Review & Photographs by Diane Fleischman
It was another heartbreaking loss for The Steelhawks who took on the Massachusetts Pirates with a final score of 62-35 at the PPL Center in Allentown. This was the second game these two teams battled on the playing field. Unfortunately, the results were the same.
The first quarter started with great hope, as The Steelhawks were the first to score a touchdown and field goal within the first five minutes of the game. The Pirates got on the scoreboard by the middle of the first quarter and scored again with a little over a minute left in the quarter, which brought the score to 14-7.
The momentum continued to build for the Pirates as they scored early in the second quarter, a well-established lead of 20-7. The Steelhawks pulled every arsenal from their bag, another touchdown, field goal and a deuce to bridge the gap with a score of 20-16, as The Steelhawks trailed. The final minute of the first half was by far the longest minute of the game, The Steelhawks were able to squeeze in another deuce, but The Pirates intercepted from The Steelhawks offensive line not once, but twice, and continued their scoring frenzy as the half closed with the Pirates on top, 45-22.
The halftime break gave The Steelhawks the time to regain some strength as they scored in the third quarter, and did their best defensive work to keep The Pirates at bay. The quarter closed 48-28.
The first minute of the final quarter began with another touchdown by The Pirates. After a successful field goal, the score jumped to 55-28. The Steelhawks were quick to follow and scored their last touchdown of the game, 55-35. With seven minutes left in the game, The Pirates managed to intercept the ball once again from The Steelhawks and scored.
Editor’s Note: I would like to take a moment to thank the staff of the Steelhawks and the PPL Center for a great evening. I was in attendance last night with my seven-year-old son. He loved watching the action on the field. He was also very entertained with the crowd-cams and dancing around between plays with the music that filled the stadium. Obviously, everyone wants to see the home team win, but this does not stop the crowd from having a great time. The evening is filled with big hits, great plays, and lots of fan involvement. I do not feel like there was a single opportunity missed that the Steelhawks family was not engaging the fans in one way or another. There were lots of prizes given away, lots of souvenirs tossed into the crowd, and the players took time to hype up the crowd. Winning would be awesome, but until the team gets its rhythm back, great job to the entire organization for a fun night. Thank you for a great night and Let’s Go Steelhawks!!!
Sincerely,
J. Thompson
