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MICHAEL DUFFY / SPECIAL TO THE CALIFORNIANThe Blitz’s Corey McCoy takes the opening kickoff in Saturday’s game with the San Diego Riptide.Riptide 49, Blitz 35San Diego 14 14 7 14-49Bakersfield 14 7 0 14—35First quarterB Dover 9 run (Baker kick)SD Miller 29 pass from Claunch (Geisler kick)SD Graham 52 missed field goal return for touchdown (Geisler kick)B Jones 53 kickoff return for touchdown (Baker kick)Second quarterSD Reyes 7 pass from Claunch (Geisler kick)B — Yearwood 2 run (Baker kick)SD Parker 1 pass from Garrett (Geisler kick)Third quarterSD — Graham 3 pass from Claunch (Geisler kick)Fourth quarterB — Sloth 33 pass from Dover (Baker kick)SD — Curtis 1 run (Geisler kick)SD — Berg 48 interception return (Geisler kick)B — Mahanke 36 pass from Dover (Baker kick)Att. — 4,524.San Diego BakersfieldFirst downs 15 11Rushesyards 1460 9-25Passing yards 157 143Comp^attint 16-254 11281Fumbles-lost 21 0-0Sacks by 24 14Penalties yards 6 46 11-77INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING—s,in Diego: Curtis 7 34, Claunch 6 25, Berg 11 Bakersfield: Frierson 315, Dover 3-9, Yearwood 1-2, Sloth 11, Blue 1( 2).PASSING—San Diego: Claunch 15 241 160. Bakersfield: Dover 1121-147. RECEIVING—San Diego Reyes 4-53, Miller 340, Graham 5-33, Parker 115, Garrett 114, Merkens 16. Bakersfield: Mahanke 3 51, Sloth 3-49, Bivins 443, Frierson 14.BLITZ: Bakersfield native Dover breaks rib in first quarter but plays remainder of the gameContinued from Clinterception, but was unable to lead the Blitz (14) to victory.“Jeff Dover’s one heck of a quarterback,” Elliott said. “I was very impressed with him.”Dover stiffen'd a broken rib in the first quarter, but played through the pain.“All of a sudden I got up and hilt it sticking out,” Dover said of his rib. “Footballs a game of pain. That’s part of the game. You’ve just got to play through it”Elliott said after the game he had been feeling lightheaded with an upset stomach all week and didn’t feel well enough to play Saturday.“I was the cheerleader,” Elliott said of watching the game from the Blitz’ bench. “I’m a competitor. It’s liard to watch. I’ve never had to do that.” Fuller said the team is waiting for some tests on Elliott’s condition and should know more about his andDover’s playing status next week.Dover tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Sloth to pull tiie Blitz within 35-28 just more than a minute into the fourth quarter.San Diego (3-2) went back up by two scores on a Rico Curtis 1-yard TI) run with seven minutes remaining.With the Blitz driving toward a potential score that would have cut the deficit bar k to one TI), Dover’s tiiird-and-goal pass to Sloth was tipped and intercepted by Riptide linebacker Brian Berg, who returned the pick 48 yards for a TI) with 1:48 left.“I dropped back, saw the ball get tipped and go up in the air,” Berg said. “Instincts took over. I took off running and hoped I wasn’t caught .”Dover came right bar k and t hrew a 36-yard TI) pass to Eric Mahanke on tlie very next play, pulling die Blitz widiin 49-35.But die ensuing onside kick was recovered by San Diego. After gettingthe ball back, Dover’s pass to Mahanke was incomplete at die goal line on die game’s final play.“In tliis game, there’s so much dial can happen,” I )over said. “I felt we had a chance widi 20 seconds left.”The loss was Bakersfield’s second straight and the team ended a tiiree-game homestand witli a 1-2 record. Bakersfield lias lost four straight to San Diego, including a first-round playoff loss in Ixith team’s first seasons last year and this year’s season opener.With die loss, the Blitz stayed alone in last place in the aJ2’s four-team Nadonal Conference Western Division. Wichita (4-1), wliich beat Hawaii on Saturday, is alone in first place. I Iawaii (3-2) and San I)iego art' tir'd for second.“It’s liarrl to put. into words,” Sloth said of how the team was feeling after the game. “We liarl such liigh expectations going into this season and we’ve started die season so prxirly.”ROGER HORNBACK / SPECIAL TO THE CALIFORNIANBlitz guard Oscar Grajeda, right, puts pressure on Riptide quarterback Kane Claunch.
Newspaper Details
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield, California, US
Sun, May 04, 2003
Page 43
Full Page
Clipped by
Jordan T.
USA 30 Dec 2023
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