Jacksonville - The Portland Steel lost to the Jacksonville Sharks, 65-34 in front of 10,208 at Sea Best Field at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Saturday night. The loss extends the Steel losing streak to seven games in a row, a Portland AFL record.
Quarterback Shane Austin got the start under center for the Steel and completed 23-of-43 passes for 233 yards, 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He would add two touchdowns rushing, as he carried the ball four times gaining 11 yards. A mixture of untimely injuries and the Sharks league-leading passing attack, would eventually hand Jacksonville (3-4) the victory.
Austin opened the scoring when he found Jabin Sambrano for a 20-yard touchdown, the Steel led 6-0 early in the first. The Sharks tacked on the next two touchdowns before Austin found Tom Gilson for a long 28-yard touchdown to cap the scoring for the period. The Sharks led 14-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The 2nd quarter began as the 1st did, Austin found Sambrano on a 19-yard scoring strike to open the scoring in the quarter. With the score 20-20, the Sharks would outscore the Steel 20-7 aided by Austin’s first interception of the contest. The Sharks led 40-27 at the half.
The Sharks were able to add to their lead by scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter. Down by 25 points, Austin was able to rush for his second touchdown of the game before the Sharks tacked on their ninth touchdown of the night. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Jacksonville led 58-27.
Sharks quarterback Tommy Grady would complete his ninth touchdown of the night when he found Joe Hills for a 3-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 65-27 lead. Hills was named the Under Armour Offensive Player of the Game after hauling in 8 catches for 114 yards and four touchdown performance.
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A week after setting Portland AFL game highs, Gilson led the Steel receiving corps with 13 receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown. The second quarter would prove costly to the Steel as they lost both WR Sambrano (hamstring) and WR/DB Christian Wise (stinger) to injury.
The Portland Steel will continue their seven game road trip as they take on the LA KISS at Honda Center on Saturday, May 28 with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. (PST). The game will be streamed online at ESPN3 and can be heard on Freedom 970AM with Ron Callan and Brian Perkins.
The Steel will return to Moda Center on Friday, June 3 to face the Tampa Bay Storm. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. For all ticket information and for the most updated information on the Portland Steel, head to www.pdxsteel.com.
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