Lions Make 4th Quarter Statement
Published on April 21, 2013 under Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL)
Columbus Lions News Release
COLUMBUS, GA - Led by newly signed quarterback Brian Harris, the Columbus Lions (3-2) of the Professional Indoor Football League picked up their second consecutive come from behind victory this week in a 48-42 defeat of the Richmond Raiders (3-2).
With less than eight minutes remaining and down by 15, the odds of the Lions pulling of a major comeback seemed slim to none especially with Richmond's fullback Mike Jones starting the night as the PIFL's leading rusher.
But a furious comeback sparked by the emergence of newly signed quarterback Brian Harris, who lifted the incumbent starter Marcus Jones after a late 3rd quarter interception, led Columbus to touchdowns on four of their final five drives while completing 11 of 17 passes for 125 yards.
Along with Harris, the Columbus defense made a huge contribution to the comeback holding the Raiders scoreless on their last three drives of the game. Down by two with 2:06 remaining, the defense forced a key turnover on downs leading to the eventual game-winning Lions drive ending with Gerald Gales hauling in his fourth touchdown of the night.
Helping fill the void for the injured Maurice Dupree, Gales grabbed eight receptions for 120 yards along with four scores while LeRoy Vann and Jarmon Fortson each lugged in a touchdown a piece.
In a game filled with big moments, Fortson arguably made the biggest play of the night on the game's final play jarring the ball loose out of the hands of Richmond's Herb Jones on what would have been a game-tying touchdown.
Reminiscent of years gone by, on Saturday the Lions defense was a stingy pack picking off three Warren Smith passes including two by the Week 7 Midas Player of the Game Anthony Shutt giving him four overall for the season. Defensive lineman Lawon Scott rounded out the third turnover as the defensive front played what Coach Gibson calls the best performance he has seen this year from his front four.
"Our hog-mollies up front played significantly better this week," says Columbus Lions Head Coach Jason Gibson. "Their big back Jones didn't hurt us any long runs and we created some small pockets for their QB to throw out of."
Now in a three-way log-jam with both the Albany Panthers (3-2) and Columbus, next week the Raiders end their two-game road swing with their first ever visit to Bethlehem, PA to take on the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (2-3).
Columbus will finish up their short two-game home stand next Saturday when the play host to the Louisiana Swashbucklers (1-3). On Saturday the Bucs picked up their first victory in a 36-27 victory over the Knoxville Nighthawks (1-5).
Did you miss some of the action from "Cancer Awareness Night?" Log on to www.columbuslions.net and click the "online broadcasts" link to see the nail-biting conclusion to Saturday's victory over Richmond.
For more details about next week's "Stadium Cup Night," brought to you by Sprague's Auto Supply stay tuned to the Columbus Lions Facebook page or contact the front office at 706-322-3336.
Professional Indoor Football League Stories from April 21, 2013
- Lions Make 4th Quarter Statement - Columbus Lions
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
