After a month-long absence, the Everett Raptors return home tonight to face the Tri-Cities Fever in an Indoor Football League game.
The kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at Comcast Arena.
The Raptors (2-6) last played at home on April 5 when they beat Nebraska 52-35. Everett is tied for seventh in the IFL’s eight-team Intense Conference. Tri-Cities leads the division with an 8-0 mark. The teams already have played three times this season, with the Fever winning 70-44 on Feb. 25, 54-48 on March 22 and 54-33 on April 13.
“They’re a tough team but not unbeatable” Raptors coach Sean Ponder said. “We’ve closed the gap and gotten closer and closer to them each time we’ve played them, so we’re determined to pull off a W.”
The Raptors will be without their usual starting quarterback, Blake Bolles, who is attending minicamp with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. Bolles, who has completed 81 of 154 passes for 998 yards and 21 touchdowns, will be replaced by Shane Austin.
Austin played this past fall for the University of Hawaii. He appeared in 13 games with the Rainbows, including one start, and completed 47 of 88 passes for 500 yards and two touchdowns. In his Raptors debut last week, he threw for 231 yards and seven TDs in a 68-59 loss at Nebraska.
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