Fever Close Season with Big Win
Published on July 26, 2009 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Tri-Cities Fever News Release
Kennewick, Wash. - In a game that could very well decide the fate of the Tri-Cities Fever (3-13) franchise, the Fever players stepped up their game on all sides of the ball and defeated the Central Valley Coyotes (3-13) 76-35 in front of 3,615 Fever Faithful.
The first quarter set the tone for the entire game as Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game QB Colin Drafts (16-25-7 TD's; 281-yards) connected for 42-yards to WR Ray Little (2-44; 1TD) on the second play from the line of scrimmage. Three plays later DB Jamie Hattley (2.5 tackles, 2 interceptions) picked off a Joe Micco on the three yard line to set up a Colin Drafts 1-yard touchdown run. To cap off the scoring in the first quarter, Little fumbled a kickoff but quickly recovered the ball and ran 52-yards to pay dirt and the early 21-6 lead.
The Coyotes would mount a 10-point turn around in the first 5 minutes of the second quarter, but Drafts bounced back from his lone interception of the night to find WR Tremayne Kirkland (7-152-5 TD's) from 14-yards out for the score.
Ex Fever WR Phil Goodman (6-69; 3TD's) would answer back for the Coyotes, but again Drafts instantly found the answer with a 47-yard over the shoulder touchdown to WR Brandon Copeland (5-76; 2 TD's) to again take a 13-point lead. With under a minute to play in the half the Fever managed the clock well and with 8 seconds left on the clock Drafts found Kirkland on a 29-yard post to the corner to bring the lead 42-22 at the break.
The third quarter again saw Central Valley try and mount a comeback, but as they had a chance to pull within one score, Aaron's Defensive Player of the Game Chris Hemphill (7.0 tackles; 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception) saved a throw from going out-of-bounds for the interception and leaped over a Coyote player for the defensive touchdown. By the end of the third quarter, each team scored two touchdowns, but a Coyote missed PAT gave the Fever a 56-35 lead with one quarter to play.
The Fever could have coasted to a victory, but never let up offensively or defensively. Drafts threw for three more scores: 38-yards and 37-yards to Kirkland and 19-yards to Copeland. Defensively Hattley intercepted his second pass of the night and Hemphill recovered his second fumble of the night as the Fever defense held the Coyotes scoreless in the forth quarter to finish the game 76-35.
Notes: The six turnovers (4 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries) on the night set a record for turnovers in a single game for the Fever since joining the af2. Kirkland's 5 touchdown receptions ties a Fever record along side Brandon Copeland and JR Thomas. 76-points scored by the Fever offense is the second highest total since the Fever joined the af2 (77-points; vs Texas May 26, 2007) and only the second time the Fever have scored 70+ points. Michael Braunstein's 10 PAT's set a single game record (Previously 9 by Ryan Cesca 2007).
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