af2 Green Bay Blizzard

MacPherson Does it Again, Greisen Leads Force Tonight

July 7, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Green Bay Blizzard News Release


ROSEMONT, Ill. - Looking to avenge their pair of regular-season losses to Chicago, the Grand Rapids Rampage came through in dramatic style, knocking off the Central Division champion Rush, 58-41. Grand Rapids' defense logged four stops while the Rampage offense turned the ball over only once in the victory.

Rampage quarterback James MacPherson (Green Bay Blizzard 2006.) set a team record with 33 completions on just 39 attempts, as he threw for 326 yards and six touchdowns while being intercepted only once. Meanwhile, receiver Kenny Higgins continued his strong playoff play, catching 14 passes for 167 yards and three scores.

Chicago jumped out to a quick start when receiver Travis LaTendresse eluded a pair of Rampage defenders and raced 33 yards for an early score. But Grand Rapids' newest acquisition Jason Shelley, who replaced injured receiver Chris Johnson for the playoffs, tied the game with a 24-yard touchdown catch of his own.

The Rampage took their first lead of the game after their defense forced a missed field goal attempt by Rush kicker Todd France. MacPherson found an open Cole Magner in the back of the end zone on third down to give the visitors a 14-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Following a game-tying score by Rush receiver Donovan Morgan, Higgins made an acrobatic touchdown grab of his own, tipping a lobbed pass away from Chicago defensive back Jeremy Unertyl and securing the football in the end zone. But LaTendresse's second touchdown of the night knotted the score, 21-21, once again.

Grand Rapids took the game's first double-digit lead thanks to another stand by its defense. Following Higgins' second touchdown catch of the game, Chicago advanced the ball inside the Rampage five-yard line and seemed primed to tie the score. Grand Rapids defensive back William "Roc" Haith intercepted a fourth-down pass by Rush quarterback Russ Michna, however, and returned the ball out to his own 20-yard line. Rampage kicker Brian Gowins connected on a 25-yard field goal to send Grand Rapids into the locker room ahead, 31-21.

Chicago logged its only turnover of the game at the start of the second half when Unertyl intercepted MacPherson over the middle of the field. The Rush made good with a Michna 19-yard touchdown pass to LaTendresse, pulling the home team within three.

The Rampage restored their two-score lead, 38-28, with Higgins' third touchdown catch of the game. But another Rush touchdown, a two-yard carry by Dan Alexander, sliced Grand Rapids' lead to three points with one quarter remaining.

Grand Rapids continued to keep pace, as MacPherson dove behind his offensive line for a one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Then, following an Alexander fumble inside the Rampage five-yard line, the Rampage extended their lead thanks to a one-yard rush by fullback Terrell Browden. A missed extra point kept Chicago within two scores, however.

The Rush answered immediately, as Michna found an open Morgan for a 17-yard touchdown catch. Chicago failed on a two-point conversion, however, keeping Grand Rapids ahead by 10 points, 51-41. The Rampage then grabbed an all-important three score lead as Magner, who set a team playoff record with 15 receptions, pulled in his second touchdown of the night.

The Rampage defense closed the door with its fourth stop of the night, marking the second straight game Grand Rapids held its opponent to 41 points despite finishing the regular season allowing 60.5 points per game. The team's next stop will be San Jose, as the Western Division champion SaberCats will host Grand Rapids on Saturday (July 12) at 3:30 p.m. EDT in the American Conference Championship.

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final Record Grand Rapids Rampage 14 17 7 20 58 (6-10, 2-0) Chicago Rush 7 14 14 6 41 (11-5, 0-1) LEADERS PASSING: MacPHERSON, James (GRA) 33-39-326-6; MICHNA, Russ (CHI) 19-32-252-5 RECEIVING: HIGGINS, Kenny (GRA) 14-167-3; LaTENDRESSE, Travis (CHI) 7-115-3

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Offensive: James MacPherson (GRA) Defensive: William Haith (GRA)

Cleveland Gladiators (10-7) @ Georgia Force (10-6)

The History By Ray Bentley -- The Conference Championship match-ups will be set as soon as there is a winner between Cleveland and Georgia. They will meet on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday in the final game of the Divisional Round at 8 p.m. EST at Gwinnett Arena. The game will also be shown in HD.

These teams did not play each other in the regular season. Georgia has won four of the five previous meetings including a narrow 69-68 win last year when the Gladiators called Las Vegas home. This will be the first time they meet in the playoffs.

The Stakes

The winner of this game advances to the National Conference Championship game which will be in Philadelphia against the Soul next Saturday. If Cleveland loses they will still feel like they built a solid foundation and exceeded expectations for a team that changed cities after going 2-14 last year. If Georgia loses they will feel like the Chicago Rush.

The Players Georgia QB Chris Greisen (Green Bay Blizzard 2004) has had another outstanding season and led the Force in their dramatic turnaround this season. Georgia started the season 3-5 but went on a tear down the stretch. Greisen was the catalyst throwing 97 TD passes and basically willing his team to late comeback wins. When you add Greisen's competitive fire to his intelligence and skills you have a special player.

Raymond Philyaw has been pretty special for Cleveland as well. Philyaw threw 83 TD passes and only 10 interceptions. He has been a winner everywhere he has played so it is no surprise for him to be in this position. His arm is as strong as ever as he can really put it on a rope when he wants to. But he also displays great touch when it is called for. Philyaw is also a fiery leader who knows just the right buttons to push with his teammates.

Last year Georgia was known for its great receiving combination affectionately referred to as the "Trifecta." This year it is the "Triplets" and they are deserving of a nickname, no matter how unimaginative it is. Troy Bergeron (91-1247-24 TDs) is the only holdover as both Chris Jackson and Derek Lee have moved on. Bergeron is fully healthy coming into this one after struggling with injuries earlier in the year. Georgia is 8-2 with him in the line-up including seven straight wins. Bergeron is that kind of "difference maker."

Joining Bergeron is rookie sensation Tiger Jones (97-1217-30 TDs) and the man who finally got his chance, Carl Morris (128-1503-27 TDs). Jones splashed onto the scene by scoring five TDs in his AFL debut in Week 5 and hasn't looked back. He is as quick as a water bug. Morris, in his third season, finally got his chance to play and he has made the most of it. He is always in the right spot and is a security blanket for Greisen.

Cleveland also has a third-year receiver who finally got the chance to make his mark in the league. Robert Redd (129-1523-16 TDs) showed he belongs on the field with a consistently explosive season. He was spot on last week with 14 catches for 204 yards and four TDs in the playoff win over Orlando. But the big play guy in the Gladiators offense is Otis Amey who tallied 50 TDs this year. Amey (112-1516-48 TDs) is a TD machine. The third spot will be split between Willis Marshall (63-635-3 TDs) and rookie Randy Hymes (3-58-3 TDs). Hymes is a rare talent who has a bright future in football. He has TDs on six of his seven career catches including three in the playoff win.

The Georgia defense has fought through injuries in the secondary all year long but will get their middle defender Hamin Milligan back for this one. This is great news for Force fans as Milligan is a big defender who covers and tackles well. He also makes the calls. Joining him will be rookie Tony Tiller and either Willie Gary or JoJo Polk, depending on who is healthy. Tiller played only four games but has proven he belongs while both Gary and Polk are AFL veterans who at the very least know how to line up.

The strength of the Force defense is the defensive line. Ernest Allen put together another outstanding season. The 13-year veteran led Georgia with six sacks and disrupted offenses on a weekly basis. Flanking Allen are ends Jermaine Smith and R-Kal Truluck. This fearsome threesome is one of the best lines in all the land.



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