Article By Develon Isom For Sports Radio 1210 -

The St. George Blitz 28-17 semifinal playoff victory over the Wasatch Revolution Saturday night was exciting and the play had the good-sized crowd oohhhing and aahhhing throughout the contest. The game was a back and forth battle between two teams that answered each other’s dramatic body shots.

Blitz entered the game without one of its most valuable players. Diarra Fields is the regular starter at quarterback for the Blitz, but the Seattle resident was not available for the game due to family obligations. Fields is one of the most dynamic threats in the Rocky Mountain Football League. He throws laser passes 50-60 yards and can tuck the pigskin and run through or over defenders like one of the best running backs in the league. His absence to the team was no small situation.

The Blitz have a back-up quarterback that is not too shabby though. Josh Smith, who also happens to be co-owner of the team, is a different type of signal-caller. Smith is a pocket passer and although he is a good athlete, he is not mistaken as another running back like Fields.

Wasatch Revolution defensive game plan was simple; stop the rushing attack and make the Blitz beat them in the air. The Revolution probably prepared for Fields dangerous running ability, so when discovery of his absence happened, they may have taken for granted what Smith can do. Heck, even some Blitz fans may not have been aware of Smith’s play ability.

Smith showed the crowd at Walt Brooks Stadium that he could stand in against pressure and toss the ball around quite well. Smith averaged 20 yards per pass completion on 13-25 passing and had three touchdowns. He hooked-up with wide receiver Ricky Dias seven times for 163 yards and two of his three td strikes.

The Revolution effectively put a blanket on the Blitz running game, but the backs played a big part in the win. Verwon Washington and Brandon Thompson among others, had to rush against stonewall defense and only picked up small amounts of yardage. They weren’t going to get any glory plays for themselves. However, what they did do was chip and sometimes blast pass-rushers off their path in protecting their qb. They worked great with the offensive line. The unit played awesome and Smith was complementary after the game about the protection he received from his teammates.

“They (offensive line) made adjustments after the first and second series,” said Smith. “I got hit a few times at first, then our pass blocking took over. They did a great job.”

As usual, the Blitz defense put some points on the scoreboard too. The first points of the game were scored by 300-pound defensive tackle Vince Feula. Feula scooped up the ball on a fumble by Revolution quarterback Charlie Peterson. Peterson had to deal with a high snap over his head and could not gain possession. Big Feula timed his down-reach perfect and secured the ball off of a bounce. He raced 48 yards for the touchdown and gave the Blitz the 7-0 lead. Feula looked like Warren Sapp in his prime.

The rest of the game was a series of touchdown passes by Revolution qb Peterson and Blitz’s Smith.

The game was exceptional in excitement and had about 10 car wrecks (big hits). There was a price to pay out there if a player was slack in attention. The quality of play was good and the action was intense.

If you have never attended a Blitz game, you should not miss the Rocky Mountain Football League championship game on July 10 at Dixie High School.

The Utah Shock will travel down from south Salt Lake to play the Blitz for the RMFL title. The Shock lost in last year’s title game. The Blitz are making their first championship appearance and will try to take advantage of playing at their home field.

Develon