Racine Sun

The Racine Raiders stepped on the gas in their 70-0 blowout win over the Grand Rapid Seminoles earlier this month, setting the stage for their July 16 showdown against the Illinois Cowboys, who earlier this season knocked off the visiting Raiders (14-12) on the strength of a pair of fourth quarter scores.

Racing out to a 42-0 halftime lead over the Seminoles, a 17-person roster formed from an amalgamation of various Grand Rapids teams, the Raiders never looked back, with most of the second half being played with the clock running.

Still, after the final seconds had ticked away, the 50-deep Raiders had high praise for their undermanned opponents.

“We appreciate Grand Rapids coming to play,” receiver Jordan Payne, who snared a touchdown catch, told RacineCountyEye.com. “Sometimes if a team cancels, two teams canceled, and we didn’t want back-to-back bye weeks. It felt good. I’m just trying to get back into the flow of things.”

With their July 9 game against Leyden having been canceled, the Raiders have had the last two weeks to totally focus on the Cowboys, something Payne seems to think could make all the difference.

“We know we get to see them again, so we put that in the past,” Payne said. “We have the potential to be really good. I think we have all the pieces, we just have to put it together.”

On the same day the Cowboys are scheduled to come to town, the Raiders are slated to host a free football camp for kids from 10 am to noon at Historic Horlick Athletic Field.

According to the team’s website, there are two different camps for different skills and ages, and all participants will get a free t-shirt and four tickets to see the Raiders take on the Cowboys later that night. Registration is limited to the first 100 to sign up.