Brigade Today
April 29, 2019 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Baltimore Brigade News Release
Baltimore Brigade huddle
(Baltimore Brigade)
Boyd named MVP, Powell named defensive player of the game, Hills scores three touchdowns
The Baltimore Brigade started the 2019 season 1-0 as they beat the defending ArenaBowl champions Washington Valor in their season opener at Royal Farms Arena Friday night. Quarterback Shane Boyd was named Most Valuable Player of the night for his performance with 19 completed passes for 232 yards and six touchdowns. Defensive back Joe Powell was named Defensive Player of the Game for his 6.5 tackles (6 solo) and two interceptions. Wide receiver Joe Hills completed the night with 6 catches for 64 yards and three touchdowns in his Baltimore debut. His active streak is now 93 consecutive games with a reception touchdown.
Washington got on the board first when Valor quarterback Arvell Nelson connected with wide receiver Josh Reese. Fullback Rory Nixon answered with a two-yard run allowing Baltimore to take the lead following a made kick by Brandon Brown. The teams traded points throughout the game with wide receivers Brandon Collins and Joe Hills finding the endzone and Nixon rushing three yards for his second touchdown. In the third quarter, Baltimore scored 14 unanswered points when Boyd connected passes with Hills and wide receiver Brandon Thompkins. In the final minutes of the game, the Brigade led 59-51 with a chance for Washington to score but the Baltimore defense made crucial stops preventing Nelson from completing his passes.
Game One Recap: The Numbers
BALTIMORE PASSING
Comp ATT % YDS TD INT RATE
Boyd, Shane 19 24 79.2 232 6 0 146.5
BALTIMORE RECEIVING
Number YDS TD
Williams, Milton 4 82 1
Hills, Joe 6 64 3
Thompkins, Brandon 5 58 1
Collins, Brandon 3 22 1
Nixon, Rory 1 6 0
BALTIMORE RUSHING
ATT YDS TD
Nixon, Rory 4 9 2
Boyd, Shane 1 2 0
BALTIMORE KICKOFF RETURNS
Number YDS TD
Thompkins, Brandon 5 140 0
BALTIMORE KICKING
PAT FIELD GOALS
Made ATT % Made ATT %
Brown, Brandon 8 8 100% 1 1 100%
BALTIMORE DEFENSE LEADERS
Tackles INT SACKS
TOT UA A TD NO YD UA A YDS
Powell, Joe 6.5 6 1 0 2 22 0 0 0
Goosby, Joe 5.5 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0
Martian, Nias 2.5 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Victorian, Josh 2.5 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Teammate Talk After Game One:
QB Shane Boyd on being named MVP:
"My coaching staff has done a great job of putting me in a position to get the ball out of my hands and get into a rhythm. It felt good to get that first completion out of the way and then after that I was good. The guys here make my job easy; I just have to get it to them."- Shane Boyd, Quarterback
DB Joe Powell on being named Defensive Player of the Game:
"It was an honor to win defensive player of the game my first night back. I got the chance to showcase my talents tonight and it felt good to be back out with my team and back out on the field. This fuels me to keep getting better week after week." - Joe Powell, Defensive Back
WR Joe Hills on debut Baltimore performance
"Our win tonight was a team effort. I'm able to come out here, catch footballs and score touchdowns with my team and it felt really good to be back on the field. When I'm out there I'm just focused on getting the ball into the endzone. - Joe Hills, Wide Receiver
K Brandon Brown on debut AFL performance
"I had to strive through some mental toughness tonight and there are some things I want to work on, but I said my prayers and it feels great. It's my first game out. To be honest, it's only been a week since I've gotten to know how arena football works. I had a lot of help from my teammates to learn the game and they made me feel welcomed." - Brandon Brown, Kicker
FB Rory Nixon on offensive line
"The offensive line got us off to a good start with their run blocking early in the game in the redzone. It felt really good to be back in Baltimore to start off the season." - Rory Nixon, Fullback
WR Brandon Thompkins on season opener
"It felt great to see my boys back in blue on the field. We got the W tonight, but the marathon continues. " - Brandon Thompkins, Wide Receiver
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Arena Football League Partners with Chalkline Sports to Launch AFL Fan Games with Live In-Game Contest
Today, the Arena Football League (AFL) announced the launch of "AFL Fan Games," powered by Chalkline Sports' Free-to-Play (F2P), live-odds game platform. AFL Fan Games allow fans of all experience levels to make weekly, daily and in-game predictions for prizes, and are available for all AFL games this season.
AFL Fan Games are entirely free for fans, who can play online at https://games.arenafootball.com . Fans can compete for prizes, including VIP tickets, official game footballs, and official team helmets.
Baltimore Brigade Season & TV Schedule
The Baltimore Brigade host their next two home games at Royal Farms Arena. The next game is Friday, May 3 against the Philadelphia Soul at 7 pm at Royal Farms Arena. You can also check out all the games (schedule below) live on Monumental Sports Network and on NBC Sports Washington (NBCSW).
WEEK DATE OPPONENT VENUE TIME CHANNEL
1 Fri., April 26 vs. Washington Valor Royal Farms Arena 7 p.m. NBCSW
2 Fri., May 3 vs. Philadelphia Soul Royal Farms Arena 7 p.m. NBCSW
3 Fri., May 10 vs. Columbus Destroyers Royal Farms Arena 7 p.m. NBCSW
4 Sat., May 18 @ Atlantic City Blackjacks Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall 7 p.m. NBCSW
5 Sun., May 26 vs. Philadelphia Soul Royal Farms Arena 3 p.m. NBCSW
6 Sat., June 1 @ Atlantic City Blackjacks Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall 3:30 p.m. NBCSW
7 Sat., June 8 @ Albany Empire Times Union Center 7:30 p.m. NBCSW
8 Sat., June 15 @ Columbus Destroyers Nationwide Arena 3:30 p.m. NBCSW
9 Thurs., June 20 @ Washington Valor Capital One Arena 7 p.m. NBCSW
10 Fri., June 28 vs. Columbus Destroyers Royal Farms Arena 7 p.m. NBCSW
11 BYE BYE BYE BYE BYE
12 Sat., July 13 vs. Washington Valor Royal Farms Arena 7 p.m. NBCSW
13 Sun., July 21 @ Atlantic City Blackjacks Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall 4 p.m. NBCSW
GAME INFORMATION:
May 3 // 7 p.m. @ home vs Philadelphia Soul
May 10 // 7 p.m. @ home vs Columbus Destroyers
TICKETS:
Full season ticket memberships are currently on sale for the 2019 season and start as low as $10 per game. For additional information about joining the Battalion full season ticket membership club, as well as other group and all-inclusive ticket packages, call the Brigade Ticket Sales office at 667-930-0200 or email ticketsales@baltimorebrigade.com.
Images from this story
 Baltimore Brigade catch a touchdown against the Washington Valor |
 Baltimore Brigade huddle |
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Arena Football League Stories from April 29, 2019
- Brigade Today - Baltimore Brigade
- Valor Today - Washington Valor
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