Jacksonville, FL. - The Jacksonville Sharks delivered a dominating performance, using a 35 point first quarter and a 56 point first half to cruise to a 79-27 victory over the Iowa Barnstormers at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on Friday night. The Barnstormers drop to 2-7 on the season, while Sharks improve to an AFL best 8-1 record as we reach the half-way point of the season.
Iowa again was haunted by untimely turnovers. Quarterback Brad Banks struggled, completing just 5 of 18 passes while throwing 3 first half interceptions. Banks was replaced by backup Bryan Lee-Lauduski with 3 minutes remaining in the second quarter and finished the game. Sharks Quarterback Aaron Garcia was nearly perfect, completing each of his first 4 passes for touchdowns. Garcia finished the night completing 12 of 17 passes for 227 yards and 7 touchdowns, before giving way to rookie QB Omar Jacobs at the end of the third quarter. The former Barnstormer Garcia is the AFL’s all-time leader in career touchdown passes with 1,015.
The Barnstormers will now have a week off to regroup and get healthy before returning home on Friday, May 27 when they host the Utah Blaze at 7:05pm. The game will be nationally televised on the NFL Network. May 27th is student ID night with the Barnstormers. Any high school or college student can purchase any priced ticket for half-price by showing their student ID at the Wells Fargo Arena Box office. Group and individual tickets are also available by calling the Barnstormers at 515.633.2255 or online at www.theiowabarnstormers.com.
Score by Quarters
IBS 7 6 7 7 27
JAX 35 21 16 7 79
