Post by 50yardfan on Feb 20, 2012 12:16:34 GMT -5
www.pantagraph.com/sports/football/professional/arena/edge/edge-begin-season-with-loss/article_ef5c08a8-5b83-11e1-825e-001871e3ce6c.html
CHICAGO — The Bloomington Edge opened the latest chapter of the franchise’s history with a 50-34 loss to the Chicago Slaughter in the Indoor Football League Kickoff Classic on Sunday at Sears Centre Arena.
Dusty Burk threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns, completing 21 of 34 passes. John Cooper led the Edge with 91 yards on six catches while scoring two touchdowns. Ricardo Lenhart added 40 yards on four catches while also scoring twice.
“I thought we played well overall,” said Edge head coach Kenton Carr. “We made some mistakes but were in the ball game for the most part.”
The Edge got on the scoreboard first when Burk hit Lenhart with a 6-yard toss. The PAT was missed, giving Bloomington a 6-0 lead.
Chicago responded with a pair of touchdowns to take a 13-6 lead before Burk and Lenart hooked up again, this time on a 16-yard pass to tie the contest at 13-all at the end of the first quarter.
After Chicago opened a 30-16 lead in the second quarter, Pete Christofilakos drilled a 29-yard field goal and Burk found Cooper open for a 44-yard touchdown, which cut the deficit to 30-23 with just six seconds left in the half.
But the Slaughter stunned Bloomington with a big return on the ensuing kickoff, and a Perry Patterson-to-Ernest Jackson touchdown pass as time expired gave Chicago a 37-23 lead.
“The score late in the first half really hurt,” said Carr. “We struggled some on the defensive side both with conditioning and with having some rookies in the defensive backfield.”
A 43-yard Christofilakos field goal in the third quarter pulled the Edge to within 37-26, but Chicago scored twice in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Cooper closed out the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Burk but the Edge got no closer.
“I’m excited about the team that we have,” added Carr. “We showed some flashes and have a lot that we can build on.”
Bloomington opens its home season Sunday against Reading, with kickoff scheduled for 3:05 p.m.
CHICAGO — The Bloomington Edge opened the latest chapter of the franchise’s history with a 50-34 loss to the Chicago Slaughter in the Indoor Football League Kickoff Classic on Sunday at Sears Centre Arena.
Dusty Burk threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns, completing 21 of 34 passes. John Cooper led the Edge with 91 yards on six catches while scoring two touchdowns. Ricardo Lenhart added 40 yards on four catches while also scoring twice.
“I thought we played well overall,” said Edge head coach Kenton Carr. “We made some mistakes but were in the ball game for the most part.”
The Edge got on the scoreboard first when Burk hit Lenhart with a 6-yard toss. The PAT was missed, giving Bloomington a 6-0 lead.
Chicago responded with a pair of touchdowns to take a 13-6 lead before Burk and Lenart hooked up again, this time on a 16-yard pass to tie the contest at 13-all at the end of the first quarter.
After Chicago opened a 30-16 lead in the second quarter, Pete Christofilakos drilled a 29-yard field goal and Burk found Cooper open for a 44-yard touchdown, which cut the deficit to 30-23 with just six seconds left in the half.
But the Slaughter stunned Bloomington with a big return on the ensuing kickoff, and a Perry Patterson-to-Ernest Jackson touchdown pass as time expired gave Chicago a 37-23 lead.
“The score late in the first half really hurt,” said Carr. “We struggled some on the defensive side both with conditioning and with having some rookies in the defensive backfield.”
A 43-yard Christofilakos field goal in the third quarter pulled the Edge to within 37-26, but Chicago scored twice in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Cooper closed out the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Burk but the Edge got no closer.
“I’m excited about the team that we have,” added Carr. “We showed some flashes and have a lot that we can build on.”
Bloomington opens its home season Sunday against Reading, with kickoff scheduled for 3:05 p.m.