Kats end season with playoff loss to Rush
May 21, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release
For the first time in four years, the Nashville Kats made the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Kats stay wasn't long as they fell in the Wild Card Round to the Chicago Rush 55-47 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tenn.
"I think the better team won tonight," said Kats head coach Pat Sperduto. "We kept trying to claw back into the game, but we couldn't get anything going."
Sunday not only marked the end of the Kats season, but it also marked the end of sixteen-year veteran Darryl Hammond's career. The wide receiver/linebacker retired as the longest tenured player in AFL history after the playoff loss.
"It is hard to think about the AFL without thinking about Darryl," said Sperduto. "He is such a great player and I wish we could have sent him out with a win."
Despite Sunday's loss, kicker Jay Witczak made a career-high and season-high four field goals in the first half. Wide receivers Jarrick Hillary and Alonzo Nix finished the game with two touchdowns apiece for Nashville. Kats quarterback Clint Stoerner went 22-for-38 with two interceptions, four TD's and 228 yards.
To begin the game, the Rush got on the board first but the Kats made them earn their points. Chicago drove down the entire field, but Nashville's defense did not break. The Rush settled for a field goal and a 3-0 lead. When the Kats got the ball for the first time, they mounted nearly an identical drive and tied the game, 3-3. The second time down the field, Chicago made sure to get in the end zone, scoring on a seven-yard reception to wide receiver DeJuan Alfonzo from quarterback Matt D'Orazio. On the ensuing kickoff, Hillery returned the kick 42 yards, but the Nashville offense sputtered and they settled for another field goal making the score 10-6 at the end of the first quarter.
Defense proved to be the name of the game in the early part of the contest. The trend continued in the second quarter. Kats veteran lineman James Baron sacked D'Orazio on Chicago's next drive forcing the Rush to kick the ball away. The Kats took their first lead when Stoerner connected with Hillery in the end zone on a 20-yard pass, making the score 12-10 after the missed extra point. The lead didn't last long, as Chicago answered with a three-play drive for a TD making the score 17-12. Kats kicker Jay Witczak then made up for his extra point miss, making a 43-yard field goal and inching the Kats closer 17-15. Chicago's offense hit stride late in the second quarter making the score 23-15 on another D'Orazio TD pass. Witczak came backe and hit his fourth field goal of the half, but the Rush answered with a field goal of their own as the first half expired with the score 27-18.
In the second half, Stoerner connected with Nix to score his first touchdown of the game and put the Kats within one score, 27-25. The next time Chicago got the ball, the Rush built their lead back, 34-25, on the first rushing TD of the game. The scoring continued as Hillary caught his second TD of the game off a Stoerner pass making the scoreboard read 34-32. Chicago struck back quickly on a 44-yard TD reception, taking the score back to a nine point difference as the third-quarter buzzer sounded.
The fourth quarter did not begin well for Nashville as Stoerner threw an interception on the first drive and then Chicago came down to score and give the Rush a 48-32 lead. Nashville did not give up, going the length of the field on the next drive, concluding with the Kats first rushing TD of the game by fullback Rupert "Dogghead" Grant. Hillary followed with a two-point conversion reception to make the score 48-40. The Rush scored for the final time before the one-minute mark with a TD making the score 55-40. Nix caught his second TD of the game for Nashville with six seconds remaining to make the final score 55-47.
The Kats finished with an 8-9 record while the Rush went to 8-9 with Sunday's win. Chicago travels to Colorado to face the Crush, who hold the best record in the American Confernce.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 21, 2006
- Wranglers 2006 campaign ends with 52-35 loss to Soul - Austin Wranglers
- Rush stays hot, advances to quarterfinals - Chicago Rush
- Force advance, 72-69, over Dragons - Georgia Force
- Kats end season with playoff loss to Rush - Nashville Kats
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