The Raiders scored the first three touchdowns of the game and never looked back, forcing six Guard turnovers in a 56-33 win in Fayetteville. It was the Raiders' third win over the Guard (2-12) in as many meetings this season, and their sixth in the 14-game schedule.

Lamar Little got the Raiders started, scampering 25 yards for a touchdown on third down. On the next Richmond possession, Little threw a 32 yard touchdown pass to Chris Schubert, who had gotten behind two Guard defenders on a play when the Guard were offsides, making it a free play for the Raiders and devastation for the Guard. Both TDs were set up by turnovers, a Jesse Parker interception and a Jerome Mann fumble recovery snuffing out Fayetteville drives. Dalvon Mack returned an interception 16 yards for a score to make it 21-0 early in the second quarter.

The Guard closed the gap, getting a Javaris Taylor TD toss to Walter Ford and a pick-six of their own, courtesy of Camron McGlenn. After the Guard pushed the Raiders back, sacking Little on consecutive plays, Bruce Reinecker nailed a 41 yard field goal, but Fayetteville was poised to cut the deficit even further in the final minute of the first half. The Raiders forced three straight incompletions, and Sinisa Vrvilo missed a 45 yard field goal with 10 seconds left, seting up a 33 yard field goal by Reinecker on the last play of the half. It was set up by a 23 yard pass from Little to a diving Jay Jackson at the Guard 17.

The teams traded fumbles to begin the second half, and as the Raiders began to score again, the Guard continued to turn the ball over. Little found Jackson from 12 yards out, Reinecker hit another field goal, and Deleon Raynor scooped up a Taylor fumble and apparently ran in to the end zone, but was ruled down at the Guard six yard line, setting up a Jarrett Brown TD run from there. Brown, playing running back in place of the injured Craig Mangrum, finished with 36 yards rushing and one score.

Tymere Zimmerman replaced Taylor as the Guard quarterback and piloted his team to three late touchdowns, one coming on a gadget play when Zimmerman threw a pass backward to wide receiver Walter Ford, who then threw 20 yards downfield to Prentice Quince for a score. The Raiders kept pace, getting a Little-to-Stephen Miller touchdown and Reinecker's fourth field goal (and third uno) of the game to account for the final margin. The Raiders also recovered two onside kicks to defuse any chance of a miracle comeback.

Player of the Game: Bruce Reinecker, who scored 20 points among PATs, field goals, and unos. On the occasions when the Raider offense couldn't move the ball, he bailed them out with three pointers from 41, 33, 39, and 27 yards.

Offensive Stars: Chris Schubert caught three balls for 57 yards and a score, putting him at 799 yards and a team high 21 TDs for the season; Lamar Little threw for three touchdowns and ran for another; Jay Jackson caught his 18th TD of the year and led the team with 911 receiving yards.

Defensive Stars: Dalvon Mack had a pick six, Jerome Mann had an interception and a fumble recovery, Jesse Parker had an interception that led to the first Raider score.

Audio Highlights: Little's TD run, Schubert TD catch, Mack INT return, a Reinecker uno, Brown's TD run

Other Links: Fayetteville Observer report

Next: season over

Things started well for the Raiders in Saturday night's home finale. Sharp play in all three facets of the game staked them to a 22-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. Then Harrisburg woke up, started racking up defensive three-and-outs against Richmond, and pulled away for a 46-32 win, clinching the Eastern Conference's second seed and home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Raiders drove the ball 45 yards in five plays on their first drive, following an opening uno by Phil Marfuggi, and Lamar Little completed all four of his passes, including an 18 yard touchdown toss to Chris Schubert. After a long TD from Aries Nelson to Silas Daniels, the Raiders responded with a Herb Jones touchdown catch in the middle of the end zone, with a Bruce Reinecker uno pushing the lead to 15-8. The Raiders defense stopped the Stampede on three straight plays, nearly catching Nelson for a safety before he threw the ball away, and after the returned field goal attempt the offense drove 44 yards in four plays with Schubert making a 13 yard catch for the score on the last play of the first period.

The Stampede offense got back on track thanks to two runs by Eugene Goodman of nine and ten yards on the first two plays of the second quarter. Nelson capped the drive with an 11 yard strike to Daniels to pull the Stampede within 8. The Raiders drove inside the Stampede 15, but the drive stalled and a 27 yard field goal was set up but never attempted after a high snap drew holder Schubert off the ground before he was tackled back at his own 20 yard line. Two plays later the Stampede were in the end zone again, and an excessive celebration penalty tacked 10 yards on to the Jay Jackson kickoff return, starting the Raiders at the Stampede 12. Once again, Harrisburg's defense was stout, and the Raiders settled for a field goal and a 25-20 lead. The Stampede reclaimed the lead with 23 seconds left in the first half when Goodman ran it in from four yards out, but the Raiders drove into field goal range before the half ended. Once again, a medium range (25 yard) field goal never got away, this time a low snap from Chris Stokes sinking the Raiders' hopes of taking the lead at halftime.

The Stampede extended their lead off the second half kickoff, with Goodman running through wide open space for a 13 yard score. The Stampede stopped the Raiders on three and outs on their next two possessions, but the Raiders' defense was not to be outshone. They stopped the Stampede on a fourth and five inside the Raider 10, and got an interception from Dalvon Mack to keep Harrisburg off the scoreboard for the rest of the quarter. Robbie Jenkins came on in relief of Little and threw a 15 yard dart to Schubert to pull the Raiders back within two at the end of the third.

Goodman scored his third touchdown, this one on a screen pass, on the ensuing Stampede drive. A Marfuggi field goal was sandwiched between two defensive stops, a three and out and a William Hines interception. The Raider defense, playing with its back against the wall, held the Stampede to a field goal attempt on a drive that started at the Raider 8 yard line, and when Marfuggi missed from 23 yards, the Raiders had a glimmer of hope. Down 14 points with just 52 seconds left, they would need a touchdown and an onside kick to give themselves a shot at tying the game -- and after Harrisburg scored 10 points in the final minute against the Raiders in the last matchup, nobody was counting them out. Jenkins couldn't provide the quick spark, however, and was picked off by Marcus Sargeant to snuff out the comeback attempt and give the Stampede their fourth straight win.

Player of the Game: Chris Schubert, who scored three touchdowns among his eight catches for 79 yards, including another over-the-wall grab that he pulled back in bounds and took across the goal line.

Offensive Stars: Herb Jones caught six balls for 43 yards and a score; Lamar Little had a good first half, throwing for 142 yards and three TDs, and adding a nice 16 yard run after being pressured in the backfield deep in his own territory.

Defensive Stars: Dontre Brown had a sack and a half and blocked an extra point, Dalvon Mack had a key interception, Aswad McLane teamed up with Brown on a sack.

Audio Highlights: Schubert's three touchdowns, Mack INT, Little open field run, Jones TD catch

Other Links: Times-Dispatch recap

Next: season finale at Fayetteville, Saturday 6/26, 7:00 pm

After a back and forth second half, the Raiders opened up a ten point lead over the Harrisburg Stampede with just 44 seconds to go. A disastrous turn of events, including a botched extra point, a Stampede touchdown, and the offense's failure to gain positive yardage leading to a fumble, led to a Harrisburg field goal as the clock hit 0:00, sending the game into overtime. In the third extra session, the Stampede defense held the Raiders to four straight incomplete passes to seal an improbable, 74-68 victory that eliminated the Raiders from playoff contention.

Bruce Reinecker got the Raiders started with an uno on the opening kickoff, only to see the Stampede drive 45 yards for a touchdown on 4th and goal. Twice, the Raiders defense made big stops on Stampede rushing attempts near the goal line, and they appeared to have stopped Aries Nelson on a QB sneak on fourth down, but the referees ruled that he extended the ball over the goal line. Richmond bounced back on their next two defensive series, holding the Stampede to a three and out after which they turned the ball over on a bad snap on the field goal attempt, and getting an interception from Jesse Parker.

The Raiders offense had an inconsistent first half. Twice they were held to field goal attempts (one of which Reinecker made from 40 yards), and on consecutive possessions they fumbled, once on a bobbled toss to Craig Mangrum and once on a bad center-quarterback exchange. Reinecker tacked on a field goal on the last play of the half in addition to scoring unos on four of his five kickoffs. Lamar Little threw two TD passes and the defense sacked Nelson for a safety and picked him off again with Jerome Mann doing the honors to keep the Stampede out of the end zone for most of the second quarter. The Raiders held a 31-25 lead at halftime.

If the first half was inconsistent for the Raider offense, the third quarter was downright miserable. They missed field goals after three and outs on both of their possessions (and on their first of the fourth quarter), and again left it to the defense to keep them in the game. After a Harrisburg three and out, another bad snap on the field goal was recovered in the end zone by Deleon Raynor, and two possessions later Raynor returned an interception for a touchdown to put the Raiders up 44-41 early in the fourth.

The teams then traded touchdowns, and with just 1:55 remaining the Raiders had a four point lead. As the Stampede tried to drive for a go-ahead touchdown, Nelson was sacked and stripped of the ball, with John Hall recovering at the Harrisburg 2. After a Mangrum run into the end zone, the Raiders had a bad snap on the extra point to keep the score 58-48. The Stampede covered 45 yards in five plays to get a touchdown on a Tim Jones leaping reception in the back of the end zone to get within three. The onside kick went out of bounds after traveling just nine yards, and the Raiders had control with 17 seconds left and Harrisburg owning just one timeout. If they could run just two plays that gained positive yardage, they would be assured the victory.

The Stampede defense had other thoughts. They stopped Little and Mangrum on first and second downs, which stopped the clock under one minute timing rules. On third down, Little ran a naked bootleg but before he could cross the line of scrimmage, he was hit and fumbled back to the Stampede 20 with just two seconds left. That was enough for them to get a play off, and Phil Marfuggi nailed a 42 yard field goal to tie the game at 58.

In the first overtime, both teams scored touchdowns, and after a laborious drive to start the second overtime, the Raiders came away with a field goal. The Raider defense swarmed around Nelson the next three plays, forcing three incomplete passes and another 42 yard attempt to tie the game. Marfuggi was true, and the Raiders chose to play defense first in the third OT. A big pass on first down set up a Eugene Goodman 16 yard touchdown run, but when he threw the ball into the stands in celebration, he drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that made the mandatory two point conversion attempt that much harder. The Stampede tried and end around but were stopped a few yards short, meaning if the Raiders could score and get two, they would win. Again the Stampede defense was up to the challenge. They sacked Little on first down, then harassed him into three straight incompletions, sending the Raiders to a heartbreaking defeat.

The game was not without controversy. In addition to the fourth and goal play on the first drive, the Stampede had a goal to go situation early in the fourth quarter. Nelson was stopped on a second down sneak, and when Goodman tried to rush to the outside on third down, he seemed to lose the ball at the one and have it go over the wall in the end zone. The play was initially ruled a fumble with the Raiders getting the touchback, but that call was overturned and Goodman was awarded the TD. Reinecker made five unos but missed four of eight extra points and four of seven field goals.

Player of the Game: Deleon Raynor, who scored special teams and defensive touchdowns in the midst of three straight ineffective possessions by the offense.

Offensive Stars: Chris Schubert caught five balls for 61 yards and two scores; Herb Jones made six catches for 58 yards. Craig Mangrum took a screen pass 31 yards to set up the short field goal at the end of the first half and scored two touchdowns on the ground.

Defensive Stars: Aswad McLane and Dalvon Mack combined to sack Nelson for the safety, Jesse Parker and Jerome Mann each had an interception.

Audio Highlights: Raynor's TD and interception, Jay Jackson TD, Schubert TD, Raiders safety

Other Links: Harrisburg Patriot News article, Times-Dispatch blurb

Next: home finale vs. Harrisburg, Saturday 6/19, 7:00 pm

In their first meeting with the Baltimore Mariners, the Raiders fell behind early but came back with a chance to win in the final minute. Saturday night, they again fell behind early, but the Mariners ensured there would be no comeback, and moved to 10-0 and clinched a playoff berth with a 57-39 victory.

E.J. Nemeth threw touchdown passes on the Mariners' first two possessions, and the Raiders found themselves down 15-0 after going three and out twice. A glimmer of hope came when Aswad McLane stripped Isaiah Grier of the football and Marcus Hicks recovered, but on the next play Craig Mangrum returned the favor, fumbling back to Baltimore just inside Raider territory. The Mariners turned that turnover into a field goal and an 18-0 lead with a minute to go in the first quarter.

Once the second quarter started, so did the Raiders offense, which scored touchdowns on either side of a blocked field goal to cut the deficit to 18-13. That was as close as Richmond would get the rest of the night. Nemeth flipped a screen pass to Grier on a play where the Raiders jumped offsides, then couldn't get back into position in time to stop Grier's 19 yard scamper into the end zone. Jermaine Thaxton intercepted Robbie Jenkins on the ensuing possession, and again the Mariners turned the turnover into points, this time on a one yard plunge by Grier to go up 32-19. Jenkins found Herb Jones from 24 yards out on the last play of the first half to bring the Raiders within 13.

The Raiders started the second half like a team that was getting tired of trailing on their home turf. Jenkins touchdown passes to Jones and Marcus Richardson, who darted through the Mariner secondary to paydirt, sandwiched a Baltimore touchdown and brought the Raiders back within seven at 40-33. After a defensive stop (with Garry Cipra converting the field goal), it was the Mariner defense, ranked first in the league in most important categories, that made its statement in the ballgame. They registered four straight stops, two on downs and two on interceptions, while Nemeth and company pushed the lead to 24 points in the fourth quarter.

Lamar Little, who replaced Jenkins last week and was scheduled to get some playing time in this game, eventually came in after the affair was decided. He found it difficult to get his footing against the Baltimore defense, but did throw a 49 yard touchdown pass to Jay Jackson for the game's final tally. The Mariner offense, which managed just 81 yards in the first meeting, garnered 222 in this one. Nemeth threw for five touchdowns, four to Scorpio Brown, and wasn't sacked, as he was able to throw many balls into the stands when the pressure was about to get to him.

Player of the Game: Aswad McLane, who forced the fumble that would be the Raider defense's lone takeaway, blocked a field goal, made a tackle for loss, and knocked down a pass at the line.

Offensive Stars: Herb Jones caught five balls for 60 yards and two scores; Jay Jackson hauled in two TDs; Chris Schubert led the receivers with seven catches.

Defensive Stars: Marcus Hicks recovered the fumble, Jerome Mann broke up a pass on a ferocious hit just as the ball got to the receiver.

Audio Highlights: Raiders get a fumble, Mangrum scores, McLane blocked FG, Jones TD, Richardson TD

Other Links: Times-Dispatch article, Mariners website writeup

Next: at Harrisburg, Saturday 6/5, 7:30 pm

A couple of newcomers guided the Raiders' offense to a season high 76 points, and two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the second half buried the game Revolution comeback attempt, as the Raiders set a franchise record for margin of victory with a 76-40 win in New Jersey.

The Revolution scored off the opening kickoff, overcoming two penalties before they ran an official play, to go up 7-0, but the Raiders defense soon served notice that, unlike in their last two games, the Revolution would never be close again in this game. Two Lamar Little (making his indoor football debut in the place of otherwise committed Robbie Jenkins) touchdown passes sandwiched a Craig Mangrum scoring run, and thanks to two missed Revolution field goals -- one of which was blocked by Dontre Brown -- Richmond was up 19-7 early in the second quarter.

The Revolution seemed ready to chip away at the deficit when Chris Manno took a pass from Bill Winters and was trying to get out of tackles as he ran inside the Raiders' 10 yard line. His efforts backfired, though, when Jarret Brown stripped him of the football and Jerome Mann recovered at the Raider 4 yard line. Mangrum, playing in his first full game, ripped off a 46 yard touchdown run on the next play, and after a deep kickoff pinned the Revolution at their own 5, a bad snap resulted in a safety, and the two points made up for two missed PAT kicks. Up 28-7, the Raiders offense stalled for a couple of possessions, as Little threw a few incompletions after hitting on his first handful of passes. He ran into the end zone from 10 yards out on a misdirection QB keeper to put Richmond up 35-7 at halftime.

Mangrum took a screen pass 33 yards for a score to begin the second half, and Deleon Raynor's interception deep in New Jersey territory quickly led to Little's fourth scoring pass of the night to put the Raiders up 49-7. The Revolution finally got on the scoreboard again when Winters found Martin for a 22 yard strike, but Jay Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards for a score. The Revolution played the rest of the second half as if they had something to prove, and Winters engineered two straight scoring drives -- finishing the first on a one yard keeper and the second on a 40 yard bomb to Collis Martin -- around another Raider missed field goal to pull his team within 29, the closest they had gotten since the end of the first half.

Jay Jackson responded again, taking the kickoff 57 yards for a score, which with ten minutes left in the game all but clinched the victory for the Raiders, but also put their defense back on the field slightly fatigued. Winters took advantage, throwing for two more touchdowns before the end of the game, but on the legs of Little and Mangrum, the Raiders kept piling on in the final minutes.

Richmond's defense, coming off a seven-sack performance at Reading last week, took down Winters six times, with every player in the front five, including newcomer Dalvon Mack, getting in on the action. Long snapping was an issue, with usual snapper Steven Miller not making the trip and Mangrum handling the duties, as two field goal attempts never had a chance due to low, ground ball snaps. Little managed the game beautifully, completing 10 of 19 passes, running 7 times, and not turning the ball over.

Player of the Game: Craig Mangrum, who ran for 87 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to the TD reception.

Offensive Stars: Lamar Little threw for 141 yards and four touchdowns, ran for two more scores, and stayed on his feet all day thanks to protection from the O-line; Herb Jones caught five passes for 56 yards and two scores.

Defensive Stars: Jarrett Brown had two and a half sacks and a strip, Deleon Raynor had an interception and two passes broken up.

Audio Highlights: Mangrum long TD run, Jones TD catch, Mangrum reception, Jackson kickoff return, Raiders sack

Other Links: Times-Dispatch blurb, Plainfield Sports News writeup

Next: vs. Baltimore, Saturday 5/29, 7pm

The Raiders' defense dominated the point of attack all night long, and the offense needed a late gut check to stay in the game, but after a hard fought battle in Reading, the Raiders emerged victorious when the Express this time could not score in the final seconds. Erik Rockhold missed a 43 yard field goal with less than a second left as the Raiders, losers to Reading their last trip on a TD with nine seconds left, avenged that loss and got their first win away from home, 40-39.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams misfiring on their opening possessions before settling down. Each side missed an extra point, so when Robbie Jenkins found Chris Schubert for an 11 yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the second quarter, the game was tied at 13. The teams then traded field goals before the Raiders defense stepped up. After having pressured Express QB Rob Flowers early and often, forcing him to throw several balls into the stands and getting a couple of sacks, the rush got to Flowers as soon as he took the snap, before he could throw the ball away, and stripped him deep in Reading territory, with Akeem Lamar recovering the fumble at the Express 6. Jenkins found Schubert on the next play to give the Raiders their first lead of the game.

Flowers moved into the shotgun on his next play, but the result was the same. The snap sailed over his head, and by the time the pileup on the bounding ball was uncovered, Marcus Hicks was on the bottom to give the Raiders their second consecutive turnover The Raiders had to settle for a field goal attempt, which new kicker Jason Cherry missed, and Reading was able to get a three pointer of their own before halftime to cut the Raiders lead to four, 23-19.

The Raiders received the second half kickoff and unleashed their newest offensive weapon. Craig Mangrum, newly signed at fullback, got his first three carries as part of an eight play, 6:35 drive that ended on Mangrum's first touchdown run from a yard out. The Raider defense again held Reading to a field goal attempt, with Rockhold hitting his third out of four tries, and when Richmond took over they picked up where they left off, with Mangrum running to paydirt again in the final minute of the third quarter.

Facing their biggest deficit of the night at 37-22, the Express found another gear in the fourth quarter. Flowers engineered a touchdown drive set up by a Carmelo Ocasio kickoff return to the Raider 23, hitting Jeff Willis for a five yard scoring strike and then running in for two. Rockhold notched an uno on the kickoff to make the score 37-31. Starting from their own 5, the Raiders couldn't get anything going offensively, and after a three-and-out set up a long field goal that was returned to the Raider 20, the Express were poised to take the lead. Two plays later, that's exactly what happened when Flowers and Ocasio hooked up for the third time. Rockhold scored two on the PAT and another uno, giving the Express a two-point lead with 7:39 remaining. The Raiders were backed up on their own 5 again, but softened the Reading defense enough to get a couple of first downs before settling for a 33 yard field goal attempt. Cherry, good on just one of his previous four attempts, was true, and with 2:57 remaining, the Raiders had a tenuous one point lead.

The Express didn't get a good return on the kickoff, as Will Patrick hustled downfield and made a big hit on the return man at the 6 yard line. Unfazed, Flowers drove his team down to the Raiders' 8 yard line before the Raider defense again made a stand. Another sack, a blatant holding penalty, and a forced fumble that Flowers recovered and threw for intentional grounding pushed Reading all the way back in their own territory where they faced 3rd and 27. After a short gain, the Express called their final timeout with seven seconds on the clock and sent in Rockhold for the game winner. He had made seven straight kicks, counting field goals, PATs, and unos back to the first half, but when the pressure was on, the ball came off his foot like a lazy shot put, knuckling sideways well short and wide of the uprights, and the Raiders had the victory.

Player of the Game: Aswad McLane, Corey Ellis, Dontre Brown, Will Patrick, Jarrett Brown, and Marcus Hicks, the Raider D-line and linebackers who made life in the pocket a living hell for Flowers all night long. Their pressure and blitzes afforded the Reading QB little time to look downfield, made him run for his life, and were responsible for turning a chip shot field goal into a long one in the final possession.

Offensive Stars: Chris Schubert had seven receptions for 65 yards and two scores; Craig Mangrum caught a couple of balls out of the backfield and scored twice on the ground.

Defensive Stars: Jerome Mann broke up a touchdown pass and was effective in shutting down half the field, as Flowers consistently looked away from Mann's receiver.

Audio Highlights: Back-to-back Express fumbles, Mangrum's first TD, a sampling of sacks, Patrick's hit on kickoff return, final missed FG

Other Links: Reading Eagle article, Times-Dispatch reprint

Next: at New Jersey, Saturday 5/22, 7pm

From their first possession to their last, the Fayetteville Guard could not hang on to the football, and the Raiders took advantage by scoring 22 points off turnovers en route to their third win -- and first since their last meeting with the Guard April 3 -- in a 55-28 blowout. Jerome Mann got things started for the Raiders on the first drive of the game, picking off Nick Gildersleeve at the goal line and returning it 50 yards for a touchdown. A Jarrett Brown field goal, following another pick by Marcus Hicks, gave the Raiders a 9-0 lead but the Guard would eventually tie the game at 16 thanks to a big kickoff return by Walter Ford and a blocked field goal by Quincey Malloy.

The Raiders took the lead on a five yard touchdown pass from Robbie Jenkins to Jay Jackson to end a drive that took 1:46 and left the Guard with just twelve seconds on the first half clock to make a big play. Instead, it was Jesse Parker who made the big play, intercepting a Gildersleeve pass to secure the seven point lead at halftime. The Raiders' offense was inconsistent throughout the first half, with Jenkins completing just seven of 20 pass attempts and settling for two field goal attempts (of which Brown made one) while scoring two touchdowns.

The second half, however, was quite different. On the first play of the third quarter, Jenkins found Chris Schubert for a twelve yard scoring strike (set up by Jay Jackson's return of the kickoff), and interceptions by Mann and Deleon Raynor set up long, backbreaking touchdown drives. Jenkins hooked up with Herb Jones from twelve yards out on the last play of the third quarter, putting the Raiders up 42-16 entering the final stanza.

The Guard was able to manage two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one of which came when Malloy recovered a fumble in the end zone caused when Jenkins was hit from behind, but bad snaps on both extra point tries only underscored the frustration that permeated all facets of the Guard's efforts in the second half. Jarrett Brown, who made four of seven PATs in his return to special teams duty, ran for an 11 yard touchdown to cap the scoring, and Mann picked off his fourth pass of the game, and the Raiders' seventh, with 13 seconds left to put the exclamation point on the victory.

Former defensive coordinator Charles Gunnings made his debut as Raiders head coach, and his defense did him proud, pressuring Gildersleeve all night long and sacking him three times when not picking off his passes. They held the Guard to just 127 yards of total offense, though Fayetteville started five of six drives at or outside their own 20 yard line once the Raiders decided to stop kicking to Ford.

Player of the Game: Jerome Mann, who had four INTs, all of them in the end zone, and the return for a touchdown.

Offensive Stars: Jay Jackson had five receptions for 59 yards and two scores; Robbie Jenkins heated up in the second half and finished with five TD tosses; Chris Schubert had two receiving touchdowns.

Defensive Stars: Deleon Raynor, Marcus Hicks, and Jesse Parker had an interception each; Mike Crawford was in on 1.5 sacks and Aswad McLane had one.

Audio Highlights: Jerome Mann's four interceptions, Raiders sack, Mike Jenkins TD, Raynor INT

Other Links: Times-Dispatch coverage

Next: at Reading, Friday 5/14, 7pm

The Raiders struck first with a 42 yard field goal by Bruce Reinecker, and Jerome Mann intercepted a Rod Rutherford pass on Erie's first possession. But Robbie Jenkins returned the favor, and Rutherford converted the interception into a touchdown with a one yard run. The Raiders' first play on their ensuing possession was a disaster, with a shotgun snap flying over Jenkins' head and bounding into the end zone, where Ellery Moore grabbed it for another Storm TD. Jenkins was then intercepted for the second time by Corey Oaks, and after a Rutherford pass to David Dinkins for a 17-yard touchdown, the Storm were up 20-3.

The Raiders valiantly fought back, though. On fourth down, Jenkins found a diving Steven Miller in the end zone, and on their next play when they got the ball back, Jenkins hooked up with Miller again for a 30-yard score. After the defense held Erie to a four and out, Jenkins made it three touchdowns on three straight plays with a 23 yard dart to Chris Schubert. That brought the Raiders to within three at 27-24, but Storm backup QB A.J. Roque found Trumaine Riley with 17 seconds left in the first half to make the halftime lead 10 after Reinecker missed a 40 yard field goal as time expired.

The Raider defense did its job in the third quarter, forcing the Storm to attempt field goals on all three of its possessions. Shon Rowser made two of them, and with the Storm defense frustrating Jenkins and company, another interception and a four and out meant that Richmond could not capitalize on its defensive stands and the Storm pushed the lead to 40-24. The Raider offense came to life in the fourth quarter, with Jenkins throwing for two touchdowns and a two point conversion on a triple option look, but Rutherford matched him with two touchdown tosses of his own as the Storm kept the Raiders at arm's length and used a final defensive stop to squash any hopes of a late Raider comeback.

Player of the Game: Steven Miller, who had four catches, at least three of them quite spectacular, for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

Offensive Stars: Jay Jackson was a bright spot in an inconsistent and ultimately ineffective offense, as he had seven receptions for 117 yards and a score.

Defensive Stars: Jerome Mann had an interception that gave the Raiders a chance to go up two scores and sustain early momentum. Aswad McLane had two sacks and was able to harrass the Erie QBs throughout the game.

Audio Highlights: Miller's first TD, Miller's second TD, another great catch by Miller, Mann's INT

Other Links: Richmond Times-Dispatch article, Erie Times-News writeup

Next: home game vs. Fayetteville, Saturday 5/8, 7pm

The Raiders fought from behind all night long, closing to within two points twice, but the passing combination of Rod Rutherford to Eugene Baker provided too much firepower in the second half, and the Erie Storm topped the Raiders 44-35. The Raiders' defense started strong, forcing field goals on the first two Erie possessions (one of which was blocked), but the offense couldn't get anything going on its first two drives either, and by the time Robbie Jenkins threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Chris Schubert, the Raiders had to climb out of a 10 point hole.

Newcomer kicker Bruce Rienecker went four for four on extra points, and his second -- coming after a Jay Jackson kickoff return set up the Raiders at the Storm 7 -- brought Richmond within two, 16-14, with 3:18 remaining in the first half. The Storm marched down the field to answer, hitting paydirt on a Rutherford four yard run to expand their lead to 9. That left the Raiders with 57 seconds to march 45 yards for a touchdown that would bring them within two, before they would receive the second half kickoff. Unfortunately, they were only able to drive 44 yards before the half ended. After converting a fourth down, the Raiders were left with no timeouts and the clock ticking. Robbie Jenkins got a play off right before it hit 0:00, and completed a pass to Herb Jones at the one yard line. Jones ran along the line, trying to get into the end zone, but Storm tacklers made sure he couldn't and rode him into the wall.

Jenkins completed passes of 25 yards to Jones and five yards to Jackson on the first two plays of the second half, bringing the Raiders again to within two points. Again, Rutherford answered, finding Baker for the first of two second half 30 yard touchdown strikes. After the Raiders turned the ball over on downs, then had a field goal blocked, the Storm scored again putting Richmond down by two scores. The teams traded touchdowns, and with 10:59 remaining in the game, the margin was still 16. Jenkins led the Raiders on a three play, 30 yard drive that ended with a six yard pass to Chris Schubert. Though the Raiders missed the two point conversion, the kickoff was not returned out of the end zone, giving them a point and closing the gap to nine.

The Storm tried to kill the clock and almost got a game-clinching touchdown, but an 11 play drive that took 6:37 ended when Dewayne Dixon fumbled trying to extend the ball over the goal line. Deleon Raynor recovered in the end zone, and the Raiders had 1:54 to drive 45 yards, needing the touchdown, two point conversion, and uno on the kickoff to tie the game. Things never got that far, as Jenkins was intercepted on the second play by Roosevelt Benjamin after being hit as he threw the ball, and the Storm were able to run out the clock.

Player of the Game: Jerome Mann, who was in on several key tackles and batted a few passes away from Storm receivers.

Offensive Stars: Herb Jones had a career night, catching 10 passes for 112 yards and a score. Chris Schubert had two receiving touchdowns.

Defensive Stars: Deleon Raynor recovered the key fumble late in the game. Newcomer Marcellus Harris tied for the team lead with six tackles.

Audio Highlights: Jackson kickoff return, resulting TD, Schubert TD, resulting uno

Other Links: Erie Times News article

Next: home rematch with the Erie Storm, 4/30 7:00 pm

In a game where offenses and defenses took turns dominating the action, and rallies by both teams led to a back-and-forth contest, the Reading Express came from behind in the last 45 seconds to capture a 49-46 victory over the Raiders. The Raiders scored two straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take the lead, but Rob Flowers led Reading on a six play, 44 yard drive in just 36 seconds to send the home crowd home happy.

The Raiders started well, scoring a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage on a 37 hard hookup between Robbie Jenkins and Jay Jackson. The Express answered on the very next play when Flowers found Ed Giddings, who had a career day with 108 receiving yards, from 29 yards out for a TD. The teams exchanged touchdowns for the entire first quarter, and Jarret Brown kicked a field goal to tie the game at 21 after he missed three extra points.

The pace ground to a halt in the second quarter. Richmond stopped the Express on downs to set up a go-ahead touchdown, then interceptions on consecutive plays set up a Reading TD drive before Jenkins fumbled in the end zone and Travis Albanesius fell on the loose ball to give the Express a seven point lead. That ended up being the margin at halftime thanks to a Deleon Raynor interception of Flowers in the end zone with 11 seconds left.

Both teams had an interception in the third quarter as the defenses got stop after stop, and a scoreless third period was part of a 22 minute stretch during which no points were scored. The Raiders broke that drought in the fourth quarter with a Jarret Brown 1-yard plunge into the end zone, which got the fun started again. Up by just one point, the Express recovered with a touchdown drive of their own, but a bad snap on the PAT left the Raiders down by just seven with 8:23 left. Jenkins and company put together another productive drive that culminated in Brown's third rushing touchdown of the game, but he missed his fifth extra point of the game, meaning the Raiders needed to get the ball back once more.

Up to the task, Richmond's defense held Reading to a three and out, and after forcing a field goal from the back of the end zone, left the offense with 1:44 and 35 yards to cover for a go ahead touchdown. After an incompletion, Jenkins threw his fourth TD pass of the game, finding Steven Miller on a deep route to put the Raiders up by five. Jenkins was stopped just short of the end zone on a two-point run attempt, but the Express would still need to get into the end zone against a Raiders defense that had stymied them on five of their previous six possessions. But Flowers came through in the clutch, converting a fourth down before finding a diving Tim Smith for the touchdown and then Jeff Willis for two, leaving the Raiders with just nine seconds to throw two passes. The last was completed but well short of the end zone, and the Raiders suffered their second straight road loss in the final seconds.

Player of the Game: Jarrett Brown, who made his first field goal of the season to partially make up for going 1-for-6 on PATs, and also ran the ball effectively in the red zone, scoring three TDs. His kickoffs were improved, with more hangtime that allowed coverage to hold Express return men inside their 10 yard line.

Offensive Stars: Steven Miller had his coming out party, catching 7 balls for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Jay Jackson had a touchdown reception among his 7 catches .

Defensive Stars: Deleon Raynor had two interceptions in the end zone to stop Reading in its tracks, and he also knocked down a long pass that would have been a touchdown. Aswad McClain and Mike Crawford had big tackles on third and fourth down respectively to end an Express drive and set up a first half touchdown.

Audio Highlights: First Raiders play, Raynor's INTs, Brown TD, Go-ahead TD @ 0:45, Final play

Other Links: Times-Dispatch article, Reading Eagle writeup

Next: at Erie Storm, Friday 7:30 pm

The Richmond Raiders kept the Fayetteville Guard off the scoreboard for over 28 straight minutes spanning the halves, and the offense continued to operate efficiently as the Raiders got back to .500 with a 55-39 victory. The teams exchanged touchdowns early, then the Raiders caught a break after the Guard faked a field goal to set up first and goal at the nine yard line. A bad snap hit the turf, and Mike Crawford recovered the fumble. Two plays later, Jared Brown broke a 33 yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a lead they would never relinquish.

The Guard continued to match the Raiders touchdown for touchdown, but thanks to three missed extra points by Nick Averitt, Richmond held a two point lead with 27 seconds to go. Fayetteville was driving, looking to take the lead into halftime, when Maurice Thorn intercepted a Nick Gildersleeve pass on the last play of the first half. On the second play of the second half, Jerome Mann picked Gildersleeve off, and the Raiders were able to build on their lead. Robbie Jenkins threw three touchdown passes, two to Herb Jones, while the defense was frustrating the Guard on a three and out and two fourth down stops.

Though Fayetteville did score two late touchdowns, the Raiders had built a 23-point lead and thanks to a Jenkins touchdown run were able to keep the Guard down by at least two scores. Gildersleeve threw for five touchdowns and ran for another, but his offense was no match for the speedy Raiders defense, which had numerous hurries on the Guard QB, who found it difficult to locate open receivers.

Player of the Game: Herb Jones, who caught seven passes for 87 yards and two scores, including a 29-yard TD on a go route that effectively ended the game.

Offensive Stars: Robbie Jenkins completed his first eight passes of the game and finished with 6 TDs through the air and one on the ground. Jay Jackson, facing his old team, caught two TD passes.

Defensive Stars: Jerome Mann had an interception and two pass breakups; Maurice Thorn gave the Raiders a huge boost going into halftime with his pick.

Audio Highlights: Jay Jackson TD, Brown's rush TD, Thorn INT, Jones TD catch

Other Links: Times-Dispatch article

Next: at Reading Express, Saturday 7:00 pm

For the second straight game, the Raiders fell behind 16-0, and for the second straight game, they came back to take the lead. Unlike the Revolution last week, though, the Baltimore Mariners stayed in the game with special teams magic and used a goal-line stand to clinch a 49-45 victory.

Robbie Jenkins threw two interceptions in the Raiders' first five plays, one of which was returned by Richard Johnson for a touchdown, and thanks to a couple of unos by kicker J.R. Cipra, the Mariners were up 16-0 before five minutes had passed. Jenkins finished the first half strong, leading Richmond to touchdowns on each of its last four posessions, and when the Raiders defense had some cushion to work with in terms of Baltimore's starting field position, they forced the Mariners to attempt three field goals, two of which were missed. A sack by Aswad McClain on the second to last play of the half pushed the Mariners out of field goal range, and the Raiders faced just a three point deficit at the break.

After a Mariner field goal to open the second half, the Raiders took the lead on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jenkins to Chris Schubert. The Raiders held Baltimore to field goal attempts on three of their first four drives in the second half, but when the tables were turned, momentum shifted again. Facing a 56 yard field goal attempt after a three and out, the Raiders had Jarrett Brown kick to Richard Johnson, who caught the ball four yards deep in the end zone, weaved through a couple of blocks, then had a wall of teammates to lead him to paydirt. Cipra added an uno to complete an eight point swing.

Forced to play from behind again, Jenkins found Brown on a screen pass, which he took 35 yards for a touchdown. Isaiah Grier answered with a two yard run out of the wildcat formation, but Brown pulled the Raiders even again after a 28 yard reception by Jay Jackson set up a two yard scoring run. The Raiders defense did its job again, holding the Mariners to a field goal to take a three point lead, but when Cipra added his fifth uno of the game, the Raiders took over with 4:09 remaining, forced to score a touchdown. Robbie Jenkins took a sack on second and goal, then found Steven Miller just shy of the goal line to set up fourth and goal from the one foot line. After the one minute warning, Jenkins tried a sneak, but was stacked up by the Mariners' defensive line and didn't gain an inch. The Mariners ran out the clock and improved to an Eastern Conference-leading 4-0.

Player of the Game: Jay Jackson, who caught seven passes for 136 yards and was consistently able to get open against a talented Mariners secondary.

Offensive Stars: Robbie Jenkins caught fire after the two early picks, finishing with five touchdown passes and nearly 300 yards. Chris Schubert had two TDs among his eight receptions.

Defensive Stars: Aswad McClain led a defensive line that made Mariners QB E.J. Nemeth uncomfortable all night long; Maurice Thorn deflected a pass on a would-be touchdown.

Audio Highlights: Jay Jackson touchdown, McClain's sack, Schubert TD

Other Links: Mariners website writeup

Next: vs. Fayetteville Guard, Saturday 7:00 pm

The Raiders fell behind early to fellow AIFA expansion team New Jersey Revolution, but Robbie Jenkins, inserted into the game a quarter earlier than planned, sparked a 37-3 run that put the Raiders ahead for the duration, and Richmond got their first victory and evened their record at 1-1. Coach Mike Siani planned to play Mike Jenkins at QB the first half and Robbie the second, but after Mike went 1 for 5 passing in the first quarter and threw a bad backward pass that New Jersey recovered to set up a field goal, Robbie started the second quarter and completed six of seven passes, two for TDs, as the Raiders scored 30 straight points.

Robbie Jenkins' effectiveness also rendered moot another part of Siani's pregame strategy, which was to feature Wilmont Perry and a heavy running attack. Perry did rush for two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury, but once Robbie got the offense on track, there was little the Revolution could do to stop his receivers. Playing without a kicker, the Raiders went 3-for-4 on two point conversions and linebacker Jarrett Brown, who also spelled Perry in the backfield, kicked three extra points and handled kickoffs.

New Jersey had an average starting field position of a yard shy of midfield and started seven drives in Raiders territory, but Richmond's defense was stout and had three interceptions and a blocked field goal that Deleon Raynor recovered for a touchdown. When the Revolution did score, the Raiders made sure they chewed up lots of time to minimize the chances that they could complete a comeback from the 11 point halftime deficit.

Player of the Game: Robbie Jenkins, who sparked the Raiders offense with 197 yards passing in three quarters, with four touchdowns and only six incompletions.

Offensive Stars: Jay Jackson led the receiving corps with seven catches for 81 yards and three TDs, plus an acrobatic two-point catch in which he spilled over the wall but held on to the ball. Chris Schubert had four catches for 80 yards.

Defensive Stars: Maurice Thorn had two interceptions, including the game-clincher with 1:27 left as the Revolution were scrambling to make up two scores. Linebackers Mike Crawford and Marcus Hicks delivered some big hits to Revolution receivers.

Special Teams Star: Jarrett Brown deserves praise for filling in as the kicker, hitting all three of his extra points and handling kickoffs, where what he lacked in distance and hangtime he made up for in hustling downfield and putting a hurt on the return man.

Audio Highlights: Schubert long TD, Jackson TD, Jackson 2-point catch, Perry TD, Thorn INT

Other Links: Times-Dispatch coverage

Next: at Baltimore Mariners, Sunday 4:00 pm

The Raiders took an early lead, but the defending league champion Express, eager to prove that last week's drubbing in their own season opener was a fluke, dominated the end of the first half and held on to spoil Richmond's first game. Two touchdown runs by Wilmont Perry, the first coming on a 30-yard bulldozing over the Express secondary, helped the Raiders take a 20-14 lead five minutes in to the second quarter. After the Express scored to take a one point lead, the Raiders were driving and poised to get back in front before halftime when disaster struck.

After the one-minute warning, a bad snap sailed over QB Mike Jenkins' head and bounced all the way to the Raiders' end zone, where Dayon Benson recovered it for an Express touchdown. After an uno on the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders had to start from their five yard line, and on their first play Jenkins was taken down for a safety by Justin Presley. The Express took over and kicked a field goal on the final play of the first half to cap a 13-0 run in the final 52 seconds.

Richmond's offense could not get any traction in the second half. A Jenkins interception was followed by two three-and-outs. The defense did everything it could to keep the Raiders close, picking off two Express passes and recording a safety in the third quarter. But by the time backup QB Robbie Jenkins led the silver and black to its first score of the second half, another Perry TD run, the Express had scored twice more to lead by 27. Sam Bryant ran the ensuing kickoff back for the clinching touchdown, and two Robbie Jenkins scoring passes made the final score respectable.

Player of the Game: Wilmont Perry, who had 12 rushes for 72 yards and three scores, not to mention a tough fourth down conversion when the Raiders were trying to come back.

Offensive Stars: Other than Perry, the Raiders offense had little to show for its efforts. Chris Schubert led the receivers with four catches, one for a TD, but the brothers Jenkins didn't make things easy for the Schubert and company.

Defensive Stars: Jerome Mann had two interceptions and Will Patrick notched the Raiders' safety.

Audio Highlights: First TD in Raiders history, Perry's second TD, Patrick safety

Other Links: Times-Dispatch coverage

Reading Eagle writeup

Next: vs. New Jersey Revolution, Saturday 7:00 pm