The Dubai Stallions continued their perfect season on Friday night with a resounding 38-14 victory over the Abu Dhabi Wildcats.
The Wildcats completed the inaugural season without losing a game but the Stallions have taken their mantle this year while the Abu Dhabi side now slip to a sub .500 record of 2-3.
Davion Miller scored a pair of touchdowns while Askia Horne- Pierre, Ali Riza Dikici and coach Andre Sommersell all got on the scoresheet for the Stallions. Saber Belghith and Amos Daniels were the scorers for the Wildcats.
Wildcats coach Charles Gillespie said: “Teams haven’t seen us blitz yet, we’re usually a little soft. With their quarterback Vivaldi Tulysee, he’s a great runner so we wanted to keep him contained, pressure him.”
The Wildcats endured a disrupted week of practice after losing two players to suspensions which clearly affected the way they played.
Steve Hoggett and Josh Fleming were suspended for the game after a flagrant personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct respectively in their ill-tempered loss to the Dubai Barracudas a fortnight ago.
Fleming, one of the best offensive lineman in the league, was sorely missed as quarterback Vivaldi Tulysee consistently found it difficult to work his magic.
“We played a good game, we were in it,” said Gillespie. “We had to rely on a lot of defence because the offensive line wasn’t right.
“The guys are upbeat. The scoreboard doesn’t reflect the equality of the game.”
An 18-yard gain to begin the second half provided a good omen for the rest of the game, and the play was immediately followed by the first touchdown with Davion Miller going over the line.
The Stallions’ ascendency didn’t last long as Belghith returned the kick-off for an astonishing 80-yard touchdown.
A missed PAT made the score 7-6. The white hot start turned out to be an accurate portent for the rest of the half. Tulysee also seemed to have shaken off the early rust, throwing more accurate passes, getting sacked less and making more of his trademark piercing runs.
His arm was in perfect evidence when he threw a touchdown pass to Amos Daniels for a 25-yard reception late in the third quarter. Andrew Williams then ran in a two-point conversion.
Horne-Pierre then made the scores 17-14 with a superb high catch in the end zone before a 78- yard reception from Saeed Suleiman led to a converted touchdown for Riza Dikici.
A fumble in the end zone gave Andre Sommersell a touchdown before Miller grabbed a second to complete the win.
In the other game, Al Ain Desert Foxes lost 26-0 defeat to the Dubai Barracudas. Michael Anderson had a pair of touchdowns, sandwiching a TD for Daniel Viranyi with the Desert Foxes also giving up a safety. Anderson also kicked a field goal.
RESULTS
Dubai Stallions 38-14 Abu Dhabi Wildcats
Al Ain Desert Foxes 0-26 Dubai Barracudas
