Nighthawks gain maiden victory

Posted in: BAFL 1, Merseyside Nighthawks    By Sue Clark Aug 6, 2009 - 4:51:27 PM

Merseyside Nighthawks 34 Dundee Hurricanes 14

The Merseyside Nighthawks took on the Dundee Hurricanes looking to bolster their chances of retaining their division one status by gaining their maiden victory of the season.

The Nighthawks had a dream start, swiftly forcing a three and out before QB Andy Dyson found wideout Jo e Black who raced away for a 79 yard score. A successful two point attempt gave the Nighthawks an early 8-0 lead.

Merseyside looked to build on the lead, with evergreen RB Nate Hazell rolling back the years with a 24 yard gain, but Dundee showed they had some playmakers of their own as cornerback David Orr picked off Dyson and running back and punter Mahamadou Niakate moved the chains by converting on fourth down from a fake punt.

However, the elusive Niakate saw his next punt blocked by Simon McHardy, who proceeded to catch the ball on the first bounce and outrace the speedy running back to the end zone, no mean feat for a 23 stone defensive lineman! The PAT was good and Merseyside led by 15.

The Hurricane fightback was inevitable and immediate, with Niakate and fellow rusher Acheson taking them down to the 1 yard line from where QB Ben Edelshain scored on the sneak. The two pointer failed and the score stood at 15-6.

Both defensive units tightened up, forcing the next few drives to end in punts. A Dundee touchback saw Merseyside starting their final drive of the half from their own 20, but Dyson drove them down the pitch, hitting Black for 20 yards and TE Jason Elliott for 3 catches, before going back to Black for a 26 yard TD. The kick was no good but, at the half, the Nighthawks were up 21-6.

With Merseyside unaccustomed to playing with a lead this season, the ‘Hawks looked to maintain their momentum and close out the second half. The Hurricanes, with relegation worries of their own, made the quicker start, profiting from a misdirected snap on a punt to recover the ball on the Mersey 10 yard line courtesy of Dan Cameron. Niakate didn’t need asking twice, racing in from 10 yards out, and ‘Douma’ also added the deuce, reducing the arrears to 21-14.

Dundee were asking questions that Merseyside needed to answer and although the Hurricanes seemed to have forced the three and out, a roughing the kicker call on fourth down gave Merseyside a new lease of life. QB Dyson once again found Black for a score, this time from 24 yards out, and the PAT boosted the lead to 28-14.

Dundee replied through the ground game and although Acheson and Niakate kept plugging away and gained some yards, Merseyside ended the drive through a Mark Cairns sack, and cornerback Rick Keir sniffing out a reverse and stopping Niakate for a 2 yard loss. QB Edelshain went for it on fourth and 24 but a lineman hit his hand, the ball fell incomplete and the quarter came to an end with Merseyside two scores to the good.

The final quarter opened with Merseyside looking to increase their lead, Dyson finding Elliott through the air for 18 and running back Ben Kamara adding 12 of his own on the ground. GB safety Fraser Thomson had other ideas, intercepting Dyson, but the Hawks replied with a pick of their own, Keir making the grab before racing away to score. The PAT attempt hit the post, but the Hawks were happy with their 34-14 lead.

Carl Rugen (junior) joined the pick party for Merseyside, but the resulting Hawk drive ended in a punt. Dundee looked to mount a drive themselves but found themselves facing fourth and 20. Thomson laid out for an Edelshain pass but, unfortunately for the Hurricanes, the ball was adjudged to have hit the ground, resulting in a turnover on downs.

A Steven Parry interception of replacement QB Niakate allowed running back Hazell to move the chains and run off some more time off the clock. Niakate did find wideout Adam Ingram for a short gain but it was too little, too late as the whistle went to confirm the Hawks’ first win of the season.

"It was an excellent show of strength and ability from everyone today and I'm pleased for them all" said Head Coach - Gary Lee. He added, "Its been a long time coming, but we deserved it for the time and effort put in by the coaches and players and it now gives us a fighting chance of staying in Div1."

The Nighthawks travel to Glasgow to take on the West Coast Trojans next week looking to continue their winning streak before their final game at home against Gateshead a week later.

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