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Los Angeles Avengers Game Notes

March 12, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Game: Los Angeles Avengers at Indiana Firebirds
Date: Sunday, March 16, 2003
Kickoff: 9 a.m. (Pacific)
Site: Indianapolis, Indiana
Arena: Conseco Fieldhouse (16,060)
Television: none
Radio: XTRA Sports 690 & 1150 (Larry Kahn, Ed Cunningham)
Web Radio: http://www.xtrasportsradio.com
Series Record: Indiana leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Indiana 56, Los Angeles 53 – July 14, 2002, Conseco Fieldhouse
Officials: David Lambros (R), Al Granado (U), Mike McCabe (HL), Craig Worlstad (LJ), Dino Paganelli (BJ), Buddy Ward (supervisor)
Head Coaches: Los Angeles -- Ed Hodgkiss (second season, 12-8). Indiana -- Mike Dailey (seventh season, 55-35).

THE AVENGERS: Developing a reputation as the "Cardiac Kids," the Avengers improved to 4-2 last week with a heart-stopping 65-61 win over the New York Dragons. Of L.A.'s four victories this season, three of them have come on the last play of the game. The shootout at New York ended with Avenger fullback/linebacker Kevin Clemens fighting his way into the end zone for the winning touchdown with no time remaining on the clock. Quarterback Tony Graziani had an outstanding game, completing 23-of-33 for 355 yards (the second most in Avenger history) and eight touchdowns, which are both career highs. Offensive specialist Chris Jackson caught 11 passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns. Sunday's game at Indiana will be a homecoming of sorts for Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss, wide receiver/linebacker Greg Hopkins and wide receiver/defensive back Kevin Ingram, who were all with the Firebird organization before coming to Los Angeles prior to the 2002 season. Hodgkiss was the Firebird offensive coordinator for three years before taking over at the helm of the Avengers. Hopkins was vital member of the Firebird squad for six seasons before leaving as a free agent. Ingram, who played sparingly for Indiana in 2001, has been a standout for the Avengers as of late, winning "Ironman" honors in two of L.A.'s last three games. The contest will be L.A.'s fourth on the road in its last five games.

THE FIREBIRDS: After getting off to a 3-0 start, the Firebirds have lost their last three, averaging just 42 points per game in those defeats. In Indiana's first loss of the season, on Feb. 23, versus Arizona, starting quarterback Raymond Philyaw went down with a dislocated index finger on his throwing hand and the team's second leading receiver, WR/LB Bret Bech, injured his shoulder. Both have missed the last two games, but hope to return this week. Legendary offensive specialist "Touchdown" Eddie Brown leads the team with 38 catches for 500 yards and six touchdowns. Indiana plays four of its next five games at home in the friendly confines of Conseco Fieldhouse.

THE HEAD COACHES: One of the brightest offensive masterminds in the AFL, Ed Hodgkiss led the Avengers to a franchise-best 8-6 record and No. 5 seed in the AFL playoffs last season in his first year with the club. He became the head coach of the Avengers on Oct. 5, 2001, and signed a five-year contract extension shortly after the 2002 season. Not only did Hodgkiss lead the Avengers into the postseason for the first time in franchise history, he also instantly established the Avenger offense as one of the most feared in the AFL. In the final 2002 league statistics, the Avengers ranked at No. 2 in passing efficiency (115.0), No. 4 in total offense (275.6), No. 4 in rushing yards (20.8) and No. 5 in scoring (52.2). Prior to his arrival in L.A., Hodgkiss served as the offensive coordinator for the Indiana Firebirds for three seasons (1999-2001) ... In his seventh season as head coach of the Firebirds, Mike Dailey has taken the franchise to the playoffs five times. He was named AFL "Coach of the Year" in 1999, as he led the Firebirds to their first ever ArenaBowl championship. Prior to being named head coach, Dailey spent three seasons as the Firebird offensive coordinator and two as the defensive coordinator. He began his coaching career in the AFL with the Washington Commandos in 1991, serving as line coach.

THE SERIES: The Firebirds lead the series 1-0, as they defeated the Avengers, 56-53, at Conseco Fieldhouse on July 14, 2002.

THE NEXT GAME: The Avengers return home to face the Grand Rapids Rampage on Sunday, March 23, at STAPLES Center. The game will kickoff at noon (Pacific) and be televised by Fox Sports Net 2. XTRA Sports 690 & 1150 will broadcast the game live.

HEART-STOPPING HEROICS: Three of L.A.'s four victories in 2003 have come on the final play of the game. On Feb. 9, the Avengers defeated the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats, 73-72, on a one-yard touchdown blast by FB/LB Mathias Vavao and a two-point conversion pass from Tony Graziani to Greg Hopkins with one second left. The following week in a game on the road against the Colorado Crush, L.A. forced overtime with a field goal by Remy Hamilton on the final play of regulation and then won on a TD pass from Graziani to Hopkins. Last Sunday, the Avengers defeated the New York Dragons, 65-61, on a one-yard touchdown run by FB/LB Kevin Clemens with no time remaining.

QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE: Twenty-nine of L.A.'s 48 offensive touchdown drives this season have been just three plays or less. In fact, nine of them have been oneplay "drives," including three in last week's victory over the New York Dragons (six of the nine "drives" have been touchdown catches by offensive specialist Chris Jackson). Ironically, two of the 19 "long" drives are the six-play, 13-yard game-winning march in the victory over San Jose that consumed 25 of the final 26 seconds and the eight-play, 30-yard touchdown drive that killed off the final 34 seconds in last week's victory at New York. Additionally, the Avengers scored one "zero-play drive" this season on Siaha Burley's net recovery while covering a kickoff in the victory at Colorado on Feb. 23.

THE "IF" SECTION:

If the Avengers defeat the Firebirds, it would ...


- Give the Avengers their best record after seven games in franchise history (L.A. was 4-3 in 2002, 2-5 in 2001 and 0-7 in 2000)
- Assure the Avengers of holding at least a share of first place in the Western Division (the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats are also 4-2)
- Give L.A. a 10-3 record in the past two years versus non-Western Division foes (14-12 alltime)
- Be the Avengers' sixth win in their last eight road games
- Would put L.A. three games above .500 for the third time in franchise history (the Avengers were 3-0 earlier this season and 7-4 at one point in 2002)
- Break a two-game losing streak to teams currently in the Central Division
- Even head coach Ed Hodgkiss' record at 1-1 against his mentor Mike Dailey

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss on ball control at the end of the game: "I wouldn't say we've mastered it. We know in that situation we want to score with no time, or very little left. We've talked to the players and they understand that strategy. (Our success) is on them because they've done a great job executing. We'd much rather have the ball last then have to play defense."

Hodgkiss on his squad being the "cardiac kids": "That's Arena Football. It's happened to us more times than usual pretty quick here to start the season. Usually, it's going to happen in the season a third of the time. We practice those situations and we've done a good job with them. We have experienced guys that make plays."

Hodgkiss on the Avenger defense: "We have to do a better job in pass rush and covering. We've done a good job getting turnovers until this past week. Hopefully we will get (defensive specialist) Damen Wheeler back and maybe throw in some new guys to improve. We knew coming into the season that we would have a young group and it was going to be a growing process. We know they're going to get better every week, but with the middle of the season coming up we need to be at our top potential."

Hodgkiss on this week's match-up against his former team: "It's always good to go back and see those guys. They are good guys that I have respect for. Indiana is by far the most physical team in the AFL and their backs are up against the wall having lost three straight. They're going to come out fighting, so it's going to be tough because they play well at home. I'm excited to see my friends, but not looking forward to a tough game. I'd much rather have them come see us."

ROAD WARRIOR: In L.A.'s three away games this season, wide receiver/defensive back Kevin Ingram has caught 14 passes for 171 yards and four touchdowns. His contributions have not gone unnoticed, winning the "Ironman" award in the last two road games. At Chicago (Feb. 23), Ingram had 101 all-purpose yards, one touchdown catch and an interception. Last week in New York (March 9), he had 140 all-purpose yards, two touchdowns, 3.5 tackles and a touchdown-saving pass deflection.

PERFECT GAME: Avenger quarterback Tony Graziani tossed a "perfect game" against the Las Vegas Gladiators on opening day (Feb. 2). His passer rating of 158.3 from that contest is the highest mark possible and ties an AFL record. In the 60-48 victory, Graziani was 18-of-23 for 288 yards. He threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to offensive specialist Chris Jackson on the first play of the 2003 season and went on to throw for a total of seven scores. Graziani also rushed for a touchdown from three yards out to cap the scoring with 53 seconds remaining.

ALMOST PERFECT: The Avengers were called for only two penalties in the season opener on Feb. 2, and the yardage marked off against L.A. totaled just one yard. Both of those numbers represent new team records and brought a smile to the face of head coach Ed Hodgkiss, whose motto is "Play Hard, Play Smart." The Avengers are averaging just under five flags per game (27.6 yards).

ALL-PURPOSE AVENGER: Over the past three seasons, L.A.'s new offensive weapon Siaha Burley has racked up the most all-purpose yards in the league (5,059). That yardage is the equivalent of 2.8 miles, which farther than the distance between STAPLES Center and Dodger Stadium. Acquired in a trade with the Orlando Predators, Burley moves to the WR/DB position (he was primarily an offensive specialist with the Predators).

DEFENDING THE HOME FRONT: In the "Ed Hodgkiss Era," which began at the beginning of the 2002 season, the Avengers have been particularly stingy on defense at home, allowing just 45.4 points per game at STAPLES Center (454 points in 10 games). The 24 points allowed by the Avengers in their victory over the Tampa Bay Storm on May 17, 2002, is an all-time best for the L.A. defense. It surpassed the effort in the 2002 season opener, which saw the Avengers defeat the New York Dragons, 43-25, on April 19, 2002.

THE MILLENNIUM'S FINEST: Wide receiver/linebacker Greg Hopkins and offensive specialist Chris Jackson are not only L.A.'s top pass catchers, they're also among the most productive in the AFL since the dawning of the new millennium. In fact, Hopkins leads the way with a grand total of 346 receptions for 4,212 yards since the 2000 season (Jackson is third with 289 for 4,016).

PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

Avenger QB Tony Graziani: In last week's victory against New York, Graziani was outstanding, establishing career highs with eight touchdown passes and 355 yards through the air. He currently ranks third in the league with 37 TD tosses. The nail-biting victory over the Dragons was the third time this season that the Avengers have won on the last play of the game. The previous two squeakers ended with Graziani's final pass of the game, as he hit WR/LB Greg Hopkins for a two-point conversion with one second left against San Jose (Feb. 9) and for a 21-yard touchdown in overtime at Colorado (Feb. 16). In the season opener versus Las Vegas (Feb. 2), Graziani earned a perfect passer rating of 158.3, completing 18-of- 23 for 288 yards and seven TDs. He currently has six 300-yard passing games in his AFL career.

Firebird OS Eddie Brown: Widely considered the greatest offensive player in the history of the Arena Football League, Brown has won five scoring titles and is the league's all-time leader in touchdown receptions (292), catches (897) and receiving yards (12,125). This year, he leads the Firebirds in receptions (38), receiving yards (500) and receiving touchdowns (six). The Avengers held Brown in check last season, as he caught just one pass for a 15-yard touchdown (WR/LB Brett Bech was the receiving star for Indiana, catching six passes for 162 yards and a touchdown). However, the Firebirds prevailed, 56-53, on a 50-yard field goal with no time remaining.

Avenger WR/LB Kevin Ingram: With his play on offense, defense and special teams, Ingram has become a triple threat star for the Avengers. He earned "Ironman of the Game" honors for the second time this season in last week's victory at New York. In that game, he had three catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns, returned three kickoffs for 56 yards, made 3.5 tackles and saved a touchdown with a pass deflection. Despite his team losing at Chicago on Feb. 23, Ingram earned "Ironman" honors with a performance that included, six catches for 46 yards and a touchdown, three kickoffs for 50 yards, 4.5 tackles and an interception. On the season, Ingram has 22 receptions for 216 and five touchdowns, 14 kickoff returns for 286 yards, 29.5 tackles, three pass deflections and two interceptions. He came to the Avengers last season along with head coach Ed Hodgkiss and WR/LB Greg Hopkins after spending one season with the Indiana Firebirds.

Firebird WR/DB Donnie Caldwell: After missing the majority of the 2002 season with a broken foot, Caldwell has gotten off to a quick start so far this year. He has returned both of his interceptions for touchdowns, the second one being the game-winning score against the Chicago Rush on Feb. 16. In addition, Caldwell has made 24 tackles and broken up two passes on defense. On offense, he has 19 receptions for 166 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for seven yards on two carries. Caldwell has spent time in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears, and was a teammate of Avenger DS Damen Wheeler in 2001, when they were both with the New York/New Jersey Hitmen of the XFL.

LAST WEEK'S GAME:

AVENGERS WIN 65-61

SHOOTOUT IN NEW YORK

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (March 9, 2003) -- Los Angeles fullback/linebacker Kevin Clemens scored on a one-yard run with no time remaining to give the Avengers a 65-61 victory over the New York Dragons on Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 11,216 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The winning plunge was Clemens' third consecutive run in the last eight seconds.

Los Angeles broke a two-game losing streak, improving to 4-2. New York remains winless at 0-6. The Dragons seemed on the verge of posting their first victory of the season, scoring a touchdown with 41 seconds left that put them up 61-58. The Avengers, however, took over a their own 20-yard line with 34 seconds remaining and methodically used eight plays to kill off the clock and win the game.

After Clemens was stopped for no gain on secondand- goal from the one, Los Angeles called a timeout with 3.7 seconds left. Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss could have called upon kicker Remy Hamilton to attempt a game-tying field goal, but chose to send Clemens into the line once more ... do or die.

"If we were further out, I would have gone for the field goal," Hodgkiss said. "But, we were down at the one and had the momentum. I had confidence that our line was going to be able to get Kevin in."

On the game's final play, Clemens was initially stood up short of the end zone, but continued to churn his legs and powered in to break the plane of the goal.

"I just kept going," Clemens said. "Then, when turned over and saw that I was over the white line, all I could think of was, ‘It's gonna be a good ride home.'"

Both quarterbacks had outstanding games. L.A.'s Tony Graziani was 23-of-33 for 355 yards and eight touchdowns, and earned game "MVP" honor for his performance. New York's Aaron Garcia also threw for eight scores, completing 31-of-42 for 326 yards. Neither QB threw an interception.

Avenger offensive specialist Chris Jackson led all receivers with 11 catches for 172 yards and four touchdowns.

L.A. wide receiver/defensive back Kevin Ingram was selected as the game's "Ironman," after catching three passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 56 yards on three kickoff returns, made 3.5 tackles and had a touchdown-saving pass deflection. The Avengers racked up 349 yards of total offense, were 6-of-7 on third down and scored on 10 of their 11 possessions -- nine touchdowns and a field goal (a 32- yarder by Hamilton on the final play of the first half).

THE TOUCHDOWN MAKER: Offensive specialist Chris Jackson has scored at least one touchdown in every game he has played in for the Avengers. In 39 games, Jackson has accounted for 90 touchdowns. All but four of those scores came as a pass receiver. Jackson's other touchdowns were as a runner, kickoff returner and two as a passer. He has caught a touchdown pass in all but one of his games with the Avengers (June 8, 2002, vs. San Jose), but in that contest he ran back the opening kickoff 51 yards for a score, keeping "The Streak" alive. Jackson is L.A.'s all-time leading receiver and scorer. He has racked up 289 receptions for 4,016 yards and has scored 540 points in his four-year Avenger career.

THE ORIGINAL AVENGER: Offensive specialist Chris Jackson is the only player on L.A.'s 2003 roster who played for the Avengers in their inaugural 2000 season (he was an WR/LB at the time). Jackson shared that distinction last season with wide receiver/defensive back Anthony Rice, who was released on Jan. 25, following the conclusion of training camp.

HOT TICKET: Five of the six largest crowds to see the Avengers play have come within L.A.'s last seven regular season games, dating back the end of the 2002 campaign. In consecutive games (Feb. 16, at Colorado and Feb. 23, at Chicago), the Avengers played before their two largest crowds ever. The Avengers are averaging 14,182 fans at home this season in three games at STAPLES Center.

AVENGERS ON RADIO: All Avenger games are broadcast live on the radio throughout the Southern California area on XTRA Sports 690 & 1150, with Larry Kahn and Ed Cunningham calling all the action, and Troy West on the sidelines. The games are also available live over the Internet at http://www.xtrasportsradio.com.

AVENGERS ON TELEVISION: The Avengers will have nine of their 16 games televised by NBC (although two of those games will not be aired on the West coast). Six other games, including the season opener (Feb. 2, vs. the Las Vegas Gladiators) will be shown on Fox Sports Net 2, as Bill Macdonald and Artie Gigantino return to call all the action.

THE INTERCEPTION KING: In addition to being the AFL's 2002 "Ironman of the Year," WR/LB Greg Hopkins is the league's all-time leader in interception returns for touchdowns. He returned his record-setting eighth pick for a score on June 22, 2002, in L.A.'s 62-32 romp over the Carolina Cobras. Hopkins stepped in front of a pass and raced 37 yards for the score and then celebrated by leaping under the crossbar and into the crowd at STAPLES Center. Coming into that contest, Hopkins was tied with former Avenger teammate Mark Ricks at the top of the AFL chart.

MAKING HIS POINTS: Avenger placekicker Remy Hamilton currently ranks at No. 5 on the AFL's all-time scoring by kickers chart. He jumped past Joe Cimadevilla, who scored 609 points between 1992 and 1998, by scoring 16 points in L.A.'s win over Colorado on Feb. 16. In his first year with the Avengers in 2002, Hamilton set nine team records, while scoring 131 points on 16 field goals and 83 extra points. He booted the longest field goal in Avenger history on July 6, 2002, blasting a 52- yarder versus the Arizona Rattlers at STAPLES Center.

CLUTCH KICKS IN COLORADO: Lost amid the excitement of L.A.'s overtime victory over the Colorado Crush on Feb. 16, was the outstanding all-around performance by kicker Remy Hamilton. Not only did he split the uprights on an 18-yard field goal on the last play of the game to force overtime, while 17,417 Crush fans were trying to blow the Pepsi Center's roof off, he was also perfect on his two other field goal attempts and all six of his extra points. In addition, he blasted four of his kickoffs over the entire net system for touchbacks and also bounced one high off the net frame, which resulted in a recovery by teammate Siaha Burley for a key Avenger touchdown. And, as if that weren't enough, Hamilton had two solo tackles, including one late in the fourth quarter that saved a touchdown.

"SAMOAN SEMI" CARRIES HUGE LOAD: At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds Mathias Vavao isn't your average fullback/linebacker. But, that's not just because he's gigantic. Vavao is also quite productive on both sides of the ball. He's scored five rushing touchdowns this season, including the one that led to the game-winning two-point conversion in the 73-72 victory over the San Jose SaberCats in Week 2. Vavao has also caught two passes for 25 yards so far this season and recorded the team's first sack of the year on Feb. 9, versus San Jose. If Jerome Bettis is Pittsburgh's "Bus," Vavao is L.A.'s "Samoan Semi." Coming into this season, the last time he played running back was in high school. The FB/LB position was somewhat of a concern for the Avengers coming into the 2003 season since they chose not to resign free agent Chad Dukes, who led the AFL in rushing last year and is currently ranked at No. 3 on the league's all-time rushing chart. In just 14 games with the Avengers, Dukes broke 11 team records, while rushing for 223 yards and 12 touchdowns on 81 carries. The other FB/LBs on the roster are second-year man Ron Puggi, rookie Lonnie Ford, who was a defensive end and tight end during his collegiate career at USC, and Kevin Clemens, who was signed following the season opener.

BIG MEN CAN CATCH: While L.A.'s well-known receivers get all the headlines, four Avenger linemen -- Mathias Vavao (recently converted into a fullback/linebacker), Tony Plantin, Vince Amey and John DeWitt – have quietly made a "heavy" impact in the passing game since the beginning of last season. Those four players, who weigh a combined 1,190 pounds, have caught a total of 16 passes for 200 yards in the past 20 games. That's an average of 12.5 yards per reception for the "big men."

This statistical comparison will forever be known as "The Arthur D. Gigantino Key to Success" in honor of Avenger Fox Sports Net 2 color commentator Artie Gigantino, who has been known to say, "Throwing to those big guys always works."

ARENABOWL CHAMPION AVENGERS: Two Avenger players and a pair of coaches own a total of five ArenaBowl world championship rings. Lineman Mike Ulufale was a key member of the San Jose SaberCats team that won ArenaBowl XVI in a rout last year. WR/LB Greg Hopkins was with the Albany Firebirds when they took the title in 1999, along with Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss, who was the Firebird offensive coordinator at the time. Avenger defensive coordinator Doug Kay has been part of two ArenaBowl championship teams. He was the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Storm when they won the title in 1993, and then got his second championship ring in 1997 with the Arizona Rattlers working with the team in that same capacity.

RECORD SETTING SIGNALCALLER: Quarterback Tony Graziani has set 14 team records during his three-year career with the Avengers.

THE LAST MEETING:

FIREBIRDS 56, AVENGERS 53

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 14, 2002) -- After missing three consecutive extra point attempts, Indiana kicker Nelson Garner redeemed himself with a 50-yard field goal at the final buzzer to lift the Firebirds over the Avengers, 56-53, before a crowd of 12,286 at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Down by six points with 2:39 left, the Avengers (7-6) had a great shot to notch their fourth victory in the past five games. Quarterback Tony Graziani led Los Angeles down the field, completing a clutch fourth-down pass before plunging into the end zone from one yard out for a touchdown with only nine seconds remaining.

But, Avenger kicker Remy Hamilton pushed his extra point attempt wide to the left, leaving the game tied at 53-53.

Within the final nine seconds, Indiana (6-7) returned the kickoff to its own 15-yard line and threw an incompletion, but still left time on the clock for Garner's game-winning field goal.

Graziani had an outstanding game as he completed 25-of-38 for 328 yards and five touchdowns, in addition to rushing for two touchdowns, a crucial two-point conversion and 22 yards on five carries. Most of his passes went to offensive specialist Chris Jackson, who finished with 10 catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Los Angeles WR-LB Greg Hopkins, a former Firebird star playing for the first time against his old teammates, also had a fine game, catching seven passes for 104 yards and three touchdowns.

Firebird head coach Mike Dailey's surprising decision to not dress Raymond Philyaw, Indiana's regular starting quarterback, for the game proved to be a good move. Philyaw's replacements -- Dameyune Craig and Jim Ballard -- were not spectacular by any means, but they got the job done. Craig was only 5-of-13 for 121 yards, but three of his completions were for touchdowns. Ballard completed 6-of-8 for 97 yards, but more importantly provided a much-needed spark to the Firebird offense in the second half.

The Avengers were perhaps their own worst enemies.

L.A. lost three fumbles, and missed two field goals and a pair of extra points.

Indiana, on the other hand, cashed in two of the fumbles for touchdowns and fired up its running game to score three times on the ground in the second half.

Things started out well for the Avengers as Hopkins recovered a fumbled snap on the game's first play from scrimmage, wasting no time in his long-awaited "homecoming." The Avengers, however, could not take full advantage and had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Hamilton.

Hopkins went on to score two touchdowns in the first quarter, which saw him catch three passes for 76 yards. But, Indiana got the better of Los Angeles in the early going and led, 28-17, early in the second quarter. The Avengers then scored 22 unanswered points to take a 39-28 lead midway through the third quarter.

The comeback began with a seven-yard touchdown extra point. Minutes later, Avenger lineman Mathias Vavao blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt by Garner, sending the football into the end zone and out of bounds for a safety. That trimmed Indiana's lead to 28-25 with 2:30 left in the first half. Then, with 10 seconds left until halftime, Graziani bootlegged into the end zone from two yards out.

The Avengers opened the second half with a missed field goal, but quickly got the ball back when WR-DB Kevin Ingram, another former Firebird player, intercepted a pass and returned it 15 yards to the Indiana two-yard line. Graziani cashed in the turnover, hitting Hopkins for his third touchdown of the game, which put the Avengers up by 11 points with 8:27 remaining in the third quarter.

Seemingly rejuvenated when Ballard entered the game at quarterback, the Firebirds cut off the Avenger scoring spree with a five-play, 45-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown blast by FB-LB Rich Young, which cut L.A.'s lead down to 39-35.

On the Avengers' ensuing possession, backup offensive specialist J.J. Washington fumbled after making a reception. The Firebirds recovered the football and took advantage, scoring another rushing touchdown to regain the lead, 41-39, on the last play of the third quarter.

The Firebirds extended their advantage on a 15-yard touchdown run by Young, which put the Firebirds up, 47- 39, with 7:44 remaining after Garner missed the extra point.

A four-yard touchdown pass from Graziani to Jackson with 4:31 trimmed the lead to 47-45. Then, Los Angeles got the two-point conversion on a gutsy delayed run up the middle by Graziani.

Firebird defensive specialist Evan Hlavacek counterpunched by returning the ensuing kickoff 56 yards for a touchdown, but Gardner missed yet another extra point to leave the score 53-47 and set up L.A.'s final drive and the dramatic conclusion that followed.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 12, 2003


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