Dragons Clipped by Desperados, 33-31
March 31, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release
New York leads for much of game, but Desperados pull away in the fourth to improve to 5-0
The New York Dragons played one of their best games of the season, but it still wasn't enough to knock off the East-leading Dallas Desperados, who came away with a 33-31 victory.
"I thought effort wise (our players) deserved to win," said Dragons head coach Weylan Harding. "Who would have expected a Dallas-New York game to be in the 30s. I'm proud of my team for the way they fought and how they fought."
The Dragons led 31-17 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Dallas offense came alive in the fourth quarter, rattling off 16 unanswered points for a perfect 5-0 start to their season.
In the fourth, QB Chris Sanders completed two touchdown passes to WR Marcus Nash to tie the game at 31. The Dragons then fell behind for the first time since the first quarter when K Chris Onorato's 50-yard field goal attempt was blocked by OL/DL Colston Weatherington and landed in the Dragons' end zone for a safety and the game-clinching two points.
"Both teams played hard and I'm not going to take anything away from them," said Harding. "They made adjustments, just like we made adjustments. They just made the four or five plays they needed to make."
Prior to the fourth quarter, the Dragons defense was the star of the game. The Dragons defenders intercepted two Sanders passes - one that DB Angel Estrada returned 43 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter - and recovered two fumbles by Sanders. DL Henry Taylor was one of the catalysts on the Dragons defense, making four tackles, including three sacks and also recovering a fumble. Estrada, playing in his first game of the season, also provided a spark for the team.
"It's not how you start, it's how you finish," said Estrada. "We didn't get the job done. We were up 14 and thought we had the momentum. I was excited to be out there, since I haven't played all year."
On the offensive side of the ball, QB Aaron Garcia went 20-of-35 for 174 yards and three touchdowns. WR Chris Anthony led the Dragons receivers with seven catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns. WR Kevin Swayne caught five passes for 38 yards and one touchdown. WR Jason Willis hauled in seven receptions for 49 yards.
For Dallas, Sanders was 22-of-39 for 222 yards and two interceptions. WR/DB Will Pettis and WR Marcus Nash led the Dallas receivers. Nash caught eight passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Pettis caught nine passes for 102 yards and one touchdown.
The Desperados offense was stymied by the Dragons defense in the middle quarters. In the second and third quarters, Dallas scored only three points. They found their stride in the fourth and kept the Dragons off the board in the process.
"We've got a long season left and there's no quit over here," said Harding. "We're going to come back on Monday and work so we can prepare for the next game."
Five Stars of the Game:
1. WR Marcus Nash: Caught two clutch touchdowns in the fourth quarter to even the score
2. DL Henry Taylor: Helped keep the Desperados to a season-low 33 points
3. WR/DB Will Pettis: Played both sides of the ball well
4. DB Angel Estrada: In his first game back was a force out there, intercepting a pass for a touchdown and picking up a fumble recovery
5. DB Jermaine Jones: Broke up four passes
Stat of the Game
Stat of the Game: The Dragons out-scored the Desperados 24-3 in the second and third quarters
Extra Points: Today's players of the game were Henry Taylor (Defensive), Will Pettis (Ironman) and Marcus Nash (Offensive)...Dallas scored the fewest amount of points against the Dragons, since they lost to New York 44-20 on May 1, 2004...Today's attendance was 8,216 .
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