Avengers Hang on at Home, 71-69
by Tim Peterson
February 21, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers
(Los Angeles)- The Los Angeles Avengers survived a furious fourth quarter San Jose rally but held on in the end to beat the Sabercats 71-69 before 13, 088 at Staples Center. The victory was key for the Avengers as it improved their record to 3-1 while the defending champion Sabercats dropped to 1-3.
John Kaleo, in his first season for Los Angeles, threw for 327 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception. San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb also fired seven scoring strikes while piling up 399 yards but he was hurt by three interceptions.
"This win was huge, just huge," Kaleo said. "Anytime you can beat the Arena Football League champions, it's huge."
Kaleo who won an AFL championship two years ago with Tampa Bay is beginning to find his groove in the LA offense.
"I'm feeling comfortable. It's starting to click a little bit now. Last week we made a lot of strides and we're continuing to grow offensively. Coach Hodgkiss has implemented some things to make me feel more comfortable."
Kaleo never looked more comfortable than he did in the second quarter. San Jose's Rashied Davis brought back a kick off 55 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter as the Sabercats took a 14-3 lead after one. The Avengers then outscored the Cats 34-7 in the second as Kaleo and his offense took control.
First he hit Tony Locke in stride for a 21- yard touchdown pass. After Greg Hopkins picked off a pass and returned it three yards for a score, Kaleo hooked up with Locke again. This time it was good for four yards and LA led 23-14.
The Avengers capped off the quarter with another Kaleo to Locke connection. With just Two seconds remaining in the period, Kaleo found him open in the end zone and hit the target for a 23 yard score. The Avengers took a 37-21 lead into halftime.
For Locke, a rookie out of Ohio State, it was the first time he had scored in the AFL and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time.
"It felt great to get in the end zone and put points on the board, that's what it's about," Locke said. "Kaleo and I stayed after practice every day this week to get our timing down and get some things together."
The teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter and LA entered the fourth period holding a 51-35 advantage. The lead still looked safe when with 2:05 remaining in the game, Kaleo hit Jerome Riley on a 25 yard touchdown pass to give LA a 68-49 margin. For Riley it was his third touchdown reception of the contest. But in the Arena League, nothing is safe.
Grieb hit James Roe for 41 yards and a touchdown to cut the lead to 13. Then the Sabercats recovered an onside kick and immediately cashed in. Grieb found Davis over the middle and hit him on the fly. Davis corralled it while rolling across the goal line and the Cats were within six at 68-62.
Remy Hamilton booted a clutch 19 yard field goal to up the lead back to nine but San Jose had one last gasp left. Grieb hooked up with Barry Wagner for nine yards with 16 seconds left. However the Avengers recovered the ensuing onside kick to finally kill the Cats.
"That was a pressure packed field goal; his biggest of the year," Avenger Coach Ed Hodgkiss said of Hamilton's kick. Hodgkiss was pleased with the win but still feels there is room for improvement.
"I wasn't happy with those quick strikes at the end. That's something we have to fix," Hodgkiss said. "We don't want to give those long ones up. We want to make them earn it and they got themselves back in it."
The Avengers now hit the road for a date with the Colorado Crush next week.
SJ 14 7 14 34 69
LA 3 34 14 20 71
Passing: SJ: Grieb 31-46- 399-7-3. LA: Kaleo 23-38-327-7-0. Total Yards: SJ- 410. LA- 373.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 21, 2005
- Destroyers game at Georgia moved to 2 p.m. kickoff - Columbus Destroyers
- Georgia Force move kickoff of next home game to 2 pm - Georgia Force
- Nashville Kats game notes - Nashville Kats
- Georgia shuts down Gladiators, 38-13 - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Avengers Hang on at Home, 71-69 - OSC Original by Tim Peterson
- Avengers edge SaberCats, 71-69 - San Jose SaberCats
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