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Storm advance to semifinals with 52-48 win over Fury

May 31, 2003 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


TAMPA, FL – Omarr Smith intercepted an Andy Kelly pass in the endzone with 0:35 left to play to help the Tampa Bay Storm defeat the Detroit Fury, 52-48, and advance to the semifinal round of the Arena Football League playoffs.

The Storm, seeded second in the playoffs, ran out the remaining seconds following the interception, thanks to a huge first down reception by David Saunders. The Fury, seeded 10th, were eliminated from the postseason.

Trailing by four points with 2:50 left to play, the Fury took over at their own 20-yard line after. Following a sack by Basil Proctor that backed Detroit up to the 13-yard line, Kelly marched his troops down to the Storm 15-yard line with 0:55 left to play. After a two-yard run, Kelly tossed back-to-back incomplete passes to set up fourth down. On the next play Smith cut in front of the intended receiver in the endzone, all but sealing the Fury's fate.

The Storm, however, still had to get one more first down, as the Fury still had all three timeouts left. On third-and-three, John Kaleo hit Saunders on an eight-yard pass and iced the game for Tampa Bay.

Kaleo finished 20-of-32 for 269 yards and six touchdowns. His favorite target was Freddie Solomon, who was named Game MVP. Solomon had eight catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns.

Saunders earned Ironman of the Game honors after catching six passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. He also scored on a four-yard rushing play and collected 0.5 tackle on defense.

Detroit quarterback Andy Kelly completed 25-of-33 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns. Marcus Nash had seven receptions for 84 yards and three touchdowns.

Fury defensive specialist/kick returner Ron Carpenter returned two kicks for touchdowns, collecting 191 kickoff return yards in the game, one yard short of the single-game record for kickoff return yards against the Storm in the playoffs.

The Fury scored first in the game, driving the ball to the Storm 13-yard line before settling for a 28-yard Nick Gatto field goal.

Tampa Bay took its first lead of the game with 6:21 left in the first quarter. John Kaleo hit Freddie Solomon on an 11-yard touchdown pass, putting the Storm on top 6-3. Kenny Stucker's extra point attempt was blocked by Matt Keneley.

The lead didn't last long, though, as Carpenter returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards for a touchdown. Gatto's extra point put the Fury ahead 10-6 with 5:21 left in the first quarter.

A 33-yard pass to Solomon on the Storm's next offensive possession gave Tampa Bay the ball at the Detroit four-line yard. Saunders then rushed in for a four-yard touchdown to put Tampa Bay ahead 12-10 with 3:07 left in the first quarter. Kaleo then hit Saunders in the back of the endzone for the two-point conversion, pushing the Tampa Bay lead to 14-10.

A five-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Herman Bell gave the Fury a 17-14 lead with 13:44 left in the second quarter before the Detroit defense held the Storm offense just short of the first down marker on fourth down at the Detroit 17-yard line.

Detroit promptly fumbled the ball back to the Tampa Bay offense as Al Lucas stripped Frank Leatherwood of the ball after a long run and TT Toliver returned it to the Detroit 21-yard line. Three plays later Kaleo connected with Clif Dell on a 13-yard touchdown play. Stucker's extra point gave Tampa Bay a 21-17 lead with 7:06 left in the first half.

Carpenter collected his second kickoff return for touchdown on the ensuing kick, returning it 57 yards for a score. Gatto's extra point gave Detroit a 24-21 lead with 6:06 left in the first half.

Tampa Bay continued the see-saw contest, as Kaleo hit Solomon on a 28-yard touchdown strike. The extra point gave Tampa Bay a 28-24 lead with 3:44 left in the first half.

The Fury pulled to within 28-27 with 0:28 left in the first half on a 35-yard Gatto field goal, his second of the game.

But the Storm added a quick touchdown prior to the end of the half, with Kaleo hitting Solomon on a six-yard touchdown pass to push the Storm lead to 35-27 with 0:10 left in the second quarter.

Tampa Bay received the ball to start the second half but failed to get into the endzone. The Storm settled for a 22-yard Kenny Stucker field goal, going on top 38-27 with 11:55 left in the third quarter.

Detroit cut the Tampa Bay lead to 38-34 after a 20-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Marcus Nash. Detroit then forced a Storm missed field goal and marched 49 yards in four plays, capping off the drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Nash. Gatto's extra point gave the Fury a 41-38 advantage with 13:04 left in the game.

The lead didn't last long, though, as Tampa Bay scored on its next play from scrimmage when Kaleo found Toliver open in the endzone for a 17-yard touchdown pass. Stucker tacked on the extra point to give Tampa Bay a 45-41 lead with 11:21 left in the game.

Detroit regained the lead with a six-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Nash, putting the Fury on top 48-45 with 6:13 left in the game. The Storm, however, answered back with a 10-yard touchdown pas from Kaleo to David Saunders. Stucker's extra point gave Tampa Bay a 52-48 lead with 3:13 left in the game.

The Storm will host a semifinal playoff game next Saturday afternoon at 2:45 pm at the St. Pete Times Forum. Tampa Bay will play Orlando, Arizona, or Los Angeles, depending on the outcome of Sunday afternoon's quarterfinal games.



Arena Football League Stories from May 31, 2003


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