Belfast Trojans 30-14 Belfast Bulls

Barry Magee proved himself as a top coach in the IAFL by stringing together an excellent lineup, as his Belfast Trojans wrapped up their first derby sweep of the Belfast Trojans. Although the 30-14 scoreline might reveal indicate otherwise, Magee’s squad was comprised heavily of first-year players forced to fill in for injured or ill teammates. This, however, was never apparent. After the opening drive was stuffed by an always formidable Trojan defense, Erin Wagner found paydirt behind the first of many long drives bolstered by the offensive line. When Chris McKeown found Kai Ruggeri for the two point conversion, it was the first of four consecutive scoring completions for the pair. The game would draw near before that happened, though. Later in the quarter, led by a shifty Bulls #5, the Trojan defense was pushed to the wall. A near-interception which would have ended the drive was nearly dropped, and two plays later #5 found 89 in the back of the end zone to tighten the score at 8-6.

Trojan offensive linemen, led by Charles Blackburn, would have none of it, and led another long drive downfield. Blackburn, playing in his first ever game, paved the way for big runs by Jay Mackenzie, Wagner, and Alex Newton. These took them inside the five yard line before McKeown found Ruggeri for another score. The conversion attempt pass was tipped by a Bulls defender, but was still collected by Ruggeri for a 16-6 lead. Both teams shared possessions after that, before Scott Fischaber’s first interception of the day stopped the Bulls inside the 30. Just two plays later, McKeown found Ruggeri streaking down the sideline. With just the safety left to beat, Ruggeri found speed and coasted into the end zone untouched. Mackenzie’s run pushed the score to 24-6. The Bulls found some success in the air but were forced again to punt. Resulting excellent field position was put to use by the Trojans, and a quick drive topped off with Wagner’s second score capped the first half at 30-6. The Trojans would not score again.

With good ball movement by the Bulls offense in the second half, the Trojan defense was pushed constantly. After making some adjustments, another Bulls drive was stopped but the punt pinned the Trojans inside the five. On the series’ second possession, a botched handoff was found by Bulls #6, and #5’s two-point run closed the gap to 30-14.
Both teams were sufficient at moving the chains, but neither would score again. Even though battling all over the field and on both sides of the ball, turnovers ended each drive. Ultimately, Fischaber’s second pick on the day ended the Bulls’ chances, and the 16-point advantage sent the Trojans to the top of the IAFL North, while the Bulls’ can ill-afford any more losses if they hope to remain in the playoff picture.

Game MVP
Charlie Blackburn
Offensive MVP
Chris McKeown
Defensive MVP
Scott Fischaber
Top Play
Kai Ruggeri’s 70+ yard touchdown catch and run.
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter: Erin Wagner run (Kai Ruggeri 2pt conversion pass from Chris McKeown)
1st Quarter: Bulls 89 pass from 5 (Conversion failed)
1st Quarter: Ruggeri pass from McKeown (Ruggeri 2pt conversion pass from McKeown)
2nd Quarter: Ruggeri pass from McKeown (Jay Mackenzie 2pt conversion run)
2nd Quarter: Erin Wagner run (Conversion failed)
3rd Quarter: Bulls 6 fumble recovery (Bulls 5 2pt conversion run)

Trojan Scoring
Game Season
Kai Ruggeri, 16 (2 TD, 2 2PT) Kai Ruggeri, 40 (5-5)
Erin Wagner, 12 (2-0) Erin Wagner, 30 (4-3)
Jay Mackenzie, 2 (0-2) Adrian Cassidy, 6 (1-0) Scott Fischaber, 6 (1-0) Rob Lyttle, 6 (1-0)
Chris McKeown, 6 (1-0)
Jay Mackenzie, 2 (0-2)