Ryan Baker, Journalist
After stringing together a few wins in a row, the Madison Radicals seemed to take a step back when they traveled to play the Minnesota Wind Chill on June 22, with the game ending in a 22-17 loss.
Madison has an issue of letting up a run or two each game that dissolves their momentum and proves difficult to recover from. These runs have typically been happening in the third quarter, and the second round of the border battle showcased that perfectly.
“It was those third quarter runs again. I think we were playing really well in the first and second quarter. We had some really good opportunities to go up one a couple times at the end of the second quarter, and we didn't. I think that hurt our momentum going into the third,” said head coach Tim DeByl.
Minnesota made two runs during the game. The first happened in the first quarter when the Radicals gave up four in a row, ending the opening quarter down two. The dagger was in the third quarter when they gave up three in a row and were unable to make up ground the rest of the game.
Amid the run, the Madison had a couple of execution mistakes, along with a dropped pull that resulted in a quick upwind break score for the Wind Chill. The Radicals were able to score one point after the third quarter run to bring the score within three, but that was the closest they got the rest of the way.
“They had a little run, and we never recovered. Pretty much the whole game came down to four points in a row that they got on us. It was in the middle of a weird couple of things that happened that we didn’t have control over,” said DeByl.
The D-line offense, who has been one of the best in the league thus far, was not able to convert on their break chances. They went 3/18 on break chances, along with a 27% D-line conversion rate. Not only did their D-line offense struggle, but their defense failed to create blocks as a whole, walking out with only eight.
Their top three block leaders - Luke Marks, Anthony Gutowsky, and Mitchell McCarthy - combined for just a single block all game. On the other side of the disc, it was up and down. Madison held just 58% of the time, and had 24 total turnovers. Quarterback of the offense Kai Marcus had 841 throwing yards and six assists, but was responsible for eleven of those turnovers.
Two of Marcus’ targets, Max Sample and Gutowsky, both ended with solid stat lines. Sample, who was out all of last season with injuries and has been dealing with a rib issue this year, was a huge part of the offensive attack. Sample’s six foot six frame helped him to snag three goals and rope in 310 receiving yards, and he completed all 21 of his throws.
“It’s a privilege. Last year, there were some concussion issues, and I wasn't sure if I was going to play again. The opportunity to play with this group of guys means a lot. I don't take it for granted. It's been great getting back to game speed. I feel like I'm just ramping up,” said Sample.
Gutowsky continued his efficiency in the endzone, scoring six times. As a sophomore, Gutowsky has lined up against Minnesota five times, scoring 21 total goals in those games. He sits at fourth in the league in goals for the season with 31.
Despite the loss, Madison still looks like a team that can compete with the best of them, but they need to mitigate the third quarter runs to be able to stand a chance through their playoff push. Currently, they sit at 5-3 in third place in the Central Division, behind the Chicago Union due to their loss to them earlier in the season.
Each of the four games that remain now become that much more important in Madison’s journey to return to the playoffs. Two matchups with the Indianapolis AlleyCats, one with the Union, and one with the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds remain, but Indy is the first on the docket. That game is the only focus for DeByl’s squad, keeping the theme of taking it game by game.
“We should be ready to make a playoff run. We have to beat Indy. That's what we have to do. That's all that matters now,” said DeByl.
The Radicals are at Indianapolis this weekend, before returning to Breese for a 3 game home standing starting July 6th vs Pittsburgh.