Blues/River Rats suffer loss in Columbus

It was a fine day for a footy match in Columbus on Saturday. The temperature was hovering around 80 degrees and the sun was shining bright. The Blues once again paired up with Cincinnati and Louisville to form the Ohio Valley River Rats taking on the Columbus Jackaroos in Columbus, OH. Columbus proved to be a tough opponent, beating the Rats and the Milwaukee Bombers earlier in the season at Cincinnati, as well as taking down the defending MAAFL champs, the Nashville Kangaroos. The site of the match was just off the campus of Ohio State University on a pitch that was spread quite long. A full length match was to be played with 20 minute quarters and 14 men a side.

The Jackaroos got off on a quick start in the first quarter, putting up several goals while holding the Rats to 0 points. The score at 1/4 time was 7.3.45 to 0.0.0. After the break, the Rats came out stronger and finally started getting into a groove. After chipping away at the Jacks lead throughout the second quarter, half time came and the Rats were down 73-18. The Rats play continued to improve during the 3rd and 4th quarters, with the Blues' Dan Sergott and Dave Zitko scoring goals. The Rats played the Jackaroos evenly during the rest of the match, but could never manage to get back into the game.

Final score: Columbus 19.12.126 - Ohio Valley 8.4.52
Blues goal scorers: Zitko (4) Sergott (1)

The Blues have the month of September off to prepare for the USAFL National Tournament in Austin, TX. They expect to combine again with Louisville and Cincinnati and play as the Ohio Valley River Rats. Last year, they played in Division 3 and finished with a 2-1 record in group play. They lost to the Austin Crows, who were 3-0 in group play and went on to beat Florida United in the grand final. The Rats again look to make it into Division 3, where there is sure to be more stiff competition.