(1,546 words after correction)
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- After twice mounting a 21-point lead in Week 9, the Palm Beach Solar Bears couldn't hang on in the face of a resilient San Antonio Marshals squad, who bounced back to close the gap to seven before halftime, then won the game by three.
Palm Beach opened play with what seemed like an overwhelming start, notching three touchdowns in the opening quarter alone to get ahead 21-0 by the end of the first. Palm Beach quarterback Jim McMahon passed for two touchdowns to Dennis McKinnon and Willie Gault before Tom Sanders punched in for his first. The brutal dismantling of San Antonio's defense, paired with a fumble lost to Palm Beach, spelled an incoming disaster at the outset.
"We could hardly stand to watch them getting killed out there in the first," Lance Crockett, regular viewer and Marshals fan, commented on the action. "Fitzpatrick looked terrified and only spiraled deeper after coughing up the ball and getting hit time and again. They couldn't give him a rhythm if they stuck a metronome in his helmet."
The Marshals would find a stride in the second quarter, however. With a longer field to work with, the defense clamped down and froze Palm Beach's scoreboard spinning with three incompletions to force a three-and-out allow the offense a chance to get their first points. Fitzpatrick finally found his stride on their first full possession in the second quarter, ending in a four-yard touchdown pass to Alvin Chipmunk.
"That first touchdown at least seemed to get that weight off his shoulders," Crockett recalled. "Being a rookie QB and all in this league, it's been a rough time for him to try to adjust to the pro game. He'll be better once he has that first year under his belt, though he's not half bad starting out this season."
Following two more drives which stalled, one going each way, the Solar Bears seemed back on their front foot as they crossed into Marshals territory. Following a big gain to convert on third down, McMahon fired a pass intended for Terrelle Pryor on a short route. Instead of Palm Beach continuing a rolling attack, San Antonio responded with a massive counter-punch when Oskar Ludvig, aka the Norwegian Demon, snatched an interception and burned the only opponents fast enough to catch him. That play marked Ludvig's fourth interception and his third touchdown.
"That kid has been a massive addition to the Marshals secondary," Crockett said. "I could hardly believe him, and I watched that and his other pick-sixes. Kid's going to be a monster draft pick going up to the NSFL."
Palm Beach stalled once more, and though San Antonio tried to salvage a scoring drive before the half, their two-minute drill came up well short and they took the ground they gained into halftime. A grim outlook at the end of the first had at least turned around into a much more optimistic scenario.
"Sucks they didn't come all the way back to tie it before the half," Crockett said. "Though, our guys got the ball after the break, so they had a second chance to catch the Bears."
The opportunity for the Marshals to level swung the other way fast. After coming out of the shadow of their goalpost, Fitzpatrick tossed an interception trying to throw for the first down. Walter Payton picked up his first taste of paydirt that night soon after Palm Beach opened the drive inside the red zone.
"Just like that, I was sour about the game all over again," Crockett said. "They looked nervous all over again. They let a chance to get back even slip away and I had a feeling they would get too discouraged to come back again."
These feelings strengthened after Fitzpatrick threw a second consecutive interception at the start of the following drive. Palm Beach converted the turnover to a touchdown in three plays, including Payton's second touchdown from a one-yard rush.
"It was over all over again," Crockett said. "The first three-score hole, there's plenty of time. Falling back into it, and the last half has been for nothing."
The San Antonio offense seemed to regroup on the sideline while they had time to go over what they needed to do to get back in the game once again. The defense was drilled after they returned to the sidelines, with coaches in the ears of Fitzpatrick and the Marshals' linebacker corps. One was picked up over microphone during conversations with defenders.
"No more scores!" he barked at them. "We have to climb back up the mountain, the first thing is to stop sliding back down! You have to anchor us, D!"
Meanwhile, the offense chipped away at Palm Beach's ground, in small gains and large. They appeared to stall after two incompletions, though a pass to Chipmunk gained the Marshals just enough to continue the drive. They would end the drive six plays later with a touchdown pass to Brandon Carter, his first and Fitzpatrick's second.
"Now, they got that step back in them like they got when they scored the first touchdown," Crockett recollected. "The game was in reach, though with how Palm Beach wanted to take their sweet time as soon as they could, I was yelling for them to switch their lead pads out for foam."
The Solar Bears appeared too relaxed still as they conceded another three-and-out, followed up with a drive they helped the Marshals on with three penalties, two accepted for 10 yards total. Fitzpatrick would notch his third touchdown pass on the night connecting with Footballer Catcherman for his first TD catch.
"Now, we were back in business," Crockett said. "And it wasn't even long before San Antonio had their next chance to tie the ballgame."
Two plays into Palm Beach's drive, Bucky Barnes snatched an interception when McMahon looked to press the Solar Bears out of their own red zone. Barnes' short return on his fifth INT of the season set up San Antonio to start right in it. Despite getting a first down from a penalty on Palm Beach for roughing the passer, the drive stalled with goal to go, and Ramero sank a chip shot.
"I'm thinking, okay, they at least got points out of it," Crockett said. "They get the lead on a touchdown. They can pull this off."
Palm Beach started to work out the start of another drive to try to stretch their lead. Just after a first down marched them out of the red zone, however, McMahon's miscalculation on a read would lead to him throwing Egan Winter a meatball in stride. Winter intercepted McMahon's third turnover of the game and never looked back on a 29-yard pick-six of his own, his second interception this season and his first touchdown.
"I'm going ballistic at this point," Crockett said. "I'm nervous as hell and wondering if they could hold onto this lead now, though I'm loving it. They had enough momentum to plow a wily longhorn if they wanted to!"
Palm Beach's next drive came riddled with penalties that would lead to them going nowhere fast. After three uneventful drives, the Solar Bears needed a miracle of their own from their position.
"This was the last chance," Crockett said. "This was the drive Palm Beach needed to salvage any points from and this was the drive San Antonio needed to stop to win."
A facemask penalty on San Antonio's Ben Urlacher placed the Solar Bears on their own 35 with more than enough time to press up into field goal range. The Marshals defense, still emboldened, energetic enough from past quick stops and resurgent from getting handed three short-field scenarios, pulled off a four-down hold. McMahon opted to pass on fourth and one, overestimating his target as it fell incomplete.
San Antonio couldn't run the clock out entirely on their ensuing drive, though the last-ditch play Palm Beach drew up went nowhere fast. With the clock expired, the Marshals had completed a comeback that stalled out once, then surged back to claim the lead and hold the scoreline to improve to 6-3 for the season. Palm Beach dropped to 3-6 with playoff hopes fading fast.
"With that comeback, I think the Marshals all but locked up their playoff spot," Crockett said to open his commentary conclusion. "These Marshals have heart, a stiff chin, wits about them and know and show they have the skills. They will be a dangerous team in playoffs. I'd even peg them as the favorites to win the Ultimini."
San Antonio went on the next week to trounce the Norfolk Seawolves 38-15. Palm Beach also fell to their other conference rival, the Tijuana Luchadores, in Week 10 by a score of 24-3. The Marshals now lead the SFC with a 7-3 record, one game ahead of the 6-4 Luchadores. The Solar Bears sit at 3-7 following their Week 10 loss and their playoff hopes fade fast at three games behind with four remaining.
Next up: San Antonio hits the road for a three-game stretch, visiting Tijuana next week. Palm Beach heads north to play Portland. These two teams will meet again in Week 12 in California, though Week 11's results will determine what stakes, if any, are on the line.
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(Please do not count below for credit)
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated Kevin Fitzpatrick was sacked twice during the first quarter. He was not sacked at all during the game. We apologize for the error.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- After twice mounting a 21-point lead in Week 9, the Palm Beach Solar Bears couldn't hang on in the face of a resilient San Antonio Marshals squad, who bounced back to close the gap to seven before halftime, then won the game by three.
Palm Beach opened play with what seemed like an overwhelming start, notching three touchdowns in the opening quarter alone to get ahead 21-0 by the end of the first. Palm Beach quarterback Jim McMahon passed for two touchdowns to Dennis McKinnon and Willie Gault before Tom Sanders punched in for his first. The brutal dismantling of San Antonio's defense, paired with a fumble lost to Palm Beach, spelled an incoming disaster at the outset.
"We could hardly stand to watch them getting killed out there in the first," Lance Crockett, regular viewer and Marshals fan, commented on the action. "Fitzpatrick looked terrified and only spiraled deeper after coughing up the ball and getting hit time and again. They couldn't give him a rhythm if they stuck a metronome in his helmet."
The Marshals would find a stride in the second quarter, however. With a longer field to work with, the defense clamped down and froze Palm Beach's scoreboard spinning with three incompletions to force a three-and-out allow the offense a chance to get their first points. Fitzpatrick finally found his stride on their first full possession in the second quarter, ending in a four-yard touchdown pass to Alvin Chipmunk.
"That first touchdown at least seemed to get that weight off his shoulders," Crockett recalled. "Being a rookie QB and all in this league, it's been a rough time for him to try to adjust to the pro game. He'll be better once he has that first year under his belt, though he's not half bad starting out this season."
Following two more drives which stalled, one going each way, the Solar Bears seemed back on their front foot as they crossed into Marshals territory. Following a big gain to convert on third down, McMahon fired a pass intended for Terrelle Pryor on a short route. Instead of Palm Beach continuing a rolling attack, San Antonio responded with a massive counter-punch when Oskar Ludvig, aka the Norwegian Demon, snatched an interception and burned the only opponents fast enough to catch him. That play marked Ludvig's fourth interception and his third touchdown.
"That kid has been a massive addition to the Marshals secondary," Crockett said. "I could hardly believe him, and I watched that and his other pick-sixes. Kid's going to be a monster draft pick going up to the NSFL."
Palm Beach stalled once more, and though San Antonio tried to salvage a scoring drive before the half, their two-minute drill came up well short and they took the ground they gained into halftime. A grim outlook at the end of the first had at least turned around into a much more optimistic scenario.
"Sucks they didn't come all the way back to tie it before the half," Crockett said. "Though, our guys got the ball after the break, so they had a second chance to catch the Bears."
The opportunity for the Marshals to level swung the other way fast. After coming out of the shadow of their goalpost, Fitzpatrick tossed an interception trying to throw for the first down. Walter Payton picked up his first taste of paydirt that night soon after Palm Beach opened the drive inside the red zone.
"Just like that, I was sour about the game all over again," Crockett said. "They looked nervous all over again. They let a chance to get back even slip away and I had a feeling they would get too discouraged to come back again."
These feelings strengthened after Fitzpatrick threw a second consecutive interception at the start of the following drive. Palm Beach converted the turnover to a touchdown in three plays, including Payton's second touchdown from a one-yard rush.
"It was over all over again," Crockett said. "The first three-score hole, there's plenty of time. Falling back into it, and the last half has been for nothing."
The San Antonio offense seemed to regroup on the sideline while they had time to go over what they needed to do to get back in the game once again. The defense was drilled after they returned to the sidelines, with coaches in the ears of Fitzpatrick and the Marshals' linebacker corps. One was picked up over microphone during conversations with defenders.
"No more scores!" he barked at them. "We have to climb back up the mountain, the first thing is to stop sliding back down! You have to anchor us, D!"
Meanwhile, the offense chipped away at Palm Beach's ground, in small gains and large. They appeared to stall after two incompletions, though a pass to Chipmunk gained the Marshals just enough to continue the drive. They would end the drive six plays later with a touchdown pass to Brandon Carter, his first and Fitzpatrick's second.
"Now, they got that step back in them like they got when they scored the first touchdown," Crockett recollected. "The game was in reach, though with how Palm Beach wanted to take their sweet time as soon as they could, I was yelling for them to switch their lead pads out for foam."
The Solar Bears appeared too relaxed still as they conceded another three-and-out, followed up with a drive they helped the Marshals on with three penalties, two accepted for 10 yards total. Fitzpatrick would notch his third touchdown pass on the night connecting with Footballer Catcherman for his first TD catch.
"Now, we were back in business," Crockett said. "And it wasn't even long before San Antonio had their next chance to tie the ballgame."
Two plays into Palm Beach's drive, Bucky Barnes snatched an interception when McMahon looked to press the Solar Bears out of their own red zone. Barnes' short return on his fifth INT of the season set up San Antonio to start right in it. Despite getting a first down from a penalty on Palm Beach for roughing the passer, the drive stalled with goal to go, and Ramero sank a chip shot.
"I'm thinking, okay, they at least got points out of it," Crockett said. "They get the lead on a touchdown. They can pull this off."
Palm Beach started to work out the start of another drive to try to stretch their lead. Just after a first down marched them out of the red zone, however, McMahon's miscalculation on a read would lead to him throwing Egan Winter a meatball in stride. Winter intercepted McMahon's third turnover of the game and never looked back on a 29-yard pick-six of his own, his second interception this season and his first touchdown.
"I'm going ballistic at this point," Crockett said. "I'm nervous as hell and wondering if they could hold onto this lead now, though I'm loving it. They had enough momentum to plow a wily longhorn if they wanted to!"
Palm Beach's next drive came riddled with penalties that would lead to them going nowhere fast. After three uneventful drives, the Solar Bears needed a miracle of their own from their position.
"This was the last chance," Crockett said. "This was the drive Palm Beach needed to salvage any points from and this was the drive San Antonio needed to stop to win."
A facemask penalty on San Antonio's Ben Urlacher placed the Solar Bears on their own 35 with more than enough time to press up into field goal range. The Marshals defense, still emboldened, energetic enough from past quick stops and resurgent from getting handed three short-field scenarios, pulled off a four-down hold. McMahon opted to pass on fourth and one, overestimating his target as it fell incomplete.
San Antonio couldn't run the clock out entirely on their ensuing drive, though the last-ditch play Palm Beach drew up went nowhere fast. With the clock expired, the Marshals had completed a comeback that stalled out once, then surged back to claim the lead and hold the scoreline to improve to 6-3 for the season. Palm Beach dropped to 3-6 with playoff hopes fading fast.
"With that comeback, I think the Marshals all but locked up their playoff spot," Crockett said to open his commentary conclusion. "These Marshals have heart, a stiff chin, wits about them and know and show they have the skills. They will be a dangerous team in playoffs. I'd even peg them as the favorites to win the Ultimini."
San Antonio went on the next week to trounce the Norfolk Seawolves 38-15. Palm Beach also fell to their other conference rival, the Tijuana Luchadores, in Week 10 by a score of 24-3. The Marshals now lead the SFC with a 7-3 record, one game ahead of the 6-4 Luchadores. The Solar Bears sit at 3-7 following their Week 10 loss and their playoff hopes fade fast at three games behind with four remaining.
Next up: San Antonio hits the road for a three-game stretch, visiting Tijuana next week. Palm Beach heads north to play Portland. These two teams will meet again in Week 12 in California, though Week 11's results will determine what stakes, if any, are on the line.
------
(Please do not count below for credit)
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated Kevin Fitzpatrick was sacked twice during the first quarter. He was not sacked at all during the game. We apologize for the error.
[OPTION]S27: 16 GP | 164 Att, 675 Yds, 8 TD | 35 Rec, 234 Yds, | 22 PC, 3 SA
[OPTION]S28: 16 GP | 176 Att, 743 Yds, 6 TD | 38 Rec, 311 Yds, 1 TD | 34 PC, 1 SA
[OPTION]=======================================
[OPTION]ISFL Postseason Stats
[OPTION]S24: 2 GP | 28 Att, 103 Yds, 1 TD | 4 Rec, 16 Yds, 1 TD | 3 PC
[OPTION]=======================================
[OPTION]ISFL Postseason Stats
[OPTION]S24: 2 GP | 28 Att, 103 Yds, 1 TD | 4 Rec, 16 Yds, 1 TD | 3 PC
[OPTION]S25: 3 GP | 56 Att, 225 Yds, 1 TD | 3 Rec, 39 Yds | 3 PC
[OPTION]S28: 3 GP | 44 Att, 222 Yds, 3 TD | 9 Rec, 72 Yds | 6 PC
[OPTION]=======================================
[OPTION]DSFL Regular Season Stats
[OPTION]S20: 14 GP | 241 Att, 1176 Yds, 14 TD | 9 Rec, 62 Yds | 10 PC, 3 SA
[OPTION]=======================================
[OPTION]DSFL Postseason Stats
[OPTION]S20: 1 GP | 14 Att, 74 Yds, 1 TD
[OPTION]=======================================
[OPTION]Awards and Honors:
[OPTION]Ultimus Champion: S24, S25, S28
[OPTION]ASFC Champion: S24, S25
[OPTION]DSFL Regular Season Stats
[OPTION]S20: 14 GP | 241 Att, 1176 Yds, 14 TD | 9 Rec, 62 Yds | 10 PC, 3 SA
[OPTION]=======================================
[OPTION]DSFL Postseason Stats
[OPTION]S20: 1 GP | 14 Att, 74 Yds, 1 TD
[OPTION]=======================================
[OPTION]Awards and Honors:
[OPTION]Ultimus Champion: S24, S25, S28
[OPTION]ASFC Champion: S24, S25
[OPTION]Ultimus Offensive Player of the Game: S28
[OPTION]NSFC Champion: S28
[OPTION]DSFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: S20
[OPTION]DSFL Pro Bowl: S20
[OPTION]=======================================
[OPTION]Career Events
[OPTION]S20: Selected 38th overall by the Kansas City Coyotes
[OPTION]S21: Selected 32nd overall by the San Jose SaberCats
[OPTION]NSFC Champion: S28
[OPTION]DSFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: S20
[OPTION]DSFL Pro Bowl: S20
[OPTION]=======================================
[OPTION]Career Events
[OPTION]S20: Selected 38th overall by the Kansas City Coyotes
[OPTION]S21: Selected 32nd overall by the San Jose SaberCats
[OPTION]S28: Announced retirement, traded to Yellowknife Wraiths