Another Victory for Avengers, 47-44

As the Avengers reach the halfway point of their second season of Arena football, they can say with a straight facemask that they are better team than they were at this point a year ago.

For one thing they were 0-7 last year at the halfway point. But after Saturday’s 47-44 victory over San Jose before 6,879 at Staples Center, the Avengers are 2-5.

More importantly they have won two in a row, both against Western Division foes. And with a second-half schedule that is easier, Los Angeles can consider itself a contender for a playoff spot.

Robert Lyles, the team’s defensive coordinator before taking over as head coach after the Avengers had lost their first three games of the season, has done more than renewed his players’ optimism. In the last three weeks he has taken the Avengers from a league patsy to a team Arena foes will have to respect.

San Jose certainly will. The loss knocked the SaberCats (5-3) out of first place in the Western Division. They had outscored the Avengers, 205-127, in three previous games.

Saturday, however, the Avengers got 221 passing yards and four touchdowns from quarterback Erik Wilhelm, and receiver Travis Hannah had eight receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown.

But perhaps the most impressive Avenger was cornerback Mark Ricks. Not only did he have two interceptions to raise his season total to five, but he also returned a missed San Jose field goal 52 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first half that gave Los Angeles a 27-14 lead.

The Avengers then went ahead, 47-29, in the fourth quarter before San Jose scored two late touchdowns--which Lyles viewed as disappointing.

“We have established some momentum,” Lyles said. “We won the game and I’m glad of that. You take a win anyway you can, especially for us.

“But I wasn’t satisfied with the way we played the second half. I may have been a bit hard on my guys in the locker room afterward, but I expect a better performance and that’s what I told them.

“I’m going to keep my standards up to a high level.”