Florida Natives Make the Difference in Phantoms Win in Orlando
June 21, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Toronto Phantoms News Release
Orlando, FL: A trio of stars from Florida made the difference in the 4th quarter as the Toronto Phantoms picked up a valuable win in the Sunshine State, defeating the Orlando Predators 47-34.
Kerry Brown, from Boynton Beach, was the key contributor as Toronto outscored Orlando 24-7 over the final 15 minutes. Early in the quarter, Brown broke into open field to haul in a 27 yard TD pass in the corner of the end zone from Pat O'Hara. On Orlando's ensuing possession, Brown tipped a pass from Orlando QB Jay Gruden into the air. Brown was able to cradle the ball as he fell to the turf. That interception led to a Phantoms field goal and a 6 point Toronto lead. But Brown wasn't done â he picked off another pass in the last minute of play and took it to the end zone for his 2nd touchdown of the quarter and the final points of the game. "K-B" was an easy choice as the Ironman of the game.
The game MVP selection went to Orlando resident and former Predators star Pat O'Hara. Making his first start of the season, O'Hara played a smart game throwing 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers. More importantly, he didn't throw a single interception. Toronto has been plagued by turnover problems in each of its last two games â both ending in losses. O'Hara completed 15 of his 31 passing attempts for 204 yards.
The other key play in Toronto's 4th quarter explosion was authored by another Orlando resident, Ty Law. The former Predator jumped on a fumble. Having gone untouched, he alertly scrambled to his feet and ran the ball 5 yards to the end zone.
The Phantoms dominated the first 18 minutes of the game building a 20-3 lead. On Toronto's first possession, Anthony Hicks took a screen pass 26 yards down to the Predators 4 yard line. On the next play, Hicks ran it in for the first score of the game. Before the quarter was over, O'Hara hooked up with Damian Harrell over 21 yards for a 14-3 lead. A Luke Leverson interception led to Toronto's 3rd touchdown of the night. Jason Walters took a quick dump pass from O'Hara and rumbled 18 yards to the end zone.
The Predators rallied behind the tandem of Jay Gruden and Clif Del. Gruden threw 3 TD passes to Del over an 11 minute stretch from 8:38 mark of the 2nd quarter to 12:16 of the 3rd quarter. During that stretch, the best Toronto could muster was a 47 yard field goal from Matt George. Del who had been held off the stats sheet through the 1st quarter tallied 7 receptions covering 99 yards in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. A 17 point Toronto lead was transformed into a 1 point deficit. That deficit grew to 4 by the end of the 3rd quarter courtesy of a 26 yard field goal from Nick Gatto, setting the stage for Toronto's 4th quarter explosion.
Del finished as the game's leading receiver making 9 catches for 118 yards. Harrell led Toronto with 5 catches for 69 yards.
Gruden, the coach-turned-quarterback, completed 20 passes in 40 attempts for 242 yards and 3 TDs. However, he also threw 3 interceptions and fumbled once much to the dismay of his brother Jon, the NFL coach, who was among the 12, 624 fans in attendance..
With the win, Toronto makes a return to the .500 mark at 5-5, while Orlando falls to 4-6. The Phantoms road record improves to 3-3 â its home record stands at 2-2. Toronto will now return home to the Air Canada Centre to face the Los Angeles Avengers on Thursday, June 27th. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM. Tickets for that game are now on sale and can be purchased by calling (416) 341-1234 or by logging on to www.torontophantoms.com. Get "Insane for the Game" and be a part of "Thursday Night Gridiron Madness"!
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