Kats clinch home playoff game with win
May 13, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release
The Nashville Kats finished the regular season with a 66-50 win and also clinched a home playoff game next Sunday against the Chicago Rush at 2 p.m. CT. With the pressure on, the Kats offense came to life and the Nashville defense forced three interceptions before a crowd of 9,713 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
"We are happy to be playing in the playoffs and playing in Nashville next week with our home crowd behind us," said Kats head coach Pat Sperduto. "We have a lot of work to do, but this was a good team win tonight and it gives us a lot to build on."
Sixteen-year veteran Kats wide receiver Darryl Hammond made his final regular season game special with two fourth quarter touchdowns and also a fourth quarter interception to earn Ironman Player of the Game. Defensive Player of the Game Monty Montgomery made two critical interceptions and Alonzo Nix earned Offensive Player of the Game for his team-leading six catches for 97 yards and one TD.
"It is nice to end the regular season on a good note," said Hammond. "We had a good week of practice and felt good coming into this game. We're not done though. We have got four more games to win."
The Kats got on the board first when Jason Witczak's kick split the uprights giving Nashville a 3-0 lead. Tampa Bay didn't let the Kats advantage last long as they took their first lead when Storm quarterback Shane Stafford found offensive specialist Freddi Solomon in the end zone to make the score 7-3. Fullback Rupert "Dogghead" Grant took control of Nashville's second drive, scoring on a one-yard run after a 24-yard screen from quarterback Clint Stoerner. Near the end of the quarter, Montgomery intercepted a third-down pass from Stafford and returned it 30 yards for a TD and a 17-7 Kats advantage.
Tampa Bay nearly gave the ball back to Nashville again when they fumbled on their next possession. Despite a scramble for the ball, the Storm were able to regain the football and eventually scored on a one-yard run by Stafford making the score 17-14. After the Kats turned the ball over on downs, the Storm tied the score at 17 with a 43-yard field goal by Bill Gramatica. The Kats answered by driving the ball the length of the field, finishing it off with a 1-yard TD run by fullback Frank Carter. It didn't take long for Tampa Bay to even the score as Stafford threw a strike to wide receiver Lynarise Elpheage for a 24-yard TD. The Kats didn't let the Storm go into halftime with the scored tied though. With five seconds remaining in the half, Stoerner found Nix down the sideline to give the Kats a 31-24 lead before the halftime buzzer.
Following the half, Tampa Bay drove the field and concluded their possession with a 12-yard TD catch by wide receiver Lawrence Samuels. Although the Storm scored, the Kats kept the lead, 31-30, when Gramatica missed the extra point. Nix and the Kats offense added to the lead the next time down the field, scoring a TD on a 4-yard rush making the scoreboard read 38-30. With the third quarter ending on failed offensive possessions by both the Kats and Storm, the fourth quarter opened with Montgomery picking off his second Stafford pass. On the next play, Stoerner found offensive specialist T.T. Toliver with a 26-yard touchdown pass. On the ensuing kickoff, Demet Bendross returned it 56 yards for a touchdown cutting Nashville's lead to 45-37.
After a failed onside kick by the Storm, the next few minutes of the game turned into the Darryl Hammond Show. The 16-year veteran caught a Stoerner pass in the back of the end zone on the next play. Hammond not only contributed on offense, but also intercepted a Stafford pass on Tampa Bay's next possession. Hammond continued his hot hand scoring on the next possession on a 14-yard pass from Stoerner taking the Nashville lead to 59-37. With the game out of reach, the Storm scored two TD's in the final 3:30 and the Kats scored one on a one-yard run by Carter.
In next week's wild-card playoff matchup, the Kats will face the Rush, who travel to Nashville playing great football. Over the last two weeks, Chicago has scored 154 points. During the regular season, Chicago and Nashville split the season series, each team winning by one point one their home field.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 13, 2006
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