Baltimore Mariners Put The Brakes On The Speed
Mariners Blow Past Carolina Speed In 48-23 Victory
David Harrington

Before the kickoff even took place, players from the Carolina Speed (4-5) did everything they could to get into the heads of the Baltimore Mariners (2-6). During pre-game warm ups, Carolina ran laps around the Royal Farms Field in 1st Mariners Arena, taunting the Mariners and all but promising Baltimore that the Speed would leave Charm City with another win under their belt. Under the strict supervision and firm suggestion of the new Mariners head coach Daniel James, Baltimore for the most part, kept their mouths closed.

During the team introduction, Baltimore fans got a look at the newly tweaked Mariners line-up, and their first look at Coach Daniel James. Though the stands were not filled to capacity, the folks in attendance erupted into applause and cheers when the gregarious Coach James took the field with his players. A few hours later, Coach James and the Baltimore Mariners would leave the field with their second win on the season, snapping a five game losing streak.

In the first quarter of play, Baltimore established dominance on both sides of the ball. Holding a tough Carolina team to a field goal and a rouge point. Baltimore received the opening kickoff and immediately went to work. Running back Eugene Goodman received the opening kickoff for Baltimore and brought the ball out twenty yards. A 10-yd completion from QB Mike Orihel to WR Jamal Stokes, and a 6-yd run by Orihel would set up Eugene Goodman for a 1-yd rushing TD. Baltimore jumped ahead on their opening drive 6-0. Baltimore's kicker Bruce Rienecker tacked on an extra point. Carolina would not have a chance to respond until there was less than three minutes on the game clock. Carolina struggled on offense and their QB, R. Milbourne found himself under constant pressure. Carolina had to settle for a field goal. Carolina's first and second scores came sequentially off the foot of kicker Dave Hendricks. His field goal attempt split the uprights from 48 yards away. On the following kickoff, Hendricks tacked on a rouge point. Baltimore would close out the first quarter with another touchdown. This one came off the arm of Orihel, who found WR Aaron Yarbough for a 39-yd bomb for the score. Baltimore failed a two-point conversion attempt to close out the first quarter.

Point-wise, the second quarter belonged to the Carolina Speed. It would be the last time in the game, the Mariners were outscored. Carolina scored first in the second quarter. After a short return of three yards on the kickoff, QB Milbourne handed the ball of to RB Jimmey Bell, who found a seam and broke off a 47-yd TD run. Baltimore blocked the extra-point attempt, which brought the score to 13-10. Baltimore, not comfortable with Carolina closing the gap, tried to get something going offensively, but Carolina's defense stepped up to shut Orihel and crew down. Baltimore had to settle for a Rienecker field goal, which brought back a little cushion for the Mariners.

What happened next in the second quarter was simply a battle of the turnovers. Carolina received the kickoff to start the next series. Two plays into their possession, Baltimore forced a fumble when Carolina WR Gerald Clark was smashed by Baltimore's Deron Rush. Baltimore recovered the ball, and they went to work on offense. Their offensive campaign lived a shorter life than Carolina's, when on the first play, Orihel found open receiver Jamal Stokes. Stokes hauled the pass in, only to cough it up to Carolina while trying to elude the defense. Carolina took over on offense, and you guessed it, two plays later Carolina QB Milbourne tossed an ill placed pass into the arms of Baltimore's Richard Johnson. Johnson returned the ball to Carolina's 1 yard line. One play later, the back and forth game came to an end when Baltimore RB Eugene Goodman punched it across the line and into the endzone for a TD. The Rienecker extra-point was good (23-10). Carolina would score one more touchdown to end the half 23-17 in Baltimore's favor.


The third quarter belonged solely to Baltimore. The Mariners put up 18 points on offense while blanking Carolina completely. Baltimore's Richard Johnson would intercept a poorly placed Carolina pass which set up a 24-yd field goal from Rienecker. Things would go downhill for Carolina from here. Another turnover on their next possession set Baltimore up for a 1-yd quarterback sneak TD and a good extra point attempt. Carolina would be stonewalled by Baltimore on their next possession, leading to a missed Carolina FG attempt. On Baltimore's following possession, Orihel would deliver a 43-yd touchdown strike to Rafael Cooper. The extra point attempt was good, followed by a rouge point on the kickoff. With Baltimore up 41-17 DB Archie Smith added insult to injury by picking off Carolina on their last attempt at putting points on the board in the third quarter.

Baltimore dominated Carolina on both sides of the ball during their first of two back-to-back contests. Carolina turned the ball over far too many times and Baltimore took advantage of those turnovers. Carolina and Baltimore would both score another touchdown in the fourth quarter to end the game at 23-48. In his first game as Baltimore's head coach, Daniel James wasted no time in leaving his mark. Baltimore showed an attitude and swagger during this game that the fans of Mariner's football had not seen in quite some time.

Baltimore travels to Concord, NC for round two with the Speed on May 17th at 7:00pm.

To order tickets to the remaining home games of the Baltimore Mariners, please visit http://www.ticketmaster.com or http://www.baltimoremariners.com

Scoring Summary:
1st
12:40 BAL - Eugene Goodman 1 yd run (Bruce Rienecker kick), 4-30
2:20, CAR 0 - BAL 7
02:34 CAR - Dave Hendricks 48 yd field goal, 8-0 5:48, CAR 3 - BAL 7
02:31 CAR - Dave Hendricks rouge, , CAR 4 - BAL 7
00:40 BAL - Aaron Yarbough 39 yd pass from Mike Orihel (Eugene
Goodman rush fumbled), 8-0 5:48, CAR 4 - BAL 13
2nd
14:20 CAR - Jimmey Bell 47 yd run (Dave Hendricks kick blocked),
1-47 0:28, CAR 10 - BAL 13
10:46 BAL - Bruce Rienecker 43 yd field goal, 4-3 2:39, CAR 10 - BAL 16
06:35 BAL - Eugene Goodman 1 yd run (Bruce Rienecker kick), 1-1
1:05, CAR 10 - BAL 23
00:06 CAR - A. Calloway 5 yd pass from R. Milbourne (Dave
Hendricks kick), 6-40 2:05, CAR 17 - BAL 23
3rd
11:57 BAL - Bruce Rienecker 24 yd field goal, 4-3 2:13, CAR 17 - BAL 26
07:36 BAL - Mike Orihel 1 yd run (Bruce Rienecker kick), 6-30
3:42, CAR 17 - BAL 33
02:34 BAL - Rafael Cooper 43 yd pass from Mike Orihel (Bruce
Rienecker kick), 5-0 1:28, CAR 17 - BAL 40
01:48 BAL - Bruce Rienecker rouge, , CAR 17 - BAL 41
4th
09:52 CAR - Jimmey Bell 27 yd pass from Dixie Wooten (Dave
Hendricks kick failed), 5-37 3:01, CAR 23 - BAL 41
02:50 BAL - Mike Orihel 1 yd run (Bruce Rienecker kick), 9-30
6:35, CAR 23 - BAL 48

This was a pretty convincing win Dave!


........looks like the changes that were made were for the better. Carolina is no push over just remember they beat us. Of course we broke their qb's ankle which was unfortunate but they have still been hanging in games.Great win for the Mariners

........Their qb (Orithel) now, was from a trade with the Mariners, right?

No. Orihel is the Mariners QB. However, Baltimore traded former QB Dixie Wooten to Carolina for their kicker Bruce Rienecker. Our kicking game has improved exponentially since his arrival on the roster. The Mariners are no longer leaving much needed points on the field, now that we have Rienecker.

yeah thats what I meant! Sorry I had the names mixed up