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| The Columbus Aviators Official helmet. (Photo: Chuck Crdes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
ST. LOUIS, MO – Columbus, following its victory last week, has reestablished itself as a contender with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
St. Louis would prevail 31-20 with their tough defensive pressure and strong offensive output. "We gotta go back to the drawing board," Ginn Jr. said.
“We left some stuff out there, we didn't run the ball well tonight,” said Ricky Proehl. They finished the game with 106 yards on 27 carries and three touchdowns.
Tonight, they will compete against the Battlehawks (4-2) on the road, with quarterback Luis Perez having participated in just three practices before the game, and a formidable defense. "It's awesome, and credit to coach to go with me, and I'm just grateful for the opportunity to be here," said Perez.
The Battlehawks open up their first drive by throwing just one pass from quarterback Luis Perez, and with the legs of running back Jarveon Howard, they complete an 8-play, 78-yard drive with Perez on a quarterback keeper rush for the one-yard touchdown with 6:21 remaining.
Aviators come up empty on both possessions, with McClendon only completing one pass for six yards, as the Battlehawk defense is the best they have seen all season. "You can't beat yourself," said Ginn Jr.
Perez hits Hakeem Butler on the third play of their drive, setting up a Perez-to-McBride touchdown for 14 yards in their second possession of the game with 14 seconds remaining in the first quarter, leading 14-0.
The first quarter ends 14-0 with the Battlehawks in the lead.
Quarterback Jalen Morton is inserted into the game for the Aviators, and they answer with just five plays and score on a quarterback scramble from Morton, who evades tackles for a 15-yard touchdown to put the Aviators on the board, trailing 7-14.
Aviators' defense holds the explosive offense of the Battlehawks to a 37-yard field goal by Ramiz Ahmed. Battlehawks extend lead 17-7 at the 7:16 mark of the quarter.
They [Battlehawks] have scored on every possession so far in the game.
Morton continues to be the signal caller for the Aviators.
On their fourth consecutive possession of the game, St. Louis landed in the endzone again, this time on a 14-yard run by Kylin James to go up 24-7 with 4:05 remaining.
Jalan McClendon re-enters the game for the Aviators as they continue to struggle offensively and go four and out deep in their own territory.
Again, with the offense still struggling, McClendon throws an interception to strong safety Jordan Mosley with 1:15 remaining in the half.
Battlehawks lead 24-7 at halftime.
After receiving the ball at halftime, the Battlehawks initiate their drive. Luis Perez throws an interception to D.J. Miller, marking their second interception of the season, occurring just two plays into the quarter.
They take advantage of the turnover with their strongest drive of the game, but are penalized with consecutive false starts. McClendon successfully connects with Tae Martin, evading the pressure from the Battlehawks, for a crucial touchdown that narrows the gap to ten points, still behind 14-24.
That was the first possession St. Louis did not score.
Kylin James scores his second touchdown of the night on an 18-yard burst up the middle of the field that widens the gap for the Battlehawks and extends their lead 31-14 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.
With an offensive pass interference on Keke Chism, the Aviators are forced to punt, but their defense holds and forces the Battlehawks to punt on the ensuing possession with 2:56 left in the quarter.
Battlehawks lead 31-14 after three quarters.
On a 4th and 7, McClendon finds Keke Chism in the endzone for a 10-yard score to close the gap, but fails to convert the point after as Ryan Coe banks it wide right off the pylon. A questionable call by the Aviators to only go for the one point instead of a two or three-point to make it a one-possession game. "It's coaching, there's no real explanation, I could have made a better decision as a coach," Ginn Jr. explained the decision not to go for more points after the touchdown early in the 4th quarter.
31-20 the Aviators trail with 7:21 remaining.
Former coach of Ted Ginn Jr., Ricky Proehl, gets the victory and holds on to advance to 5-2 on the season after they couldn't convert. "It was a lot of things that just didn't go our way," said Ginn Jr.
The Aviators (2-5) now face a dilemma as they return home Sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m. against the Birmingham Stallions (4-2).
Top Performers
Aviators: Jalan McClendon, 20 for 28, 137 yards and 2 TDs. Tae Martin with 7 catches for 55 yards.
Battlehawks: Hakeem Butler had 3 catches for 77 yards, Jordan Mosley had 7 tackles (4 solo), 0.5 sack, and one interception.
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