Rampage Fall to Gladiators, 69-79

Published on March 8, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Grand Rapids Rampage News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Las Vegas wide receiver Kevin Prentiss set an Arena Football League record with nine touchdown receptions, as the Gladiators defeated the Grand Rapids Rampage, 79-69, in front of 6,232 fans at Van Andel Arena tonight.

Gladiators quarterback Shaun King finished 25-for-33 for 373 yards and 10 touchdowns in winning his first game in the AFL. He benefitted from a weakened Rampage defense which lost last week's Defensive Player of the Game and team defensive leader Chuck Wesley (East Orange, N.J.) to a concussion early in the contest.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas defensive back Earthwind Moreland logged consecutive interceptions in the third and fourth quarter to earn Defensive Player of the Game honors and swing the momentum of the contest firmly in Las Vegas' favor.

Las Vegas opened the night's scoring on the game's first play from scrimmage. King found Prentiss for a 41-yard score, a theme that would be repeated all too often for Grand Rapids liking.

The Rampage answered with a rushing touchdown of their own, however. Chris Ryan (Lake Charles, La.) rumbled in from one yard out for his first score of the year, knotting the game at 7-7. Then, after a Winfield Garnett (Harvey, Ill.) fourth-down sack of Gladiators quarterback Shaun King, the Rampage gained their first lead of the game on a six-yard quick hitch connection to Timon Marshall (Kingston, Jamaica).

Las Vegas drew to within one when King found Prentiss over the middle for an eight-yard score. Gladiators kicker Steve Azar missed the extra point, however, preserving Grand Rapids' slim 14-13 lead.

King and the Gladiators helped the Rampage extend their lead with a miscue deep in their own territory. Facing a third-and-10 situation from his own one-yard line, the Las Vegas signal caller fumbled the snap. Grand Rapids linebacker and Week 1 AFL Ironman of the Week runner-up Jerome Riley (Los Angeles, Calif) scooped up the loose ball and scored, giving the Rampage a 21-13 lead. The touchdown marked Riley's second defensive score in two weeks.

Prentiss brought Las Vegas back to within a point with a strong open field effort. The Gladiators receiver caught a pass at his own 20 and escaped a pair of tackles to steam into the end zone. But the Rampage hit a big strike of their own on the very next drive. Quarterback Matthew Sauk (Irvine, Calif.) found a streaking Scotty Anderson (Jonesboro, La.) for the rookie's first AFL score, giving Grand Rapids a 28-20 advantage.

Both teams continued to trade scores in the high-flying first half. King found Thabiti Davis on a long bomb down the left sidelines for his fourth passing touchdown. Then, Marshall scored Grand Rapids' second rushing touchdown of the half with just one minute remaining, making the score, 35-27.

The second-quarter barrage wasn't over, however. King lofted a wobbly pass over the heads of two Rampage defenders into the waiting arms of Prentiss with 43 seconds remaining, cutting Grand Rapids' lead to one. Finally, Sauk found Marshall for the wide receiver's second receiving touchdown and third score to give the home team a 42-34 halftime advantage.

Grand Rapids' 42 first-half points marked the team's most since its April 13, 2003, victory over the very same Gladiators and the third-most in team history.

Sauk and the Rampage refused to put on the brakes. On his team's opening drive of the second half, the Rampage quarterback connected with Ronney Daniels (Lake Wales, Fla.) for a 13-yard touchdown. Grand Rapids kicker Brian Gowins (Birmingham, Ala.) missed his first kick of the year on the extra point try, however, keeping the Rampage lead to 14 points.

The touchdowns kept coming. Sandwiched between a pair of Prentiss scores, the Rampage's Anderson brought down his second touchdown grab from 38-yards out. As the third quarter expired, Grand Rapids still nursed a tenuous 55-48 lead.

Prentiss' amazing run continued when he collected his seventh touchdown of the game less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, tying the game at 55-55. Then, following Moreland's second consecutive interception, the Gladiators earned their first lead of the game since the team's opening drive on Prentiss' record-setting eighth touchdown catch.

The Gladiators extended their lead to 65-55 with just over three minutes remaining in the game thanks to a 19-yard field goal by Azar. Grand Rapids cut the advantage to a slim three points seconds later, however, when Riley pulled in his first touchdown catch. Riley took home Ironman of the Game honors for the second consecutive game after logging 82 receiving yards, a fumble recovery, a team-high 5.0 tackles and two touchdowns.

With time running out, the Rampage began attempting onside kicks to regain the lead. Marshall recorded a third receiving touchdown to bring the score to 72-69 with just 31 seconds remaining, but could not carry Grand Rapids to a victory. Last season's AFL all-purpose yards leader set a Rampage team record with 331 against the Gladiators including 191 kickoff return yards and 137 receiving yards on 10 catches.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 8, 2007


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.

OurSports Central