Berkshire Renegades ended their 2009 season with a 20-0 loss away at Hampshire Thrashers. Despite the scoreline, the Renegades put in an extremely competitive performance that saw them hold Hampshire scoreless in the second half.
Renegades received the opening kickoff, but were unable to move the ball and punted away. Hampshire’s passing game, such a potent weapon in their visit to Berkshire two weeks ago, got off to a shaky start, and punted back to Berkshire. Quarterback Paul Waddington moved the ball well following a loss of yardage for a holding penalty, connecting with both Simon Pearce and Jim White for solid gains. A fourth-and-two conversion was unsuccessful, and Hampshire had the ball in prime field position. They did not waste the opportunity, as strong running from ex-Renegade James Smith moved the ball past the Berkshire 10-yard line, and Nick Watson found Rikki Lear for a seven-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion attempt was no good, and the home team had the lead, 6-0.
Waddington was intercepted on the next drive, but the Berkshire defense refused to let the Thrashers capitalise on the turnover, and strong gang tackling stifled the Hampshire attack to round out the first quarter.
Hampshire stretched the lead in the second quarter, following a 24-yard run on fourth down fake punt by Brennan Peterson. Running back Tim Iles crashed over the line from a yard out, and with Dom Williams point-after kick sailing between the posts, it was 13-0 Hampshire.
Berkshire were spluttering a little with the ball, but their defense was holding the Thrashers offense in check, forcing a turnover as Shaun Blake knocked the ball from Watson’s hand as he looked to pass, and Paul Tattisdill pounced on the fumble. Again the teams traded punts, and inside the last two minutes of the half, Hampshire opened up a comfortable lead as Iles went over the pile from the 1-yard line for his second score of the game. William’s leg was again accurate, and at the break it was 20-0 to Hampshire.
If the Thrashers were expecting an easy second half, they were going to be mistaken as the Berkshire refused to let up the pressure. In the middle of the third quarter, Carl Hagan picked off a Watson pass and returned it for eight yards. The offense was feeding from the defensive momentum, and Pearce converted on third down of a 15 yard scramble from punt formation. A second fake punt attempt saw a Pearce pass fall just out of reach of a receiver.
Hampshire threatened to score at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the defense dug in for a goalline stand, with Steve Fox and Martin McGuire bringing down Smith short of the line on fourth down. Renegades put together a lengthy drive with the ball from their own one yard line, but eventually punted.
The teams traded turnovers on their next drives. First Hagan recorded his second interception of the day, returning the ball for 17 yards. Renegades running back Ian Lakin fumbled the ball as he tried to fight for yards at the end of a typically bullish run.
Neither team would threaten the opposing endzone again, and Nick Church’s huge hit on backup quarterback Brad Sawyer as the clock ticked down was an exclamation point on a gutsy team performance in the second half.
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