Quake brings home a victory, 30-27

Las Vegas, NV –With the division lead up for grabs, the California Quake strolled into Las Vegas on mission to become the first Quake team to go 4-0 in the eight year existence of the team. The Quake immediately sent a message to the Showgirlz, sacking the QB on the first play of the game after the shotgun snap went awry. The loss of 21 yards put the ball at the 1-yard line and the Quake defense forced a quick punt. Things started off much the same for the Quake when a bad pitch by #3 Deb Kuntz missed a sweeping #5 Monique Zaky. The Quake would lose 22 yards on the fumble, valuable field position but manage to keep the ball. Nerves would be extinguished on the next play as Kuntz and Zaky would connect this time and just like that the Quake had a 40-yd TD. After a safety by #80 Esther McGee and 3-yd TD run by #40 Kristin Nicholas, the first of her career, California was up 18-0 on the favored home team. The Las Vegas team gathered their heads and #26 Dena Houser ran the ensuing kickoff back for a TD. A failed 4th down, the Showgirlz had little time to close the gap but proved they didn’t need much at all; scoring on a long TD pass right before halftime. At halftime, the Quake saw their 18 point lead shriveled down to 4 at 18-14.

The second half would be much of the same. The ground game of the Quake, led by their dominating offensive line and the power running of Zaky and Nicholas would be used with much success. The result would be either a score or turning the ball over on downs deep into Vegas territory. The Vegas team would counter by trying to hit on another big play. The Showgirlz got to within three points but another score by Zaky in the 4th Quarter, her 3rd TD, sealed the Quake victory. The Showgirlz did manage to score with less then two minutes remaining but without the needed timeouts, had to recover an onside kick, which they did not attempt. In the end, Quake managed to secure the victory by keeping ball out of Vegas’ hands and running out the clock with their offense. The final score Quake 30 – Showgirlz 27.

Here are some of the statistical highlights from the game:

Offense
- #5 Monique Zaky – 36 rushes – 333 yards – 3 TD’s
- #3 Deb Kuntz – 3 of 6 passing – 64 yards – 2 first downs - INT
- #33 Julie Blied – 2 receptions – 31 yards
-  #40 Kristin Nicholas – 9 rushes – 23 yards – 1 TD

Defense
- #80 Esther McGee – 5 tackles, Forced Fumble, Fumble Recovery
- #52 Nancy MacLeod – 2 tackles, assist, 1 ½ sacks
- #24 Michelle Friesen – 2 tackles, INT
- #44 Angela Mims – 2 tackles, assist, sack
- #88 Alex Kirby – 3 tackles

The division leading California Quake (4-0) come back home this Saturday for a game against the Tucson Monsoon (1-3), who earned their first victory of the season last weekend. Come out to support your UNDEFEATED California Quake!

Click here for more player stats on the IWFL site.
Click here for week 4 scores and recaps.