Sharks Defeat Mustangs at Home 63-35

JACKSONVILLE, FL– Jacksonville (5-2) welcomed Fayetteville (4-3) to the Tank on Saturday night. The Sharks looked to continue their winning ways back home after taking down the Mustangs 73-53 at the Crown Coliseum earlier this season. It was the battle of two-point conversion attempts, with the teams combining for only one extra point attempt. The Sharks took down the Mustangs, 63-35, to ruin Fayetteville's undefeated road record. 

The Jacksonville offense did not see the field for the game's first five minutes. An early touchdown by Fayetteville made it 6-0, but a blocked extra point kept the opposition from adding any more. The proceeding kickoff bounced off the post, and Fayetteville recovered the ball at their ten-yard line. 

The Sharks, however, got the ball right back, thanks to a fumble forced by Taylor Sanders and recovered by Gibril Ghee. The Sharks went down the field quickly, and Sam Castronova scored by himself on a two-yard rush. 

There was a string of injuries for both teams to start the game. Mustangs quarterback Rakeem Cato left after the second play but was able to return to the game in the second half; at the time, he was replaced by James Summers, who also left the game in the second quarter with an injury. 

For the Sharks, recently acquired kicker Marc Orozco, who has four deuces in two games, left the game in the first quarter. Eddie Brill Jr. took over as kicker.  

Fayetteville led Jacksonville 14-7 after one. 

Jacksonville started the second quarter strong with a touchdown from league leader Kamrin Solomon. Sam Castronova continued the scoring with his second of the game. Losing Orozco proved to be trouble, as a missed two-point conversion kept the Sharks behind by two. A blocked field goal by the Sharks kept the Mustangs lead to two going into halftime. 

Fayetteville held the 23-21 lead after two quarters. 

The Sharks came out of the break quickly. Castronova threw a long touchdown pass to Tamorrion Terry. Jacksonville did what Fayetteville did to them early in the game and recovered a ball on their next kickoff. Castronova took advantage by feeding Jenson Stoshak for the touchdown, who had not scored since May 20 against Albany. The next Sharks touchdown was another long one, caught by a wide-open Marquel Wade. A quick answer by Fayetteville brought on an even faster one by Jacksonville. Wade took the following kickoff to the Mustangs' endzone. 

The third quarter ended with Jacksonville up 49-29. 

The offense did not slow down for the Sharks in the fourth. Brandon Munoz scored his first of the season. He finished the game with 13 receiving yards and two sacks. After gaining the ball back on downs, Castronova threw yet another long pass downfield, this time into the open arms of Terry, who finished the game with two touchdowns on 85 receiving yards. 

Terry's touchdown made the score 63-35, which was how the game ended in favor of the Sharks. 

Castronova threw for six touchdowns and 261 passing yards on 16 completions. He also recorded two rushing touchdowns.

Wade had a phenomenal game, scoring two touchdowns and recording 41 receiving yards.

Jacksonville's next home game will be on June 26, when they take on the Carolina Cobras. The theme is Star Wars Night! Dress in your best costumes and join us in a galaxy far, far away for a Monday night Sharks game.  

This recap is brought to you by Titletown of America.

About the Jacksonville Sharks

The Jacksonville Sharks are members of the National Arena League (NAL).The 2019 & 2017 NAL Champions and ArenaBowl XXIV Champions play all their home games at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena. Sharks season tickets for the 2023 season are now available. To become a Shark Nation member or for more information please call (904) 621-0700 or visit https://www.jaxsharks.com/shark-nation-memberships Follow the Sharks on Facebook at facebook.com/jaxsharks and on Twitter and Instagram @jaxsharks, as well as the Attack Dance Team at facebook.com/sharkattackdance and Chum at facebook.com/chumsharks.