JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sharks defeated the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks 57-43, giving Lehigh Valley their first loss of the season and keeping their own perfect record. This is the first time the Sharks have ever faced off against Lehigh Valley, and it is the first and only matchup against them in the 2017 season. 7,305 fans came out to support the Sharks during this Halloween themed night and second home win of 2017.
The Sharks were off to an early lead in the first quarter. Quarterback Tommy Grady found Darryl Thompson in the endzone for Thompson’s first touchdown of the night. Lehigh Valley struck back towards the end of the first, barely crossing the goal line.
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The second quarter sparked the Sharks defense Marvin Ross who intercepted a touchdown attempt in the end zone. Derrick Ross made his presence known, scoring a Sharks touchdown on a short run. Lehigh Valley scored right back in an attempt to close the score gap. Minutes later, Darryl Thompson answered with his second touchdown of the night. The scoring continued to go back and forth as Steelhawks quarterback Warren Smith Jr. launched a touchdown pass to make it 27-19. Lehigh Valley went for the two-point conversion, but it was intercepted by Sharks linebacker Charlie Hunt. Darryl Thompson went long and continued to wow the crowd with his third touchdown. Nick Belcher made a long field goal with one second to go in the half, Sharks lead 36-19.
The Steelhawks opened the second half with a touchdown by Wyreaz Bradley scored a touchdown for the Steelhawks early on, mocking Derrick Ross’s classic lawn mower celebration dance. Ross showed him how it was really done, coming back and scoring his second touchdown of the night. Lehigh Valley fought hard with another touchdown and a successful two-point conversion, 43-35.
The Saturday night nail biter in the fourth, tying the game. Grady found Thyron Lewis for a touchdown to put the game away. Lehigh Valley threw a hail mary which was intercepted in the end zone by Marvin Ross to put the final nail in the coffin. Late in the fourth Grady found Thyron Lewis in the end zone to make the final score 57-43.