Iowa storms past Steamwheelers
Quad-City Steamwheelers fans have grown accustomed to seeing Tim Dodge and Jack Walker Jr. win games at the i wireless Center.
Dodge and Walker conspired to win another Saturday, only this time they did it wearing enemy colors.
Dodge flashed his speed with a 30-yard first-quarter touchdown pass and a 55-yard third-quarter kickoff return while Walker Jr. sandwiched a diving, fourth-quarter touchdown grab between a pair of critical interceptions.
The two prodigal Steamwheelers and the Iowa Barnstormers left the iwC with a 53-38 victory.
It was Iowa’s first win in three starts and a mistake-prone Q-C crew’s first loss in three games.
“Horrible,” Q-C coach Troy Biladeau offered in succinct assessment of his team’s performance. “I definitely didn’t see it coming.’’
Iowa dominated a game it trailed only twice briefly, and Dodge, a four-year standout for the Steamwheelers before taking last year off after a move to Des Moines, definitely saw his team’s stepped-up effort coming.
“We just have improved every week and it turned into a win,” he said after catching five balls for 65 yards and returning a pair of kicks for 74.
A key to Barnstormers’ improvement this week was the Thursday signing of Walker, who was Ironman of the Year for Steamwheelers last season and showed Saturday he hadn’t lost his two-way form.
Signed as a receiver, Walker was forced into action on defense when Iowa jack linebacker Kevin Williams was wheeled off the field with a severe arm injury inside the final minute of the first half.
“We coached him up a little bit, and he ends up being huge for us,’’ Dodge said of the lanky arena veteran Walker, who finished the game with half a sack in addition to his two interceptions.
Cleared to play Monday after offseason shoulder surgery, Walker originally hoped to rejoin the Steamwheelers but was spurned by Biladeau, who didn’t want to disturb his team’s winning chemistry.
“I made the decision, but I never said Jack wasn’t a good player,’’ Biladeau said. “He didn’t do anything that surprised me.”
Surprisingly, Walker said he didn’t come to Moline with revenge on his mind.
“I’m not that type of person,’’ the soft-spoken Ohioan said. “I go out and try to play my best game. I don’t try to show anybody up.’’
He did make all the difference in the outcome, though.
Despite being dominated on both lines of scrimmages, the Steamwheelers were very much in a see-saw game until Walker’s third-quarter pick of tipped pass set up a Jeff Glas field goal that gave the Barnstormers a 40-31 lead.
The Steamwheelers responded by converting a fourth-and-17 with their back to the their own goal line early in the fourth, as Jesse Schmidt pulled in a jump ball and fell into the end zone to close the hosts to within 40-38.
But Iowa picked up 37 yards on its next offensive snap and then Walker made his diving snare in the left front corner of the end zone on a fourth-and-goal from the 3 to put the Barnstormers ahead 47-38 with 6:54 remaining in the game.
That was the ballgame, as Steamwheelers quarterback J.J. Raterink, battered behind a penalty-prone offensive line, was intercepted on the Steamwheelers’ final four possessions.
Raterink finished the game 17 for 39 for 267 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.
Schmidt and the Steamwheelers Jackson linebacking corps were the only Q-C bright spots, with Schmidt catching eight balls for 156 yards and three scores, mack linebacker Tyus Jackson turning om three sacks and four tackles for loss and jack linebacker Malik Jackson returning an interception for a touchdown.
The stars of the game, though, were two former Steamwheelers.
“It was a nice homecoming,’’ Walker said. “It was kind of weird making a play and the crowd doesn’t cheer. But it felt good seeing the same faces.’’
Dodge also enjoyed his return in front of a crowd of 5,238, the largest Steamwheelers turnout since last year’s season opener.
“This is where arena football started for me,’’ he said. “I hope Quad-Cities wins every single game, except when they play us.’’
The two teams will meet twice again this year in Des Moines.
Craig DeVrieze can be contacted at (563) 333-2610 or cdevrieze@qctimes.com.