Finding themselves down by 20 points, the Kansas City Krunch stepped up its intensity level in the fourth quarter. But it proved to be not quite enough as the Krunch dropped its second game of the season to the St. Louis Slam, 20-14 on the road Saturday, May 8.

Kansas City head coach Jesse Mack said the team was playing with a lot of emotion.

“We had a high level of emotion but not intensity,” he said. “Defensively we played a pretty good game but were out on the field most of the first half. We were three and out in the first quarter on our first couple of offensive possessions.”

The Slam opened with an onside kick and gained possession of the ball. But the Kansas City defense held them out of the end zone, preventing yet another opening drive score this season.

“We sputtered on offense our first two possessions,” added Mack. “Our punts were not effective. We were punting into the red zone. We had nothing offensively but our defense was outstanding.”

He said this time the Krunch defense was able to hold Slam running back Pat Riggins at bay after Riggins ran wild in Kansas City’s 6-2 loss to St. Louis earlier this season. But another Slam tailback, Toya Brown, scampered 65 yards for a second-quarter touchdown this time.

“Tackling hurt us,” Mack said. “And that’s something we continue to work on. Penalties were also killing us.”

But the head coach said he had to give most of credit for what they accomplished on offense to the entire offensive line.

“We have five girls on the offensive line and only one sub. It was a very physical game. They didn’t cry or complain. Last time their (St. Louis’) defensive ends gave us trouble but not this time.”

The second half began nearly the same way for the Krunch.

“We had a couple of penalty drives that hurt us a bit,” explained Mack. “They scored a touchdown on penalties and regained intensity.”

One of St. Louis’ touchdowns came on a kickoff when the Krunch kicked deep into their own 20. Brown took the ball straight up the middle for about a 65-yard score.

In the fourth quarter, Kansas City finally got on the scoreboard when quarterback Ursula Copeland hooked up with tight end Stephanie Campbell for a 10-yard dump pass across the middle.

The second Krunch touchdown of the fourth quarter came on a five-yard run by Cathie Stansberry, who rushed 10 times for 33 yards in the game and had two catches for 19 yards. Stansberry also prevented another St. Louis score when quarterback A.J. Thomas had a pass picked off and ran back for 55 yards. Stansberry got an angle on the runner and took her down before she could reach the end zone.

Copeland and receiver Dorothy Haughton connected for the two-point conversion following Stansberry’s touchdown run.

Mack said the most outstanding players on offense were the offensive line and Stansberry, who he said had an “outstanding game.”

Copeland completed 5 of 13 passes for 45 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. She rushed for 39 yards on 13 attempts. Thomas was 4 for 10 for 43 yards with one interception.

Dorinda Burton ran six times for 19 yards, while Rochelle DePreist had two carries for 27 yards.

Defensively, LaPrett Rollins stood out for the Krunch with three solo tackles and 13 assists. Kris Skahan also had three solo tackles, with six assists and a blocked field goal. Micki Jones had eight solo takedowns and four assists, while Nyala Chiers had four solo tackles and six assists. Sonya Harlin made two tackles on her own and assisted on eight, while Terri Barr had an interception and picked up eight yards on the return.

Also on defense, Andrea O’Neal had an outstanding game with four solo tackles, five assists, three hurries and two sacks for a loss of 23 yards. Julie Reyes made three solo tackles, with four assists and an interception for a six-yard return. Courtney Danley and Monica Chiers each had a solo tackle and six assists, while Tyrha Cheatem made two solo tackles and assisted on five takedowns.

Kansas City fell to 3-2 on the year with the loss, while St. Louis improved to 3-1 and took the lead in the NWFA’s Midwest division.