| Raiders Roll To 19th Straight Win Defense sparkles and sets up easy opportunities for offense Matt Weinstein –Staff Writer Democrat and Chronicle
Mike Mikolaichik is like most quarterbacks. When the offensive line gives him time to throw, opposing teams can only watch the scoreboard light up.
Saturday against the previously unbeaten New England Surge, time was on his side. The Hilton native completed 9 of 14 passes for 152 yards and four touchdowns as the Rochester Raiders pummeled the Surge 62-20 in front of an announced crowd of 5,320 at the Blue Cross Arena at the Community War Memorial. "Any time you play an undefeated team it's a big game and that's what we prepared for," Mikolaichik said. "We feel every time there's a big crowd we step it up even more and it's great to know so many people are behind us." The Raiders (7-0) have a 19-game winning streak, 11 in a row at home, and are the only remaining undefeated team in the Continental Indoor Football League. Rochester, which defeated previously unbeaten Saginaw 59-43 two weeks ago, is in first place in the Atlantic Conference Western Division. "Now we are the Lone Ranger as far as being undefeated," Mikolaichik said. "Teams will be hunting us and we know we need to stay on top of our game. We don't take any team lightly." The Surge took a 6-0 lead on the first play from scrimmage but the Raiders took a 7-6 lead on their opening possession when Chris Carter made an over-the-shoulder grab on a hard throw from Mikolaichik for a 17-yard touchdown. The Raiders then took a 20-6 lead on touchdowns set up by back-to-back interceptions by J.J. Gibson and Makis Whitaker (Wilson).
"Defensively we stress putting pressure on the quarterback and if we continue to do that we'll get turnovers," Raiders coach Eddie Long said. "All of our turnovers tonight came from getting pressure on the quarterback; it is no coincidence." Gibson's interception set up a 31-yard TD run by Jamil Porter (Marshall) and Whitaker's set up a 37-yard TD pass by Mikolaichik to Noah Fehrenbach (Marcus Whitman). Three of Mikolaichik's first four completions were for touchdowns.
"I think right now we are on a roll offensively," Long said. "We're protecting the ball which is huge and Mike is captaining our ship. He understands where the receivers are going to be and how to beat defenses." After the teams traded touchdowns, Kwynn Walton (Aquinas) recovered a fumble and brought it 13 yards for a score to give the Raiders a 34-12 lead with 3:40 remaining in the half. The Raiders outscored the Surge 28-0 in the second half.
"We have the best defense in the league," wide receiver Maurice Jackson (Marshall) said. "They go against us every day and we go against them every day which just makes the entire team better." Rochester has allowed 23.4 points per game, by far the best in the league.
"Twenty points in arena football, that's ungodly," Mikolaichik said.
Jackson finished with three touchdowns and Porter rushed for 81 yards and two scores on seven carries. "He (Porter) is getting it going right now and running like the Jamil of last year," Long said. "He's got a little more pop and a little more attitude." Walton, Dale Buck (Oakfield-Alabama), James Baker, T.J. Cottrell and Mike Condello (Rush-Henrietta) each registered a sack and Darius Smith (Franklin) added an interception for the Raiders. The Raiders will travel to Pennsylvania to play the Lehigh Valley Outlawz Saturday night. Rochester defeated the Outlawz 49-27 earlier in the season. "We really got it going now," Jackson said. "If we continue to work hard in practice and clean up a few things there is no reason we can't match last year's success."
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