Swamp Foxes Fall to Norfolk, 31-21
April 5, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Charleston Swamp Foxes News Release
NORFOLK, VA â Michael Brown and Demont Smith both tallied interceptions, and Smith scored on a fumble return for a touchdown defensively for the Charleston Swamp Foxes, but their efforts weren't enough to overcome a woeful offensive performance as Charleston fell to Norfolk 31-21 in the teams' af2 season opener.
Head coach Rik Richards, in his first game as the Swamp Foxes' leader, was disappointed in the loss, but knows that everything that went wrong can be corrected.
"We did several things well tonight, just didn't get many breaks," said Richards. "Defensively we played strong, got the stops that we needed and limited the Norfolk offense. Offensively, we didn't execute as well as we had hoped, dropped several passes we should have caught. But these are all things that can be fixed."
Charleston limited Norfolk to 124 yards of total offense on 38 plays.
Quarterback Major Harris got the starting nod for the Swamp Foxes. He finished his first game since the mid-1990s 14-of-29 for 150 yards. He also tossed a touchdown pass and an interception.
Mike Davis scored the first points for the Swamp Foxes in 2003, plunging around the right side of the line from one-yard out. Davis led the team in receiving, catching three passes for 38yards.
Norfolk took an early 6-0 and held Charleston scoreless through the first two quarters, leading 15-0 at the break. However, the Swamp Foxes opened up the second half with a six-play, 45-yard drive that narrowed the deficit to eight, 15-7.
The Nighthawks, however, answered, pulling ahead 22-7. They would add a sack on Harris in the end zone for a safety to go up 31-14. Marlon Moye-Moore then recovered a Travis Burns fumble, racing down the right sideline then tossed the ball to a streaking Demont Smith who took it in for the score.
The Swamp Foxes' three-game road swing continues next week as the Swamp Foxes travel to Florida for a match-up with the Firecats.
• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...
arenafootball2 Stories from April 5, 2003
- Brigade Can't Recover from Slow Start - Rochester Brigade
- Wolves Win 2003 Opener, 57-20 - Mohegan Wolves
- Nighthawks Victorious in First Game of 2003 Season - Norfolk Nighthawks
- Prowlers start 1-0 - Greensboro Prowlers
- Swamp Foxes Fall to Norfolk, 31-21 - Charleston Swamp Foxes
- Albany Conquers at Richmond Again - Albany Firebirds
- Wardogs Beat The Xplorers 26-25 - Memphis Xplorers
- Swarm fall to Steeldogs - Cincinnati Swarm
- Saturday game previews - af2
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.
