Thunder offense is back on track

By John Kovach

Now coach Michael Hold is working to improve on the defense.

YOUNGSTOWN — It appears that the Mahoning Valley Thunder’s offense has been rejuvenated by the recent addition of quarterback Davon Vinson and receiver Clenton Rafe.

Vinson, playing in only his second game, threw seven touchdown passes, five of them going to Rafe, who was in his first game since rejoining the team, in the Thunder’s 60-54 loss to the Quad City Steamwheelers last Friday in Moline, Ill.

And the Friday before, in Vinson’s first game after entering in the first quarter, he threw for four TD passes, two to Demetrius Wilbert, and ran for another score as the Thunder broke a seven-game losing streak by rallying past the Albany Conquest at home, 44-31.

Thunder coach Michael Hold said that Vinson and Rafe are a talented combination.

“[Vinson] is a good athlete and made a lot of plays [against Quad City] that other players can’t make,” said Hold. “Davon was making some great throws and the line protected pretty well the entire night.”

Regarding Rafe, “He runs very good routes and he has great speed and that helps,” said Hold.

“I don’t think we played defensively quite as well as we have, but that is arena football. You are going to give up points. You can’t expect to go out and hold teams to 31 points every game like we had done against Albany.”

The Thunder (2-8) faces several challenges as the team prepares to play host to the streaking Manchester Wolves (4-6) Friday at 7:05 p.m. on Cortland Banks Field inside the Chevrolet Centre.

Manchester is coming off a 47-35 win over the Florida Firecats last week for its third straight win.

The Thunder lost to Manchester in the second game of the season at home, 45-39, and Hold remembers how it happened.

“That’s when we scored on the final play and the refs overturned the call.,” said Hold. But, “[The Wolves] are a better team than they were when we played them, but I think we are, too, now.”

But can the Thunder eliminate mistakes, like one late error that cost them a victory against the Steamwheelers last Friday?

That cruicial mistake was Vinson’s fumble in the end zone that was recovered by the Steamwheelers’ Adam Vogel with 49 seconds left in the game to snap a 54-54 tie and give them the victory, after the Thunder had led from the second quarter.

“To Davlon’s credit, he was just trying to make a play,” said Hold of the fumble. “We were on our 20-yard line and Davon was scrambling and got hit and fumbled.”

Vinson (Northwestern State, La.), who completed 25 of 39 for 283 yards against Quad City, is expected to get even better with more with more playing experience. In just two games, he has thrown for 11 touchdowns, rushed for two scores and committed just two turnovers.

And Rafe (Albany State, Ga.), who had been with the Thunder for two games earlier in the season, knows how to catch a football. He had 10 receptions for 164 yards against the Steamwheelers, including a team-season-high five TD passes.

Rafe now has 14 catches for 222 yards and seven TDs in three games, but the team leader is Henry Tolbert with 22 receptions for 509 yards and 13 TDs in nine games.

The Wolves are led by quarterback James Pinkney with 109-for-170 passing for 1,497 yards and 29 TDs with three interceptions.

His favorite targets are Emery Sammons with 60 receptions for 872 yards and 18 TDs in 10 games, and Steven Savoy with 38 catches for 577 yards and 11 TDs in six games.

kovach@vindy.com