Avengers Get Their Kicks Early

The Avengers turned to veteran Arena Football League kicker Remy Hamilton to get off to strong start against Nashville on Saturday night.

Hamilton successfully converted an on-side kick to open the game, and the Avenger defense turned a couple of breaks into touchdowns in a 73-56 victory over the playoff-bound Kats at Staples Center.

In ending a six-game losing streak, the Avengers (4-11) jumped on top early and never looked back as they played solid football for four quarters, something they haven’t done often this season.

“It’s a great feeling to finally get a win, but we feel that this is how we should have played all year,� said Hamilton, the top-scoring kicker in the AFL last year and the first kicker in Michigan history to earn All-American status.

“The on-side kick to start the game was big. [Coach Ed Hodgkiss] wanted to do something different and it worked. That was a great momentum swing for us.�

Another key for the Avengers against Nashville (7-8) was the opportunistic play of their defense, which entered with the league’s worst statistics against the pass.

Although Nashville quarterback Clint Stoerner passed for 357 yards and seven touchdowns, the Avenger defense also did some scoring. Specialist Anthony Derricks returned an interception for a touchdown, and veteran Greg Hopkins forced and returned a fumble for another for the Avengers, who did a good job shutting down the Kats’ power running game.

Rookie quarterback Sonny Cumbie, who has started the last 11 games for the Avengers, had a good night with five touchdown passes while completing 22 of 32 for 240 yards.

Offensive specialist Rob Turner led the Avengers with 10 catches for 96 yards and three touchdowns, and Hopkins had six receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown.

After recovering the opening on-side kickoff, the Avengers took a 3-0 lead on Hamilton’s 27-yard field goal.

The Avengers then forced Nashville into a missed field goal and followed with Cumbie’s first touchdown pass to Turner to take a 10-0 lead. From there, the Avengers did a good job of staying at least one score ahead the remainder of the game.

The Avengers led 38-34 at halftime and extended it to 52-34 early in the third quarter on defensive touchdowns by Derricks and Hopkins, who returned a fumble two yards for a score.