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Peoria Pirates Claim ArenaCup

August 24, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


PEORIA, Ill. - The Peoria Pirates scored 29 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters to run away from the Florida Firecats and win ArenaCup 2002, 65-47, in front of 7,552 fans at the Peoria Civic Center Friday night.

The championship is Peoria's first in arenafootball2 and the third straight in the league's three-year history for a team that calls the state of Illinois home. Quad City, which finished second in the Midwest Division behind the Pirates this season, won the first two af2 championships playing at home at The Mark of the Quad Cities in Moline, Ill.

"I was worried about Florida coming into the game. They were bigger than us, stronger than us and faster than us, but they didn't play as hard as us," said Peoria Head Coach BRUCE COWDREY, who also coached the Pirates to the 2000 championship in the old Indoor Football League. "My goal was to get it done, to be back in Peoria to prove to these people I could win a championship."

Florida (12-8) took a 25-23 lead with 8:51 left in the third quarter when DERYL LANE sacked Peoria quarterback MATT PIKE in the end zone for a safety. But the Pirates (15-5), who had seen their 23-13 halftime lead evaporate in a matter of minutes, took control for good behind backup QB WALTER CHURCH.

Florida coughed up an ArenaCup-record four fumbles, losing two, also a championship-game high. It was MAGIC BENTON fumble recovered by Peoria's LARRY HENDERSON at the Florida nine-yard line that sparked the 29-point run. JASON SHORT rushed for a three-yard score two plays after the turnover. BRANDON KORNBLUE missed a 50-yard field goal attempt on Florida's next drive, and Church took advantage by hitting BRANDON CAMPBELL with a 22-yard touchdown pass for a 36-25 Peoria lead.

KEN BOUIE sacked Firecats QB JOSH ROGERS for a safety on the first play of the fourth quarter, followed by a 40-yard Peoria march to a five-yard touchdown catch by CORNELL CRAIG. After Florida turned over the ball on downs, the Pirates capped their 29-point run the same way they started it, with Short rushing for his second TD, tying an ArenaCup record. The 52-25 lead was Peoria's largest of the game as well as the largest in ArenaCup history.

After a Benton 39-yard touchdown catch finally got Florida back on the board, LINCOLN DUPREE returned the ensuing onside kickoff 10 yards for a score. The Firecats would get no closer than 17 points the rest of the way. Dupree, who also scored on a 55-yard kick return in the second quarter, totaled 134 return yards and was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game with 4.5 tackles and four pass breakups. Dupree's two return TDs tied an ArenaCup record.

"Obviously its very disappointing," Florida Head Coach JOHN FOURCADE said. "We had our chances, but when the momentum changed we just couldn't overcome it. I take my hat off to Peoria and Coach Cowdrey. They played a great game. They just made more big plays."

Peoria, which came into ArenaCup with the postseason's stingiest defense with just 27.0 points per game allowed, turned in the biggest defensive play of the game on the way to its 10-point halftime lead. Trailing 7-6 in the first quarter, the Pirates stuffed the Firecats on four straight rushing attempts from inside the three-yard line, taking over possession on downs.

"I thought the turning point of the game was the goal-line stand in the first quarter," Peoria WR/DB TITCUS PETTIGREW said. "That was to our advantage and gave us the tempo to get the lead, which led to the championship."

Peoria parlayed the stop into an 26-yard KRAIG BAKER field goal, then got Dupree's 55-yard return TD and a 26-yard touchdown pass from Pike to Craig to take a double-digit lead into the locker room.

Florida scored the first 12 points of the second half on Kornblue's 29-yard field goal, ANTHONY DIXON's 12-yard interception return for TD and Lane's safety. But the Firecats' 25-23 advantage would be shortlived as Short rambled into the end zone two minutes later to start Peoria's championship-clinching 29-point explosion.

Craig earned game MVP honors, catching five passes for 62 yards and three touchdowns. The three receiving TDs tied an ArenaCup record. Pettigrew made three tackles, forced a fumble and caught two passes for 28 yards and was named Ironman of the Game.

Appropriately, both Peoria quarterbacks contributed to the championship victory. Church, who led the Pirates to a 9-2 start this season before suffering a separated shoulder, completed 6-of-8 passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for another score. Pike, the hero of the Pirates' playoff wins over San Diego and Birmingham, totaled 106 passing yards on 8-of-16 attempts with two TDs and one interception.

Florida also used both quarterbacks, but not by choice. Starter BRYAN SPARACINO completed 3-of-6 passes for 61 yards and a TD before separating his shoulder early in the second quarter. Rogers, who attempted just five passes in the regular season, struggled in an 11-of-29 performance, passing for 155 yards. He was sacked three times and didn't lead the Firecats to a touchdown until 4:14 remained with Peoria leading 52-25.

"That may have made the difference in the game," Fourcade said of Sparacino's injury. "To lose your starting quarterback in the second quarter of the championship game - that's tough to overcome. The momentum really changed at that point. The guys all got really down when Bryan got hurt."

Benton led all receivers with six catches for an ArenaCup-record 121 yards and two touchdowns. DEDRIC MAFFETT also set an ArenaCup standard with 26 rushing yards in the losing cause.

Peoria's winning margin of 18 points represented the largest in ArenaCup history while its 65 points ranks second behind Quad City's total in the Steamwheelers' 68-59 win over Tennessee Valley in ArenaCup 2000. The Pirates' 42-point second half was the highest-scoring half ever in an ArenaCup while Florida's 13 first-half points were the fewest ever totaled in a half. The loss dropped Florida to 11-2 this season when scoring 40 points or more.



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