Wheelers put out Fire

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By staff report | Saturday, April 12, 2008 1:13 AM CDT | () comments

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Blending an opportunistic defense with a steady, methodical offense, the Quad-City Steamwheelers escaped Freedom Hall with a win Friday night.

J.J. Raterink threw for 201 yards and five touchdowns, and fullback Russell Monk sealed a 39-28 win with a 3-yard scoring plunge with less than 2 minutes to play as the Wheelers left Louisville with a victory for the first time since 2003.

“Good teams win at home; great teams win on the road,” first-year Q-C coach Troy Biladeau said. “When you can go into someone else’s building and walk away with a win, that’s when you know your team has arrived. It’s so hard to get road wins in this league. This shows this team can come on the road and win a football game, and that’s huge, especially in the division.”

The Steamwheelers (2-0) applied constant pressure up front on defense, forcing three turnovers on their way to five stops. And they held the Fire (2-1), who had been averaging 54 points, without a touchdown until the final minute of the first half.

“I said in camp this was the best defense I’ve coached. To hold Louisville to 28 points on the road is a statement,” Biladeau said. “Our D-line is really good, but you’ve got to give some credit to our (defensive backs), because a lot of times the (receivers) aren’t open.”

Steamwheelers receiver Jesse Schmidt turned in his second strong game this season, hauling in four passes for 82 yards and two scores, an 18-yarder early in the second quarter and a 38-yarder just before the half. But it was his one-handed snare on a third-down play with 5 minutes, 19 seconds to play that made the greatest impact.

With Q-C clinging to a 33-28 lead, Schmidt kept alive the drive that Monk, a former offensive tackle at St. Ambrose University, capped with his first career touchdown run with 1:45 remaining.

“That was the play of the game right there,” Biladeau said of Schmidt’s catch, which came with former Wheeler and Davenport Assumption grad Matt Forbes draped all over him.

“When J.J. threw it, he had two guys right in his face. He threw it, and Jesse made a great catch. That was the play of the game.”

After Monk’s touchdown made it a two-score game, Wheelers defensive end Roy Ravenell knocked the ball loose from the hand of Louisville quarterback Aaron Marshall, and Tyus Jackson recovered with 51 seconds to play.

The Steamwheelers were able to run out most of the clock before giving the Fire one last chance with 25 seconds left, but it was too late for the kind drama Louisville had manufactured in four straight home wins in the series.

To complement Schmidt’s performance for the Wheelers, Deontrae Johnson had eight catches for 74 yards and three touchdowns, and Kris Peters added four grabs for 45 yards while also returning two kicks into Fire territory.

Linebacker Malik Jackson led the defense. The former Western Illinois player recorded nine tackles, recovered a fumble early that swayed the momentum in Q-C’s favor and batted down a pass late that landed in the arms of defensive end Adam Vogel, resulting in an interception that thwarted the Louisville comeback.

Forbes, who played three seasons with the Steamwheelers, had six tackles and a controversial interception late in the third quarter. An overthrown pass from Raterink bounced off the wall in the back of the end zone and off the leg of a sliding Peters before ending up in Forbes’ arms. Biladeau didn’t think it was a pick; the referees disagreed.

Steamwheelers defensive back David Beverly was ejected from the game for throwing a punch with 2 seconds remaining. The punch didn’t land, but he might face a suspension from the league, Biladeau said.

“I want to see the film before I really make a statement. If it’s a push, it’s one thing. If it’s a punch, it’s another,” Biladeau said. “We’ll let the league look at it first, and then I’ll decide. If he actually threw a punch, I’d say the league will probably suspend him.”

Contact the sports desk at (563) 383-2285 or sports@qctimes.com.