Italy: Ancona Dolphins defeat the Milano Rhinos to earn valuable road win

The Ancona Dolphins struck early and never looked back defeating the Milano Rhinos 28-7 in Milan in the fourth weekend of action in the Italian Football League.

The Dolphins found the end zone on their very first possession as quarterback Blake Eaton drove his team from his own 30 down to the Milano 12 yard line mostly behind the ground game led by running back Mike Gentili. Eaton then found wide receiver Tyler Terhark to give Ancona a 7-0 lead.

The Dolphins defense kept Milano’s offense bottled up and Eaton again mounted a scoring drive, this time from the 45. Then on a third and ten from the 20, after a wild scramble he hit Teo Flamini who danced his way into the end zone to extend the lead to 14-0.

The second half saw the Rhinos mount a comeback after linebacker Marco Olivas picked off Eaton and took the ball all the way for a 70 yard touchdown. The failed conversion left the score 14-6.

With the Ancona offense still sputtering, the Rhinos narrowed the gap again with a 22 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins offense finally found its rhythm again in the final period. On a 1st and 10 from the Milano 36 yard line, Eaton connected with a wide open Matteo Dazzini to boost the lead to 21-9.

Eaton sealed the win marching the Dolphins from his own 14 yard line all the way down to the Rhinos 18 eating up the clock along the way. He hit a streaking Dazzini in the end zone to give Ancona a 28-9 lead.

With little time left, Milano’s final drive fizzled out and the Dolphins earned a valuable road win.

Next up for Ancona is a home game against the Bergamo Lions on March 22 while the Rhinos hit the road to face the Legnano Frogs March 15.