Firecats Break Records In 69-63 Win Over Dusters
May 29, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Florida Firecats News Release
Estero, FL- Including tonight's game the Firecats had been inside Germain Arena for more games than home practices this season. After spending the last 35 days on the road the Firecats finally got to hold 2 practices indoors this week preparing for one of their toughest match ups of the year. The league's #3 scoring defense expected to be put to the test against the high powered Amarillo Dusters who own the leagues #1 scoring offense, and it was one for the record books.
The Dusters opened the game with a 9-play 6 and a half-minute drive to take an early 6-0 lead after Quarterback Julian Reese hooked up with Kendrick Walker for a 12 yard Touchdown strike. Cainon Lamb wasted no time in answering back with a 30yrd-scoring grab on the Firecats 1st play from scrimmage, Brandon Kornblue split the posts to give the âCats a 7-6 lead.
The Dusters proved they could play long ball too as Reese, who went 30 of 43 for 338 yards with 5 touchdowns and 1 interception in the game, hit his top target of the night Chavis McCollister with a 37-yard pass on the next drive and the Dusters went back out in front 12-7. It took Jeremy Reese a few kicks to get the feel for Florida's arena as his missed on his first 2 PAT's and hit the roof on back-to-back kickoffs to begin the game before settling into a rhythm.
The Firecats closed the 1st quarter scoring as Brent Burnside collected his 7th TD reception of the year to give the home team the lead once again 14-12.
In the second frame Dusters QB Julian Reese took matters into his own hands running in a score from 2 yards out adding to his league leading rushing TD total with his 17th.
On the Firecats next drive FB Steve Gorrie got the call 3 plays in a row racking up 19 yards and a score. The leagues top rusher would go on to carry the rock 8 times for 47 yards and 1 more trip to the end zone giving him the team career rushing touchdown record with 22.
Kendrick Walker ran back Kornblue's kick for 6pts, on his way to racking up 98 yards on 5 returns, to put Amarillo back on top 26-21 with 7:17 still to play in the 1st half.
Coach Steve Perdue dug into his bag of tricks with a surprise onside kick, which was fielded by cagey veteran Roy Stabler at the Dusters 14 yards line. Offensive Coordinator Ken Mastrole made Perdue pay for it however when Wallace found Lamb on the very next play as the duo found each other for the 2nd time tonight.
ADT Defensive Player of the Game Brent Burnside put an end to the lead swapping picking off Julian Reese's errant pass as it fluttered down filed thanks in large part to the pressure supplied by the Firecats D-line.
US Army Iron Man of the Game Cainon Lamb put the Firecats out in front for good collecting his 104th career touchdown reception (moving him into 2nd all time behind Mitch Allner's 126) stretching the Firecats lead to 35-26. Dusters signal caller Julian Reese missed the final series of the half with a hand injury and backup Steve Panella came up short on 3rd and 4th down to end the 1st 30 minutes of play.
Magic Benton gave the âCats their biggest lead of the night (42-26) with his 1st of 2 TD receptions, but like a horror monster that wouldn't die the Dusters came whirling back to life blocking a 23yrd FG attempt after a heartbreaking fumble call when McCollister coughed it up to Chris Morant.
Newly acquired FB Dwayne Miles brought the game back to a 2 score deficit with a 1 yard TD run midway thru the 3rd quarter. Cainon Lamb caught his 4th score of the night but a high snap and under thrown pass was intercepted, fumbled, recovered and returned 48 yards for a 2 point Dusters score on the wildest play of the night cutting Florida's lead to 13.
Offensive MVP Chavis McCollister suddenly had Amarillo back in it hauling in his 1st of 3 2nd half scores to make it a 48-41 ball game, but that's as close as it would get as the #4 and #5 ranked teams traded scores down the stretch.
With their final possession the Firecats scored a franchise record single game high 69 points behind QB Chris Wallace's 2 yrd TD run that finished off a 23 of 36 night with 226 yards including 7 TD's thru the air and 1 on the ground to go along with Brandon Kornblue's 9 of 9 PAT performance.
Amarillo went down swinging moving the ball down field and scoring 6 as time expired and then connected for 2 more in garbage time, but the story of the drive was DS Roy Stabler's 300th career tackle making him the 1st player in league history to accomplish the feat. Last week he passed former teammate Quincy Sorrell's previous mark of 287 to take over the #1 all time spot.
With the win the Firecats kept pace with Memphis and Manchester as the af2's only 7-1 teams while Amarillo dropped to 5-3. Next week Florida will host the 1-7 Birmingham while Amarillo welcomes in South Georgia.
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