Phantoms Falter in Overtime
July 14, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Toronto Phantoms News Release
East Rutherford, NJ: Asked about his team's loss to New Jersey, Toronto's Charlie Davidson could only shake his head and mutter, "This is a season where anything that can happen, has happened. How can you lose a game in overtime on a safety?" That was the Phantoms' fate on Saturday night as the Gladiators pulled out a 57-55 win, after Karl Bates knocked Rickey Foggie down in the end zone to end the game.
The safety put a disappointing end to an otherwise impressive performance from Foggie. He had been tabbed to make his first start as the Phantoms quarterback earlier in the week, after Pat O'Hara was excused from the team for personal reasons. O'Hara returned to his family's home after the tragic passing of his mother from a brain aneurysm. In spite of having had just the past 3 weeks to learn the Toronto playbook, Foggie was able to move the Phantoms offence down the field effectively completing 16 of his 25 passing attempts for 222 yards. Foggie completed 4 touchdown passes â 2 to Luke Leverson and 1 each to Kerry Brown and Damian Harrell â and didn't throw a single interception. Says Foggie, "I definitely would have preferred the win, but I have to say I'm satisfied with my performance."
The Phantoms not only had to make do without the team's regular starting quarterback on offence, but the so-called quarterback of the defence as well, defensive specialist Del Lee. Lee was sidelined with a knee injury suffered in last week's loss to Carolina. New Jersey took advantage of his absence as Jay McDonagh threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Mike Horacek on the very first play from scrimmage. Ordinarily Lee would have been assigned to shadow Horacek, the Gladiators top offensive threat. Horacek finished as the game's leading receiver with 10 receptions for 127 yards and 2 scores.
Lee isn't the only member of the Phantoms "walking wounded". FB/LB Phil Glover and WR/LB Nakia Jenkins were both placed on injured reserve the day before the game, swelling the ranks on IR to 6 players. The recently signed FB/LB Ricky Wood and DS Anthony Derricks will likely join them in the infirmary this week. Wood went down with a knee injury on his very first play as a member of the Phantoms, while Derricks left the game late after injuring his foot. Both players were seen hobbling around on crutches after the game. Says Phantoms Head Coach & General Manager Mark Stoute, "We've had one injury after another, we've had personal tragedies, we've had some wacky plays against us and god knows what else. Anything that could go wrong this year has gone wrong."
The Phantoms jumped out to a 27-14 lead midway through the second quarter, scoring on each of the team's five first half possessions. But New Jersey battled back using 3 big plays on special teams to narrow the gap and ultimately take the lead. After a Sedrick Robinson touchdown reception, the Gladiators caught Toronto napping with a quick onside quick. Jersey recovered the ball and kicked a field goal on the last play of the first half to make the score 27-24 at the break.
The Phantoms fumbled the ball away on the opening kick-off in the second half â a turnover that New Jersey took advantage of with a 12-yard touchdown pass from McDonagh to Jeremy Wilkinson. Before the 3rd quarter was done, Robinson struck again, returning a kick 56 yards for a score. With 176 kick return and 122 receiving yards, Robinson was the easy choice as the game MVP. He made a pair of catches on the last minute Gladiators drive that resulted in the game-tying field goal from Steve Videtich, forcing overtime.
In that overtime session, Toronto won the toss and elected to receive. On the second play from scrimmage, Foggie fumbled the ball as he dropped back from centre, was able to recover the fumble but was hit almost immediately by Bates for the game-winning safety. It's the first safety Toronto has surrendered this season and only the 2nd in the club's 2-year history.
Luke Leverson and Jermaine Younger both posted impressive numbers in the loss. Leverson made both of his receptions count, scoring each time â once from 24 yards out in the 2nd quarter and again from 28 yards in the 3rd quarter. Younger was tabbed as the Ironman after a record-breaking performance along the ground. He set new Phantoms highs with a 22-yard touchdown run and 26 rushing yards overall. Says Younger, "You've got to remember, I used to play here in New Jersey. So anytime I come back here it's a special occasion for me. I missed the Jersey road trip last year with an injury, so I was happy to play in this game and play well. But I still would have taken the win over anything else."
With the team's 3rd loss in succession, the Phantoms record falls to 5-8 overall, 3-4 on the road and 1-4 within the Eastern Division. In last year's run to the Eastern Division championship, Toronto posted a 7-1 record in divisional play.
Toronto has one game left on its regular season schedule and must win that game to qualify for post-season play. The 2-11 New York Dragons will supply the opposition this Thursday night at Air Canada Centre. The Dragons have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture, but would likely enjoy playing the role of spoiler in Toronto. New York and Toronto have met 6 times this season and last â Toronto has won all 6 meetings (pre, post & regular season) scoring 60 or more points on all but one occasion.
Pending the outcome of this afternoon's game between Indiana (5-7) and Los Angeles (7-5), Toronto (5-8) will stand as either the 12th or 13th seed -- only the top 12 teams qualify for post-season play. If L.A. wins, Toronto enters the final week of the schedule as the 12th seed. However, if Indiana is to win Toronto would be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
Says OL/DL Michael Harrison, "This season has been like nothing else. It's been a total soap opera! But, right here at the end, you still have a shot to make the playoffs and that's all you can ask for."
Tickets for Thursday's game between the Phantoms and the Dragons are on sale and can be purchased by calling (416) 341-1234 or by logging on to www.torontophantoms.com. Get "Insane for the Game" and be a part of "Thursday Night Gridiron Madness"!
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from July 14, 2002
- Saturday Game Recaps - AFL I
- Phantoms Falter in Overtime - Toronto Phantoms
- San Jose QB Grieb Lost For Remainder Of Season - San Jose SaberCats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
