EVERETT — If the Everett Raptors were looking to remain in the playoff hunt and extend their first winning streak of the season, it didn’t look like it Saturday night.
Everett was dominated from start to finish by the Colorado Ice, losing 54-25 in an Indoor Football League game at Comcast Arena.
The loss ended the Raptors’ two-game winning streak and pushed their record back to 4-8 in the Intense Conference standings.
Everett came out flat in the first half, allowing Colorado to score on its first possession when a fake field goal attempt by Ice kicker Aric Goodman resulted in a touchdown run. Everett scored with 5:36 remaining in the first quarter when quarterback Shane Austin lofted a seven-yard pass to running back De’Maundray Woolridge to tie the score at seven.
Then the Ice took over, outscoring Everett 47-18 the rest of the way.
The Raptors were trying to build on last Saturday’s impressive overtime road victory against Terrell Owens and the Allen Wranglers. But the Raptors team that rallied to win 74-73 didn’t seem to make an appearance in Everett this week.
In an IFL rarity, there were more than 15 minutes of combined game play in the first and second quarters where not a single point was scored. The opposite happened when 20 points were scored in 28 seconds at the beginning of the second half.
The Ice came into the game with the IFL’s fourth-ranked ranked defense and they showed why, holding Everett to a season-low 25 points. The Raptors had the league’s fourth-ranked offense heading into Saturday’s contest.
Everett did play its first game without star wide receiver Andre Piper-Jordan, who broke his right arm in the final 30 seconds of last week’s game against the Wranglers. For Piper-Jordan, it most likely means an end to his season unless the Raptors can make that final push for the playoffs, which seems a little less likely after this loss.
Austin, who struggled in his fourth start at quarterback with Everett, finished 16-for-33 with three touchdown passes and one interception.
Adding to the injury bug that has nagged Everett throughout the season, kick-returner Mike Tatum was lost for the game after an apparent leg injury with 10:15 to play in the first quarter. Tatum had been the IFL’s top kick-returner this season, leading the league in return yardage and touchdowns.
Colorado quarterback Jeremy Sanders finished a perfect 16-for-16 passing for 150 yards to go along with five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). He added 100 yards rushing.
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