Buzzards Fall to Champion Monarchs

The champs from last season maintained their reputation as an offensive powerhouse on Saturday as the Springfield Buzzards hosted the Portland Monarchs at Don King Field in Cottage Grove. Although the final score was 42-6 in favor of the Monarchs it in no way reflects how well the Buzzards maintained the Monarchs offense throughout three and a half quarters.

The Monarchs were on the board first when receiver Andrew Johnson scored four minutes into the first quarter.

The Monarch's next effort was thwarted by Jimmy Craig's end zone interception with 6:42 left in the first quarter.
Portland's James Loucks caught the next touchdown with about ten minutes left in the second half putting the Monarch's up 14-0, which was still the score when the teams headed to the locker room.

Three minutes into the second half the Buzzards got on the scoreboard when quarterback Jeremy Shay threw a touchdown to Kevin Pardy who was playing tight end. It would be Springfield's only points for the game as Sean Turner's 60 yard touchdown run was called back due to a penalty.

The Monarchs put up another seven points in the third finishing the quarter at 21-6.

"We knew going in we were outgunned. Our game plan was to slow their high powered O down," said Pardy, "and be in position to win late in the game and it almost worked."

That's when the wheels fell off for the Buzzards.

"With seven minutes left, down 21-6, a no call on an interference resulted in an INT for them." The Buzzards reaction to the no call resulted in 30 yards of penalties and according to Pardy "was the straw that broke the camel's back. [I] Wish the flag had been thrown."

That exchange put the Monarchs up 28-6 with five minutes left in the game. As emotions were running high and tensions were starting to build on the sidelines the Monarchs threw two more touchdowns in the last two minutes of the game padding their victory and finishing the game with a score of 42-6.

"The score doesn't reflect how good of a game that was," reflected Buzzard's receiver Travis Ratliff after the game.

The 1-4 Buzzard's next game will be Saturday, May 1, in Roseburg at South Umpqua High School at 6 p.m. as they take on the Knights of Umpqua Valley who are 4-1.

Go Buzzards!