ST. PAUL 35, RACINE 0: Raiders have long ride home

BY PETER JACKEL
Journal Times

Sunday, July 20, 2008 11:12 PM CDT

Journal Times staff

A long weekend for the Racine Raiders started Friday when their charter bus to St. Paul, Minn., didn’t depart until 9:30 p.m. — four hours later than they believed they were going to leave.

“I guess it was some miscommunication with the bus company,” Raiders coach John Mamerow said.

And it only got worse.

Hindered by four interceptions and three lost fumbles on what was a rainy Saturday night, the Raiders (2-2) lost to the St. Paul Pioneers 35-0 in a North American Football League game at Humboldt High School. The shutout is believed to be the Raiders’ first since the late 1980s.

“We had too many mistakes and turnovers and it was a snowball effect,” Mamerow said.

How ugly was this for the Raiders, who arrived in St. Paul around 3:30 Saturday morning? Rick Hutchins fumbled the opening kickoff to set up the Pioneers’ first touchdown. Shortly after, quarterback Shawn Kain fumbled after getting hit in the arm, which forced him out of the game and set up the Pioneers’ second touchdown. King did not return to the game.

Put into that early 14-0 lead with rain showers intensifying, the Raiders’ comeback attempts were futile.

Backup quarterback Ricky Irbe Jr. struggled to hold onto the ball and completed just two of 13 passes for 23 yards, with three interceptions. And third-string Chris Walsh didn’t fare any better, completing two of 10 passes for three yards, with one interceptions.

For the night, Raiders quarterbacks finished with as many interceptions (four) as completions.

It was a different story for the Pioneers (2-0), who saw 199 of their 295 total yards come through the air. Wesley Hill did the most damage, catching five passes for 158 yards, which including an 80-yarder that set up a touchdown.

Part of the Raiders problem was a lack of depth in the secondary. Top reserve John Ferlito was injured in a car accident Friday night while driving to Racine for the charter trip and was not able to join his teammates. And Rick Goffron, another top reserve, was out with an injury.

Did leaving later than expected play into this loss?

“We can’t let that little stuff bother us,” Mamerow said. “We still had breakfast at 8:30, a team meeting at 10:30 and we went to the field at 1. So that really had nothing to do with the game, from my perspective. We got outplayed today.”

So where are these Raiders after two impressive victories and two decisive losses? After managing just 94 yards Saturday, 63 of which were by running back Bryan Jennings Jr., is Mamerow discouraged?

“We’re a young team and every day, I think we’re getting a little better,” Mamerow said. “Am I upset that we lost? Yes. I think we’re a much better team than we played today.

“They outplayed us today, but I still think we’re a better team.”

Special Offer: Get 5 Weeks of the Journal Times for $7!