Predators Steamroll Regulators 63-18

The Orlando Predators defeated the Wichita Regulators, 63-18, at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, on Saturday, June 22.

Predators’ Offense Fires on all Cylinders

Predators Quarterback Drew Powell continued to display the accuracy of his arm by torching the Regulators’ defense for seven touchdowns through the air. Three of Powell’s touchdowns came in the first half, and four came in the second half of the game.

Of those scores, four went to wide receiver C.J. Williams and one each to Kamrin Solomon, Jared Dangerfield, and Cecil Cherry.

While much of Powell’s success can be attributed to the strength of his offensive line as he faced little pressure in his dropbacks, Powell’s great poise, lack of hesitation, and accuracy were consistent play-to-play as his picturesque passes allowed for effortless catches from his receivers.

While the Predators made a number of great plays on the day, including a long kick return by Caleb Walls that was capped for a touchdown on the ground by lineman Myron Green, C.J. Williams made the highlight of the day to begin the third quarter at the Regulators’ 8-yard line as he caught a screen pass, juked a defender, broke a tackle, and cashed in the touchdown.

The offense of the Predators continues to roll as the line, wide receivers, and quarterback execute their gameplan possession after possession.

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Consistency Issues for Wichita

The Regulators did not find the same success on the field and struggled to find consistency. While the offense was able to string together a number of good possessions, much of the success they found on the field was not repeatable.

In the second quarter, Quarterback Eric Crouch threw a 44-yard touchdown to wide receiver Aakiel Greer, but the score came on a panicked throw, with the pocket collapsing and coverage also blown on the play.

For much of the game, Crouch overthrew his receivers. One overthrow nearly resulted in the injury of one of his receivers, who flipped over the wall on a play that should have resulted in a touchdown.

Although Crouch found success on the ground through his legs, even finding the endzone on a 3-yard rush, he had trouble finding his receivers as he faced the pressure of the Predators’ defense.

Crouch was able to find Greer in the second half for a third touchdown, but the Predators scored four of their own, leaving the game completely out of reach for Wichita.

Execution of Gameplan

The Predators’ execution came from running simple, repeatable football without resorting to much trickery. Powell dropped back with poise, allowed his receivers to execute their routes, and settled into the pocket before unleashing long, accurate throws.

On the other hand, Crouch did not look sure if he wanted to scramble or throw the ball and seemed to make momentary decisions as dictated by the defense.

While Crouch was able to use his natural gifts to propel the team into scoring positions, the team’s seeming lack of direction required a lot of heroics from him, which is unlikely to prevail against a team as polished as the Predators.

The organized possession-by-possession play of the Predators reflected in the results of the game against the scrambling play of the Regulators.