Jousters Snatch Their First Win — Destroy Blues 28-7
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Jousters Snatch Their First Win — Destroy Blues 28-7

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The last game of The Spring League’s second week comes a little later than expected. Originally, the matchup between the Blues and Jousters was set to take place Friday night at 10pm. Then, both of the South Division games were moved to Monday night, a first for the league. After a lengthy rain delay last night, the game was bumped to Tuesday night at 8pm ET on FS1.

Although delayed, the action is finally here. With a win, the Blues could stay undefeated and lead the division. On the other end, the Jousters are looking to rebound and secure their first win.

1st Quarter

The Jousters will start the game with possession of the ball, bringing it back to the 25-yard line on the return. At quarterback for the first drive is Luis Perez, looking to keep his football dream alive. The offensive line did Perez no justice on the first play, collapsing and allowing him to get sacked; losing 9-yards. This was enough to snuff the drive before they had a chance to get rolling. After the punt, the Blues now have their first chance with the game tonight.

Deandre Francois starts out at QB for the Blues, but did not have much luck either. The Jousters defense forced a quick three and out, forcing the Blues to punt back with a little over 10 minutes left in the first.

Both teams traded a pair of three and outs. With a little over six minutes left in the 1st quarter, there still had not been a first down from either team. With the kickoff to the Jousters, they were able to get a decent return; hoping to give them the momentum they needed to change the tides of the game.

Perez back in for the team was determined to move the ball on this drive. With just a little over four minutes left in the first, the Jousters were finally able to secure the first 1st down of the matchup. The tide had seemed to change. Even when pushed back because of going off-sides, the team continued on.

Luis Perez broke the ice tonight with a fantastic pass to Anthony Ratliff-Williams, giving them the first points of the night. A low snap caused the extra-point to bounce off the uprights. Regardless, the Jousters now lead 6-0 over the Blues.

2nd Quarter

The Blues had an opportunity to get back into the game to start the 2nd quarter. Unfortunately, things were much of the same. After another three and out, the team punted back to the Jousters who were hoping to add to their lead.

Luis Perez continued on his success, looking more comfortable and moving the ball. This drive the Jousters looked like a brand new team, pumping the offense to a new level. Perez masterfully moved the ball down the field, brining the team within 20-yards of another touchdown. When all options were off the table, Perez used his legs to bring them closer to the end-zone and within a couple inches of first and goal.

You could feel it, the Jousters were out to put more points on the board… and that’s exactly what they did. Perez connected with tight end Dequan Hampton to add six more. With the extra-point successful, they now hold a commanding 13-0 lead over the Blues.

Francois back in control of the ball was given a directive to get a first down by Coach Cottrell. Ask and you shall receive, for the first time today the Blues were able to move the chains. Unfortunately, that’s the only one they were able to obtain on this drive. Jousters have another chance to add to their lead.

Perez was looking good out there, but with no timeouts left he started to rush more than he was used to. This resulted in him throwing a pick to RaVon Davis of the Blues, giving the ball with three timeouts and little time left in the half.

The Blues were hoping to at minimum get within distance of a field goal. Thanks to the timeouts, they were able to move the ball enough to get into range. With 9 seconds remaining, the team tried one last shot at the end-zone; although close they could not bring it home. With their last shot to add points before the half ends, the team sent out Jonathan Barnes for a 48-yard field goal attempt. Between the distance and the wind Barnes was unable to secure the points.

Both teams are eyeing a short week after the delays that they’ve sustained. Regardless if that plays a factor in the performance, the Blues will need to make some adjustments at the half if they want to stay undefeated. The reunited duo of Coach Gilbride and Luis Perez will look to march forward in hopes of grabbing their first win of the season.

3rd Quarter

Hoping to change the pace of the game the Blues will receive the kickoff to begin the half. Fabian Guerra snatched the first down but paid for it hard, taking a huge hit causing an injury timeout. Thankfully, he just had the wind knocked out of him and walked off the field under his own strength.

Francois was looking much better on this drive, continuing to move the ball. The luck did not continue, after coming close to throwing an interception the team was once again forced to punt the ball.

With the Jousters back in control, Coach Gilbride brings in Drew Anderson for his first action of the night. Also returning, is the rain from last night. With a quarter and a half left to go, we’re all just hoping that lightning doesn’t cause another delay.

You could tell that the team was having a hard time making the adjustment to Anderson’s calls. Leading to the Jousters giving the Blues the ball back, hoping to make a comeback. Francois still could not get into the rhythm, ultimately almost throwing a pick and punting away.

The Jousters, not missing any opportunities, came out strong. Woods grabbed the kickoff and ran it back for 94-yards putting six more on the board. With the extra-point, they now lead 20-0.

There’s plenty of time left in the game, but the Blues needed to act soon if they wanted to get back into the mix. The Blues luck continued the way it has been all night, once gain failing to move the chains.

With the Jousters back in control, we saw an impressive first down run by QB Drew Anderson. When presented with a 3rd and 15 Anderson rushed it again, giving them a new set of downs.

4th Quarter

Anderson continued their drive to start out the 4th quarter. Looking like he was finally feeling the game, Anderson made a huge mistake. Near the end-zone, Anderson threw an interception to Denzel Rice, who ran it back 98-yard to get the Blues their first points. Barnes was successful on the extra-point attempt making it 20-7 with almost a full quarter to go.

Anderson coming back in for the Jousters, looking to redeem himself. Not able to get much going in the air, was able to go back to the ground game to move the chains. Lavon Colman also showcased his skills, getting another first down for the team, moving them to mid-field. That wasn’t all, Coleman grabbed two more first downs, but took a fall on that drive. It wasn’t anything bad, just needed to recover from the playing time for a bit.

When stuck at 4th & 2, Coleman came to the rescue again continuing the drive. Drew Anderson once again showcased his run game, bringing the Jousters within 5-yards of scoring again. Now in great position, Anderson was able to secure his first points of the day. After a handoff to Anthony Ratliff-Williams to get into the end-zone. With a decent lead, Coach Gilbride sent the offense back out to go for the two-point conversion.

Ratliff-Williams once again took it in, giving them an even larger 28-7 lead.

Connor Kaegi is now making his first appearance of the game for the Blues. The adjustment didn’t make much difference for the team as the Jousters defense came out strong. With 3:17 left in the game the Jousters have a huge lead and the ball.

The Jousters used the remaining time to run out the clock and get more players the opportunity to get field time.

As expected, the Jousters we successfully able to run out the clock, putting them 1-1 on the season with four games to go. The Blues now sit at the bottom of South Division pile, but will look to rebound next week against the Generals.

What did you think of the matchup between the Jousters and Blues? Which game are you looking forward to the most next week? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.