Barnstormers Buried by Soul, 78-48
Iowa Barnstormers
Iowa Falls After Philly Second-Half Rally
Des Moines, IA – The Iowa Barnstormers (6-9) were buried by the Philadelphia Soul (7-8) in front of 9,551 fans of Wells Fargo Arena.
After opening the night with a special pre-game show for Military Appreciation Night at Wells Fargo Arena, the Iowa Barnstormers took control of the field by executing on the team’s first possession of the game. With the lead of quarterback J.J. Raterink, the Barnstormers would strike first with a touchdown pass caught by receiver Darius Reynolds. A quick-fire pass by quarterback Dan Raudabaugh would get the visiting team on the board to tie-up the score. Making his presence known was the League’s leading receiver Marco Thomas who grabbed a 38-yard end zone pass for the Barnstormers second touchdown of the night. The division rivals traded another pair of touchdowns with Iowa making the final scoring tally after a 42-yard touchdown by Reynolds. At the end of the first, the Barnstormers led by one score, 21-14.
Starting off the second quarter, the Soul took no time making their way down the field and knotting the scoreboard. On the ensuing possession, receiver Julian Williams broke through tackles for his first touchdown of the night. The Barnstormers pulled back ahead 28-21. Attempting a rushing touchdown with less than ten yards to go, the Soul fumbled the ball. Rolling into the end zone, both teams fought for the recovery. The Barnstormers chose to challenge the call, however the officials awarded Philly the recovery and the touchdown. After a failed extra point attempt, the Barnstormers continued to lead 28-27. With nowhere to go on the next Barnstormers attempt, Raterink found the end zone for a short rushing touchdown. Without fail we’d hear from Philly’s Anthony “Tiger” Jones before the end of the half. With :06 left on the clock, Raudabaugh connected with Jones for a quick 7-yard touchdown. Going into the locker room, the Barnstormers lead by one, 34-33.
It was the Philadelphia Soul who came out with heightened intensity in the second half. His second of the night, offensive lineman Adam Smith tallied a rushing touchdown to advance Philly the lead. With the Philly defense following suit, the Barnstormers offense struggled to make their way down the field. Being pushed back due to a pair of consecutive sacks by Philly defensive lineman Teddy Jennings was too much for the Barnstormers to overcome. Full back Derrick Ross and receiver Markee White would help the Soul pull further ahead in the battle with a rushing touchdown by Ross and two-point conversion executed by White. A Soul safety would wrap up the third quarter with a 50-34 score.
The Barnstormers two touchdowns in the fourth wouldn’t be enough to hold up against the on-fire Philadelphia Soul. Creating an even larger gap, the Soul tallied four touchdowns to finalize the score. Philadelphia would prevail with a second-half rally, 78-48.
In Week 17, the Barnstormers will rest-up with a bye while returning to play in a road game at Orlando on Monday, July 14.
Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game: Philly QB Dan Raudabaugh
Riddell Defensive Player of the Game: Philly DL Teddy Jennings
J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game: Iowa WR Julian Williams
Cutter’s Catch of the Game: Marco Thomas 38-yard over-the-shoulder TD (1st Quarter)
AFL Highlight of the Game: Markee White one-handed touchdown grab (4th Quarter)
