TAMPA-The Georgia Force defeated the Tampa Bay Storm 21-18 in a Week 10 AFL game, and with their fourth straight win, overtook Tampa Bay for first place in the AFL Southern Division.
Fourth down was an adventure for both teams in their first possession. The Force attempted a fake punt on fourth-and-4 from their 35, but Nelson Wynn's pass to Clem Foulks fell incomplete. On the Storm's ensuing possession, Johnny Quincey's 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked. On Georgia's next drive, Norm Damron completed a 43-yard pass to Paden Bonewell that would set up a 22-yard field goal by Wilbur Ahmad, finishing a 4-play, 61-yard drive to put the Force up 3-0 with 7:12 to go in the first quarter. The Storm would move down the field on their next drive, but Jefferson Taylor fumbled at the Georgia 11-yard line, and Ward Hilton recovered for the Force.
After the fumble, Georgia would drive 66 yards on 9 plays. Ahmad would kick a 40-yard field goal to take a 6-0 lead with 12:11 remaining in the half. Tampa Bay would answer with a 12-play, 60-yard drive that saw Quincey kick a 37-yard field goal to make it 6-3 with 7:33 remaining in the second quarter. After the team traded punts, The Force moved the ball 73 yards on 14 plays, and Ahmad kicked a 19-yard field goal with 18 seconds to go in the half, and Georgia led 9-3 at halftime.
After Tampa Bay punted to start the second half, Damron threw a 74-yard pass to Bonewell, who was stopped at the 1-yard line. But the Force were turned away on 4th-and-Goal from the 1. However, on the next play, Vinnie Kirksey was tackled in the end zone by Phillip Schmidt in the end zone for a safety, giving the Force an 11-3 lead with 11:21 to go in the third quarter. Following a free kick, Georgia drove 36 yards on 6 plays. Ahmad kicked a 52-yard field goal to go up 14-3 with 9:01 remaining in the third. On Tampa Bay's next possession, Orval Stanley was intercepted by Lin Byers who returned it 23 yards to the Georgia 48-yard line. The Force moved again into scoring position, but Ahmad missed a 48-yard field goal attempt.
Following the miss, Tampa Bay would embark on a 12-play, 62-yard drive. Stanley finished the drive off with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Foster Warhurst. The 2-Point Conversion was good, and the Storm were down 14-11 with 14:07 left in the fourth quarter. The Force would punt, and the Storm moved the ball 82 yards on 7 plays. Stanley would toss a 19-yard touchdown pass to Von Windle to give Tampa Bay an 18-14 lead with 8:48 to go. Georgia would respond with a 4-play, 62-yard drive, with Damron throwing a 39-yard touchdown strike to Gevan Crafton to give the Force a 21-18 lead with 7:04 left in the game. The Storm fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but Ahmad would miss a 41-yard field goal attempt. From there, Tampa would punt the ball but Georgia successfully killed the clock, making a Storm comeback difficult.
Georgia (6-4) gained 464 yards of total offense. The Force ran for 74 yards on 29 carries. Walter Halley led the team with 24 yards on 11 carries. Damron went 22-of-37 passing for a league-record 412 yards and 1 TD. He was sacked three times, losing 22 yards. Bonewell caught 10 passes for a league-record 211 yards. Next week, the Force will host the Albany Firebirds.
Tampa Bay (5-4-1) gained 288 yards of total offense. The Storm gained 67 yards on 23 carries. Taylor led the team with 34 yards on 9 carries. Stanley went 19-of-35 passing for 236 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked once for a 15-yard loss. Warhurst led the Storm receivers for 8 catches for 95 yards and a TD. The Storm host the Grand Rapids Rampage next week.
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