July 27,2014
Jacksonville Sharks Press Release
JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Sharks
closed out the 2014 season on a high note on Saturday night, taking
down the Los Angeles KISS by a 53-36 count in front of 11,084 on Sea
Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
Jacksonville (6-11) took control of a close game in the second half. After a one-yard rushing touchdown by fullback Jared McGriff-Culver
in the final minute of the second quarter gave the Sharks a 26-24 lead,
the Sharks’ defense opened the second half with a defensive stop. Los
Angeles (3-15) turned it over on downs when Jacksonville Jack linebacker
Charlie Hunt tackled receiver Donovan Morgan shot of the first down marker. On the very next play, R.J. Archer hit Jomo Wilson for a six-yard score to put the Sharks ahead, 32-24.
Though the KISS responded with a touchdown of their own, Jacksonville
came right back with an answering score. On second down, Archer fired a
17-yard strike to Jeron Harvey
for the first of their two touchdown connections of the game. The extra
point gave Jacksonville the game’s first two-score lead, 39-30, early
in the fourth quarter.
The Jacksonville defense followed that
score with another stop. On a first-down play from the KISS’ own 22,
defensive lineman Jerry Turner broke through to take down Raterink for a
sack. With tight coverage, the Sharks’ secondary then forced Raterink
into three straight incompletions, as Keiron Jones
knocked down a fourth-down pass that allowed the Sharks to get the ball
back via a turnover on downs. On the very first play of the ensuing
drive, Archer hit Jomo Wilson in the corner of the end zone for an
18-yard score that put Jacksonville on top by a 46-30 count.
Trailing by 16 points, Los Angeles did have a chance to get back into
the game after Raterink connected with Morgan for an eight-yard
touchdown. But Jones intercepted the two-point pass, allowing the Sharks
to maintain a two-score lead. The rookie defensive back wasn’t
finished, as he recovered the KISS’ ensuing onside kick. Getting the
ball at the Los Angeles 11, the Sharks cashed in on the short field. On
third-and-goal from the eight, Archer hit Harvey in traffic for a
touchdown that proved to be the game’s final score.
Leading by
three scores, the Sharks sealed the game with a bar ball recovery, as
Fabrizio Scaccia’s kickoff banged off the iron and was recovered by
Jones. Archer then ran a quarterback sneak forward to run out the clock
and end the game.
Earlier, the first half progressed in
back-and-forth fashion, as neither team led by more than four points
prior to halftime. McGriff-Culver was Jacksonville’s offensive catalyst
before the break, as the hauled in a 24-yard catch-and-run touchdown on
the game’s opening possession and then barreled his way in for a pair of
rushing touchdowns in the second quarter.
For the Sharks,
Archer finished the season with a 25-for-36 performance, throwing for
318 yards and six touchdowns without an interception. Hughley paced the
Sharks with nine catches for 106 yards, racking up a total of 158
all-purpose yards in the game. Wilson (seven receptions, 99 yards) and
Harvey (four receptions, 44 yards) each found the end zone twice, while
McGriff-Culver totaled six rushes for 11 yards and two scores to go
along with his touchdown catch.
Defensively, Brodrick Brown led the Sharks with 4.5 tackles, while Xavier Brewer totaled 2.5 stops, recorded a pass breakup and intercepted a pass on the KISS’ opening possession. Up front, Turner and James McClinton each notched a sack, as McClinton finished the season with a team-high total of 9.0 sacks.
For the KISS, Raterink went 14-of-29 for 142 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Fullback Sam Campbell
racked up 16 rushing yards and two scores, while Morgan led the way at
receiver with five grabs for 65 yards and a touchdown. On defense, J.C. Neal racked up a game-high total of 7.5 tackles, while Darryl Cato-Bishop and Ayo Idowu each notched a sack.
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