Brigade Can't Extinguish Albany's Offense
May 31, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
Game MVP Ryan Vena threw six touchdown passes and the Albany defense held Rochester to 127 total yards of offense, en route to a 64-40 victory Saturday night, in front of 5,072 fans, at the Pepsi Arena. The win, Albany's fifth in a row, kept them in first place in the Northeast Division.
Vena completed 17-of-21 pass attempts for 251 yards, while racking up another 26 yards on the ground. Vena, who has now been named Game MVP in six out of seven Conquest (7-1) wins this season, threw three touchdowns to WR/DB Phil Taylor (6 rec. for 82 yards) and two to OS Corey Hill (7 rec. for 82 yards and 91 return yards).
Rochester (1-8) struck first when OS Martino Theus hauled in an 18-yard scoring strike. After a missed extra point gave the visitors a 6-0 lead, the Albany defense stepped in. After Hill scored his first touchdown of the game, OL/DL Spencer Conley sacked Brigade QB Jason Visconti in the end zone, forcing a fumble that rolled out of the back of the end zone for a safety and giving the Conquest an early 9-6 lead.
The home team then went on a 25-8 run, before Rochester WR/DB Derek Baker returned a kickoff 54 yards for a touchdown just before the half, sending it into the locker room, 36-20. Baker would return two kicks for scores and finished with a game-high 219 all-purpose yards.
The second half saw the Conquest defense stand tall and the offense add to its lead, keeping the I-90 NY Lottery Cup in Albany for the second straight season. DS Elijah Beamon, who ran back an interception 50 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and picked up 6.5 tackles (two for loss) and two pass breakups, was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game for the second time in 2003.
The Conquest will travel to Greensboro, NC to take on the Greensboro Prowlers next Saturday, June 7 at 7:30 PM. Fans can catch all the action by logging onto www.albanyconquest.com and listening to the FREE webcast provided by TRZ Teamline Services.
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