Kinsman stated, "We are aware of the history of teams in this city and the bottom line is that you have to win on and off the field to make this succeed.

In early September 2011, the Patriots signed former Pradators head coach John Forti, as well as re-signed local players who had played for the Predators.

This first unofficial win came in the wake of the tragic loss of Offensive Lineman Ken Hamilton, who was killed in a shooting outside of a Detroit nightclub.

[7] Running backs Wide receivers Defensive linemen Defensive backs Kickers Inactive Practice squad rookies in italicsRoster updated April 24, 2012 25 Active, 1 Inactive, 10 PS at McMorran Arena, Port Huron, Michigan

The Patriots' first points of the second quarter came from a safety when the snap was over the head of Kropp and recovered by the Vipers in the end zone.

The 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter quickly disappeared as defensive back Lawrence Harvey intercepted Johnson and returned it for a 13-yard touchdown.

The Vipers took their first lead of the game as Johnson completed a pass to Dominique Jackson at the Port Huron 16.

The Patriots came right back down the field and scored on 4-yard run by Tracey McIntyre with 5:52 left in the opening stanza.

Port Huron answered the bell when Terry Michell caught a 6-yard pass from Michael McKinley, but Carson Nowakowski's kick was no good.

Weeden took the ensuing kickoff and ran 52 yards for a touchdown to close the half, but the PAT failed.

Darryl Johnson threw a 14-yard pass to Jose Morris to open up the second half scoring.

Dayton then came back and scored with 4 minutes left in the quarter when Sawyer threw a 44 yards pass to Tyler Waller.

New quarterback Torrance Webster threw a pair of touchdowns to Jose' Cannon, and ran in another score.

In the end, it was Webster's three interceptions that cost the Patriots the game, as the final one was taken back 40 yards by Melvin Thomas to ultimately seal the win for the Silverbacks.

The Sting came into the game with a 3-0 record and were facing Port Huron for the first of two consecutive weeks playing each other for the rights to the "Michigan Cup.