HIGHLIGHTS:
SAN ANTONIO – Pro football returned to San Antonio and the city came out in droves to show their support.
A solid defensive effort led the San Antonio Commanders to a 15-6 win over the San Diego Fleet (0-1) in front of 27,857 fans at the Alamodome on Saturday night in their first game in the Alliance of American Football.
The game was a long time coming after it was announced San Antonio was awarded a team for the eight-team spring league and it brought tons of hometown talent to the Alamodome. Fans cheered, booed, and groaned at missed chances. All in all, it was a successful first start for the new team.
“It was just a good scene,” Commanders coach Mike Riley said. “I knew this city would stand up and do a good job. It was really fun to play in front of them.”
After a scoreless first quarter, San Antonio drove down the field two separate times but was stopped by the Fleet defense. The Commanders brought out kicker Nick Rose for two field goals to give San Antonio the 6-0 lead.
The Commanders’ defense made life difficult for San Diego on offense all night long. Fleet quarterback Mike Bercovici was sacked six times, including a massive hit from San Antonio linebacker Shaan Washington that went viral on social media.
The AAF is no joke…
(via @TheAAF)pic.twitter.com/1a4EUIv5FO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 10, 2019
Just before halftime, San Diego would come back to knot the score up. Kicker Donny Hageman converted from 47 yards and 28 yards respectively to make it 6-6 going into the second half.
Bercovici finished with 176 passing yards but threw two interceptions, completing 15 of 25 passes.
The third quarter may have been scoreless but a big play from the Commanders at the end set up a big fourth quarter. San Antonio quarterback Logan Woodside found Alonzo Moore for a 46-yard completion at the San Diego three-yard line. That set up a Kenneth Farrow II 3-yard touchdown to give the Commanders the lead for good.
The two-point conversion failed but Rose added a field goal to make it 15-6 late in the fourth quarter. The Fleet marched down the field late in the game but an interception by San Antonio’s Zack Sanchez would seal the win for the home team.
Woodside finished with 255 passing yards and completed 18 of his 36 passes as he found MeKale McKay for 80 yards and Greg Ward Jr. for 65 yards. Madison High School Alum Aaron Green led the team in rushing with 43 yards, including a 21-yard burst.
UP NEXT:
The Commanders are now 1-0 on the season and will return to the field next Sunday when they welcome the Orlando Apollos (1-0) to the Alamodome at 3 pm Central Time.
