The Catania Elephants caught the 6:50 a.m. Wind Jet flight to Forli' this morning and then boarded a recliner bus for the 80 mile drive to Ancona. We arrived full of enthusiam and confidence, getting out of the gate quickly.
At kickoff, the two teams faced a very strong wind, "going right to left across your radio dial", that would never let up during the game with temperatures starting at 7 degrees Celsius which equals 44 degrees Fahrenheit. It got colder as the game wore on with a wind chill factor that cut right through you.
Fabio Scuto chasing down the Ancona QB.
FIRST QUARTER:
Catania took the kickoff and drove down the field, finishing off with a Luke Tracy 1 yard TD run. The fake 2 point conversion resulted in a sack, Catania 6 - 0.
Ancona was forced to give up the ball on downs.
Again, the Elephants took advantage with the drive climaxing in another Luke Tracy QB sneak for 1 yard out for a touchdown. The 2 point conversion pass was incomplete, Elephants 12 - 0.
DEFENSE!
SECOND QUARTER:
Ancona responded with a 6 yard touchdown pass to cut the Elephant's lead to 12 - 7.
Catania turned the ball over on downs.
Ancona again scored, this time on a wild 20 yard TD pass that featured their quarterback scrambling probably 50 yards laterally. The Dolphins now led 14 - 12.
Catania was forced to punt the ball back to the Dolphins.
Ancona ran out the half holding on to a 14 - 12 lead.
Offense on the Move
THIRD QUARTER:
Ancona's first drive stalled on downs.
The Elephant's drive ended with an interception.
The Dolphins were forced to punt, but the punt inadvertently hit an Elephant. Ancona recovered the loose ball.
After Ancona recovered the live punt, the Elephant's Defense rose to the occasion and forced another Ancona punt.
After three periods, Ancona held onto a 14 - 12 lead.
Defensive Action
FOURTH QUARTER:
Catania's drive stalled out on downs.
Once again the Elephant Defense, showing lots of courage and determination recovered an Ancona fumble.
Catania's final drive of the game ended with a field goal attempt that had no chance, as the Dolphins poured in to tackle the holder before the kicker had a chance to make contact with the ball.
Ancona then took a knee twice, to end the game.
FINAL SCORE: ANCONA 14 - CATANIA 12
It was a very tough loss for the Elephants but give credit to Ancona for taking advantage of too many Cantania mistakes. We will need a GREAT week of practice to iron out our first game issues.
The Elephants (0 - 1) will travel to Bergamo (0 - 2) next Sunday to play against the defending league champion Lions.
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