MUSKEGON – On April 12^th the 4-1 Muskegon Thunder were riding a four game winning streak that included a victory over Great Lakes Conference kingpin Kalamazoo. The question wasn’t whether the Thunder would make the playoffs, but rather could they capture home field advantage throughout the GLC post season run.

   Nearly two months later the Thunder (5-7) were fighting for their playoff lives and a spot in the Continental Indoor Football League’s second season looked iffy at best after a loss to Saginaw on Friday to end the regular season campaign. They had lost control of their own destiny and needed a victory from top rival Kalamazoo to punch their ticket. The Xplosion’s 39-32 victory over the Fort Wayne Freedom on Saturday meant Muskegon (5-7) could exhale and celebrate a second consecutive trip to the CIFL playoffs.

Sears Centre - Hoffman Estates, IL

    HOFFMAN ESTATES – Desperate times call for desperate measures. With playoff hopes slipping away, the Muskegon Thunder displayed a true must-win mentality at the Sears Centre on Saturday night. It was the already playoff-bound Chicago Slaughter, however, that came away with a 38-35 victory in Continental Indoor Football League action.

   Trailing by three with one minute remaining, Muskegon drove 31 yards on four Dan Richard completions to the hosts’ 14 yard line. The Thunder froze the clock with four seconds left, as the vocal crowd of 5,200 anticipated a potential field goal and overtime.

   Thunder head coach Shane Fairfield had other thoughts. He didn’t hesitate to keep the offense on the field and go for a win which would all but guarantee Muskegon’s second straight trip to the post season.

   Richard dropped back to pass on the fateful play and immediately felt pressure as Preston Garris, the Thunder’s leading receiver, tried to work behind Chicago cornerback Sidney Lewis on the right side. The ball was badly underthrown and Lewis stepped up to make the game-sealing interception as time expired.

   The verdict means Chicago (8-4) wins the Great Lakes Conference’s Western Division and will earn a second seed and host a first round playoff game. Muskegon (5-6) will probably need a win at Saginaw (9-2) on Friday to qualify for the second season which begins June 14^th.

   Chicago appeared to gain control of the seesaw affair when quarterback Ronnie Gordon hit Dontrell Jackson with an 11 yard scoring strike on the first play of the fourth quarter. J.R. Taylor’s two point conversion run gave the Slaughter a 30-21 lead, the biggest gap either team would enjoy.

   Chicago tried to capitalize on the momentum by attempting an onside kick. The ploy backfired though as Adam Pringle covered the slow roller for the guests and three plays later Richard snuck over from a yard out to pull within 30-28.

   Momentum swung further on the ensuing drive as Muskegon’s Ernest Bentz and Pringle combined to sack Gordon, forcing a long field goal. Chris Nendick’s kick came up short and Garris gathered in the miss and raced 50 yards for a crowd-silencing touchdown as Muskegon went ahead 35-30 midway through the final quarter.

   Taylor, who often took handoffs in full forward motion after starting deep in the offensive backfield, used the tactic with great success on Chicago’s final drive. He converted a pair of fourth-down-and-three situations, including the winning touchdown that he turned into a 14 yard gallop to paydirt. Gordon then hit Robert Height with a two point coversion pass at the 1:00 mark to set up the dramatic finish.

   Chicago opened the scoring on Taylor’s first of four scores, an easy 5 yard jog behind dominant blocking up front that didn’t allow a Thunder defender within three yards of the ball carrier. Nendick slid the P.A.T. wide and the hosts carried a 6-0 lead into quarter two.

   Muskegon got on the board on the first play of the second frame when Richard zipped a 12 yard pass to wideout Richard Gills. Mike Brennan, who went 5-for-5 on point afters, split the uprights for a brief 7-6 lead.

   The Slaughter came right back to regain the lead on another 6 yard waltz from Taylor that capped a three play drive after Height’s 35 yard kickoff return set the table for the offense. Height, the reigning CIFL Most Valuable Player, contributed 107 all-purpose yards on the night including 84 on returns. Gordon failed to add the conversion run, leaving Chicago with a 12-7 edge at the 11:42 mark.

   Three and a half minutes later, Muskegon was back in front as 6-foot-7 receiver Nathan Wruble snared a 3 yard laser from Richard. The 14-12 lead held until 22 seconds remained before intermission when Nendick nailed a 36 yard field goal to put Chicago in front by one at the half.

   The teams traded third quarter scores as Taylor muscled in from a yard out while Richard and Gills hooked up on an 8 yard scoring play that left Chicago clinging to a 22-21 lead entering the final 15 minutes of play.

   Taylor finished the game with 65 yards rushing on 7 carries as Chicago won the ground battle, 66-50. Gordon completed 12-of-22 passes for 138 yards with one interception. “Action” Jackson provided plenty of excitement, making 8 grabs totaling 87 yards and Height added 31 yards on two catches. Keith Herron (12 yards) and Rasche Hall (8 yards) each made one reception.

   Defensively, the Slaughter was led by linebacker Ty Myers’ 10 stops including two behind the line of scrimmage. Owen Gilleland added 9 tackles and Lewis posted 6 tackles and two pass break ups.

   Muskegon’s Richard finished with 21-of-35 accuracy for 167 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and added 21 rushing yards and a score via the ground. Garris paced the Thunder with 57 yards receiving on 7 catches as the rookie accounted for a total of 136 all-purpose yards. Wruble added 6 grabs for 56 yards and Gills chipped in with 4 catches for 31 yards. Sean Stevens caught two passes for 15 yards and Derrick Phillips (5 yards) and Ryan Moore (3 yards) each recorded a catch.

   Linebacker Tim Gough led the Thunder with 6 tackles while Jon Horn and Phillips notched 4 stops apiece. Phillips had the lone interception and Bentz added a fumble recovery to go along with his sack.

   Chicago is idle this week as they await an unknown first round playoff opponent. Muskegon, Rock River (6-5) and Fort Wayne (5-6) are battling for the final two playoff berths. The third seed will play at the Sears Centre against Chicago while the fourth seed will travel to Kalamazoo’s Wings Stadium where the Xplosion (10-1) have yet to lose a game in two seasons.

GAME NOTES

Down But Not Out

Despite losing five of their last six games, including three in a row by five points or less, the Thunder still have hopes of securing a playoff spot. They’ll need a win at Saginaw or a Fort Wayne loss at Kalamazoo to get in.

Preferential Treatment

Although Kalamazoo has yet to lose a game at Wings Stadium, the Thunder may actually prefer a fourth seed admission ticket to the post season dance. Muskegon has always played the Xplosion tough, losing by 4 and 6 points in 2007 and then handing the ‘Zoo crew their only defeat in 2008 with an overtime win in Muskegon to split this year’s matchups. Meanwhile, the Thunder are 0-4 against the Slaughter all-time with Saturday’s result the only loss that was closer than 17 points.

MUSKEGON.....6      6      6      20    -    38

Fort Wayne.....7     21    14       0    -    42

L.C. Walker Arena (Muskegon, MI)

Milwaukee………12       13       14       12     -     51

Muskegon………..7        15        6        18     -     46

BONECRUSHERS EARN FIRST VICTORY OF SEASON

  MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Thunder were looking for a celebratory sendoff in their final home game before taking to the road for the last three weeks of the regular season. The winless Milwaukee Bonecrushers looked to be a perfect parting gift. Instead, the undermanned visitors spoiled the party with a 51-46 upset in Continental Indoor Football League action Saturday night.

   Bonecrushers quarterback Brian Ryczkowski powered into the end zone from a yard out on the final play of the game to end eight weeks of frustration for the first-year franchise. Muskegon (5-4) had just taken its fifth lead of the night at 46-45 on a Derrick Phillips 3 yard run with 55 seconds remaining, but Ryczkowski’s 23 yard scramble with 1.4 seconds left set up the winning score.