San Jose SaberCats Top Plays in Week Two
Leanne Cozart
Sunday March 31, 2013
The San Jose SaberCats improved their record to 2-0 against the Orlando Predators in Friday night’s exciting 65-62 victory at the HP Pavilion in front of a rowdy home crowd. In an intense matchup between two teams that desperately wanted to get the win, there were a total of 16 touchdowns for 661 yards, however the game ultimately came down to momentum shifting defensive stops.
Jabari Fletcher- Game Impacting Sack
Defensive lineman Jabari Fletcher saw an opportunity and took advantage of it as he sacked the stumbling Rowley in the Predators end zone resulting in a safety which cut the deficit as the SaberCats approached the final minutes of the game.
Jamarko Simmons – Catch of the Game
Jamarko Simmons ‘4th quarter touchdown catch against the wall with 54 seconds left was a great offensive highlight for the Sabercats as it put them three points ahead of the Predators with less than a minute left in the game. Simmons connected with Garcia throughout the night finishing with four catches for 35 yards and three touchdowns.
Mervin Brookins- Game Changing Kick Return
Mervin Brookins faced a lot of adversity throughout this game of ups and downs but he made a game changing impact when he had a 58- yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining to give the SaberCats the game winning lead.
Clevan Thomas- Game Winning Interception
On the SaberCats 2-yard line with 4 seconds remaining in the game, a back shoulder fade ball thrown to the end zone by Predators quarterback Kyle Rowley to seal the win was intercepted by two time defensive player of the year and hall of famer Clevan Thomas. Clevan greatly contributed to the SaberCats victory as he led the team with seven tackles and three interceptions for the night and despite frequently being targeted by Rowley, his efforts didn’t waver as Clevan continued to play at a high level. He proved that he’s returned in even better shape than when he left the game over a year ago and also that he’s able to step up and respond to being challenged.
Next week the San Jose SaberCats will go on the road to take on their National West division rivals the 2-0 Arizona Rattlers.
Leanne is a freelance sports journalist residing in the San Francisco Bay Area as she finishes up her Mass Communication, Media Production B.A. at Cal State University, East Bay. This will be her second season as a correspondent covering the San Jose SaberCats.
