A 59-33 Defeat Is Telling for Avengers

The Los Angeles Avengers keep trying to convince themselves they aren’t an Arena Football League expansion team. But they sure looked the part Monday night against the Oklahoma Wranglers.

Too much of the Avengers’ play was the chippy kind--the pushing, shoving and trash talking that goes on after the play is over.

Oklahoma also dished out taunts and cheap shots. The Wranglers also remembered to score and defend, and rolled to a 59-33 victory before 9,160 at Staples Center.

The Wranglers (3-0) are tied with Arizona for first place in the Western Division. The Avengers (0-3) are in last place in the Western Division.

Whatever hard feelings remain from Monday’s game won’t have long to fester. The two teams play again Friday in Oklahoma.

“I don’t think there will be any animosity,” said Wrangler quarterback Ron Lopez. “You’re playing a physical game, and both teams want to win. Both teams are coached to be very aggressive, and when you do that sometimes you will have extra curricular activity.”

Lopez could afford to be kind. The league’s fourth-ranked passer had a big night, 21 for 33 for 258 yards and six touchdowns. Three of the touchdown passes went to Bobby McGowens, who at 6-3 and 215 pounds was a matchup nightmare for the corps of 5-9 and 5-10 Avenger defensive backs.

Once again Los Angeles, which trailed 35-19 at the half, struggled to keep up.

Going into Monday night’s game, only the New Jersey Red Dogs had scored fewer points (62) than the Avengers (81). Quarterback Scott Semptimphelter did what he could, completing 17 of 37 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns.

But, once again, Semptimphelter spent too much of the game under pressure. The Wranglers were also able to force the Avengers into more field goal attempts--Kyle Pooler was two for six, the longest being 47 yards--than the coaches want to see.

“In some ways we were better than our last game,” said Avenger Coach Stan Brock, referring to the 58-50 loss Carolina on April 20. “But we’ve still got more work to do.”

Said Avenger receiver Chris Jackson, who caught six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns: “Right now we’re playing well in spurts. We’re still trying to get to where we can put together four quarters.”