New Mexico Stalls In 2nd Half on Road

KENNEWICK, Wash. — The New Mexico Stars, playing without four suspended players who were involved in a postgame fracas last week in Wyoming, fell to the Tri-Cities Fever 37-20 on Friday night in Indoor Football League play.

The Fever improved to 8-0 and has the best record in the 16-team league. The expansion Stars are 2-5 after suffering their second straight road loss. Yet, they remain only half a game out of fourth place and a chance to earn the final playoff berth in the eight-team Intense Conference.

For the second time in three weeks, Fever quarterback Houston Lillard and receiver Oliver Young had strong games against New Mexico. On April 6 at the Santa Ana Star Center, Lillard passed for seven TDs in a 65-62 victory. Young had 10 catches for 166 yards and three scores in that win.

On Friday, Lillard threw for three more scores, including two to Young, that helped break open a close game.

The Stars — playing without running back Darius Marshall, the team’s leading scorer; ex-Lobo linebacker Tray Hardaway, the team’s leading tackler; receiver Marcus Smith, another ex-Lobo; and Eric Martinear — had the edge in the early going.

New Mexico scored first when newly acquired Bryant Williams, yet another former Lobo, caught a 21-yard scoring pass from quarterback Arkelon Hall to make it 7-0.

After Tri-Cities countered with a Lillard TD pass to Steven Whitehead, Stars PK Zeke Arevalo kicked a chip-shot field goal to put New Mexico up 10-7.

The Fever’s Dennis Kennedy made it 14-10 on a 2-yard run, before Stars RB DonTrell Moore, a former Lobo who is the Mountain West Conference’s all-time leading rusher, scored from 2 yards out.

But after that the Stars were held to two Arevalo field goals.

NOTE: Next week the Stars will play their third consecutive road game when they face the Allen (Texas) Wranglers on May 5. On March 11, Allen defeated New Mexico 45-28 at the Star Center.

New Mexico returns home May 12 when the Stars face the Everett (Wash.) Raptors at the Santa Ana Star Center for a 7:05 p.m. start.

… The four suspended players may not return to an IFL team until 2014. They were released by the Stars on Monday.