|
ArenaCup V was the 2004 edition of the af2's championship game, in which the National Conference Champions Florida Firecats defeated the American Conference Champions Peoria Pirates in Estero, Florida by a score of 39 to 26 . ==Game stats/notes== ESTERO — Who'd have thought, four months ago, when Ben Bennett was ready to bolt for the AFL, that he'd be here? When the Florida Firecats lost a friend of Dunstan Anderson's proportions — on the field and in their locker room — that they'd endure? When Cainon Lamb quietly struggled with his mother's death, and Hurricane Charley ripped apart their homes while they ripped apart an opponent, who'd have thought the Florida Firecats would be standing here, on their own turf, kissing the ArenaCup? They did. Substitute defensive back Brent Burnside had a touchdown catch and a key interception, and the Firecats' top-ranked defense shut out the Peoria Pirates in a decisive third quarter to win Southwest Florida's first professional sports title, 39-26, before 6,491 at Germain Arena. "We've jumped more hurdles than an Olympic sprinter," said Bennett, who ended a personal 0-for-6 championship drought as a player and coach in the AFL and af2. "This was the goal from the beginning, and our guys did what they had to do, through it all, to see it happen." After the game, Lamb, who had seven catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, took a picture of his mother, Regina, who died last month of cancer, and placed it atop the ArenaCup trophy in the team locker room. "I wish my mom could be here to see this, but I know she's here in spirit," he said. "There was teamwork, sacrifice and love, because everybody on this team loves each other. She's just running through my mind right now, and I had to put her picture on that trophy." Florida built a 20-point third-quarter lead and extended it when Burnside intercepted Peoria backup quarterback Talmadge Hill's first attempt. The turnover led to a Kornblue 24-yarder that essentially gave Florida the Cup, leading by 23 heading into the final quarter. The Pirates trimmed into the lead with a Casey Urlacher 4-yard score and Milton Bowen's 34 yard scoring reception in the fourth, but the celebration was already under way. "I knew 10 weeks ago that we had something special," said fullback Steve Gorrie, who capped his record season with three carries for 12 yards in limited action (with an ankle injury). "I think we brought this community together, and to see some of those faces in the crowd, it felt great." In a battle of the league's top defenses, the Firecats did exactly what they wanted with Peoria's touted unit on their opening drive, finding cushions in the zone and marching 36 yards in a tempo-dictating, 5 minutes and 46 seconds. Mastrole completed his first six pass attempts to three different receivers, capping the drive with Brandon Kornblue's 23-yard field goal to open a 3-0 lead. On a second-and-10 from the Florida 15 on its first possession, Peoria quarterback Andrew Webb fumbled the snap, which was recovered by Lamb and led to Kornblue's second field goal, from 24 yards. The Pirates got on the board with Henrik Juul-Nielsen's 35-yard field goal at 13:39, but the Firecats answered just two plays into the following possession. Mastrole found Burnside on a 36-yard bomb down the right side that made it 13-3 with just over 12 minutes in the half. Seconds later, Peoria's Lawrence Matthews bobbled the kickoff return and Chris Morant smothered it at the Pirates' 21-yard line. Two plays later, Mastrole found Magic Benton in the back of the end zone, devastating the Pirates' defense and opening a 16-point lead with nine minutes remaining. It could have easily turned into a laugher, but Webb — the 22-year-old rookie who joined the Pirates in Week 10 — stayed cool in the face of a pressuring Florida front. He threw for 131 yards in the first half, and with just under seven minutes in the second, got Anthony Snead to bite on a pump fake along the right wall. The 30-yard floater to Matthews cut the lead back to single digits, at 19-10. FIRECATS: 39 — PIRATES: 26 Firecats: 6 - 13 - 17 - 3 — 39 Pirates - 0 - 13 - 0 - 13 — 26 Scoring F - Kornblue 23 FG F - Kornblue 24 FG P - Juul-Nielsen 35 FG F - Burnside 36 pass from Mastrole (Kornblue kick) F - Benton 15 pass from Mastrole (kick failed) P - Matthews 30 pass from Webb (Juul-Nielsen kick) P - Juul-Nielsen 20 FG F - Lamb 7 pass from Mastrole (Kornblue kick) F - Benton 5 pass from Mastrole (Kornblue kick) F - Kornblue 24 FG P - Urlacher 4 rush (Juul-Nielsen kick) P - Bowen 34 pass from Webb (pass failed) F - Kornblue 21 FG Individual Leaders Rushing-Florida: Steve Gorrie 3-12; Peoria: Casey Urlacher 4-23. Passing- Florida: Ken Mastrole 20-33-4 201 yards; Peoria: Andrew Webb 16-37-2 215 yards, Talmadge Hill 1-3-0 14 yards. Receiving: Florida: Magic Benton 7-74, Cainon Lamb 7-68, Brent Burnside 3-39, Anthony Snead 1-9; Peoria: Brandon Campbell 6-50, Lawrence Matthews 4-69. © 2004 Naples Daily News. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「ArenaCup V」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|