CardSharks Defense Holds Evansville

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CardSharks Defense Holds Evansville
Atlantic City CardSharks – 31 Evansville Blue Cats - 27

Saturday, June 5, 2004

By Matthew Gionta
Atlantic City Cardsharks Correspondent

The CardSharks defeated the Evansville Blue Cats 31-27 at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday, June 5. With the win, the ‘Sharks improve to 5-5 on the year, while the Blue Cats fall to 4-5. The game was a defensive struggle with the teams scoring a combined 58 points. In the first meeting between the teams, 92 points were scored in a 52-40 ‘Sharks win.

Defensive End Eddie Bynes had another strong game for the CardSharks, recording 5 solo tackles and 4 assists. Linebacker Nolan James continued to patrol the middle of the field with force, by recording 5 solo tackles. Cornerback Chonn Lacey snagged his third interception in the last two games, and came up with 2 tackles on the night.

Offensively, Quarterback Tony Racioppi completed 17 of 31 passes for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wide Receiver Eric “Easy” Magrini was on the receiving end of both touchdowns, and hauled in 7 passes on the night. Greg Muckerson also added 7 receptions for the second week in a row.

Rocco DeMaise continued his special teams assault on the NIFL with 158 return yards and 2 touchdowns. DeMaise ran one kickoff back for a touchdown, and returned a missed Brad Zientara field goal for the other. Kicker Scott Rubinetti had a solid night, kicking a key 27-yard field goal before the half and recording 5 points on the night.

Head coach and General Manager of the CardSharks, Mike Siani said, “The game wasn’t pretty for either side, but the most important thing is that we came out on top.” Siani excitedly added, “Our offense has struggled a bit in the last few weeks, so we’ll need to focus on being more efficient next week.”