Wrong Place, Wrong Time for Dragons
Jason Lucas
Monday May 24, 2004
Both teams came into this game in a do or die situation, almost like a playoff game before the playoffs. Orlando’s 65-41 victory in front of 13,144 at TD Waterhouse Centre all but punched the Preds ticket to the AFL playoffs.
Orlando’s defense dominated this game from the coin toss. Garcia and the Dragons went for an early fourth down conversion, which failed when Kenny “The Glove” McEntyre knocked Garcia’s pass away giving the ball to the Preds offense. This stop seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game. The most amazing stat jumping off the page at halftime was Garcia having 157 passing yards. His second leading receiver in yards however was Idris Price. The only problem with that is that Price is the FB/LB for the Orlando Predators who also tied for Garcia’s touchdown leader in the first half with his 44-yard interception return that extended the Preds lead to 28-7 in the second quarter.
Unlike his counterpart, Orlando’s QB Joe Hamilton had a near perfect game going 14 for 17 for 168 yards and four touchdowns. Hamilton hooked up with his favorite target Cory Fleming twice in the first quarter for an early 14-0 lead. That lead was pushed to 35-14 in the second quarter when Hamilton hooked up with rookie WR/DB Anthony Bright for 45 yards. Hamilton’s final touchdown pass was a quick strike to Fleming, putting the game well out of reach at 52-28 in the third quarter. Hamilton played so well that he did not take a snap in the fourth quarter and watched his defense continue their domination of the Dragons offense.
Garcia was feeling charitable again as he threw his second interception of the game to Orlando’s Bret Cooper who took the ball to the Dragons one-yard line. From there Rupert Grant would take in one of his two short rushing touchdowns extending the Preds advantage to 59-28, the Preds largest bulge of the game.
Notes
Orlando’s kicker Jay Taylor extended his extra point streak to a franchise record 37 in a row. Cory Fleming has caught a touchdown pass in 24 straight games. Orlando’s defense did nothing to hurt their number one scoring defense by allowing only 41 points to the highest scoring offense. Aaron Garcia was sacked seven times by the Orlando defense.
Quotes
“We are getting better and better every week and we have Jermaine Smith coming off of the injured list next week.” -- Predators head coach Jay Gruden on his defense.
“This is definitely a home field advantage here in the jungle, these are the greatest fans in the league.” -- Predators FB/LB Idris Price on the noise level in the jungle.
“Things worked out real well; the game was won up front. I stood back there and had target practice for the most part.” -- Predators QB Joe Hamilton on his offensive line and protection.
“A good football team just took us to the woodshed today; you can’t say anymore than that.” -- Dragons head coach Todd Shell on his team being dominated by the Predators.
On a Personal Note
I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you who sent E-mails, cards and called me during my grandmother’s passing. All of your kind words are greatly appreciated. I absolutely love the Arenafan Online community and hope I can serve all of you for years to come. Thanks again!
Jason Lucas is a part-time freelance writer based in the Orlando, Florida area. A former director of media relations with the Orlando Predators, Jason is making his return to Arenafan.com after a short stint as a public relations assistant with the UFL‘s Florida Tuskers in 2010. Lucas has followed the AFL since 1992 and began covering the Predators for Arenafan during the 2004 season. He held that position until being picked up by the Preds front office after the 2007 season. Jason‘s knowledge of arena football and love of the game is what drives him to continue covering the sport.
