By Brad Brickel
Fri, May 14, 2010
Harrisburg, PA - On the same Saturday evening that The RAACE Foundation looked to alert fans of the AIFA about their Harrisburg Stampede joining TeamRAACE, the Stampede looked to turn things around as they hosted the Erie Storm.
The RAACE Foundation became a chosen charity of The American Indoor Football Association back in January when the league decided to join TeamRAACE. At the same time Kenneth Smith Founder of The RAACE Foundation sat down with Stampede co-owner and AIFA President John Morris to discuss what they could do as an organization to join the fight against child sexual abuse.
That's when John learned of the horrors experienced by many families dealing with child sexual abuse. He just couldn't believe the statistics were as bad as 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys being sexually abuse before the age of 18. His first step after joining TeamRAACE was to sponsor the giant "Time to Talk" awareness station with the AIFA logo. The next step for John was to allow The RAACE Foundation access to the Stampede crowd on Saturday Night, May 8th.
The day started off early with The RAACE Foundation educating over 150 parents about The RAACE Foundation and their TeamRAACE membership program during registration to The Capital Blue Cross Free Youth Indoor Football Skills Clinic. Then Founder Kenneth Smith and Director Brad Brickel had the opportunity to discuss their awareness and education program one on one with moms and dads while the stars and coaches of the Harrisburg Stampede taught the kids the finer details of playing indoor football.
Most parents were shocked to find out how prevalent this epidemic is within our society, while several who were all too familiar with the horrors of child sexual abuse divulged their stories of abuse and survival to Kenneth and Brad. They encouraged all to get more involved by joining TeamRAACE and then volunteering whenever they could.
After a team provided lunch and autograph session with Stampede players, it was time to get ready for some football! Coming off a tough road loss to Baltimore, the Stampede players knew that there needed to be a momentum shift. This would be their first home game since April 10 and the stage was set.
Erie (4-4) had come into this game, as winner of their last three. This year, the Storm has struggled against Harrisburg, losing their first two contests and Saturday night would be no different.
On the first play from scrimmage, QB Rod Rutherford was intercepted by newly acquired DB, Travis Johnson. Johnson returned the interception deep into Erie territory setting up Harrisburg's first score. Kelvin Robinson hit Keith Stokes for the 6 yard TD pass and catch, which put Harrisburg up 6-0. Kicker Phil Marfuggi booted through the extra point and then added an uno on the subsequent kick-off (when the kick-off goes fifty yards and travels through the uprights of the goal posts). Erie answered back with a 21-yard field goal. The teams then traded touchdowns to end the first quarter. Kelvin Robinson ran it in from one yard for Harrisburg. Rod Rutherford hit David Dinkins for a TD to keep Erie close. The score was 15-9 after one quarter of play.
Harrisburg dominated the second quarter. Kevin Marion hauled in a deep TD pass of 30 yards from Robinson to start the quarter. Erie would not share in the same success as Stampede. DB Travis Johnson struck again with an INT, this time taking it to the house on a 14-yard TD return. After the play and during a media time-out, The RAACE Foundation's Director of Development Brad Brickel took to the 50 yard line, talking about The RAACE Foundation, thanking John Morris and Vickie Richards for the opportunity and along with volunteer youngster Kyle taking the opportunity to throw some Time to Talk tees out into the large, rowdy crowd.
Erie answered with a 6-yard TD pass from Rutherford to Dewayne Dixon, however the extra point was missed. With 3:45 left in the second quarter, Kevin Marion took an end-around 6 yards for his second TD of the game. Marion, known for his speed, took the handoff on the left side of the line and blazed to the right, weaving his way through defenders. Marfuggi added the extra point and another uno to notch the score to 37-16. Eugene Goodman found his way into the scoring barrage with a 3 yard TD run of his own. Dewayne Dixon ended the half with a second TD reception for Erie, this time a 33-yarder. The late TD from Erie only kept the team from being totally blown out. The score at halftime showed 44-23.
The damage was done. Harrisburg's second quarter explosion of points made an Erie comeback highly improbable. Marfuggi booted home a 17-yard field goal mid-third quarter for Harrisburg. Erie answered with David Dinkins' second TD reception of the game to bring the score to 47-29. The fourth quarter rolled around and Kevin Marion was not done making plays. He broke free with no defender in sight to haul in the 35-yard TD strike. Erie put together one last quality drive as Rutherford hit Dewayne Dixon on a 6-yard TD pass.
The Storm tried their hardest to stay close, but they were no match for the Stampede. Dropped passes, inaccurate throws, and blown coverage haunted the Storm all game. QB Rod Rutherford ended the game with 5 TD passes, but threw 4 INT as well. Their defense was no match for the Stampede who drove up and down the field at will.
Harrisburg displayed why it deserves to be one of the top AIFA teams this season. QB Kelvin Robinson finished completing 15 of 24 passes for 216 yards and 3 TD's. Efficiency was the name of the game for Robinson, who threw only 1 INT and wasn't sacked all game. With WR Silas Daniels out with a broken pinky, WR's Keith Stokes and Kevin Marion needed to step it up. Stokes led the team in receiving with 102 yards on 8 receptions and adding a TD. With Keith Stokes providing solid catches and keeping the Stampede offense in a rhythm, Marion put up the big plays. He finished with 3 receptions for 76 yards and 2 TD's, to go along with his 6 yard end-around score.
On defense, newcomer Travis Johnson had an amazing game for Harrisburg. He intercepted 3 passes and returned one for a TD. Number 22 for Harrisburg blanketed Erie receivers all game and broke up several passes as well. Even with DB's Archie Smith and Marcus Sargeant injured, the Harrisburg secondary didn't miss a beat. William Hines intercepted another pass, bringing his team-leading total to 6 for the season.
Harrisburg upped its record to 6-2, beating Erie for the third time this season. They will now have a bye week. It will provide time to help some star players such as Daniels, Smith and Sargeant to rest and recover from injuries. It will also give them time to get some of their new arrivals such as Travis Johnson and Ed Giddens more practice with the team. All in all, it's a good time for a bye week. Harrisburg will end the season with six straight games. The next will be at home against the Reading Express. Reading is currently 5-4, coming off a 71-69 victory at New Jersey. The game is slated for May 22 at 7:30 p.m.
The RAACE Foundation would like to thank The Stampede, The AIFA, Capital Blue Cross and the fans for a tremendous show of support for our families. To purchase individual or group tickets for The Stampede call 717-889-5061 or visit them on the web at www.harrisburgstampede.com. For information on the American Indoor Football Association visit them at www.aifaprofootball.com. To get you or your team, business, organization, or ministry involved with The RAACE Foundation - go to www.raace.org and join TeamRAACE - The rest is up to you!
