The Racine Raiders extended their historic win streak this week to 31 games with their win over the fourth-ranked Illinois Cowboys. It was obvious to tell that it would be a defensive matchup for the night. The Raiders would pull away late in the fourth quarter to keep the winning streak alive.
The Raiders’ offense struggled to get going once again, but the defense stepped up when it mattered the most. The Raiders put up just over 170 total yards but didn’t score a touchdown. Their points came from three Brady Wodack field goals and a safety forced by Aarion Ivy late in the game.
The Raiders defense played well on the night, forcing the Cowboys to play out of their comfort zones. The Raiders defense allowed just under 140 yards on the night while shutting out the Cowboys. The Raiders totaled seven sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception to go with stellar play throughout the night.
The first score of the game came halfway through the second quarter when the Raiders were driving down the field but ultimately got stopped short of the goal line. Wodack would come on and hit a 36-yard field goal to make it 3-0 with just over seven minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The Raiders’ next score of the game came early in the fourth quarter. The Raiders would be forced to punt when Wodack came on and forced the Cowboys within their 10-yard line to start the drive. This resulted in a quick one-play drive where Ivy would rush the edge and force the sack in the endzone making it a safety. This would put the Raiders up 5-0 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders next score of the game was only a few minutes later when the Raiders would once again be stopped inside the red zone. Wodack would come in again and hit a 25-yard field goal to put the Raiders up 8-0 with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders’ final score of the game came late in the fourth quarter when the Raiders were looking to stop a potential Cowboys comeback. The Raiders would once again be stopped on their side of the field but this time they couldn’t make it to the red zone. Wodack would come in to attempt a career-high 41-yard field goal and he would hit it straight through the uprights making it 11-0 Raiders with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders passing game struggled once again this week. Andre Locke, Jr. totaled 8-of-14 attempts for 67 yards, one interception, and no touchdowns. Sawyer Schick tallied 4-of-12 attempts for 55 yards and no touchdowns.
The Raiders running game was once again led by a committee. This week they were led by Rashawn Herron who tallied seven carries for 20 yards. Howard Triplett added 24 yards on six carries. Tom Benko totaled 17 yards on four attempts and Jason Kelly added 10 yards on five carries.
Leading the way in receiving yards for the Raiders was Rashawn Herron who had one catch for 31 yards. Right behind him was Ian Gaines who tallied two catches for 30 yards. Bubba Rewolinski added three catches for 15 yards and Jordan Payne had two catches for 13 yards.
The Raiders defense contributed across the board, but leading the way on the defensive line was Ronald Haggins who tallied two tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery. Leading the way for the linebackers was Ivy who totaled four tackles and one sack that resulted in a safety. Leading the way in the secondary was Corey Dalton who added three tackles and multiple pass breakups.
The Raiders will travel once again this week to face the nationally-ranked Detroit Ravens on Saturday, May 31, at The Hawk Farmington Community Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The game will have a 6:30 pm CT kickoff and an official viewing party will be held at Angry Brothers Pub and Grill in Racine.
