23rd May 2004
EFAF Cup 1st round
PA Knights 21-13 Zurich Renegades
The Guildford based Knights
(sponsored in Europe by Premier Prospects) knew that they had been placed into a
very tough qualifying group in the Euro Cup and it proved to be just that as the
place in the Semi-Finals was not decided until the last two minutes of this
thrilling game.
The Knights travelled to Danube (Vienna) two weeks ago and lost narrowly
16-21 to the Austrian team, the Austrians then visited Switzerland to play the
Renegades in Zurich and lost narrowly themselves 28-35. That set up the clash in
Guildford on Sunday as the decider in the Group. The Knights knew that they had
to win - they also knew that they must win by at least 7 points to progress in
the competition.
The Knights went into the game without some of their better known players who
were not available through injury or illness - missing were Chris Cooke, Neil
Edwards, Steve Belcher, Paul Wakeford, James Rolan, Michael Dunson and Gavin
Hart. Those 7 players would certainly contribute to any team but on top of that
the Knights star American Running Back Tony Stitt, who has tormented opposing
defenses, was also unable to play through injury.
European regulations only permit 3 North Americans to play in any game in the
competition and so a further loss in personnel was forced as the Knights had to
select from their remaining 6 American/Canadian players before the game began.
This led to regular starters Moses Tomas and Marvin Jimerson being placed on
enforced absence along with Canadian import Cameron Saylor who had started in
the Knights previous game.
The Mayor of Rushmoor Borough Council performed the coin toss and the Knights
decided to allow Zurich the first possession of the game.
The decision appeared to be a good one as the Renegades found the Knights
Defense in fine form - an incomplete pass and two runs for a loss of 2yards saw
them quickly punting the ball back to the home team.
The Knights had experienced a fumbling nightmare in their game the previous week
(giving up the ball 5 times) and on their very first play of this game they
again fumbled - Zurich recovered the ball abnd were presented with excellent
field position for their next possession at the Knights 20yd line.
The Knights Defense held the Renegades to 4yds on two runs and then Chris McIver
defended a pass in the endzone to force the Swiss to settle for a 33yd Field
Goal from Markus Schirmer for a 0-3 lead.
Jon Wyse returned the subsequent kick off to the Knights 38yd line and the home
teams offense took to the field determined to make up for their early mistake.
Kingsley Ejiogu and Corey Smith were paired in the backfield with Marc Saunders
leading the way from Full Back. Both of the young tailbacks have made a big
impression on the British Senior League this year and they were not to
disappoint as they took to the European stage. Two solid runs moved the ball to
the 43yd line and from there it was scoring sensation Ejiogu who raced 57yds to
score behind the reliable blocking from his backfield colleagues and the Knights
powerful Offensive line. Jon Wyse added the extra point and the Knights led 7-3.
Zurich failed to make any impression on their next possession as the Knights
Defense led by American linebacker Kenny Ross and big Tony Mackenzie forced them
to punt after 5 plays.
Chris McIver fielded the punt at the Knights 15yd line and left a trail of
would-be tacklers in his wake as he weaved his way 85yds downfield for what
appeared to be a crucial score for the Knights. Unfortunately a penalty on the
play brought the score back and put the Knights in poor position on their own
10yd line. Three plays later the Knights punted and Zurich took over at the
Knights 47yd line as the first quarter ended.
After 3 good runs the Renegades went deep with the pass - the ball appeared to
be well overthrown but the officials saw it differently and gave the visitors a
great opportunity with a pass interferance call that put the ball at the Knights
12yard line. Keeping the ball on the ground they found no running room and were
forced to attempt a 30yd Field Goal. The attempt however missed wide to the left
and the Knights took over possession.
The Knights Offense found the Zurich Defense in no mood to let the game slip
before halftime - three plays later they were forced to punt.
Taking over on the Knights 45yd line the visitors saw a chance to add to the
Knights problems. Strong running from Gurs Urbach and a big run from American QB
Todd Smargiasso saw the Renegades move to the Knights 25yd line.
After two further runs they went for the killer blow as Smargiassso dropped back
to pass - Knights Safety Jay Cashman made a perfect play on the pass to
intercept at the 2yd line and end the drive and effectively the half.
The Knights led at the half 7-3 but knew that the game score was only a part of
the equation - the Rengaded could afford to lose by up to six points and still
progress to the Semi-Finals instead of the British team.
The Knights received the ball at the start of the second half and started an
incident filled drive at their own 27yd line. Kingsley Ejiogu made two good runs
but the drive stalled and the Knights punted. The Renegades however went offside
on the punt which came to rest 50yds downfield. The penalty was however judged
to give the Knights a first down - a point that was hotly disputed by the Swiss
coaching staff - in fact it was so hotly disputed the sideline incurred a
further 15yd penalty and the Knights drive was back on.
Ejiogu carried the ball on the next play and then QB Ashley Heath hit WR Steve
Peck in stride for a 50yd catch and run touchdown pass - this time however it
was the Knights who had a penalty to dispute as the play was brought back on a
holding call against one of the other Knights receivers.The drive ended two
plays later when the Renegades got a rare sack and the home team were forced to
punt.
With two "scores" wiped off the board it did not appear that the Knights were
going to get any good luck going their way. The Defense therefore dug in and
played strong tough football - an incomplete pass and two fruitless runs saw the
ball punted back to the Knights.
Mixing the run and pass on the next series the Knights made good ground but
again stalled after a sack and had to punt the ball away.
The Renegades then struck what could have been the killer blow. QB Smagiasso hit
Urs Gerbach on a quick slant pattern and the Running Back slipped one tackle and
then used his speed to score on a 77yd catch and run. Ursbach also scored a long
TD on his last visit to Guildford - this time however he must have thought that
the points would be decisive. The extra point was added by Schirmer and the
Renegades led 7-10 , more importantly it put the Knights two scores away from a
possible qualifying margin.
It was vital that the Knights struck back quickly but after a solid run from
Corey Smith two incomplete passes - the second an unchallenged drop at first
down yardage - saw them forced to punt and the tide was running hard against
them. The Renegades then commited their second big Special Teams error as punter
Jon Wyse was smashed into the ground after the kick had gone. The resulting
penalty put the Knights drive back into action and the momentum of the game
suddenly switched in favour of the British team. Corey Smith took the initiative
- shaking off two tackles and then following his blocks he broke free to race
68yds to the Knights second Touchdown. Jon Wyse had recovered and kicked the
extra point to give the Knights a 14-10 lead on the day and needing a field goal
to reach the margin required for the Group Championship.
The Renegades however were down - but not out. As the fourth quarter began they
embarked on a very long time consuming 11 play drive that was almost exclusively
on the ground. A big run on the 5th play of the drive and saw them move inside
the Knights 20yd line and then move to first and goal to go at the 4 yard line.
The Knights D knew that the game - and the Knights Euro Campaign - was on the
line. Strong gang tackling saw them hold the Renegades to the 3yd line on the
next three plays. The Swiss coaching staff then settled for a 20yd Schirmer
Field Goal to make it 14-13 in the game but leave the Knights needing a
touchdown to win the Group and progress to the Semi-Final.
The Knights took over the ball on their own 20yd line and knew that with time
running out they needed an 80yd drive to keep their European dream alive. QB
Ashley Heath engineered a patient drive down the field using both Ejiogu and
Smith to control the ball with just enough passing action to keep the Renegade
defense honest. The 10th play of the drive saw the Knights camped on the
Renegade 35yd line - with just 2 minutes remaining. QB Heath dropped back and
was given superb protection by the OLine and his two running backs - he stepped
up into the pocket and drilled an inch perfect pass between two defenders to WR
Rodney Edgerton who used his momentum to break into the endzone in spite of a
desperate tackle by the Renegade free safety. The Knights sideline went wild and
when the dust had settled Jon Wyse added the extra point for a 21-13 Knights
lead.
With the Semi-Final within their grasp the Knights knew that they had to
withstand one final effort from the Swiss - who only needed a field goal to win
the group. Jon Wyse produced his best kick-off of the day to pin the visitors
back on their own 20yd line. With the decibel level from the Knights supporters
at top level Smargiasso went to work. Two runs produced zero yardage against a
swarming Knights defense - third down saw the visitors looking to pass but the
QB was forced to run and gained only 5 yards before being brought to a stop. The
Renegades had one last throw of the dice - they went back to their srength but
again the run was stopped and the Knights celbration began.
The home team ran out the clock after Zurich used its last time out and the
Knights had won by 21-13 and had taken the group and a place in the Euro Cup
Semi-Finals by points difference.
Jubilant Knights QB Ashley Heath said "I've taken some flak over the past week
as the quarterback of this team, admittedly as I havn't been performing to the
best of my abilities in the last two games, however, I just try to let my play
do the talking. The team were really up for it today and it was good to receive
support and words of encouragement from those that actually matter. It was very
satisfying to throw the winning touchdown pass that saw us through to the EFAF
Cup semi-finals."
Head Coach Steve Rains said "This is a huge game for the club in terms of our
season - it puts us firmly back on track. Its huge in terms of our history -
this is another first for the Knights. Its huge for British American Football -
with the O's also winning through there are now two British teams in the Euro
Cup Semi-Finals something that has never happened before"
Asst Head Coach James Mitchell said "The entire coaching staff and our two QB's
- Ashley and Luke Smith - worked on the game plan this week that was a great
team effort, the team played on the field as a team today with everyone
supporting eachother that was another great team effort - our fans and sponsors
kept the faith and together as an organisation we triumphed today - that game
today was what we mean by the term Knightime".
The Knights now face another first - the first time a British American Football
team has faced an opponent from Eastern Europe. The Donetsk Scythians from the
Ukraine are due to vist Guildford for the Semi-Final on the 6th June at the
Varsity Centre in Guildford. The kick off is provisionally booked for 12 midday
but this may be varied to suit the visitors travelling arrangements. The
Scythians facing a gruelling 30hour bus journey are expected to arrive on the
Saturday and leave for home immediately after the game.
Steve Rains commented "We know very little of Donetsk - but they won their group
against the Russians and have been perennial Ukraine champions we therefore
expect a tough game on the 6th."
Group C - Final Table
1. PA Knights (GB) 2 (1/0/1) 1 (1/0/0) 1 (0/0/1) 37 : 34 +3 2. Zurich
Renegades(CH) 2 (1/0/1) 1 (1/0/0) 1 (0/0/1) 48 : 49 -1 3. Danube Dragons (A) 2
(1/0/1) 1 (1/0/0) 1 (0/0/1) 49 : 51 - 2
Game Stats
Passing
A Heath 5 of 11 49yds 1td
Receiving
R Edgerton 3 for 42yds 1td
M Saunders 1 for 3yds
K Theobald 1 for 4yds
Total 4 for 49yds 1td
Rushing
K Ejiogu 16 att 98yds 1td
C Smith 7 att 88yds 1td
M Saunders 2 att -1yds
A Heath 3 att 0
Total 28 att 185yds 2td
Kick offs
Jon Wyse 4 for 217yds
Punts
Jon Wyse 4 for 132yds
Kick off returns
Jon Wyse 4 for 50yds
Chris McIver 1 for 10yds
Punt returns
Chris McIver 1 for 0yds
Zurich Offense
Passing
T Smargiasso 3 of 10 83yds 1td 1int
Rushing
32 att 126yds
TOTALS
Knights = 39 plays 234yds 3TD
Renegades = 42 plays 209yds 1TD 2FG
Knights Defense
K Ross 9 Tackles
T Mackenzie 8 Tackles
C McIver 8 Tackles + 1 Sack
A Cole 6 Tackles + 0 .5 sack
Liam Smith 6 Tackles + 0 .5 sack
J Cashman 5 Tackles + 1int
J McLees 4 Tackles
S Harrison 4 Tackles
S Clackson 2 Tackles + 1 Sack
M Lloyd 2 Tackles
J Barclay 2 Tackles
T Porter 1 Tackle
S Gray 1 Tackle
Scoring
1 qtr Zurich Schirmer 33yd Field Goal 0 - 3
1 qtr Knights K Ejiogu 57yd run +1 (Wyse) 7 - 3
3 qtr Zurich 77yd pass (Smargiasso - Ursbach) +1(Shirmer) 7 - 10
3 qtr Knights C Smith 61yd run +1 (Wyse) 14 - 10
4 qtr Zurich Schirmer 20yd Field Goal 14 - 13
4 qtr Knights 35yds pass (Heath - Edgerton) +1( Wyse) 21 - 13
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