High expectations are set for this Staffs team, as the previous year’s side went undefeated in the regular season. Several keys players have since moved on, and it painfully showed as the Stallions were regularly beaten and torn apart by a more ruthless and disciplined side.
The Stallions won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball from the opening kickoff.
The Stallions’ offence fielded eight new starters and found some early success on their opening drive - first year running back Tyler King kept moving the chains to the Warriors 30 yard line.
The drive stalled, and a fourth down Stallions field goal attempt was blocked. Sheffield took over on their own 38. Tough defensive stands by either side rendered the first quarter a battle of punting and poor field position.
The second quarter began the demise of the Stallions defence. The Warriors quirky “double-wing” formation opened up running room for Sheffield’s bull-dozing fullback, whose 35-yard touchdown run, followed by two-point conversion, gave the visitors an 8-0 lead.
The Stallions offence sparked into life, marching down the field before for quarterback Ryan Stewart fumbled the ball after a botched snap. The Warriors recovered and soon capitalised on the turnover with quarterback David Saul scrambling home a 10 yard score in the dying embers of the half. Another two-point conversion saw the visitors go into the break 16-0 to the good.
Sheffield took over at their own 30 to begin the second half, and behind a large offensive line and the trickery and misdirection of the gimmicky “double-wing” formation quickly drove downfield. The fleet-footed signal-caller Saul scored on a broken play from 22 yards out. A third 2pt conversion saw the Stallions go 26-0 down midway through the third quarter.
The Stallions had not quite surrendered yet, responding on the next drive. Quarterback Ryan Stewart’s strong passing arm and the speed of the new-look running attack, Staffs fired the ball into the Warriors red-zone. Stewart rolled out of the pocket and found second-year wide receiver Gareth Evans in the corner for the Stallions first score of the year. Down by such a margin, a two-point try was attempted but well-defended, leaving the score at 26-6.
A special teams mistake led to a Stallions safety, falling to 28-6. With injuries decimating the defensive line, a makeshift front four were easily carved up by Sheffield’s ground attack. The remaining 5 minutes of play led to Sheffield inevitably and eventually scoring on the last play of the game, with the final score a disappointing 32-6 to the visitors.
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