Post by rkozak201 on Jul 5, 2008 7:42:56 GMT -5
By Brian Rippey
Reading Eagle
With its season and championship dreams hanging in the balance, the Reading Express was faced with a crucial decision.
Attempt a field goal with 20 seconds left and force overtime, or put everything on the line from the Erie RiverRats 14-yard line on fourth down.
"Between Foxy (Shawn Foxworth), Yardon (Brantley) and Melo (Carmelo Ocasio), we weren't kicking," Express quarterback Rob Flowers said. "It's win or go home."
Thanks to a 14-yard touchdown pass to Foxworth with 15 seconds left and a late defensive stand, the Express won and will stay home after a frantic 67-57 win over Erie Thursday night in the Sovereign Center.
Flowers' seventh touchdown pass of the game and a 50-yard interception return by Trent Jones as time expired helped the Express (11-4) escape with a victory in the American Indoor Football Association North Division championship game over the RiverRats (10-5).
The Express will host the Eastern Conference championship game next Saturday at 7 p.m. against the winner of Monday's Huntington at Florence game after the heart-stopping win over an Erie team it had defeated by 40 points less than three weeks earlier.
The rematch turned into the wildest game in the Express' three-year history. The contest featured 21 scoring plays, 13 lead changes and two ties.
The second tie was broken when J.R. Cipra kicked a 30-yard field goal on the first play after the one-minute warning to give Erie a 57-54 lead.
That put the pressure on the Express offense, which rolled up six touchdowns in the first half but struggled in the second.
"This is the first game I was in at quarterback where it was back and forth the whole game," said Flowers, who completed 25-of-37 for 278 yards. "It was a little nerve-wracking but you've got to keep your composure."
Needing to move the Express 30 yards in 55.9 seconds, Flowers saw his first pass fall incomplete before hitting Ocasio for a 13-yard gain to the Erie 17. He hit Foxworth for 3 more yards before the Express took its first timeout with 32.2 seconds left.
Two more incomplete passes, one in which Flowers lost the ball in a heavy rush but was ruled to have his hand going forward, and Reading was down to its last hope.
Express coach Bernie Nowotarski took a timeout with 20.2 seconds left to discuss the strategy. A possible game-tying field goal wasn't part of the conversation.
"I was going for it regardless," Nowotarski said. "We worked too hard. There was 42 years of football inside of me that said we're going for this play."
Nowotarski said his decision had little to do with the fact Erik Rockhold had earlier missed two extra points and a third PAT was spoiled by a bad snap.
With the Sovereign Center holding its collective breath, Flowers got ample protection from the offensive line, saw Foxworth breaking free in the end zone and threw a dart to the corner.
With the Erie defender grabbing his jersey, Foxworth dropped to his knee to cradle the ball as the Express fans erupted throughout the arena.
"I didn't see it; all I did was hear it," Flowers said. "I was on my back. I said, 'He must have caught the ball.' It was a beautiful thing."
Rockhold drilled the extra point to give Reading a four-point lead. But there were still 15.2 seconds for Erie quarterback Rob Rutherford, who threw for 258 yards and five touchdowns and ran for two more.
On thie first play from the Erie 5, Rutherford connected with Eugene Baker for a 31-yard pickup to the Reading 9 with 5.2 seconds left.
"I didn't even watch the last couple of plays," Foxworth said. "I saw the last play but I missed a couple."
The second play Foxworth missed was a pass from Rutherford that was almost hauled in by Darmel Whitfield in the end zone. The RiverRats still had 1.8 seconds left, time for one more play.
With the pass rush closing in and Express fans banging on their seats while chanting 'de-fense!' Rutherford lofted a ball toward the end zone. Jones stepped into the passing lane and raced the length of the field as the Express players poured onto the field to celebrate.
"You can't get more exciting than that," Nowotarski said. "It was a great game. The crowd that was here had to love it."
•Contact Brian Rippey at 610-371-5070 or brippey@readingeagle.com.
Reading Eagle
With its season and championship dreams hanging in the balance, the Reading Express was faced with a crucial decision.
Attempt a field goal with 20 seconds left and force overtime, or put everything on the line from the Erie RiverRats 14-yard line on fourth down.
"Between Foxy (Shawn Foxworth), Yardon (Brantley) and Melo (Carmelo Ocasio), we weren't kicking," Express quarterback Rob Flowers said. "It's win or go home."
Thanks to a 14-yard touchdown pass to Foxworth with 15 seconds left and a late defensive stand, the Express won and will stay home after a frantic 67-57 win over Erie Thursday night in the Sovereign Center.
Flowers' seventh touchdown pass of the game and a 50-yard interception return by Trent Jones as time expired helped the Express (11-4) escape with a victory in the American Indoor Football Association North Division championship game over the RiverRats (10-5).
The Express will host the Eastern Conference championship game next Saturday at 7 p.m. against the winner of Monday's Huntington at Florence game after the heart-stopping win over an Erie team it had defeated by 40 points less than three weeks earlier.
The rematch turned into the wildest game in the Express' three-year history. The contest featured 21 scoring plays, 13 lead changes and two ties.
The second tie was broken when J.R. Cipra kicked a 30-yard field goal on the first play after the one-minute warning to give Erie a 57-54 lead.
That put the pressure on the Express offense, which rolled up six touchdowns in the first half but struggled in the second.
"This is the first game I was in at quarterback where it was back and forth the whole game," said Flowers, who completed 25-of-37 for 278 yards. "It was a little nerve-wracking but you've got to keep your composure."
Needing to move the Express 30 yards in 55.9 seconds, Flowers saw his first pass fall incomplete before hitting Ocasio for a 13-yard gain to the Erie 17. He hit Foxworth for 3 more yards before the Express took its first timeout with 32.2 seconds left.
Two more incomplete passes, one in which Flowers lost the ball in a heavy rush but was ruled to have his hand going forward, and Reading was down to its last hope.
Express coach Bernie Nowotarski took a timeout with 20.2 seconds left to discuss the strategy. A possible game-tying field goal wasn't part of the conversation.
"I was going for it regardless," Nowotarski said. "We worked too hard. There was 42 years of football inside of me that said we're going for this play."
Nowotarski said his decision had little to do with the fact Erik Rockhold had earlier missed two extra points and a third PAT was spoiled by a bad snap.
With the Sovereign Center holding its collective breath, Flowers got ample protection from the offensive line, saw Foxworth breaking free in the end zone and threw a dart to the corner.
With the Erie defender grabbing his jersey, Foxworth dropped to his knee to cradle the ball as the Express fans erupted throughout the arena.
"I didn't see it; all I did was hear it," Flowers said. "I was on my back. I said, 'He must have caught the ball.' It was a beautiful thing."
Rockhold drilled the extra point to give Reading a four-point lead. But there were still 15.2 seconds for Erie quarterback Rob Rutherford, who threw for 258 yards and five touchdowns and ran for two more.
On thie first play from the Erie 5, Rutherford connected with Eugene Baker for a 31-yard pickup to the Reading 9 with 5.2 seconds left.
"I didn't even watch the last couple of plays," Foxworth said. "I saw the last play but I missed a couple."
The second play Foxworth missed was a pass from Rutherford that was almost hauled in by Darmel Whitfield in the end zone. The RiverRats still had 1.8 seconds left, time for one more play.
With the pass rush closing in and Express fans banging on their seats while chanting 'de-fense!' Rutherford lofted a ball toward the end zone. Jones stepped into the passing lane and raced the length of the field as the Express players poured onto the field to celebrate.
"You can't get more exciting than that," Nowotarski said. "It was a great game. The crowd that was here had to love it."
•Contact Brian Rippey at 610-371-5070 or brippey@readingeagle.com.
