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Restoring order: Wranglers avenge loss to Everett for second straight win
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
The Allen Wranglers knew good and well what to expect out of the Everett Raptors this time.
Just three weeks removed from a 74-73 overtime loss to the Raptors, there was no element of surprise to be found June 7 as Allen avenged the prior defeat in its second road game in five days, this one a 56-38 victory over Everett.
"Me and [co-interim head coach Quinn] Cairo switched some things around," said Dixie Wooten, Allen co-interim head coach and offensive coordinator, "and the guys are starting to buy into the way we're feeding it to them, so we feel like things are coming around."
Operating from midfield, Allen consumed 25 yards that ended with quarterback David Knighton finding Maurice Avery for a 3-yard touchdown pass.
The defense followed suit, scuttling Everett's counterstrike by stuffing the Raptors on fourth-and-goal.
The floodgates steadily crept open four plays later when Knighton found Ramonce Taylor for a 24-yard score. One lost Everett fumble later and a 34-yard touchdown return by Frankie Solomon Jr. gave the Wranglers a 21-7 advantage with 9:10 left in the second quarter.
"[Everett] did some good things, but this time when they ran certain plays we saw it coming," Wooten said. "They were the same good team that we saw last time; it's just that we were better prepared for them this time."
The Wranglers wouldn't relinquish the lead, complementing Solomon's fumble recovery with a trio of interceptions on Everett quarterback Shane Austin.
"We disguised our coverages a bit more," Wooten said. "The first time we played them, we lined up in what we were going to run and their quarterback picked us apart. In this game, we disguised coverages and made him think on the run; that's what led to the three picks."
Jovan Jackson and Travonti Johnson each enjoyed takeaways, while Allen's offense picked up where it left off against Nebraska.
Knighton's sophomore stint under center for the Wranglers finished with 159 yards and four touchdowns on 17-of-27 passing.
"We didn't have much time to groom a quarterback earlier," Wooten said. "With David, he can run a little bit, can throw good and I feel like he's the guy to lead us to a championship."
Luke McArdle wound up on the receiving end of 56 yards and one touchdown to lead the Wranglers, while running back Darius Fudge caught seven passes for 39 yards to go along with 43 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Fudge found the end zone all three times in the second half, expanding a 21-17 halftime advantage to 35-23 after three quarters and into the eventual 56-38 final.
With a playoff spot already clinched, the Wranglers still have a chance to host a game following Saturday's regular season finale at 7:05 p.m. against the New Mexico Stars.
A Wranglers win coupled with a loss by the Wichita Wild (also 8-5) to the 10-4 Green Bay Blizzard on Saturday would land Allen the conference's No. 2 seed and a home game against either the Wild or Colorado Ice.
"The guys are pumped up," Wooten said. "Things were kind of shaky when we lost 4-of-5 and I think their confidence was shaken a little bit, but with these last two that we've won and how hard they've been practicing, I feel like they're getting back to their old selves."
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