By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Kentucky Barrels didn’t let the 2,500-mile trip to Oceanside, California, slow them up with a 63-43 win over the Bombers Sunday on the West Coast. Their first road win of the season keeps the 6-1 Barrels in second place in Arena Football One behind unbeaten Albany (7-0).
It was the second straight start for rookie quarterback Daryl Overstreet Jr., who despite his limited playing time, leads the league in rushing TDs with six and is a solid fifth in the league with 182.3 passing yards a game.
But the Barrel with the biggest impact on the league’s stat leaders is wide receiver Darius Prince who is second in AF1 in five different offensive categories: total receiving yards (553), TD catches (12), receiving yards per game (92.2), points scored (78) and total TDs (13).
Sunday’s game looked like it was headed for the kind of 80-42 shootout the first time these teams played with the Barrels leading by just one, 37-36, at halftime after the teams had scored 59 second-quarter points (a 30-29 edge for the Barrels).
Prince and Overstreet appear in other offensive leaders in the league as they’re tied for fourth in the league in scoring per game at 12.0 points each. The pair are also tied for second in the league with two TDs per game while Overstreet is fifth in the league in total yards per game with 193.3.
With all those offensive numbers, it was the Barrels’ defense that took hold of this game, limiting the Bombers to a mere seven second-half points while the Kentucky offense put up 26 for the 20-point win.
Which is why you can’t forget three Barrels when it comes to defensive leaders. Nose Zeke Rose leads the league in total sacks with 7.5 while Sydney Houston Jr. is No. 4 with 5. Defensive back Joe Powell also leads the league in a tie for most interceptions with four.
The Barrels remain on the road for a second straight week as the head to far North Duluth, Minnesota, for a Saturday matchup against the fourth-place Minnesota Monsters (5-3).
Kentucky Barrels 7 30 7 19—63
Oceanside Bombers 7 29 0 7—43
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X @dweber3440.