Raiders Special Teams Lead Way to 22nd Straight Win

Racine Raiders head coach Gino Perfetto admitted that special teams was underperforming over the past month and it was something the coaching staff was working to fix. That work paid off Saturday as the Raiders beat the Wauwatosa Spartans, 29-15, in front of nearly 1,400 fans at Historic Horlick Athletic Field in Racine.

Wauwatosa beat the Raiders in nearly every statistical category. The Spartans held the ball for over 39 minutes and ran 73 plays to the just 44 for the Raiders.

The difference was the Raiders special teams. With the Spartans leading 3-0 with 11 minutes to play in the second quarter, Brian Newell's 43-yard field goal attempt for the Spartans was short. The Raiders Torie Ruffin fielded the ball eight yards deep in the end zone and brought it out, running down the Raiders sideline for a touchdown. Joel DaPra's extra point was good and the Raiders led 7-3.

Wauwatosa fired right back as JuJuan Zolicoffer slipped by Raiders defensive back Steve Kleist and caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from Tony Henner. The Newell extra point was blocked but the Spartans led 9-7.

The Raiders put together a 9-play, 53-yard drive, getting to the Spartans 27 yard line. DaPra booted a 45-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 10-9 lead with 5:52 to play in the half.

Less than three minutes later, the Raiders struck again when J.R. Taylor punched the ball in from one-yard out. The touchdown was setup by a nice pass from Craig McClelland to Sam D'Alie. The Raiders led 17-9.

Just like the last meeting between the two teams, the Spartans would score right before the half. Henner hit Greg Rebella for a 15-yard touchdown. The Spartans tried to tie the game going into the half but the two-point conversion pass from Henner fell incomplete. The Raiders took a 17-15 lead into halftime.

Neither team would score in the third quarter but the Raiders would get on the board with 13:03 to play in the fourth quarter. Taylor, who was held to just six yards on five carries, carried the ball twice on the drive for 34 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 23-15 lead.

DaPra added two late field goals from 23 and 30 yards to solidify the Raiders victory, 29-15.

McClelland didn't throw a touchdown pass in the game for the first time in his Raiders career, a total of 20 straight games. McClelland completed 8 passes in 17 attempts for 181 yards. Taylor finished the game with 74 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Traves Worthington was the leading receiver for the Raiders with 2 catches for 41 yards.

The win sets up a battle for the Southwest Division title next week as the Raiders host the Racine Threat. Both teams are 8-0 overall, 6-0 in the Mid-States Football League and 3-0 in the division. The Threat narrowly beat the Roscoe Rush, 30-27, Saturday night.

PHOTO CREDITS: John Staats