Exiles back on top

Norwich Devils 4 Kent Exiles 22

 
Kent Exiles got back to winning ways on Sunday, and back to the top of the table, by beating the Norwich Devils in a game where their offense finally re-started their season.

But the game started badly for the Exiles as they were 2-0 down with only minutes played after the Devils John May fell on top of Aaron Griffiths in the endzone for a safety, after Griffiths had recovered an Exiles fumble.

Baron D'Anyangwe leaping for the interception.

The first quarter then became a tense affair, with both teams feeling each other out, and it was once again a big play by the Exiles defense which got the game moving as Baron D’Anyangwe made a leaping interception and returned it 51 yards to the Devils 2 yard line. Andre Becker then strolled on to score his second touchdown in as many weeks, and the Exiles had a lead they would not relinquish. It was then time for the Exiles offense to find its feet, on their way to 338 total yards on the day, they drove the length of the pitch to score once again, Griffiths finding Richard McHugh from 29 yards out for the score. Mark Evans kicked the point after, and it was 13-2.

Another great defensive stand saw the Exiles take to the pitch again, and another strong drive behind the running of Paul Crawford and Rob Stewart ensued. This time though the Exiles faltered at the Devils 5 yard line, which saw Mark Evans come on and kick a 23 yard field goal, and a 16-2 lead at halftime.

The third quarter was a dull offensive affair, the only drive of note seeing the Exiles miss a 22 yard field goal. But any fan of defensive football would have revelled in the Exiles swarming, hard hitting style which had Devils quarterback Troy Schmidgall scrambling for his life, and Kirk Beacham, Mark Vickers and Joe Alexis making huge hits on the Devils unlucky backs.

Stewart on his way to 142 yards rushing.

The fourth quarter started in style, as the Exiles Rob Stewart broke off runs of 32 and 23 yards to lead the Exiles to the Devils goal line from where Griffiths finished off the drive with his first Exiles score. That was not to be the end of the scoring though as Mark Evans point after was blocked, and the Devils Quincy McGill scooped up the loose ball to return it for the Devils second safety of the game. The remainder of the game saw the Exiles empty their bench and give the whole team a run out, before the final whistle sounded to give the Exiles victory.

Following the game Exiles Head Coach Norman Navarro commented, “The Devils are a very athletic team, and this is their first loss since 2006, so this will be a hiccup in their plans. I’m very glad our offense stepped their game up to match the play of our defense and special teams. It is a great response to the disappointment of losing last week, and we will use it to continue to move forward and into our rematch with the Oxford Saints next week.”

The Exiles now travel to the Oxford Saints next weekend, the first of two away games, before returning home on the 20^th July to take on the Southern Sundevils. Full details of the Exiles season can be found at www.kentexiles.co.uk