The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Commonwealth American Football League (CAFL) officially kicked off this weekend with a rematch of the last four Boil Fish Bowl championship games between the defending champions V8 Fusion Stingrays and the Orry J Sands Pros at DW Davis.

Add another chapter to the intense rivalry between the clubs as the Pros scored a 20-6 win over the Stingrays. The Pros dominated both the time of possession and the scoreboard.

Offensively they finished with two passing touchdowns and added another rushing, while the defence forced three turnovers.

The Pros scored on the opening possession of the game after a strong ground game was capped by a 30-yard touchdown pass to Ashley Roberts. Following a failed conversion, the Pros led 6-0.

“We always have tough games against this team, so defensively, we had an idea what to expect. It was just important for us to start the game fast and get a jump on them early,” Roberts said. “Our running game is our strength but we don’t want to be one dimensional so we have to find the right time to open it up and stretch the field.”

The Stingrays’ offence struggled early to get into a rhythm and Pros linebacker Guerrolice Collie would force a fumble on their opening possession.

Collie finished with two sacks, two forced fumbles and one recovery on the afternoon.

After both teams traded possessions, the Pros would score their second touchdown of the game on a five-yard run by Jamal Coleby. Philip Moxey Jr caught the conversion on the next play to give the Pros a 14-0 lead.

The Pros would recover another fumble to stifle the Stingrays’ offence and they took the two touchdown lead into the half.

The Stingrays would score on the opening possession of the third quarter when quarterback Eldrith Smith connected with his receiver for the score on their second fourth down conversion of the drive.

Following a failed conversion they trailed 14-6.

The Pros would respond to go ahead by two scores again on the following possession when Davaughn Bain caught a 40-yard touchdown pass for the game’s final margin.

The rivalry between the two teams has intensified over the past few seasons as the Stingrays have been more dominant in the regular season, but the teams have split the last four championship games.

In the four consecutive years the teams have met in the championship title game, the teams have alternated wins beginning when the Pros won in 2011, followed by the Stingrays in 2012, Pros again in 2013 and the Stingrays most recently last year.