Pirates raise charity cash with US clash
But charity is the real winner after one-sided match-up
The East Kilbride Pirates welcomed NCAA Division Three team North Central College Cardinals to Scotland for a friendly game on Sunday.
The game, which saw the Illinoisbased visitors wrack up an 81-0 win, helped raise hundreds for the Pirates’ chosen charity, the PURA Syndrome Foundation.
The Cardinals travelled to Scotland as an extension of a wider educational and cultural tour of Ireland.
They clashed with the Pirates in Milngavie and came out huge winners.
It’s the second year in a row that the Pirates have hosted a US college team, having faced Hanover Panthers from Indiana last May.
North Central College are travelling to Ireland and Scotland with Global Football, who provide opportunities for amateur football players to travel and compete internationally with similar organisations and experience new cultures.
East Kilbride took a break from their domestic season to play host to the visiting NCAA Div III side the North Central College Cardinals.
The inexperienced Pirates team knew they would be in for a hard time, and despite the heavy defeat, enjoyed the opportunity to play against top-quality opponents from Illinois.
After receiving the opening kick off, the Pirates quickly went three and out, a pattern that was to be repeated for most of the day.
North Central also faltered on their opening possession and turned the ball over with an incomplete pass on fourth down.
EK punter Steven Kane was soon back in action however, and he was dismayed to see his kick returned 66yards by Jason Ochoa for the opening TD.
Liam Crotty added the point after and the visitors were 7-0 up.
That lead increased when running back Jack Dibble doubled the advantage on an 11-yard dash with Crotty again converting.
The writing was on the wall for East Kilbride when Dibble added another TD, this time from seven yards, then his third from 19 yards before the end of the first quarter.
With Crotty successfully converting both, the Pirates trailed 28-0 going into the second period.
The Pirates coughed up the ball on the first play of the quarter, leaving the Cardinals with a short field.
They immediately capitalised as Bart Diehl ran the ball in from the 21-yard line on first down and Crotty converted.
The next NC drive brought another score with quarterback Broc Rut te r ca r r y i n g th e ba l l i n fr o m 1 6 yards.
He appeared to fumble but was ruled to have crossed the goal-line before losing the ball. The reliable Crotty tagged on the extra point making the score 42-0.
East Kilbride’s next drive was short lived as a Stephen McCluskey pass was picked off by Ochoa.
Rutter then passed to Cory Hartema for a 26-yard TD, but Crotty’s first miss of the day left the score at 48-0.
The one-way traffic continued when Brett Miller passed to Alex Ulmer from 35 yards (PAT good) and Dibble notched his fourth TD, this time from 10 yards, leaving the visitors with a commanding 61-0 lead at the interval.
Perhaps surprisingly, there was only one more score in the third period. That came on a first-and-goal from the one, and Mike Riggio strolled into the endzone untouched.
Early in the final quarter Dibble added his fifth score, going in from 13 yards and it only remained for Alex Ulmer to put the exclamation mark on the performance with the 12th TD of the game on a seven yard run.
At the end of the game, the Cardinals coaching staff took time to pass on some tips to the Pirates players.
Players, coaches, staff, families and friends of both sides then adjourned for an evening of socialising that carried on into the ‘wee small hours’.
Over £650 was also raised at the game in aid of this year’s club charity — the PURA Syndrome Foundation.
The Pirates are back on league business this weekend when they face the Merseyside Nighthawks on Saturday (June 25 ).