CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (BVM) – Revenge is a dish best served cold. 

On Saturday night in Chicago Heights, the Midway Marauders got their revenge by defeating the Racine Raiders 27-12. 

The Raiders squared off against an undefeated Marauders squad, whose most recent loss had been to Racine two years ago in the Mid-States Football League (MSFL) Championship game. 

The Raiders entered this MSFL regular-season matchup without running back Howard Triplett and wide receiver Jordan Payne, two of their most productive offensive players, who were sidelined with injuries. 

Midway improved to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the MSFL with the 27-12 victory, while Racine fell to 8-3 and 6-2, suffering a second straight loss. 

“It was a disappointing loss,” Raiders head coach Wilbert Kennedy said. “It was a hard loss, man.” 

A Raiders victory would have put them into a three-way tie for first place in the MSFL with the Marauders and Illinois Cowboys, who the Raiders lost to on July 24. However, Racine remains the third seed with two regular-season games remaining. 

The Raiders turnovers were the story of the night. 

“Turnovers hurt us,” Kennedy said. “We only gave up two scores on defense. We’ve got to protect the ball.” 

The Raiders turned the ball over four times, two of which led to Marauders touchdowns. 

With Midway holding a 7-0 lead, Marauders’ linebacker Jason Dawson intercepted Raiders’ quarterback Mitchell Farr’s pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown with 4:50 left in the first quarter. Then, at the eight-minute mark in the second quarter, Farr fumbled at the Marauders’ 39 and linebacker Ledevin Smith returned it for a touchdown, giving Midway a 21-0 lead. 

The loss was a blow to a Raiders squad who was without several key contributors. In addition to Triplett and Payne, wide receivers Terrence Fitch and Will Norwood as well as running back Troy Collier missed Saturday’s contest with injuries. Starting right tackle – Isaiah Trusell, was also unavailable for Racine. 

“Those are all big-play guys,” Kennedy said. “We had some younger guys playing. They played hard and they made some good plays.” 

Gordy Bittner Jr., replaced Farr after his second turnover of the game. Farr completed three of seven passes for five yards. Bittner completed 13 of 31 passes for 108 yards. 

After Bittner entered the game, defensive-back Torrie Ruffin who was the Raiders running-back replacement Saturday night, broke multiple tackles enroute to a 20-yard touchdown run. That pulled the Raiders to within 15 at 21-6. 

Bittner then made his impact on the game with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Joe Garcia with 8:49 left in the third quarter as Racine closed the gap to 21-12.

Garcia led the Raiders with eight receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown. The Raider wide receiver even played through an ankle injury which earned him praise from his head coach. 

“I’m surprised he’s playing,” Kennedy said. “He’s playing on a bad wheel. To see the heart he has and how he guts it out. He’s a gamer, he never quits, he makes plays and he gets guys fired up.” 

After the Raiders threatened a comeback, Bittner threw an interception that helped the Marauders take a 27-12 lead with 9:03 left to play in the game. 

That would be the final score, as Racine suffered a tough loss on the road. 

Although the Raiders lost, Coach Kennedy was pleased with his team’s defense which had struggled the week before. 

The Raiders held Midway to 109 yards and five first downs while they compiled 205 yards and 16 first downs. 

“I thought the defense played really well,” Kennedy said. “They gave up two scores, but they were getting after them. We were getting to the ball and making plays.” 

The Marauders were able to avenge their championship loss two years ago, while the Raiders attempt to get back on track. 

The Raiders return home to Horlick Field next Saturday against the Chi City Ducks.