By DANIEL FISHER

Hammer P.R. Director

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — It was an emotional night at the Bank of Kentucky Center as the Huntington Hammer squared off against the Northern Kentucky River Monsters for first place in the UIFL.

The game itself was one that saw the mental errors made by the Hammer come back to haunt them as they suffered a 69-40 loss.

Head Coach Josh Resignalo was disappointed that the team struggled to execute and said, “in the indoor game, momentum is everything and it can turn in a split second. We made some mental mistakes early and this is a team (the River Monsters) that can make you pay for every mistake you make.

“They are explosive offensively and have thoughts of scoring on every play. We let this one get away from us early and just when it looked like we were back on track, they pulled off the interception and everything swung back into their favor.”

As the game began, Huntington fell behind quickly to the River Monsters and at one point found themselves trailing 41-12

The Hammer was only able to get token pressure on River Monster quarterback Jared Lorenzen and found themselves victim of a new wrinkle to the home teams offense: a running attack.

Defensive Coordinator Michael Owens said, “We missed a few assignments and they made us pay for it.”

Lorenzen finished the night below his average in all categories, but put enough on the board to come away with the win.

The Hammer battled back to pull within a score in the second half but an interception return for a touchdown turned the momentum back in favor of the home team.

Receivers Kenny Davis (six catches, 64 yards and two TDs) and Jeff Phillips (11 catches, 82 yards and two TDs) had big nights, but the Hammer rushing game was held well below their season average.

The big pressure Friday night was on the passing game. Quarterback Martevious Young finished the game with five touchdowns and was 22 for 47 passing for 174 yards but was held to just 20 yards rushing.

The Hammer is now 4-2 and will face the Saginaw Sting at home in their first Saturday night game at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

The game features a special free kids admission offer with an adult ticket purchase.

Canned goods are being collected at the game for the Meals on Wheels program in Huntington and follows the CCCSO/Huntington Hammer 5K race that is being held in the morning.