The Pittsburgh Passion laid it on in the first half of their home
match up against he Erie Illusion on May 6, 2006, improving their
record to 2-1. Scoring a total of just 18 points in their first two
games, the Passion offense came to life against Erie.
On offense, despite an early fumble, tailback Lori Burkholder was the
workhorse for the Passion in their 45-0 victory, grinding clock and
yards and keeping the sticks moving. While Burkholder was the steady
hand, running back Lyndsi Hughes was the burner and quarterback Lisa
Horton provided plenty of offensive fireworks.
Playing with a gimpy hamstring injured in last week's victory over
Columbus, Horton was beyond impressive, hitting on 8 of her first 10
passes for 107 yards and 5 touchdowns in the first half. The Passion
receivers were all beneficiaries of Horton's passes, as six different
receivers hauled in touchdowns. In the first half, Horton hit Lori
Johnson, Sheri Kring, Jen Moody, Wilma Walton and Janice Nissel to put
the Passion up 31-0. Horton was pulled in the 3rd quarter, but she
didn't exit before leading the Passion to another touchdown, this time
hitting Eve Jackson. After that, the coaches called off the dogs and
rested Horton, who finished the day going 10 of 15 for 173 yards and 6
touchdowns.
Horton wasn't the only member of the Passion offense to provide
impressive highlights. Just into the 4th quarter, the Illusion had the
ball near the Passion 35 when DE Melissa Nelson punched the ball loose
from Erie RB Tiffany Peterson. The Passion cashed in immediately when
Lyndsi Hughes socked the game away on a run right up the gut. She hit
the hole straight over center and emerged alone, kicking it into third
gear once she hit the secondary. Hughes' 72 yard run was the 7th
Passion touchdown on the day. She gained a total of 136 yards on the
day, having ripped off a 43 yard run in the 1st half.
The Passion defense had another big day, lead by their linebackers,
who swarmed the Illusion offense most of the day, shutting down their
primary weapons, quarterback, Julie Kemling and stalwart tailback,
Tiffany Peterson. The staunchest of the defenders, Melissa Yeck, was
all over the field, pressuring the QB, stringing out plays and making
pad-popping tackles. The defense has allowed only 13 points over three
games this season.The victory over Erie puts the Passion in first
place, ahead of the
Cleveland Fusion who were defeated by Columbus in a 21-13 loss on
Saturday night. |
