Avengers Look Strong in Win

Five games into the Arena Football League season, and the Avengers find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Until this season, the third-year franchise had not won a game before May 26.

With a 38-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Storm Friday, in front of 11,961 at Staples Center, the 3-2 Avengers not only sport a winning record in May, they are becoming a playoff contender.

And they are doing so by playing strong on both sides of the ball.

After giving up 78 points last week to San Jose, the Avengers’ defense clamped down on the Storm (1-4), holding the visitors to 260 total yards. It’s the second time in two home games this season that Los Angeles has set a club record for fewest points allowed in a game. New York scored only 25 points against the Avengers in the season opener.

“We felt embarrassed last week in San Jose, and these guys were determined tonight to show me what they were made of,” Avenger Coach Ed Hodgkiss said.

Avenger quarterback Tony Graziani overcame a slow start to complete 21 of 37 passes for 227 yards. He threw five touchdown passes, four of them to Greg Hopkins, who caught 11 passes for 127 yards.

The other touchdown went to Kevin Ingram, who caught a 15-yard scoring pass with 12:42 left in the fourth quarter. That broke a 17-17 tie and gave L.A. the lead for good. A sack by defensive end Tony Plantin, who stopped Shane Stafford for a six-yard loss during Tampa Bay’s next series, and a subsequent missed 39-yard field goal by Tampa Bay kicker Mike Black, kept the Avengers in control.