Avengers lose to rival SaberCats

By Pauline Vu

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

They failed to live up to their name, but it wasn’t from
lack of trying.

Facing the same San Jose SaberCats who gave them their worst
loss of the season, a 78-25 beating in May, the Los Angeles
Avengers (3-10) of the Arena Football League came just a few points
short of upsetting the conference-leading SaberCats (11-2) Saturday
night at Staples Center, with a final score 75-72.

Still, as Avengers head coach Stan Brock told his team after the
game, they should keep their heads held high.

“We played our hearts out,” said backup quarterback
Scott Semptiphelter. “We just made one too many
mistakes.”

Consistently trailing the SaberCats by about 20 points
throughout the game, the Avengers pulled it together in the final
seconds. Down 75-58 with 46 seconds left in the game, quarterback
Semptiphelter threw two touchdown passes to bring his team within
75-72.

But then, with 37 seconds left, kicker Kyle Pooler’s
onside kick attempt went out-of-bounds and San Jose ran down the
clock for the win.

Former Bruin and SaberCat kicker Chris Sailer made all but one
extra point attempt, and also made field goals of 45 and 25 yards.
His 62-yard attempt in the third quarter was blocked, though.

The Avengers were plagued by injuries. Starting quarterback Todd
Marinovich left the game in the first quarter with a rib injury,
Tray Crayton left in the second with a sprained left foot, and
Victor Hall left the game on a stretcher in the third.

Los Angeles still produced spectacular plays, like Damien
Groce’s touchdown pass in the third. As Groce caught the ball
in the end zone he was smacked in mid-air by two SaberCats, both of
whom landed on him. But when they got off, Groce had the ball
safely tucked in his arms.

After Marinovich was taken out, Semptiphelter stepped in. Though
he hadn’t played in four weeks, he completed 18 of 31 passes
for 346 yards and hit seven touchdown passes. His only regrets were
the two interceptions he threw. “I wish I could have those
throws back,” Semptiphelter said.

Wide receiver and defensive back Anthony Rice had three
touchdowns, including a 55-yard kickoff return, but he was
unsatisfied after the game. His disappointment, however,
didn’t stem so much from the fact the Avengers are out of the
running for a postseason berth as from the fact Rice lost to his
former team.

“There’s bad blood there,” said Rice, who was
a SaberCat just last year.

Los Angeles, the last-place team in the Western division, felt
they earned respect from the leading team in the conference.

“Tonight we showed them, we’re just a couple of
plays away from you guys,” Semptiphelter said.

The Avengers have no postseason plans, but they do have one game
left on the schedule ““ the Buffalo Destroyers, who need to
win to make the AFL playoffs.

“We got to play for pride now,” Rice said.
“We’re playing spoiler.”