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Los Angeles Avengers Game Notes

March 18, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Game: Grand Rapids Rampage at Los Angeles Avengers
Date: Sunday, March 23, 2003
Kickoff: Noon (Pacific)
Site: Los Angeles, California
Arena: STAPLES Center (17,932)
Television: Fox Sports Net 2 (Bill Macdonald, Artie Gigantino)
Radio: XTRA Sports 690 & 1150 (Larry Kahn, Ed Cunningham, Troy West)
Web Radio: http://www.xtrasportsradio.com
Series Record: Series tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: Los Angeles 68, Grand Rapids 61 -- June 15, 2002, Van Andel Arena
Officials: Tom McCabe (R), Thomas Laverty (U), Brent Durbin (HL), Bob McElwee (LJ), James Anderson (BJ)
Head Coaches: Los Angeles -- Ed Hodgkiss (second season, 13-8). Grand Rapids -- Mike Trigg (10th season, 67-60 overall, sixth with the Rampage).

THE AVENGERS: Fresh off the best defensive performance in franchise history -- a 42-20 drubbing of the Indiana Firebirds this past Sunday (March 16) -- the Avengers find themselves at 5-2, facing a crucial juncture of the season. Sunday's game versus the Grand Rapids Rampage marks the conclusion of the first half of the season and pits two 5-2 teams against one another. It's the first of four home games in the next five weeks for the Avengers. Between the season opener and last week's contest in Indianapolis, L.A. had developed a reputation as the "Cardiac Kids," winning three games on the final play of the contest. Quarterback Tony Graziani has been outstanding this season, completing 142-of-231 for 1,903 yards and 39 touchdowns. Most of his passes have been thrown in the direction of offensive specialist Chris Jackson, who has 57 receptions for 852 yards and 21 touchdowns, and is the Arena Football League's No. 2 receiver. He is on pace to shatter all of the Avenger single-season receiving records that he owns and could threaten some league marks. Last Sunday's victory over the Firebirds was an oddity for a couple of reasons. The Avengers, who came into the contest allowing 55.7 points per game, held Indiana to 20 points for the game and gave up just six through three quarters. On the offensive side, L.A. had a monstrous 17-play, 47-yard drive that lasted an incredible 10 minutes and 14 seconds, which is unheard of in AFL circles.

THE RAMPAGE: One of the few teams to be higher scoring than the Avengers, Grand Rapids is averaging 57.1 points per game (No. 2 in the AFL). Quarterback Clint Dolezel is having another fine season, completing 66.5 percent of his passes (157-of-236) for 1,809 yards and 41 touchdowns. His favorite targets are offensive specialist Terrill Shaw and WR/LB Steve Smith, who have combined for 87 receptions and 32 touchdowns already this season. WR/DB Willis Marshall is also a threat and caught 11 passes for 98 yards and three touchdowns in last week's 45-42 victory over the Dallas Desperados.

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) ... Michael Trigg is the only coach in Rampage team history. He is in his sixth season with Grand Rapids and 10th overall as a head coach in the AFL. Last season, Trigg led the Rampage to an 8-6 regular season mark and a fourth consecutive playoff berth. He also became just the fifth AFL coach to reach the 60-win plateau, making him the fifth winningest coach in AFL history. Trigg's history of achievement reached new heights on August 19, 2001, when the AFL's smallest market team won ArenaBowl XV in front of a sold-out Van Andel Arena and a national television audience. For his efforts, Trigg was named the 2001 AFL Coach of the Year.

THE SERIES: The Avengers and Rampage have split the two previous meetings. Grand Rapids beat Los Angeles in its first-ever regular-season game, 51-31, on April 15, 2000, at Van Andel Arena. The Avengers got revenge last season, outscoring the Rampage, 68-61, at STAPLES Center on June 15, 2002.

THE NEXT GAME: The Avengers make their first visit to the TD Waterhouse Centre ("The Jungle") to face the Orlando Predators, one of the AFL's most successful franchises. The game will kick off at noon (Pacific) and be televised on Fox Sports Net 2 (Bill Macdonald and Artie Gigantino). Avenger fans can also listen in on XTRA Sports 690 & 1150 (Larry Kahn and Troy West).

HEART-STOPPING HEROICS: Three of L.A.'s five 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. On March 9, the Avengers defeated the New York Dragons, 65-61, on a one-yard touchdown run by FB/LB Kevin Clemens with no time remaining.

EARLY FIREWORKS: In addition to late-game heroics, the Avengers have also been good at the start, scoring on their very first offensive snap of the game three times so far this season -- in the season opener against Las Vegas (Feb. 2, Chris Jackson), at Chicago (Feb. 23, Kevin Ingram) and last week at Indiana (March 16, Jackson).

QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE: Thirty-two of L.A.'s 53 offensive touchdowns this season have been scored on "drives" of three plays or less. In fact, 10 of them have been one-play "drives," including seven touchdown catches by offensive specialist Chris Jackson. Ironically, two of the 21 "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 (Feb. 9) and the eight-play, 30-yard touchdown drive that killed off the final 34 seconds at New York (March 9). The Avengers have scored on two "zero-play drives" this season. The first one came on a net recovery by WR/DB Siaha Burley while covering a kickoff in the victory at Colorado (Feb. 23). Last week, OL/DL Mike Ulufale recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown at Indiana (March 16).

THE "IF" SECTION:

If the Avengers defeat the Rampage, it would ...
- Would put the Avengers four games above .500 for the first time in franchise history
- Give L.A. a 11-3 record in the past two years versus non-Western Division foes (15-12 alltime)
- 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 5-2)

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss on last week's 42-20 victory over the Indiana Firebirds: "I was really happy with our defense. Those guys won the game for us. They came out and set the tone early and it was good to see because they had a tough game the previous week and I'm happy they were able to bounce back. Offensively, we did what we had to do. We executed enough to keep them at bay. Indiana played hard. You have to give them credit. The effort is there even if it doesn't necessarily show up on the scoreboard."

Hodgkiss on the Grand Rapids Rampage: "They are at the top of their division and a very good team with a premier quarterback in Clint Dolezel. And they went out in the offseason and found Cecil Doggette, who is one of the better defensive specialists in this league. They've got it going on right now. It's going to be a tough matchup for us."

Hodgkiss on returning home to STAPLES Center after four road games in five weeks: "We're back at home, then go back on the road for a game, then have three straight back at home. In any league, you got to take advantage of those games that you have at home and we're looking forward to playing all those games at STAPLES Center."

Hodgkiss on the team's health: "We are still missing Tony Plantin and Mathias Vavao. Hopefully they will be back in the coming weeks. But, other than that, we are pretty healthy."

ROAD WARRIOR: In L.A.'s four away games this season, wide receiver/defensive back Kevin Ingram has caught 17 passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns. His contributions have not gone unnoticed, winning the "Ironman" award in two of the last three road games. At Chicago (Feb. 23), Ingram had 101 all-purpose yards, one touchdown catch and an interception. At 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 (5,075). 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 at home. 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 351 receptions for 4,263 yards since the 2000 season (Jackson is third with 295 for 4,107). PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

Avenger QB Tony Graziani: The AFL's No. 3 passer, Graziani is 148-of-231 for 1,903 yards and 39 touchdowns this season. At New York (March 9), he was outstanding, establishing new career highs with eight touchdown passes and 355 yards through the air. In the season opener versus the Las Vegas Gladiators (Feb. 2), Graziani earned a perfect passer rating of 158.3, completing 18-of- 23 for 288 yards and seven touchdowns. He currently has six 300-yard passing games in his AFL career.

Rampage QB Clint Dolezel: Arguably the best quarterback in today's AFL, Dolezel is just the fourth passer in league history to throw more than 400 touchdown passes and the fifth to amass more than 20,000 passing yards. In a 68-61 loss to the Avengers last season at Van Andel Arena, he completed 28-of-40 for 299 yards and a team-record nine touchdown passes. So far this season, the former East Texas State star has completed 157-of-236 for 1,809 yards and 41 touchdowns.

Avenger OL/DL Mike Ulufale: In three previous seasons with the San Jose SaberCats, Ulufale was one of the AFL's most feared pass rushers, recording 11.5 sacks (4.5 in 2002). Although he has yet to bring down his first quarterback as a member of the Avengers, Ulufale has been making a strong impact in his first season with Los Angeles. So far this year, he has already batted down seven passes and recovered three fumbles, including one for a touchdown in last week's 42-20 victory at Indiana.

Rampage OS Steve Smith: As a rookie last season, Smith caught a team-high 26 touchdown passes and was selected as the team's "MVP." This year, he has picked up right where he left off, catching 42 passes for 454 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season (55 and 57 yards). Smith is averaging an impressive 28.1 yards per kickoff return.

Last year versus the Avengers, he caught six passes for 78 yards and three touchdowns.

Avenger WR/DB Kevin Ingram: With his play on offense, defense and special teams, Ingram has become a triple threat standout for the Avengers in 2003. He has earned "Ironman of the Game" honors twice this year -- at Chicago (Feb. 23) and New York (March 9). On the season, Ingram has 25 receptions for 250 and five touchdowns, 13 kickoff returns for 284 yards, 30 tackles, three pass deflections and a team-high two interceptions.

He ranks second on the team in all-purpose yards, averaging 85.0 per game. Rampage WR/DB Willis Marshall: A second-team All- Arena selection in 2002, Marshall hasn't caught as many touchdowns as he would probably like this season. However, he has played a major part in Grand Rapid's 5-2 start, catching 36 passes for 379 yards and six touchdowns, returning 12 kickoffs for 306 yards (25.5 yard average) and coming up with 15.5 tackles. Marshall has caught a pass in all 28 games that he has played in for the Rampage.

LAST WEEK'S GAME:

AVENGER DEFENSE GROUNDS FIREBIRDS

INDIANAPOLIS (March 16, 2003) -- For the first time this season, the Los Angeles defense led the way to victory as the Avengers pounded the Indiana Firebirds, 42-20, before a crowd of 10,028 at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Avengers improved to 5-2, while the Firebirds lost their fourth in a row to fall to 3-4.

The 20 points scored by Indiana represents a new alltime best for the Los Angeles defense, breaking a record set last season when the Avengers allowed only 24 points in a victory over the Tampa Bay Storm.

Although he was held way below his lofty averages, Avenger offensive specialist Chris Jackson led all receivers with six catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns, on his way to game "MVP" honors.

Avenger wide receiver/linebacker Greg Hopkins also caught a pair of touchdown passes in his first victory over his former team. Hopkins played six seasons with the Firebirds before signing a free agent contract with Los Angeles prior to last season.

Hopkins was selected as the game's "Ironman." He also had 2.5 tackles (one for a loss of three yards) and batted down a pass.

Los Angeles scored touchdowns on six of its nine drives, including a monstrous 17-play, 47-yard drive that consumed 10 minutes and 14 seconds of the second quarter. Incredibly, 11 of the plays took place after the Avengers reached the Rampage one-yard line.

For the third time this season, the Avengers scored a touchdown on their first offensive play as quarterback Tony Graziani lofted a perfect pass to Jackson for a 45- yard touchdown. Remy Hamilton's extra point put Los Angeles up, 7-3, and the Avengers never looked back.

By the time Grand Rapids scored its first touchdown early in the fourth quarter, it barely cut into the 35-6 lead that the Avengers had already built.

Graziani finished 14-of-29 for 181 yards and four touchdowns. On the other side of the field, the Rampage got a shaky performance from rookie quarterback Jose Davis in his first AFL start. Davis was just 9-of-23 for 76 yards, before being replaced by Jim Ballard, who threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Rampage offensive specialist "Touchdown" Eddie Brown.

Grand Rapids gained only 150 total yards in the contest, which is a new record for the Avenger defense, edging out the previous mark of 151, which was set on July 7, 2001, in a 40-27 loss to the Nashville Kats.

THE TOUCHDOWN MAKER: Offensive specialist Chris Jackson has scored at least one touchdown in every game he has played in for the Avengers. In 40 games, Jackson has accounted for 92 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 295 receptions for 4,107 yards and has scored 552 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 eight regularseason 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 half of their 16 games televised by NBC (although one of those games was not be aired on the West coast). Six other games, including the season finale (May 17, versus the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats) will be shown on Fox Sports Net 2, as Bill Macdonald and Artie Gigantino 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.

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