Explosion knock off Northern Kentucky, knock out Lorenzen

Feb. 10--HIGHLANDS HEIGHTS, Ky. -- Aaron Smetanka threw three touchdown passes to Josh Mastromatto, Richard Stokes ran for two scores and the Erie Explosion knocked star quarterback Jared Lorenzen out of Sunday's game en route to a 42-30 win over the Northern Kentucky River Monsters in their Continental Indoor Football League opener.

The defending league champion Explosion (1-0) took the lead for good on Stokes' second touchdown with 5 minutes, 42 seconds to play in the third quarter and spoiled the home debut of Lorenzen, the former Kentucky star who won a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants.

Lorenzen was carried off the field at Bank of America Arena in the first half with an ankle injury after completing 7-of-12 passes for 64 yards with one TD and one interception.

Northern Kentucky (1-1) scored first on Lorenzen's 19-yard pass to Willie Idlette 1:45 into the game, but Smetanka and Stokes had short touchdown runs as the Explosion took a 13-7 lead.

A crowd of 2,221 turned out to watch an expected showdown between Lorenzen, the CIFL's headliner, and a re-tooled Explosion secondary.

Maurice Jones intercepted Lorenzen to stop an early drive, and the Explosion then knocked Lorenzen out of the game on a hard second-quarter tackle.

Still, the River Monsters stayed in it behind backup QB Kyle James, leading 24-23 early in the second half on Dustin Zink's 34-yard field goal.

The Explosion responded with a long drive ending in Stokes' 2-yard run, and Smetanka sealed it with TD passes of 9 yards and 34 yards to Mastromatto, a 5-foot 6-inch, 160-pound wide receiver from Kutztown playing in his first CIFL game. He also had a 9-yard TD reception in the second quarter.

The Explosion will meet the Marion Blue Racers next Sunday at 2 p.m. at Erie Insurance Arena.

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