PEORIA – Even with confidence in backup quarterback Donald Carrie, the Peoria Pirates’ downward spiral continued Saturday at Carver Arena. The Pirates wound up on the wrong end of a 61-33 lopsided loss to visiting Lexington.
A Carver Arena crowd of 3,884 fans watched as head coach Bruce Cowdrey’s team stumbled through, what for the Pirates, became a scoreless first quarter.
First, Lexington (8-5) converted a Peoria fumble into their first score, a 28-yard pass from quarterback Eddie Eviston to receiver John Cooper at 10:20 in the first quarter, putting the Horsemen up, 7-0, following kicker Douglas Daniels’ point-after.
Then, during the ensuing possession, Lexington defenders reined in and then tackled Carrie at 7:34, crediting defensive lineman Jamal Naji with a safety, giving the Horsemen a 9-0 lead with which to begin the second quarter.
Pirates mainstay receiver Phillip Brock put Peoria (4-9) on the scoreboard for the first time at 14:48 in the second quarter on a 9-yard run, but kicker David Hendrix’s extra point sailed wide, giving Lexington a 9-6 lead.
Eviston connected with receiver Chad Spencer at 10:22 in the second quarter, giving the Horsemen a 15-6 edge after Daniels missed his extra point.
Carrie would connect with Brock on a 31-yard pass for a touchdown at 1:32 before halftime, capping a 2-play, 40-yard drive, bringing the Pirates within two, 15-13. But Hendrix would miss another extra point.
That small margin, as it turned out, would be as close as the Pirates would come in this first Pirates-Horsemen rematch since the two met in week two in Kentucky, which Peoria won by a 46-28 count.
Running Back Harry Lewis’ 11-yard touchdown reception with five seconds until halftime was the first of three unanswered Lexington scores which forced Peoria to play catch-up to open the second half. Lexington entered halftime with a 21-13 lead.
Lexington special teams added to Peoria fans’ angst when Chris Royal weaved through defenders on his way to a 58-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, increasing the Horsemen’s lead to 28-13 following Daniels’ point after.
Eviston piled the third touchdown of the three at 12:56 in the third, increasing Lexington’s lead to 34-13 after Royal’s extra point try failed.
Brock had what amounted to back-to-back scores in the third quarter, giving the fans some hope for a comeback. At 11:10 in the third, Brock’s 35-yard touchdown reception, followed by Hendrix’s point-after cut Lexington’s lead to 34-20.
Lexington’s next possession was interrupted, seven plays in, by Pirates linebacker Randy Chappell with 6:06 in the third quarter, giving Peoria the ball on their own 18. Four plays later, Carrie and Brock connected again on a 12-yard touchdown pass, cutting Lexington’s lead and opening the fourth quarter with a 34-27 count after another Hendrix point-after.
Lexington’s play in the fourth quarter was equal to how it had played in the first, boxing Peoria out of any scoring opportunities, using Eviston’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Cooper as a springboard for four scores in the period, going in front of the Pirates, 61-27 with 18 seconds left in the game.
Carrie was able to connect with receiver De’Tario Frederick with five seconds left in the contest for the Pirates’ last score of the night, a 30-yard touchdown strike, resulting in the final score following Hendrix’s point-after.
“We’re just not tough enough emotionally or physically,” Cowdrey said afterward. “You can’t make these kinds of mistakes and expect to win.”
All 29 of af2’s teams get a league-impose bye week as a result of the Fourth of July holiday next week. The Pirates travel to Pennsylvania July 12 – Cowdrey’s birthday — for a rematch with Wilkes Barre/Scranton.