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Soul Defeat Rampage, 69-40

March 15, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Grand Rapids Rampage News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Philadelphia Soul jumped out to a 22-point first-half lead against Grand Rapids and never looked back, defeating the Rampage, 69-40, at Centennial Wireless Field in Van Andel Arena tonight.

Soul quarterback Tony Graziani threw for five touchdowns and the Soul defense intercepted Rampage quarterback Matthew Sauk (Sandy, Utah) twice, as Philadelphia improved to 2-0 on the season. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids fell to 1-2 after dropping their second consecutive game at home.

"We knew going into the game that Graziani is one of the best in the game," said Sparky McEwen, Rampage head coach and director of football operations. "He came out tonight and was basically able to do what he wanted early."

The Rampage opened the game's scoring for the first time in their young season when kicker Brian Gowins (Birmingham, Ala.) sent a 17-yard field goal through the uprights for a Grand Rapids 3-0 edge. The successful attempt was his 60th field goal in his five-year (2000-03, 2007) Rampage career.

Philadelphia answered on the very next play from scrimmage, when Graziani found a wide open Charles Pauley behind the Grand Rapids defense for a touchdown.

Grand Rapids' Timon Marshall (Kingston, Jamaica) showed why he is the Rampage's leading receiver on his team's second drive. The AFL's 2006 leader in all-purpose yards made an acrobatic diving catch on a 28-yard pass and rolled into the end zone, giving the home team a 9-7 lead. Marshall finished with a game-high 193 all-purpose yards, including 124 on kickoff returns.

The Soul's Pauley snuck behind the Grand Rapids defense for a second time midway through the second quarter, hauling in a 30-yard bomb from Graziani to give Philadelphia a 14-9 lead. But former Soul fullback/linebacker Chris Ryan (Lake Charles, La.) rolled over his old team on a two-yard score, securing the Rampage a 16-14 first-quarter advantage. Grand Rapids would not lead again.

Philadelphia held serve with a 14-yard touchdown pass to J.J. McKelvey over the middle. Then, Soul defensive back Eddie Moten chased down a deep pass intended for Marshall, creating the first turnover of the game. Philadelphia took advantage of Sauk's interception, scoring two plays later on a McKelvey six-yard reception.

Gowins' 38-yard field goal cut the Philadelphia lead to nine points. But Graziani led the Soul down the field once again, connecting with Sean Scott on a fourth-and-three play to give the visitors a 34-19 lead. Then, in the game's oddest play, the Soul cashed in on a 48-yard missed field goal return when defensive lineman Jason Davis plunged into the end zone following a pair of laterals from Ironman of the Game Mike Brown and Dwayne Missouri. After one half, the Soul led, 41-19.

Nothing seemed to go the Rampage's way. At the start of the second half, Reggie Doster (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) recovered a loose ball when Gowins' kickoff clanged off the right upright. The Grand Rapids defensive back fumbled the ball, however, and the Soul regained possession.

After Gillis Wilson (Patterson, La.) recovered a Philadelphia Soul fumble on the ensuing drive, Grand Rapids cashed in with its first touchdown since the first quarter, as Jerome Riley (Los Angeles, Calif.) made the score 41-26.

Soul linebacker Idris Price powered forward for a two-yard rushing score with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter, restoring Philadelphia's 22-point advantage. The visitors went on to score twice more, building an insurmountable 62-26 lead.

Grand Rapids still displayed some highlight-reel plays for the home crowd of 4,917. Rampage wide receiver Troy Edwards (Shreveport, La.) undressed a pair of Soul defenders midway through the fourth quarter, turning a nine-yard catch into a 24-yard score with a shifty open-field move.

Both backup quarterbacks saw action as the game came to a close. Philadelphia's Juston Wood scored a three-yard rushing touchdown, while Michael Bishop (Willis, Texas) connected with Scotty Anderson (Jonesboro, La.) for a five-yard scoring strike. The clock wound out on the Rampage, however, as the Soul emerged with a big road victory.

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