Dragons Continue Late-Season Comeback
David Holusha
Monday April 21, 2003
“I would say this was our best game of the season,” said a humble, yet satisfied, Anthony after the game. “It was definitely my best game so far.” The 6’3” 200 pound product of Iowa State held an ice pack to his stomach. “It’s just a mild strain.”
It’s not too difficult to see how that strain may have come about as the lean, yet solid, receiver took quite a few forceful hits after catches as he continually worked the right side of the field. “That’s where I’m most effective, playing the boundary,” said Anthony, referring to his inclination to make most of his catches up against the right wall. However, his first TD catch was a beautiful over-the-top pass from Garcia that Anthony caught in the center of the end zone. This was the Dragons second score of the game, giving them a comfortable 13-0 lead, and they never looked back.
After a strong defensive stop, which continued all day, the Dragons took over on downs in great field position. Their favorable field position was aided when the Fury head coach was assessed and unsportsmanlike penalty; no doubt out of frustration at the Dragons’ complete dominance in all facets of the game. The very next play had Chris Anthony catching a 7-yard pass for his second TD of the game. Anthony’s third TD catch came in the 4th quarter after Garcia faked a pitch and then passed to Chris, who was wide open in the right corner, ballooning the Dragons’ lead to 62-26.
In addition to becoming an emerging force on offense, Anthony also enjoys chipping in defensively when called upon. “I don’t get too many opportunities on defense, so I try to make the most of them when I do.”
Another reason for the Dragons’ dominance was the emergence of newly signed kicker Ian Howfield. A veteran of five AFL seasons, Howfield was a sure extra-point kicker all game long. This kind of stability could do wonders for a team whose kicking inconsistencies have plagued them all season. But how could a player of this caliber have gone unnoticed for the last few years?
“Back when this team was still in Iowa, they were looking at me, but I got into a car accident,” explained Howfield. “Two of my lower vertebrae were fused and I had a bad knee on top of that,” he continued. “It took me five years to build my body back up to where it is now,” the Dragons’ kickerwas now clearly was enjoying the attention and spotlight. “But they gave me a shot, and I’m thrilled to death to be kicking at this level again”.
At 6’2”, 260 lbs, Howfield is bigger than most typical kickers, who traditionally are the least physically imposing players on the field. Early in the fourth quarter, on the ensuing kickoff after a Dragons’ score, Detroit’s Ron Carpenter beat all defenders and Howfield had to bbring him down.
“My main concern in this comeback was how I could handle the tackling,” said Howfield. “But my back is pretty solid now and my knee is good.” That can only be considered good news for the Dragons, as they now face their most difficult task of the season; a date next week, with the 9-2 Tampa Bay Storm.
That the Dragons are playing meaningful games this late in the year underscores the resilience of this team. With four remaining regular season games, each one becomes a playoff contest in and of itself. After such a shaky start to the season, the Dragons are now in control of their own destiny. They wouldn’t want it any other way.
David Holusha was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2003 to 2004.
