Valor Fall to Gladiators in Cleveland
Friday April 28, 2017
Erik Meyer throws for 300th career touchdown in Washington loss
CLEVELAND, OH. — The Valor (1-2) dropped their second game of the season, 48-34, to the Cleveland Gladiators (1-3) Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. Gladiators QB and Offensive Player of the Game Arvell Nelson led the way for the Gladiators, tallying five total touchdowns in the game. Valor QB Erik Meyer’s four-touchdown performance was highlighted by a nine-yard score to WR Roger Jackson in the second quarter that marked his 300th career touchdown pass. Meyer, putting him in a class of just 25 AFL quarterbacks to ever accomplish the feat.
“We played a really good first half as a team,” Valor Head Coach Dean Cokinos said. “We turned the ball over in the second half. It’s really hard to win in arena football when you turn the ball over like that.”
Cleveland got on the board first when WR Quentin Sims capped a three-play drive with a six-yard touchdown run, giving the Gladiators and early 7-0 lead. On the following Valor possession, Meyer through an interception, his third of the season, on the Valor’s first drive of the game. After a short return, the Gladiators took over at their own 18-yard line. Washington got the ball back after DL Brandon Sesay stripped Cleveland QB Arvell Nelson in the midst of his passing motion. DL Everett Dawkins scooped up the ball for the Valor, his second fumble recovery of the season. Meyer found WR TT Toliver for a six-yard touchdown. TC Stevens converted on the extra point attempt to tie the game at seven with 35.8 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Gladiators scored the first points of the second quarter as Nelson gave the Gladiators a 14-7 lead with 11:31 remaining in the second quarter when he scrambled for a five-yard touchdown. With 9:15 remaining in the frame, Meyer found WR Roger Jackson for nine-yard touchdown that knotted the game up at 14. The score marked the 300th career passing touchdown for Erik Meyer, making him only the 25thman to complete the feat in AFL history.
With just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter, Sims had a touchdown wiped off the board when he was called for offensive pass interference. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty bumped the Gladiators back to their own territory. Cleveland managed to overcome, however. Nelson found Sims for an 18-yard gain on third-and-long just a play before WR Brandon Thompkins hauled in an eight-yard score to put the Gladiators up 21-14.
The Valor took their first lead of the game when Erik Meyer found WR Greg Carr for an eight-yard touchdown. The kick was no good, so the Valor held a 27-21 lead with 30 seconds remaining in the half.
Cleveland scored the first points of the second half as Nelson broke a 43-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 27. The Valor turned the ball over on downs on the ensuing possession, setting Cleveland up for two-play drive ending in a one-yard touchdown rush by OL Phillipkeith Manley. Cleveland extended its lead to 41-27 when Sims scored his first receiving and second overall touchdown of the game, an eight-yard catch and run from Nelson.
With 10:39 left in the game, Meyer found Carr for their second touchdown connection of the game, bringing the score to 41-34, Cleveland. The score was Meyer’s fourth through the air of the night.
Up one score with just over six minutes remaining, on fourth-and-fifteen at their own 11-yard line, Nelson evaded potential tacklers, gathered himself and delivered a 39-yard strike to WR Collin Taylor, giving the Gladiators a 48-34 lead. The Valor go into Gladiator territory on the following drive, but progress stalled as the offense turned the ball over on downs with 1:40 remaining in the game, where Cleveland ran the clock down to zero, sealing a win.
KEY STAT: With a nine-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, Valor QB Erik Meyer became the 25th player in AFL history to throw for 300 career touchdowns.
KEY MOMENT: Gladiators QB Arvell Nelson’s 39-yard touchdown on fourth-and-fifteen with 1:40 remaining in the game put the Gladiators up 48-34, solidifying the win.
MVP: Cleveland WR Collin Taylor – 68 receiving yards and one touchdown, a 39-yarder late in the fourth quarter to seal the win
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cleveland QB Arvell Nelson - 20/34 C/A, 243 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 60 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cleveland DB Frederick Obi – 2 tackles, 1 solo, 1 interception and three pass break-ups
The Valor have their second bye week of the season next week, but return to action on Sat., May 13 when they host the Tampa Bay Storm at 7 p.m. at Verizon Center. The matchup will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
IN QUOTES:
VALOR HEAD COACH DEAN COKINOS
On finishing games in the fourth quarter
At the end of the day, it’s a 60-minute game. You’ve got to play four quarters. We’re still that team that’s not coming out on offense and finishing the game right now. We have to get better at finishing offensively in the second half.
On the late-game situation
Up to the midpoint in the fourth quarter, we’re just a possession out. We’re just a stop and a score away. We had that fourth down play where we had a sack and he got out and threw a bomb. We get the stop and then score, it’s a tie game.
