Lightning strikes Typhoon, 20-12

The Shell Lightning made the most of the mild weekend weather on Saturday morning as they stormed onto the CPA Airport Field to win their second game of the season by toppling the Tinian Typhoon to remain undefeated in their 2005 Commonwealth Football League campaign.

Quarterback Brian Hahn went 9-for-26 with a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions en route to accumulating a team record 133 yards through the air, while Jeff Boyer carried the lion’s share of the load on the ground by grinding out 60 yards on 12 carries.

While the CFL rookie QB plunged into the endzone from three yards out on a sneak, he inflicted most of his damage to the Typhoon when he found Clas Ngeskebei on out patterns. The wily wide receiver caught three passes for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the day, and said that he was pleased with the overall performance of the entire team.

“Man, I was just proud of the offensive line and the team itself—especially the defense. The lines, the running backs, the quarterback—they all did their jobs. How can you not be proud of that? It was a team effort and we can do better and we have a lot to work on, so we’ll go back to work on Monday in practice and go from there. I’m just happy we got the “W” and we’re 2-0 baby,” he said.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Lightning got the ball with great field position on their own 47 yard line and drove the ball down to the Typhoon 19 with seven consecutive run plays before Hahn found Ngeskebei for the game’s first score. Roger Tudela converted the two-point attempt to give Shell an 8-0 lead

The Lightning got the ball back a few minutes later and drove down to the Tinian 10 yard line, but linebacker Keith Nabors picked off a pass that gave the Typhoon a surge of momentum. On the ensuing play quarterback Juanis King electrified the white, green, and yellow sideline when he launched a 79-yard touchdown pass to Chris Pascua, but the play was called back as the big men on the line were set up incorrectly prior to the snap.

The drive eventually stalled as the whistle sounded to end the second half.

After trading first play turnovers when play resumed in the third quarter, King launched a 38-yard strike to Ringo Reyes for his second score of the season. The point after attempt failed, leaving the score 8-6.

The tone of the game changed on the next possession as the Shell Lightning imposed their will on the Typhoon. Hahn engineered an 80-yard drive that resulted with his breaking the plane on a quarterback sneak from three yards out with 3:16 left in the third quarter to give the Lightning a 14-6 lead.

The time consuming drive left the Tinian squad with a well rested offense, and King completed a pair of passes for 24 yards before handing off to Steve Mendiola for a 23-yard touchdown run that brought the Typhoon to within two at 14-12. They would have tied the score were it not for a dropped pass in the endzone.

Tinian got the ball back midway through the fourth quarter but a couple of ill-timed penalties forced them to punt from deep within their own territory, resulting in terrific Lightning field position.

Hahn then found Ngeskebei 21 yards down the field for a touchdown and the duo’s third hook up of the day. Despite the 20-12 hole, the Typhoon never gave up, but their receivers lost the ability to catch as King attempted to drive them to a game-tying score.