Soul Holds Serve in Conference With 73-37 Romp of LA

Report From Philadelphia Soul

Philadelphia Rock LA for Second Time This Season

TRENTON— The Philadelphia Soul (9-2) defeated the LA KISS (4-6), with the score 73-37 in front of 5,802 fans at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, NJ on Saturday evening.

“Both sides of the ball played well tonight,” said Soul head coach Clint Dolezel. “We started off sluggish in the first quarter, but once we caught momentum, there was no stopping us. We have a short week ahead of us as we head out to Arizona but we have to keep pushing because ArenaBowl is still the end goal.”

Soul WR and J. Lewis Small AFL Playmaker of the Game, Darius Reynolds tallied ten receptions for 141 yards and three touchdowns. FB and Under Armour Offensive Player of the Game, Jeramie Richardson added eight rushes for 22 yards and two touchdowns. KISS WR Donovan Morgan led the offense with seven receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

Philadelphia QB Dan Raudabaugh completed 20-of-23 passes for 261 yards and six touchdowns. KISS QB Pete Thomas completed 22-of-40 passes for 259 yards and five touchdowns.

The LA KISS won the coin toss and elected to kick off to the Soul. On the first drive of the game, Soul FB Jeramie Richardson ran in a 2-yard touchdown. The kick was good. With 9:55 left in the first quarter, the Soul took an early lead of 7-0 over the KISS. After an unsuccessful on-side kick for the Soul, the KISS took possession of the ball. On LA’S first drive, QB Pete Thomas connected to WR Donovan Morgan. The kick was good, and with 7:58 left in the first, the KISS tied up the game.

To begin the second quarter, Raudabaugh found WR Darius “Money” Reynolds in the end zone for another Soul touchdown. The kick was no good. With 11:30 left in the half, the Soul led the KISS 13-7. Shortly after, Thomas threw another touchdown pass to WR DJ Stephens to tie up the game once again. KISS PAT was blocked by the Soul, and returned by rookie DL Sean Daniels for a 2-point conversion. The Soul quickly got their lead back, 15-13 with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter. On the next drive, Raudabaugh found Reynolds for his second touchdown of the night to add to their lead. The kick was good, and the Soul led the Kiss, 22-13 with 6:41 left in the half. Not long after, Thomas found WR Brandon Collins for another KISS touchdown. The kick was no good. With under five minutes remaining in the half, the Soul led the KISS 22-19 Raudabaugh immediately answered with a touchdown to WR Sean Kauleinamoku. On the next KISS possession, Soul DB Tracy Belton intercepts Thomas. The Soul capitalize on the opportunity with another touchdown by Jeramie Richardson. At the end of the half, the Soul led 36-19.

To begin the third quarter, the KISS turn the ball over on downs. Raudabaugh immediately connects with Adam Smith. The kick was good and the Soul added to their lead, 43-19 with 10:21 left in the quarter. On their next possession, the KISS once again turn the ball over on downs. With the Soul offense back on the field, Richardson ran the ball in for a 20-yard rushing touchdown. The Soul increased their lead 50-19 with 4:51 to play in the quarter. Thomas quickly responded and connected with Captain Morgan for a 45-yard touchdown pass. The attempted two-point conversion was no good and the Soul remained in the lead 50-25 with 2:09 remaining. With 37 seconds remaining in the quarter, the Soul defense stripped the ball from Thomas’ hands, giving the team their first safety of the season. At the end of the third quarter, the Soul led 52-25.

The Soul opened up the final quarter of play with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Raudabaugh to Money Reynolds. Kick was good and with 14:12 to play in the game, the Soul were winning 59-25. Thomas completed a pass to Stephens for 19 yards and the KISS added six to the board. The KISS’ on-side kick attempt was recovered by Reynolds for another Soul touchdown. The Soul remained in the lead, 66-31 with 9:14 left in the game. In a final attempt by the KISS, Thomas found Morgan for a 7-yard touchdown pass. With 6:35 to play, the Soul led 66-37. The Soul closed out the game with a final touchdown thrown by QB Luke Collis to Chris Duvalt for 7 yards and at the end of the game, the Soul won 73-37.

Next week, the Soul will travel to Arizona to face off against the Rattlers on Saturday, June 17 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and 97.5 The Fanatic. Kick-off set for 7 p.m. (10 p.m. EST)

Under Armour Offensive Player: Philadelphia FB Jeramie Richardson
Riddell Defensive Player: Philadelphia DB Tracy Belton
J Lewis Small AFL Playmaker: Philadelphia WR Darius Reynolds
Cutter’s Catch of the Game: Philadelphia WR Darius Reynolds second quarter 37-yard touchdown reception.
AFL Highlight of the Game: Blocked kick recovered by Soul Daniels in second quarter.