Avengers Feel Right at Home

It was unknown whether the Los Angeles Avengers would hear a roar or whisper Sunday in their first Arena Football League home game.

Apparently there were plenty of eager pigskin enthusiasts looking for a game. A crowd of 15,928--the largest Los Angeles crowd to attend a home debut of an indoor professional sports team--found its way to Staples Center for the Avengers’ exhibition game against the Oklahoma Wranglers.

The Avengers rewarded them with a 54-48 victory, their second win in the exhibition season. Los Angeles opens the regular season on the road Saturday against the Grand Rapids Rampage.

Oklahoma scored on its first six possessions as quarterback Ron Lopez completed 15 of 20 passes for 235 yards, connecting for five touchdowns and running for another. Los Angeles trailed by 12 on three occasions in the first half, but cut the deficit to 42-37 at halftime because Scott Semptimphelter (11 of 19 for 180 yards and five touchdowns) had the Avenger offense in high gear.

Todd Marinovich replaced Semptimphelter in the third quarter and got Los Angeles its first lead, 44-42, on a seven-yard touchdown pass to Larry Thompson. Marinovich, who completed six of 11 passes for 66 yards, got the Avengers a lead they would never relinquish on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Lance Thomas with 11:14 left to play.

“It was ugly,” Avenger Coach Stan Brock said. “I was disappointed that we couldn’t put much pressure on their quarterbacks and too many of their receivers got free. But to play ugly and still get a win gives us plenty of positives to take into the next game.”

Thomas was happy Marinovich kept going to him after he dropped the first couple of passes thrown his way.

“To catch the winning touchdown in our first home game will be very memorable,” Thomas said.

Kyle Pooler had two field goals for Los Angeles, the last one a 30-yarder with 55 seconds remaining.

Los Angeles cornerback Shawn Parnell secured the victory with two fourth-quarter interceptions, the last one off Lopez.

Before Sunday, the previous record first-game attendance was 14,284 for the Sparks’ WNBA debut at the Great Western Forum on June 21, 1997.