Valor Today
April 29, 2019 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Washington Valor News Release
Washington Valor receiver Dezmon Epps with a catch along the sideline in the season opener against Baltimore
(Washington Valor)
TODAY'S STORYLINES: Valor drop season opener, 59-51, in Baltimore The Washington Valor (0-1) were defeated, 59-51, by the Baltimore Brigade (1-0) Friday night at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Md. Valor quarterback Arvell Nelson threw for 391 yards and tied a career high with eight passing touchdowns, earning Offensive Player of the Game.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OFF. PLAYER OF THE GAME DEF. PLAYER OF THE GAME
Brigade QB Shane Boyd Valor QB Arvell Nelson Brigade DB Joe Powell
19-24 passing, 232 passing yards and 6 passing TDs 27-41 passing, 391 passing yards and 8 passing TDs 6.5 total tackles and 2 INTs
Epps shines in AFL debut Valor wideout Dezmon Epps, playing in his first career Arena Football League game, turned his nine receptions into a Valor franchise-record 201 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns, which tied the team's all-time high.
Top receiving yardage performances in Valor history:
1. 201 yards - Dezmon Epps (4/26/19 at Baltimore) 2. 171 yards - Reggie Gray (5/19/18 vs. Baltimore) 3. 137 yards - Two players
Valor offense tops league leaderboards The Valor offense, led by Nelson and Epps, set the standard across the league and broke a number of franchise records along the way. Washington's 402 total offensive yards (franchise record) in Week 1 led all AFL teams by 159 yards. Washington's 9.3 yards per play also led the league.
Week 1 total offensive yards:
1. 402 - Washington Valor (at Baltimore) 2. 243 - Baltimore Brigade (vs. Washington) 3. 239 - Albany Empire (vs. Columbus)
Week 1 passing yards:
1. 391 - Arvell Nelson (Washington) 2. 232 - Shane Boyd (Baltimore) 3. 230 - Tommy Grady (Albany)
Week 1 passing touchdowns:
1. 8 - Arvell Nelson (Washington) 2. 6 - Shane Boyd (Baltimore) 3. 5 - Randy Hippeard (Atlantic City)
Week 1 receiving yards:
1. 201 - Dezmon Epps (Washington) 2. 98 - Anthony Amos (Columbus) 3. 94 - Malachi Jones (Albany)
Week 1 receiving touchdowns:
1. 4 - Dezmon Epps (Washington) 2. 3 - Two players 3. 2 - Four players
Washington takes on Albany in Week 2 The Valor return to action next Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m., taking on the Albany Empire at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. in a rematch of last season's 2018 AFL Semifinals. The Valor are just 1-5 all-time against the Empire, with their only win coming in their most recent matchup, clinching Washington berth in ArenaBowl XXXI.
Valor single-game tickets on sale now Single game tickets for the 2019 Washington Valor regular season, presented by Capital One, are on sale now. Fans looking to purchase single game tickets may visit the team website or call 202-661-5005. The Valor will play six regular season home games, all at Capital One Arena, including the team's home opener on Saturday, May 11 at 7 p.m. against the Atlantic City Blackjacks and the regular season finale on Saturday, July 20 at 3:30 p.m. against the Columbus Destroyers.
POSITION SPOTLIGHT: WIDE RECEIVERS Phillip Barnett - #15 -- WR Barnett, playing in his fourth AFL season, has seen action across numerous indoor football leagues. His previous AFL experience included stints with the Tampa Bay Storm (2015-16) and Cleveland Gladiators (2017) bookended between a year with the Indoor Football League's Texas Revolution (2013) and the National Arena League's Carolina Cobras (2018). Barnett attended the University of Toledo and was raised in Middletown, Ohio.
Jared Dangerfield - #9 - WR A member of the 2018 Valor team that won ArenaBowl XXXI, Dangerfield brings consistency to the team's receiving corps. In his 10 games last season, Dangerfield caught 5+ passes in five games, including seven receptions and two touchdowns against Philadelphia in Week 8.
Dezmon Epps - #13 - WR In his first career AFL game, Epps tallied 201 receiving yards and four touchdowns - both Valor franchise records. His journey to the Valor included stops at San Francisco City College, the University of Idaho and the IFL's Arizona Rattlers.
"He's a very fast, shifty guy," Valor Head Coach Benji McDowell said after Epps's AFL debut. "He has a great work ethic and he just wants to get better every day. It's the same thing we saw in camp. I'm glad it translated into the games. He went against some good defensive backs, so we just have to keep him level and let him know they're going to have a plan for them next week and he has to counter that."
Reggie Gray - #3 - WR Gray, the veteran of the Valor wideouts, is playing his ninth AFL season and his second with Washington. Gray has two ArenaBowl titles to his name (2018 and 2015) has been named All-Arena five times (2018, 2015, 2013, 2012 and 2011). Gray ranks top-15 all-time in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Josh Reese - #19 - WR Reese is playing in his third season in Washington, coming off a career-best 2018 season (67 receptions, 750 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns). Reese caught six passes for 52 yards in Washington's ArenaBowl XXXI win. Prior to his AFL career, Reese was a team captain at the University of Central Florida and made appearances at the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2015 training camps.
GAME INFORMATION: Week 2: at Albany Empire (Sat., May 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Times Union Center)
Home Opener: vs. Atlantic City Blackjacks (Sat., May 11 at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena)
TICKETS: Full season ticket memberships are currently on sale for the 2019 season and start as low as $15 per game. For additional information about joining the Gridiron 365 full season ticket membership club, as well as other group and all-inclusive ticket packages, please call the Valor Ticket Sales office at 202-661-5005 or e-mail ticketsales@washvalor.com.
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