predators came into this game (8-7), while the Barnstormers were (6-9). This looked like a classic trap game, as the Barnstormers were fresh off a bye week and the Predators were coming off a loss. With the division title on the line, the Predators would try to avenge their loss from earlier in the season.
The Predators offensive monster was let out of its cage early in the game with a Mark Lewis field goal from inside the 10. Next it was the defense's time to shine with an Earl Okine sack followed by a turnover on downs. Bernard Morris, the Preds QB, had an efficient first half, throwing no interceptions while tossing four touchdowns. |
Mistakes by the Barnstormers gave Orlando a short field several times in the first half, leading to 38 first half points for the home team. The Iowa offense tried their best, putting up 20 points of their own. In arena football, no lead is safe, so this set the stage for an exciting second half.
The Stormers hopes were high as they opened the second half with a long touchdown pass from Carson Coffman to Darius Reynolds on the first play from scrimmage. Orlando's defense would crush that hope, only allowing one more touchdown for the rest of the second half. This was mainly because of turnovers. The Predators caught five interceptions as Coach Rob Keefe's defense showed it's teeth. The Preds offense continued to feed on Iowa's mistakes, scoring 28 points in the second half. Overall, this game was one-sided, and when the clock struck zero the score was 66-38 in favor of the Predators.
The defense seemed ecstatic after their big performance, celebrating with fake selfies on the field. Defensive back Tracy Belton said that Coach Rob Keefe's presence had a lot to do with that. "It's like [coach is] playing with us," said Belton, the freshly crowned player of the game. "He's the extra man, it feels like." Coach Keefe himself said that he was proud of his players and the tradition of winning the Predators are building. "If you're building a mansion, you need a strong foundation. Everyone wants to jump in when the mansion's already built, but we wanna build something that lasts here in Orlando."
The Predators next two games have huge playoff implications as they take on the Voodoo in New Orleans and the Rattlers at home. The New Orleans game will be held this Saturday the 19th at the Smoothie King Center. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm. With a win the Predators will seal the South division title for the first time since 2006.
The Stormers hopes were high as they opened the second half with a long touchdown pass from Carson Coffman to Darius Reynolds on the first play from scrimmage. Orlando's defense would crush that hope, only allowing one more touchdown for the rest of the second half. This was mainly because of turnovers. The Predators caught five interceptions as Coach Rob Keefe's defense showed it's teeth. The Preds offense continued to feed on Iowa's mistakes, scoring 28 points in the second half. Overall, this game was one-sided, and when the clock struck zero the score was 66-38 in favor of the Predators.
The defense seemed ecstatic after their big performance, celebrating with fake selfies on the field. Defensive back Tracy Belton said that Coach Rob Keefe's presence had a lot to do with that. "It's like [coach is] playing with us," said Belton, the freshly crowned player of the game. "He's the extra man, it feels like." Coach Keefe himself said that he was proud of his players and the tradition of winning the Predators are building. "If you're building a mansion, you need a strong foundation. Everyone wants to jump in when the mansion's already built, but we wanna build something that lasts here in Orlando."
The Predators next two games have huge playoff implications as they take on the Voodoo in New Orleans and the Rattlers at home. The New Orleans game will be held this Saturday the 19th at the Smoothie King Center. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm. With a win the Predators will seal the South division title for the first time since 2006.
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