By Cassie Kickert
Despite playing more inspired football during stretches of
the game, the St. Paul Pioneers on Saturday could not do enough to stop their
losing skid. The Pioneers, 12-0 and national champions last season, are now 0-3
on the year, 0-1 in the NEFL, after a 21-13 loss to the Fox Valley Force in
Kimberly, Wis.
As in previous losses, the Pioneers offense continued to
struggle to find its rhythm.
It started well. Defensive back Terry Jones showed the Force
the Pioneers weren’t going down easily when he intercepted Force quarterback
Dan Parker late in the first quarter and took it 95-yards for a touchdown.
But the offense’s ongoing struggles became evident when Force
Safety Travis Fischer picked up a Pioneers fumble and returned it for a
touchdown. The extra point attempt failed and the Pioneers clung to a 7-6 lead
early in the second quarter.
The next Pioneers drive looked promising when Spriggs
completed two long passes—to Delane Woods and Justin Miles—to take the Pioneers
to the Force 30 yard line. The strong wind, unfortunately, wasn’t blowing the
Pioneers way. As a result, Jay Harding’s field goal fell short.
The Force overcame two of their own penalties on their next
drive, scoring when Brett Vergin ran in from four yards out. Fox Valley ran in
a two-point conversion for a 14-7 lead and, a few minutes later, threatened to
score again, just before halftime. They were stuffed by a spirited Pioneers
goal line stand spearheaded by defensive tackle Mark Simmonds, to keep the
score 14-7 Force at intermission.
Fox Valley picked up where they left off and went right back
to work in the third quarter and scored again on a Josh Kasuboski touchdown,
making the score 21-7.
As has been the theme thus far this season, the Pioneers
came so close on their next possession. A long pass to Woods and another pass
to Miles brought the team within 17 yards of the end zone. Then, the Force
sacked Spriggs. How did that affect him? Not at all. On the very next play, he
threw an 11-yard pass to Miles. The Pioneers once again misfired in the red
zone, however, and two incomplete passes gave the ball back to the Force on downs.
Jones went back to work on the next Force drive. He saw the
ball and went for it, breaking up a Parker pass and almost intercepting it.
Defensive lineman Ed Smith helped Jones out when he tackled Parker in the
backfield, making the Force punt.
Later, the Pioneers defense stepped up yet again, not
allowing the Force even one first down on their next possession. It wasn’t
long, though, before they were back on the field again. Two plays into the
Pioneers drive, Spriggs was intercepted.
It looked like the Force might score again but the Pioneers
defense had other ideas. The Force would gain just eight yards, derailed by
their own penalties and a pass broken up by corner Brock Keaton. When Parker’s
pass was caught out of bounds on fourth down, the Pioneers got the ball back.
Then, the Pioneers offense found some life. First, Brian
Holmes ran six yards followed by a Spriggs seven-yard run. Then, after a Force
penalty, Spriggs threw to Woods, who ran to the Force 28. On second down,
Spriggs threw to the end zone where the ball was tipped by the Force and then
caught by receiver Marcus Foster for a Pioneers touchdown.
A bad snap on the extra point attempt made the score 21-13
Force early in the fourth quarter. That would be the
final score, as the Pioneers could not mount another scoring threat.
The Pioneers next chance for a win is this Saturday, May 18,
when they play the Eau Claire Crush at Concordia University in St. Paul. Game
time is 5pm. Come cheer on your Pioneers to victory!
Note: The Pioneers will be honoring Damien Rochon Washington
and Guillaume Paek at halftime by retiring their numbers. Paek and Washington
joined the Pioneers in their first season in 2002 and played every year with
the cardinal and black through 2012. The original Pioneers won two national
championships and seven league titles in their years with St. Paul. Please join
us as we honor their loyalty and their excellence Saturday night.
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