Des Moines, Iowa – The Iowa Barnstormers dropped a hard fought battle against the Chicago Rush before 9,552 fans at Wellmark Field Saturday night. The Rush used an 18 yard Chris Gould Field Goal with 1.8 seconds left to secure a 50-49 victory. 

 

Iowa dominated much of the first quarter, jumping out to a 21-7 lead. Quarterback Brad Banks connected with Wide Receiver Jesse Schmidt for all three of Iowa’s touchdowns.  However the second quarter was a different story as Iowa was outscored 27-6 courtesy of three Russ Michna touchdown passes, giving the Rush a 34-27 halftime advantage. 

 

The third quarter of play featured two more Banks to Schmidt touchdowns, but the highlight occurred when Barnstormers Defensive Lineman Charles Johnson sacked Michna in the end zone for a safety which gave Iowa a 42-41 lead at the end of three quarters of play. Iowa opened up an 8 point lead 49-41 when Banks found Schmidt for his record-breaking seventh touchdown reception of the game. However Chicago responded with 12 yard touchdown pass to Reggie Gray, followed by a defensive stop with 1:00 remaining to set up Gould for his game-winning kick.

 

With the victory, Chicago improves to 4-1 on the season, while the Barnstormers fall to 2-3. The Barnstormers are back on the road next Saturday, April 23 for a battle with the Tulsa Talons. Iowa returns home two weeks from tonight, Saturday April 30 when they take on the Philadelphia Soul at 7:05pm. The Soul features former Barnstormers Tanner Varner and Ryan Vena. Great seats are available for purchase at the Wells Fargo Arena box office, by calling the Barnstormers at 515.633.2255 online at www.theiowabarnstormers.com.

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