REDMOND, Ore. — The Washington Wolfpack built a big lead, then held on for a 41-30 win over the Oregon Lightning in an Arena Football One game on Saturday.
It was the first road game of the season for the Wolfpack, who improved to 2-4 overall after playing five straight home games.
The Wolfpack kept their habit of starting fast and continued to dominate until the final 12 minutes of the game. Jackson High School graduate Jonathan Navarro scooped up an end zone fumble for the first touchdown of the game. Washington rounded out the first quarter scoring with a four-yard catch and score for Ledarian McAllister. He rushed for a TD in the second quarter, finishing the game with 19 yards rushing and 38 yards receiving from eight touches.
Quarterback Adam Kruse returned to the lineup under center after a hand injury earlier in the season. He threw two more touchdown strikes after halftime and was 11 of 17 passing for 112 yards on the night as Washington built a 19-0 halftime lead. Wide receivers Josh Meier and Deshon Williams hauled in scores to put the away team up 34-0. Pack defensive back Caleb Brown had a 7-yard pick-six with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter.
In the span of 5 minutes, 6 seconds in the fourth quarter, Oregon struck back with 30 unanswered points. Two quick touchdowns by Lightning, followed by two defensive scores made for an 11-point game down the stretch. Jeremiah Spicer had two sacks on the night and returned a fumble 45 yards for a TD, while KeAaris Ardley had a pick-six of his own for the home team.
Washington defensive lineman Antonio Simely led his team in tackles and also recorded two sacks. Oregon quarterback Dalton Cole struggled all night, passing for only 84 yards and completing 7 of 26 pass attempts. Kruse lead his offense on a six-plus-minute drive to close out the win on the road.
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