MidValleySports.Com

By Tony Solórzano

(Trenton, N.J) – The second leg of the “Rock Vs. Jocks” Series between the Philadelphia Soul and the LA KISS looked more like Washington’s surprise attack on the Hessian troops in Trenton over 240 years ago as the Soul dominated the KISS, winning 73-37 Saturday afternoon in front of 5,802 fans at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton.

The win kept the Soul (9-2) in the hunt for the American Conference title and a high seeding in the playoffs. The KISS (4-6) slipped another half game behind Cleveland with five weeks left in the season. While they managed to stay close early on, the Soul took advantage of coverage mistakes made by them.

“Pressure was great, the secondary did a good job of covering up, so the pass rush is gonna get there,” said Soul Head Coach Clint Dolezel. “Once we caught the second quarter on, we were pretty good, they blew some coverages and we took advantage of it.”

The Soul opened the scoring on a two-yard run by Jeramie Richardson, with 9:38 left in the opening frame. The KISS answered back less than two minutes later as Dovovan Morgan ran it in from two yards out. The KISS had an opportunity to score with less than a minute to go but quarterback Pete Thomas’ fourth down throw to Receiver Brandon Collins came up short as Collins was unable to secure the ball in the end zone.

The Soul opened the second on a six-yard catch by Darius Reynolds from Quarterback Dan Raudabaugh with 11:42 left, but Tommy Frevert’s point after attempt was no good. The previous play, a one-yard run by Richardson was nullified on a penalty to the Soul, forcing them to the six-yard line. The KISS tied up the score as Pete Thomas connected on a 30-yard strike to DJ Stephens. However, Joey Cejudo’s point after attempt was blocked and returned by the Soul’s Sean Daniels for a two-point score.

The Soul followed it up on the next series after forcing a turnover. Raudabaugh hit Reynolds on the first play of the drive with a 37-yard missile strike putting the Soul up again with 7:23 left. The KISS answered back nearly three minutes later as Thomas connected with Brandon Collins on a 27-yard score with 5:23 left but Cejudo missed the point after attempt. The Soul closed out the half with two scores late, a 29-Yard catch by Shaun Kauleinamoku with 4:38 left, and Richardson ran his second score in from two yards out with eight seconds left. A neutral Zone infraction by the Soul gave the KISS a last shot at a score but Thomas’ pass was incomplete, bringing the half to a close

In the Third Quarter, the Soul continued to score as Adam Smith took a short four-yard toss from Raudabaugh with 11:03 left in the quarter. Richardson followed up with another touchdown, again from two yards out, with less than five minutes left. Morgan ended the scoring drought with 2:09 left on a 45-yard pass from Thomas to cut the lead in half, 50-25, however, the Soul inched away as they scored a safety with 37 seconds left in the frame,

The fourth saw no let up as the Soul continued to take advantage of the KISS’ coverage mistakes. Reynolds scored his third touchdown less than a minute into the fourth on a 16-yard toss from Radaubaugh. Stephens closed the gap again with his second touchdown, a 19-yard catch, but once again Cejudo’s kick was blocked.

On the ensuing kickoff, a fracas broke out in the end zone. The KISS attempted an onside kick but Reynolds recovered the ball and ran it in for the score. a scuffle ensued around Reynolds and the Soul’s Ryan McDaniel threw a punch at one of the opposing players, resulting in his ejection. the incident will be under review by league officials to see whether further disciplinary actions are required. Coach Dolezel addressed the incident after the game.

“I’ve told him many times, He’s just got to work on his temper,” said Soul Head Coach, “It’s just a work in progress, unless you have a temper there’s nothing I can really explain to you.”

The ejection seemed to motivate the KISS as they took advantage of two costly penalties on the Soul to get Morgan his second score, on a pass from Thomas from six yards out. However, the two-point conversion attempt failed. The game ended on Chris Duvalt’s seven-yard completion with 13 seconds left in the game, giving the Soul their highest point total of the season, surpassing their 70-32 win over Portland in Week 3. The KISS now head to Tampa Bay to take on the Storm while the Soul continue to pursue the conference title on the road against the Arizona Rattlers

*Writer’s Note: Quotes from Coach Dolezel courtesy of Anthony Carter, Arena Insider. Stats courtesy of AFL Digital Services.