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Manchester Titans 24 Edinburgh Wolves 44
Edinburgh Wolves blew away North Conference rivals Manchester Titans 44-24 on
Saturday, in a high-scoring bonanza at Meadowbank stadium.
The fans that braved the pouring rain were rewarded with an exciting score fest
from an Edinburgh side who made easy work of the visitors. Despite the wet
conditions, neither side was afraid to pass the ball, Edinburgh showed their
adventurous side early on, as veteran quarterback David Glendinning found
running back Allan Price with an eight yard touchdown pass. Price, would go on
to be key player in the day's performance and it wouldn't be the last time he
would trouble the scoreboard. Fellow running back Paul Elder then added the two
point conversion to put Wolves ahead 8-0.
Wolves soon exploited a weak spot on the left side, as Glendinning hit receiver
Campbell Lewis for a 25 yard touchdown pass to stretch the lead to 14-0. Manchester
finally responded in the second quarter with a one yard touchdown run, but
couldn't muster any more scores before the end of the half.
The second half started with a bang, as Wolves kick returner Graeme Kellington
jetted his way through a crowd of Titans, zigzagging to beat would-be tacklers
as he put Edinburgh further ahead. Manchester finally found their feet long
enough to narrow the Edinburgh lead, when running back Dave Barnett caught the
city side off guard with a 22 yard scoring run, but was stopped cold during the
failed conversion. The Wolves then let their most dangerous running backs loose, and Price, along
with rookie Elder, punished the Titans' defense. After powering their way up the field, Wolves added another touchdown run as
Steve Murray fought through the line to add yet another score. Meanwhile
Manchester were having trouble moving the ball up the field, despite flashes of
brilliance from Barnett. The Titans were unable to capitalise however, and the
Wolves defense did a fine job of holding them steady, breaking up some crucial
pass plays and shutting down the run.
After a quick confident drive, Edinburgh once more stretched their lead when
Price swept to the right and bolted into the endzone, and by now they seemed
unreachable.
But the Titans weren't done just yet. Tight end Chris Heap drew the Manchester
side nearer when he hauled in a 19 yard touchdown pass, however Wolves hammered
the nail into the coffin with a sweep right, which saw Lewis march untouched
into the endzone.
Wolves Head coach Don Edmonston was proud of the Edinburgh performance. 'The guys
had a good game,' he said.
'We put in a
lot of extra practices and tried to address some of the problems of the past. 'Our offensive line was solid. The running backs followed the blocks and stuck
to the game plan and it really paid off for us.' 'The key factor here was the players' mental attitude. They stayed focussed and
played smart and we had some great drives. This was a good day for everyone. 'Our
fate's in our hands, and if we fight for it there's a good chance we'll be in
the playoffs.'