Dixon, Sorrell Lead 'Cats to Victory
Published on August 6, 2002 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
CHICAGO - This season has been full of firsts for Florida and that theme carried into the playoffs last weekend as the Firecats earned their first-ever postseason victory and first-ever win against the Tallahassee Thunder. Two clutch plays in the final 35 seconds from af2 Ironman of the Week ANTHONY DIXON and ADT Defensive Player of the Week QUINCY SORRELL sent the Firecats to Macon Saturday for the American Conference semifinals.
Dixon's three-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds remaining broke a 31-31 deadlock and proved to be the game-winning score against the Thunder. Florida never had beaten Tallahassee in four previous attempts, but Dixon's three-touchdown performance put an end to that spell. The former Marshall University standout caught 10 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown while rushing for seven yards and two scores. Defensively, Dixon recorded three tackles.
With Tallahassee driving for a potential game-winning score of its own, Sorrell helped preserve the Florida victory, intercepting CHRIS PERKINS and returning the pick 49 yards to paydirt with just 11 seconds left. The touchdown extended the Firecats' lead to 43-31, ending the threat of a Tallahassee comeback. Sorrell also picked off an errant pass with 30 seconds left in the first half to snuff out a Thunder drive. On top of his two interceptions, Sorrell added four tackles en route to garnering game MVP honors.
Birmingham quarterback MONTRESSA KIRBY helped the Steeldogs settle an old feud with Tennessee Valley and, for his efforts, earns af2 Offensive Player of the Week recognition. Kirby's seven touchdowns (four rushing, three passing) helped the 'Dogs earn their first victory over their Alabama rivals after six losses. Kirby completed 17-of-27 passes for 222 yards.
Macon WR/DB DENARIO SMALLS is af2's Built Ford Tough Man of the Week. In the Knights' 57-41 win over Augusta, Smalls came up big, intercepting a pass with 18 seconds remaining in the game and recovering a blocked PAT and returning it for two points. Smalls' PAT return came as Augusta tried to tie the game 21-21 and turned it into a 23-20 Macon advantage, sparking a 16-0 Knights run that all but put the game away. The East Tennessee State University product also recorded six tackles.
Following each game, each team's coaching staff selects one to five players who display a "get it done" attitude as their "Built Ford Tough Men" for that week. At season's end, the league will honor the Built Ford Tough Man of the Year, a player who will win a Ford truck. Other candidates for the league's Offensive, Defensive and Ironman players of the week - chosen by the working media at each af2 game - follow in the First-Round Results section.
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FIRST-ROUND RESULTS/GAME AWARDS
Saturday, August 26 ... MVP ... IRONMAN ... ADT (DEFENSE) Florida 43, TALLAHASSEE 31 ... Quincy Sorrell-FLA ... Mesiah Porter-TAL ... Quincy Sorrell-FLA CAPE FEAR 57, Richmond 48 ... Wilmont Perry-CPF ... Kevin Harvey-RIC ... E.J. Burt-CPF ALBANY 31, Rochester 26 ... Corey Hill-ALB ... Lou Vega-ALB ... Mike Levy-ALB MACON 57, Augusta 41 ... John Rayborn-MAC ... Norman Mason-MAC ... Byron Douzart-MAC PEORIA 37, Wichita 36 ... Walter Church-PEO ... Lincoln Dupree-PEO ... Bryan Henderson-WIC Birmingham 65, TENNESSEE VALLEY 51 ... Herman Bell-BIR ... Anthony Jordan-BIR ... Michael Feagin-BIR TULSA 34, Arkansas 32 ... Anthony Buich-TUL ... Sean Love-TUL ... Larry Hollinquest-TUL San Diego 40, BAKERSFIELD 27 ... Marty Graham-SDG ... Rico Curtis-SDG ... J' Sharlon Jones-BAK
Home teams in CAPS
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QUOTES FROM AROUND af2
"I BELIEVE VERY, VERY STRONGLY THAT THIS IS A WONDERFUL PRODUCT FOR WICHITA. I REALLY THINK THAT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO COME OUT ONCE WE PUT A WINNER ON THE FIELD. I JUST KNOW THIS CAN BE SOMETHING WONDERFUL." - Wichita general manager MIKE McCOY on his confidence in Wichita as an af2 town.
"WE'RE VERY EXCITED FOR THE CHANCE TO PLAY THEM AGAIN. WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT. WE'LL HAVE NO TROUBLE GETTING UP FOR THEM. WE WANT TO SHOW WE CAN PLAY WELL AGAINST A GOOD TEAM. OUR GAME WITH THEM WAS THE MOST FRUSTRATING GAME IN MY CAREER. WE HOPE NOT TO BE FRUSTRATED AGAIN." - Peoria Head Coach BRUCE COWDREY on his team's contest with San Diego in the National Conference semifinals this Saturday. The Riptide took the regular season meeting between the two teams 28-21.
"BASICALLY, THAT'S WHAT WE DO. THAT'S THE CREED WE LIVE BY, NOT TO ALLOW ANYONE TO GET TO OUR QUARTERBACK. THAT'S WHAT WE DID TODAY. WE WANT TO GET (THE OPPOSING QUARTERBACK) IN A HURRY AND RUNNING. WE WANT HIM ON THE GROUND; WE WANT TO GIVE HIM THE JITTERS. OUR QUARTERBACK, HE COULD SIT BACK AND HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE. WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP IT UP AND TAKE IT ALL THE WAY." - Macon OL/DL GENE DAVID on hunting down opposing quarterbacks. The Knights sacked Augusta's GLEN GAUNTT four times last weekend.
"I THINK GUYS WERE THINKING TOO MUCH ABOUT WHAT (BURT) MIGHT DO BEFORE WE EVEN PLAYED THE GAME. AS OPPOSED TO PLAYING FOOTBALL AND REACTING TO WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO." - Albany Head Coach RON SELESKY on the Conquest's last meeting with Cape Fear, when E.J. BURT tied an af2 single-game record with 4.5 sacks. Cape Fear hosts Albany this weekend in the American Conference semifinals.
"I LOOKED OUT THERE FOR A SECOND AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS MY D-LINE. THAT'S THE WAY MY GUYS GOT AFTER QUARTERBACKS ALL YEAR." - Tallahassee Head Coach MIKE McCLENTON on Florida's defensive line after the Firecats' 43-31 victory over the Thunder in the opening round of the playoffs Saturday night.
"I HAVE TO PLAY, IT'S THE PLAYOFFS. I'M NOT 100 PERCENT, BUT I'M READY TO GO." - Florida DS ROY STABLER on his desire to play. Stabler missed the final three weeks of the regular season with a separated shoulder.
"WE ELIMINATED THE TURNOVERS AND WE PLAYED AS A TEAM. I'VE TOLD THESE GUYS ALL YEAR LONG, IT'S NOT HOW YOU START, IT'S HOW YOU FINISH. WE MAY NOT HAVE WON THE DIVISION, BUT WE WON THE GAME THAT COUNTED." - San Diego Head Coach CREE MORRIS on defeating Bakersfield in the first round of the playoffs.
"MY QUARTERBACK'S ARENA EXPERIENCE CONSISTED OF EXACTLY SIX PRACTICE SESSIONS AND 30 MINUTES OF GAME ACTION BEFORE WE STARTED HIM IN THIS PLAYOFF GAME. BUT THIS 'KID,' IF WE WANT TO CALL HIM THAT, HAS BEEN TO PLACES A LOT OF US HAVE NEVER SEEN." - Cape Fear Head Coach CHRIS SEIGFRIED on QB BOB PESAVENTO. Pesavento led the University of Colorado to victories over Nebraska and Texas last season.
"WHEN HE CAUGHT THE BALL, I KEPT SAYING FALL DOWN, FALL DOWN. THEN WHEN HE GOT HALFWAY THERE I KEPT GOING SCORE, SCORE, SCORE." - Florida Head Coach JOHN FOURCADE on what was going through his mind when QUINCY SORRELL picked off CHRIS PERKIN's pass and returned it for a game-clinching touchdown with 11 seconds to play Saturday.
"AM I A VISIONARY?. WELL, I GUESS IF BEING A VISIONARY INVOLVES COMMON SENSE AND LOGIC, I MUST BE." - Tennessee Valley operator ART CLARKSON on a former employee's notion that he is a visionary.
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