Avengers Face Division Rival in 2001 Opener
Keith Antigiovanni
Friday April 13, 2001
“This is a very important game for us because San Jose is a division rival and is a very good team,” Avenger Head Coach Stan Brock said.
The Avengers will be facing quarterback John Dutton who has returned to the starting lineup after spending most of the 2000 season on injured reserve. “He’s a very good quarterback with plenty of Arena League experience. He has a lot of weapons on offense,” Brock said. Dutton was signed by San Jose last season after spending two injury-plagued years in 1998 and 1999 with the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns respectively.
Todd Marinovich looks to be the starter for Los Angeles, but he may wish he could miss this matchup after getting knocked out in the next-to-last game in 2000 against the Sabercats.
The inter-state rivalry enters its second season. Last season San Jose swept the series from the expansion Avengers, winning by scores of 78-25 and 75-72. In the first contest at San Jose, the Sabercats nearly blew LA out of the building by scoring 11 touchdowns and sacking Avenger quarterbacks five times. In the rematch at the Staples Center, LA played much better despite losing starting quarterback Todd Marinovch to an injury early in the game. Former backup Scott Semptimphelter came off the bench and threw for 312 yards and seven touchdowns.
Both teams come into this game with high expectations for the season. The Sabercats posted a 12-2 record as the defending Western division champions, while the Avengers spent the better part of the 2000 season as expansion doormats with a 3-11 record. San Jose looks to continue its momentum from last season and make some noise in the playoffs while LA looks to be tremendously improved. Coaches Stan Brock (LA) and Darren Arbet (San Jose) enter their second season with their respective teams.
Roster
The Avengers final 24-player roster is complete. The quarterbacks are Todd Marinovich, Erik Wilhelm and Harry Leons. Fullback/linebackers are Kelron Sykes, Travis Pearson and Ed Smith. The wide receiver/linebackers are Antonio Wilson, Russell Shaw and J.J Washington. At wide receiver/defensive back are Mel Miller Jr. and Anthony Rice. Travis Hannah remains the offensive specialist while the defeensive specialists are starter Mark Ricks and backups Delvin Myles and Darius Hadley. Chris Butterfield, Carlos Fowler, Victor Hall, Joseph McKoy, Brett Clark, Vince Amey and Eric Davis are the offensive/defensive linemen and Brian Reaves rounds out the lineup as the kicker.
Only eight players are returning from last year’s roster.
Keith Antigiovanni is a free-lance writer in San Diego, California. He has worked for several local newspapers covering sports, government and business. Keith started writing in 1995 after graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Mass Media Communications from the University of San Diego. Aside from working as a sportswriter he has a side business of providing marketing assistance/research for small businesses and also directs,produces and hosts a regular public access television show on Time-Warner Cable named "San Diego Yesterday". Antigiovanni is also a member of the San Diego Sportswriter Association.
