UNIONDALE, NY-The New York Dragons finally got on the winning side of the ledger as they held off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt to defeat the Orlando Predators 33-26 in a Week 7 AFL game.
The Dragons got on the board right away as Hudie Mancini intercepted a pass from Woodrow Richardson and ran it back 33 yards for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead with 22 seconds gone in the first quarter. The Predators were able to answer back with a 10-play, 49-yard drive that ended with a 39-yard field goal by Abel White to make it 7-3 with 9:11 to go in the first quarter. The teams traded punts, then New York attempted to drive for a score, but Jose Trust missed a 46-yard field goal late in the quarter.
Following the miss, Orlando would drive 32 yards on 8 plays. White finished the drive with a 49-yard field goal to make it 7-6 with 13:19 left in the first quarter. After a Dragons punt, but Caleb Doering would fumble and Mancini recovered for New York at the Orlando 29-yard line. After netting 20 yards on 4 plays, Trust kicked a 26-yard field goal to make it 10-6 with 8:01 left in the half. White would miss a 52-yard field goal on the Predators' subsequent drive. New York would then drive 58 yards on 9 plays. Freddy Ashercraft then scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 50 seconds to go giving the Dragons a 17-6 halftime lead.
After New York punted to open the second half, Orlando would move the ball 59 yards on 10 plays. Richardson would throw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah O'Connell. The Predators failed on their 2-Point Conversion attempt, and the score was 17-12 with 10:20 left in the third quarter. The teams would trade punts, then the Dragons attempted a scoring drive, only for Trust to miss a 51-yard field goal attempt. Fulton Bingham would pick off Richardson and streak 31 yards to the Orlando 25-yard line. New York would lose 4 yards on 3 plays, but Trust would connect on a 46-yard field goal to make it 20-12 with 36 seconds to go in the third.
The Dragons defense would strike again, as Parker Kincaid picked off Richardson and took off for a 59-yard pick six to make it 27-12 with 14:04 left in the fourth quarter. RW Warden fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Omar Wheeley recovered for the Dragons at the Predators' 18-yard line. After six plays netted 15 yards, Trust kicked a 20-yard field goal to make it 30-12 with 11:20 remaining in the fourth. Orlando turned the ball over again, as Richardson fumbled, and Vance Bicker recovered at the Predators 22-yard line. The Dragons gained 2 yards on 4 plays, and Trust would kick a 37-yard field goal to make it 33-12 with 8:38 left in the fourth quarter. The Predators would answer with an 8-play, 67-yard drive. Richardson would throw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Doering making it 33-19 with 5:23 to go in the fourth. Orlando would recover an onside kick, then ended a 6-play, 56-yard drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Richardson to Farren Smithson to make it 33-26 with 4:03 left in the fourth quarter. The teams would trade punts, then the Dragons would run out the clock.
New York (1-6) gained 238 yards of total offense. The Dragons ran for 147 yards on 37 carries. Ashercraft led the team with 101 yards on 13 carries and a TD. Faron Emerson was 11-of-24 passing for 118 yards. He was sacked four times, losing 27 yards. Booker Starling was the leading receiver with 4 catches for 48 yards. The Dragons visit the Albany Firebirds next week.
Orlando (1-6) gained 305 yards of total offense. The Predators ran for 60 yards on 17 carries. D.J. Giles led the team with 55 yards on 9 carries. Richardson was 21-of-47 passing for 282 yards, 3 TD and 3 INT. He was sacked six times, losing 37 yards. Doering was the leading receiver with 5 catches for 63 yards and a TD. The Predators host the Nashville Kats next week.
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