The Lehigh Valley Steelhawks remained undefeated Saturday night, holding off Trenton in the final seconds for a 42-36 Professional Indoor Football League victory before 1,250 at Stabler Arena.
A goal-line stand kept Trenton out of the end zone after the Freedom (2-2) had the ball on the 2-yard line in the final seconds.
A false start penalty moved the ball back to the 7 and two final passes fell incomplete.
It was the Steelhawks' second narrow win of the season over Trenton. Lehigh Valley also prevailed 48-47 in the season opener on April 6 at Stabler and have won their three games by a total of 15 points.
Bethlehem Catholic graduate and second-year Steelhawks QB Adam Bednarik was 12-for-23 passing for 167 yards and three touchdowns -- all of them to Scott Pillar.
Bednarik was 7-for-9 for 124 yards in the first half, but didn't have the same success in the second half when Trenton got more pressure on him.
Bednarik did run for one second-half TD to make it 35-24 with 10:25 left in the third.
Trenton, however, rallied and took a 36-35 lead on a 25-yard interception return by Jeffery Morgan with 5:20 remaining in the third quarter.
But the Freedom wouldn't score again.
Just seven points were scored in the final quarter and all of them came off the foot of Lehigh Valley kicker Mike Barnard, who accounted for 16 points overall.
He hit field goals from 32 and 21 yards and scored a rouge -- meaning the kickoff goes through the uprights like a field goal or PAT attempt -- to give Lehigh Valley the six-point lead with 1:21 left.
The Freedom came right back down the field on the arm of Warren Smith, who was 20-for-39 for 174 yards and two touchdowns. But Trenton couldn't score after a Landis Williams catch-and-run got it to the Steelhawks 4. A sweep attempt by Melik Brown got Trenton to the 2, but they wouldn't get closer.
It was a bitter loss for Trenton, which also lost defensive back Vaughn Carraway to a potentially severe injury in the second. Carraway took a hit on a kickoff, lost his helmet and was taken away on a stretcher with extra precautions taken to immobolize his neck.
"It was a real physical game, especially in the second half," Bednarik said. "They came out and got a lot of pressure on me and I didn't have time to get rid of the ball. But fortunately our defense came through for us."
The Steelhawks, who have never been 3-0 in their four-year history, are back home the next three weekends. They return to Stabler Arena to take on Harrisburg at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The recap:
Trenton Freedom --- 14 -- 10 -- 12 -- 0 -- 36
LV Steelhawks --- 12 -- 16 -- 7 -- 7 -- 42
FIRST QUARTER
LV -- Mike Barnard rouge, 15:00
TF -- Jeffery Morgan fumble recovery (Shawn Leo kick), 8:54
TF -- Jaquan Bryant 56 kickoff return (Shawn Leo kick), 4:01
LV -- Scott Pillar 30 pass from Adam Bednarik (Barnard kick), 3:49
LV -- Mike Barnard rouge, 2:10
SECOND QUARTER
TF -- Landis Williams 10 pass from Warren Smith (Shawn Leo kick), 13:53
LV -- Pillar 37 pass from Bednarik (Barnard kick), 10:53
LV -- Barnard rouge, 10:15
TF -- Leo 17 FG, 1:53
LV -- Pillar 13 pass from Bednarik (Pillar run), 0:11
THIRD QUARTER
LV -- Bednarik 3 run (Barnard kick), 10:25
TF -- Roger Jackson 13 pass from Smith, (Leo kick)
TF -- Morgan 25 interception return (pass failed)
FOURTH QUARTER
LV -- Barnard 32 FG, 10:19
LV -- Barnard 21 FG, 1:21
LV -- Barnard rouge, 1:21
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