Vipers Take First Round Bye
July 31, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Florida Firecats News Release
Estero, FL- A crowd of 6,321 came out to see Florida'a Magic Benton and Tennessee Valley's Erin Damond and Jerrian James win the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game, ADT Defensive Player of the Game, and U.S. Army Ironman of the Game, respectively.
Tennessee Valley (12-4) came into Germain Arena tonight and secured a first round bye by defeating the Florida Firecats (10-6) by a score of 76-60. Tennessee Valley will now get next week off, while the Firecats will host the Memphis Xplorers (10-6) in the first round of the playoffs.
Both teams came out with an incredible offensive attack. Unfortunately for the Firecats, their defense was unable to keep the Viper offense from scoring except for on a late Viper drive when the game was out of reach. The Vipers came up with two crucial turnovers, and their offense had their defense's back on each occasion.
Jerrian James had a huge game for the Vipers, scoring twice on the ground and three times through the air. James accumulated 246 yards of total offense on the night. Tennessee Valley quarterback Josh Kellett was nearly perfect, connecting on 23 of 25 pass attempts for 357 yards and seven touchdowns. Viper receiver Marquis Floyd also pulled in two scores.
Florida quarterback Ken Mastrole also put in an outstanding performance, completing 22 passes for 339 yards and seven touchdowns. Cainon Lamb and Magic Benton each had three touchdowns, while Anthony Snead also found paydirt. Lamb also broke the Firecats all time receiving yards record on the evening.
On the ground, Florida fullback Steve Gorrie ran for 25 yards and one score, bringing his season total to 500 rushing yards, a feat that has never occurred in the indoor game. Cainon Lamb also ran in a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, Firecats defensive specialist Quincy Sorrell had five tackles, bringing his season total to 100.5. Sorrell is only the third player in af2 history to acquire 100 tackles in a season.
The Firecats will be hosting the Memphis Xplorers next Saturday at Germain Arena in the first round of the playoffs. If they win, the Firecats will travel to Huntsville to play the Tennessee Valley Vipers in the second round. If Memphis wins, they will travel to Pennsylvania to play the Wilkes-Barre Pioneers. Tickets for next Saturday's game are available by calling (239) 390-2287.
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