By Friday morning, however, the importance of personal priorities was painfully clear - and football couldnt be found on the radar. Sherry Carpenter, wife of defensive back Ron Carpenter, passed away suddenly Friday morning. With their teammate's loss hung on their hearts and sewn on their sleeves, the Marshals completed a methodical and workmanlike effort Saturday evening and defeated the hapless Xtreme, 65-13.
With "SLC" embroidered on their uniforms, the Marshals wasted no time in setting the tone with their first defensive possession. On the third play from scrimmage, the Xtreme botched the center-quarterback exchange, and Ian Etheridge recovered. Five plays later, Rayshawn Askew scored from the one yard line.
It was the beginning of yet another huge night for Askew, who scored six touchdowns while rushing for eighty yards on twenty carries in just three quarters of play. Quarterback Brett Dietz also successfully squeezed a productive evening into forty-five minutes, completing nine passes on just twelve attempts for 155 yards and a spectacular 33-yard touchdown to Ernie Samuels, who tumbled over the retaining wall and into the crowd.
The defense was just as impressive, however, as the Xtreme managed just 125 yards total offense. Tim Wilkins had three of their four interceptions (Terrell Mingo added the other), and the defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, holding New Jersey to just 38 yards rushing while amassing three sacks. The Marshals forced a total of five turnovers.
On a night when Marshals management decided to go "family-friendly," eschewing the pregame pyrotechnics and off-color humor for a more toned-down atmosphere and wholesome promotions, family couldn't have been more important. Between the third and fourth quarters, everyone at US Bank Arena turned their attention to midfield, where an emotional Ron Carpenter delivered a simple message of solidarity with his young son and appreciation for his family, friends, and teammates. As a Super Bowl champion made the lonely trek back to the bench, grown men in football gear cried and nearly four thousand people in attendance rose to their feet and expressed their condolences.
After the game, as the Marshals continued their tradition of signing autographs for everyone in sight, the remaining crowd was a little larger than usual. Though a few clamored for Askew, Samuels, and the others, most just wanted a chance to say a kind word to Ron Carpenter.
Fitting, it seemed, on a night when everyone had their priorities in order.