Gingras Shines in Victory Over Storm

Bob Gingras prepares to take a snap in the Mustangs victory over the Storm.
Courtesy WKOW TV

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO FROM WKOW CHANNEL 27 HERE.

Madison Mustangs owner Bob Gingras has been a football fan his entire life.  But until this past weekend, Bob had never been able to be a player.  You see, doctors had to remove one of his kidneys when he was a child, and as such, he was prohibited from playing tackle football for fear of injury for all the 55 years he has been on this earth.

But thanks to some prompting from fans, friends, and his players, and thanks to his own month-long preparation (and especially thanks to some phenomenal protection from his offensive line) he was able to realize the dream last Saturday against the Storm.

Gingras entered the game in the second quarter, following a stellar offensive first quarter that saw the Mustangs jump up 20-0, and led the 'Stangs on two scoring drives in three chances, including a touchdown strike minutes before halftime to WR Reggie Davis.  Shortly after leading his team to a halftime lead of 34-0, Bob announced his retirement and took the pads off in the sweltering heat at the half.

The second half played out much the way the first did, with Madison dominating the overmatched Storm on Family Night at Breitenbach Stadium.  The defense shut down Milwaukee's dangerous QB Shannon King, and forced the Storm into turnover after turnover, a constant theme on the year for the mighty Hit Squad.  Offensively, the Mustangs clicked on most cylinders.  QB David Petrowiak threw for two scores and ran a third in himself as he continues to press his case for league MVP.  Although the rushing numbers were down, it should be noted that Madison did not have many chances with the ball in the third and fourth quarters, thanks to a pick-six and a running clock.  The game ended with the Mustangs decisively victorious at 55-0.

The win puts the Mustangs in complete control of their destiny in the second half of the season.  They are the lone remaining undefeated team in the IFL, one of only two undefeated teams in the state, and now possess the nation's longest active winning streak: 30 games.  They have also retained the #1 ranking in the WISemiPro.com Power Rankings.

#1 Madison (6-0) will have a much different match-up this week when they travel to Hart Park in Milwaukee to take on their arch-rivals, the #5 Muskego Hitmen (4-2).  Muskego is the last team to have beaten the Hitmen, a 6-0 victory in the playoffs in 2007.  Last season, Madison eeked out a playoff victory over Muskego in the NFC Championship.  Kickoff will be at 7PM at Hart Park.

You can catch more info about the Madison Mustangs at madisonmustangsfootball.com.