UNIONDALE, NY-The New York Dragons held off a late rally to prevail over the Georgia Force, in a Week 3 AFL game, 37-24.
Georgia went three-and-out on their first drive and punted, a piling on penalty put the ball at the Force 45-yard line. From there, the Dragons took six plays to get into the end zone, with Melvin Betts getting in from the 2 to give the Dragons a 7-0 lead with 11:09 remaining in the first quarter. The teams would trade punts, and then New York got rolling again, moving the ball 62 yards on 11 plays. Burt Hamrick put the finishing touches on the drive with a 33-yard field goal with 59 seconds left in the first to give New York a 10-0 lead.
Georgia would punt again, and then the Dragons followed suit, but New York was penalized for unnecessary roughness and Georgia had the ball on the Dragons' 26-yard line. Six plays later, Norm Damron connected with Raven Bannon for a 2-yard touchdown to push the Force within three at 10-7 with 10:27 left in the half. On New York's first play after the ensuing kickoff, Pete Love intercepted a Faron Emerson pass at the Dragons' 36-yard line. Seven plays later, Clem Foulks charged in from the 1 to put Georgia up 14-10 with 6:50 remaining in the half. The Dragons responded on their next drive, going 38 yards on 10 plays. Hamrick would kick a 45-yard field goal with 3:28 left in the second quarter to make it 14-13. After Georgia went three-and-out, Emerson would uncork an 80-yard bomb that Elvis Darnell took for a touchdown with 1:31 left in the half, and the Dragons would go into the locker room up 20-14 at the half.
In the second half, the Dragons would start with a punt. Georgia was moving the ball until FB Prince David fumbled, and Dragons LB Vance Bicker returned it 33 yards to the Force 4-yard line. After four plays, Emerson hit Ardell Ashmore on a 1-yard touchdown pass to make it 27-14 with 8:29 to go in the third. Georgia was undaunted, and drove 73 yards on 9 plays. Wilbur Ahmad would kick a 33-yard field goal with 2:56 to go in the third to inch closer to New York, 27-17.
New York would drive themselves on their next possession, going 41 yards on 10 plays. Hamrick kicked his third field goal of the game, from 36 yards out, to put the Dragons up 30-17 with 12:18 to go in the fourth. Georgia would respond on the next drive, going 73 yards on 10 plays. Damron ended the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Sidney, and the Force were back in the game, trailing 30-24 with 8:02 to go. New York would punt on its next possession, and the Force seemed destined to score again, but Foulks fumbled, and Dusty Mills recovered for the Dragons at their own 18-yard line with 4:50 remaining in the game. The Dragons would punt again, and the Force had one more shot. But an ill-fated sack turned the ball over on downs on the Force 8-yard line, and two plays later, Betts scored on a 5-yard run with 53 seconds left to officially plunge the dagger into Georgia's heart.
New York (2-1) gained 336 yards of total offense. The Dragons gained 62 yards rushing on 27 carries. Betts led the team with 28 yards on 7 carries with 2 TD. Emerson went 23-for-35 passing for 283 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked once, losing 9 yards. Ashmore led the Dragons with 8 catches for 72 yards and a TD. Darnell caught 6 passes for 120 yards and a TD. The Dragons host the Detroit Drive next week.
Georgia (1-2) gained 279 yards of total offense. The Force gained 61 yards rushing on 23 carries. Foulks was the leading rusher for Georgia, with 29 yards on 8 carries with a TD. Damron was 26-for-38 passing for 265 and 2 TD. He was sacked five times, losing 47 yards. Paden Bonewell led Georgia receivers with 9 catches for 67 yards. Sidney caught 5 passes for 75 yards and a TD. Bannon had 3 catches for 8 yards and a TD. The Force host the Tampa Bay Storm next week.
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