GRAND RAPIDS-Curtis Wayne accounted for three touchdowns in leading the Grand Rapids Rampage to a 24-20 victory over the Georgia Force in a Week 12 AFL game.
The Rampage started the game with a 6-play, 65-yard drive. Wayne finished off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Joe Foss to take a 7-0 lead with 12:12 left in the first quarter. The Force went three-and-out, and Wayne was intercepted by Sputnik Havner at the Georgia 45-yard line. Following an exchange of punts, Georgia drove 79 yards on 12 plays. Norm Damron finished it off with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Raven Bannon to tie the game at 7 with 13:36 to go in the second quarter.
Both teams traded punts, and eventually the Force drove 59 yards on 16 plays. Wilbur Ahmad kicked a 38-yard field goal with 35 seconds left in the half, and the teams went into the locker room with Georgia up 10-7 at halftime.
In the second half, Georgia drove into position for Ahmad to kick a 31-yard field goal, but Ahmad's kick was blocked by Ranse Sykes. The Rampage went three-and-out, and Ervin Wheeler returned it 47 yards to the Grand Rapids 34-yard line. Yannel Gansz filled in for the injured Damron, and he finished the four-play drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Paden Bonewell to extend Georgia's lead to 17-7 with 8:01 to go in the third quarter. The Rampage came back with a 17-play, 80-yard drive, and Wayne completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Foss to make it 17-14 with 1:16 left in the third.
Late in the third, Gansz was intercepted by Conroy Wind who returned it 32 yards to the Georgia 25-yard line. After three plays gained two yards, George Tibbs kicked a 40-yard field goal to tie the game at 17 with 14:10 left in the fourth quarter. After a Georgia punt, Raymond Clements picked off Wayne and returned it 29 yards to the Rampage 25-yard line. After three incompletions, Ahmad kicked a 42-yard field goal to put Georgia up 20-17 with 9:16 remaining in the fourth. After another exchange of punts, the Rampage went on a 6-play, 40-yard drive ending with Wayne keeping it for a 4-yard touchdown run to give Grand Rapids a 24-20 lead with 3:45 to go in the game. Georgia couldn't move the ball quick enough, and Grand Rapids won their fourth straight game.
Grand Rapids (8-4) gained 299 yards of total offense. The Rampage ran for 133 yards on 32 carries. Wayne led the team with 61 yards on 8 carries for a TD. He was 16-of-31 passing for 182 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT. He was sacked twice, losing 16 yards. Nikolai Vilmer led the team with 4 catches for 74 yards. Clift Gregory caught 4 passes for 38 yards. The Rampage will visit the New York Dragons next week, looking to avenge a 23-17 loss to the Dragons in Week 1.
Georgia (7-5) gained 317 yards of total offense. The Force gained 63 yards rushing on 20 carries. Walter Halley led the team with 26 yards on 7 carries. Damron was 16-of-28 passing for 169 yards and a TD, and was sacked once for a 10-yard loss. The injury he suffered was not serious, and he is expected to be back in the lineup next week. Gansz was 9-of-19 for 123 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked three times, losing 28 yards. Bonewell led the receivers with 9 catches for 135 yards and a TD. He is also the first receiver in the AFL to break 1,000 yards (1,006 yards on 80 receptions and 7 TD). Georgia will host the Nashville Kats next week in a rematch of a 47-24 win by the Force in Week 1.
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