Week 1 - Kats 57 Dragons 28
Image courtesy of ArenaFootball.com
(January 28th)Despite a festive crowd of 11,126 at the Nassau Coliseum, the Dragons couldn't keep pace with the Nashville Kats, dropping a 57-28 decision in their 2006 season opener on Saturday night. QB Aaron Garcia threw for four touchdowns and 270 yards, but he couldn't overcome the efficient Nashville defensive line.
Nashville's FB/LB Dan Alexander and WR/LB Jarrick Hillery provided multiple threats for the Kats. Both had at least one touchdown reception, with Hillery also scoring on a handoff. Combined with the production of WR/DB T.T. Toliver, QB Clint Stoerner had multiple options throughout the night.
Frank Carter set a team record with four sacks and the Kats set a team record with seven total sacks.
Hillery was the most versatile player on the field, adding a kickoff return for a touchdown to go along with his other offensive scores. His 58-yard kickoff return in the second quarter gave the Kats the momentum for good. For his efforts, he was named the Ironman of the Game.
The Dragons had a chance to get back in the game in third quarter after OS Kevin Swayne caught his second touchdown of the game early in the third to cut the score to 33-21. However, Toliver answered right back by adding a 20-yard touchdown catch of his own that effectively ended the hopes of a comeback.
Swayne had the most productive game for the Dragons by catching three of the team's four touchdown passes. He finished with nine receptions.
Week 2 - Dragons 51 Rush 47
Image courtesy of ChicagoRush.com
(February 3) The Dragons defense held off the Chicago Rush in the final seconds of the game for a hard-fought, 51-47 victory in Chicago on Friday night. It’s the Dragons first win of the 2006 season. QB Aaron Garcia completed 21-of-34 passes for 237 yards and six touchdowns. OS Kevin Swayne led all receivers with nine receptions for 108 yards and four touchdowns. The Dragons improve to 1-1 on the season.
“This was a great back and forth battle and it’s an even better victory for us,” said WR/LB Mike Horacek. “We came out and fought hard for the win and we earned it tonight. This was a great boost for our team moral. This week we showed everyone who the Dragons are and more importantly we came out with the win.”
Added Garcia: “It’s a great feeling to win tonight. We fought hard and that’s what we talked about all week. Everyone fought hard until the last play of the game and that’s how you win these types of games.”
In the fourth quarter, both teams went back and forth in thrilling fashion. The Dragons held onto a two-score lead with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But Chicago quickly turned around with two back-to-back scores to take a 47-44 lead with 90 seconds left on the clock. The Dragons re-took the lead for good with under a minute remaining, but the action didn’t stop there.
The events unfolded in the following fashion: After a Rush touchdown to close the gap to 44-39, DS DaShane Dennis fumbled the ensuing kickoff that immediately led to another Chicago score and the rush took the three-point lead. Garcia then took control and hooked up with OS Kevin Swayne for a touchdown to retake the lead with 49.7 seconds remaining on the clock.
Following the score, Dragons K Jesse Obert then hit the scoreboard on his kickoff to give the Rush the ball on their own 20-yard line. Taking all the time off the clock, the Rush appeared to find the endzone when QB Matt D'Orazio scored from two yards out. However, an offensive illegal block in the back penalty negated the score and gave the Dragons the win.
Week 3 - Dragons 84 Blaze 81
Image courtesy of ArenaFootball.com
(February 12)This was a true Arena Football showcase as the New York Dragons and the Utah Blaze burned up the scoreboard on Saturday night. The Dragons outlasted the Blaze in an offensive slugfest, 84-81, in Salt Lake City. QB Aaron Garcia completed 24-of-26 passes for 354 yards and 10 touchdowns – one short of his AFL record of 11. For his efforts, he was named the Offensive Player of the Game. The Dragons improve to 2-1 on the season with their second consecutive win on the road.
OS Kevin Swayne and WR/LB Mike Horacek each had four touchdown receptions. Horacek had 11 catches for 170, while Swayne had eight for 130 yards. Horacek was named the Ironman of the Game, while DS DaShane Dennis was named the Defensive Player of the Game. He finished with a game-high 12.0 tackles and one pass breakup.
“It was pure heart out there,” said Dragons head coach Weylan Harding. “It was close all the way through and they answered the challenge. There was no quitting tonight. There’s no other way to explain it. I definitely have to give Utah credit, they took us to limit.”
The total combined score is the second highest in Dragons franchise history. The high was set when the Dragons scored 99 points against Carolina on July 7, 2001. A total of 167 points were scored in the Dragons 99-68 victory.
“This game was better because it close all the way through,” said Garcia after the game when asked to compare it to the 99-point game in 2001. “The other game was great, but it was anti-climatic. Tonight, every touchdown was crucial and necessary. We had some bad breaks, tough times and bad bounces, but we’re a family. We pulled it together.”
With one minute remaining in the fourth quarter, the Dragons found themselves trailing 81-77, but Garcia worked his magic. The All-Arena QB hooked up with Horacek on a 26-yard strike with 22 seconds left on the clock. The Dragons defense held off the potent Blaze offense as Utah ran out of time in the fourth quarter.
While the Dragons defense generated two turnovers, they had trouble containing Blaze OS Siaha Burley. The former Offensive Player of the Year led all receivers with six touchdown catches and 259 yards. Blaze QB Joe Germaine completed 35 of 44 passes for 444 yards and 10 touchdowns in the losing effort.
Week 4 - Soul 75 Dragons 59
Image courtesy of ArenaFootball.com
(February 20)The Dragons' early season three-game road trip, which started with highly impressive wins against in Chicago and Utah, ended on the wrong note today with a 75-59 loss in Philadelphia despite several comeback attempts and never giving up.
Aaron Garcia threw for eight touchdowns and 367 yards, but could not overcome Philadelphia’s proficient offense and opportunistic special teams. Several Soul kickoffs by Todd France nailed the goalposts and led to a tough afternoon for the Dragons' return team.
"I don't have any questions about our heart or our effort," said Dragons head coach Weylan Harding. "We got caught in a perfect storm and their kicker made the difference."
The Dragons' record now stands at 2-2, while the Soul go to 3-1. Philadelphia and Dallas have a one-game lead on the Dragons in the Eastern Division of the AFL's National Conference.
"We made small mistakes in this game, mistakes that made a difference," said Garcia. "We also caught some bad breaks, but I like the fact that we stuck together and kept fighting."
WR/LB Maurice Brown was a bright spot for the Dragons. The rookie out of Iowa started the year on the injured reserve list, but showed great potential as another target for Garcia. He caught three touchdowns, all in the second half, finishing with five receptions and 71 yards.
Two special teams turnovers in the third quarter lead to 14 points for the Soul. DS Reggie Doster recovered and returned a fumble on a kickoff early in the quarter, and FB/LB Wes Ours added a fumble recovery of his own later in the period to set up another score, shifting the momentum for Philadelphia.
Quarterback Tony Graziani returned from his finger injury without any ill effects, throwing for six touchdowns and 282 yards. The Soul also had a balanced ground game, rushing for four touchdowns to compliment the passing attack.
WR/LB Mike Horacek had another great game. The veteran receiver led all receivers with 10 catches and 167 yards, the second consecutive week he has had over 100 receiving yards.
Week 5 - Dragons 55 Preds 35
(February 26)The Dragons put on a show for a crowd of 11,678 at the Nassau Coliseum on Sunday afternoon as they defeated the Orlando Predators 55-35. It was the teams’ first victory over Orlando in 10 tries. WR/LB Mike Horacek was named the Offensive Player of the Game with a total of four touchdowns. The Dragons improve their record to 3-2 on the season.
“We came out a played like a team today,” said Horacek. “Everyone stepped up and played with their hearts on their sleeves. We’re glad to send our fans home happy.”
The Dragons defense turned in their best effort of the year recording a season-high three interceptions and six defensive stops. DS’s Atcheson Conway (making his AFL debut), DaShane Dennis and Dahnel Singfield all recorded one interception. Singfield was named the Defensive Player of the Game, while Dennis was named the Ironman of the Game. Dennis also returned a missed field goal for a touchdown in the third quarter.
“We were opportunistic today,” said Dennis. “We have to carry over our effort into next week and come out strong again. We need to build on this victory.”
Horacek once again proved to be the team's go-to receiver by recording a game-high eight receptions. For the third consecutive game, Horacek exceeded the 100-yard threshold. In total, he recorded three receiving scores with another on the ground.
WR/LB Chris Anthony made his first appearance in 2006 after being activated from the Injured Reserve yesterday and showed very little rust. The fourth-year veteran caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
The game wasn’t all positive for the Dragons as they lost QB Aaron Garcia in the third quarter with a fractured tibia. Backup QB Juston Wood did an admirable job filling in. The rookie out of Portland State threw his first AFL touchdown to OS Kevin Swayne in the fourth quarter to give the Dragons a 52-29 lead, ending any possibility of a comeback. He finished the day 8-12 for 70 yards and one touchdown. Garcia finished the day 16-19 for 189 yards and four touchdowns.
Week 6 - Destroyers 65 Dragons 54
(March 3) Despite a strong first-half effort, the Dragons couldn’t hold off the second half surge from the Columbus Destroyers, falling 65-54 at the Nassau Coliseum on Friday night.
QB Juston Wood did fairly well in his first start, completing 28 of 40 passes for 262 yards with five total touchdowns(3 passing & 2 rushing) and four interceptions.
Columbus Destroyers offensive specialist Carl Bond caught nine passes for 190 yards and three scores as he helped the Destroyers take home a 65-54 victory over the New York Dragons at Nassau Coliseum on Friday night.
The Destroyers defense stepped up forcing five turnovers to help the team overcome an early 14-3 deficit to win for the second consecutive week.
With the score tied at 45-45, Destroyers defensive specialist Jerald Brown picked off a Juston Wood pass at the Destroyers 16-yard line. It was the third straight game that Brown had intercepted a pass and fifth of the season.
Three plays later, quarterback John Kaleo scooted in from 1-yard out to give the Destroyers their first lead of the game. The extra point was blocked and returned by wide receiver/defensive back DeShane Dennis to put the score at 51-47 in favor of the Destroyers.
Wood gave the Dragons a 54-51 lead after a 2-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes, 11 seconds remaining. But the lead was short lived as the Destroyers scored on the ensuing play when Kaleo found Bond from 30-yards out to regain the lead at 58-54.
Defensive Player of the Game and Destroyers wide receiver/defensive back B.J. Barre snagged his second interception of the game to set up a fullback/linebacker Harold Wells 3-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 65-54. Defensive specialist Brandon Hefflin sealed the deal with the Destroyers fourth interception of the night to seal the victory.
Week 7 - Dragons 59 Wranglers 56
(March 12) Nick Browder threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score as the New York Dragons (4-3) defeated the Austin Wranglers (5-2), 59-56, at the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.
The win gives the Dragons some welcome news after a difficult start. For the second time in three weeks, the Dragons saw their starting quarterback go down with an injury. This time, Wood was knocked out of the game after taking a blow to the knee early in the first quarter from Austin OL/DL Ramon Richardson. The injury left Browder in charge of the team’s passing attack, but did not stymie the team’s offense production.
With eight minutes left in the game, Browder hooked up with OS Kevin Swayne twice for 30 yards to move the ball downfield, setting up a five-yard touchdown pass to WR/LB Mike Horacek to put the Dragons up 56-49.
Will Holder made the lead stand up with the defensive play of the game, intercepting John Fitzgerald on the next drive. The pick was only the fifth all year Fitzgerald has allowed, and it gave the Dragons a chance to build on their lead.
Kicker Jesse Obert was up to that challenge, drilling a long 48-yard field goal dead center to extend the lead to 59-49 with 2:51 to play. After an Austin touchdown, Maurice Brown tipped the ensuring onsides kick out of bounds to give New York the ability to run out the clock and secure the victory.
"I try not to be an emotional guy, but I love the way my team fights," said Dragons coach Weylan Harding. "They played hard from beginning to end. We had every reason to lose focus, but we kept our focus from beginning to end. I'm really proud of our team."
Week 8 - Storm 60 Dragons 44
(March 18) Quarterback Nick Browder performed well in his first start of the year, but the veteran passer could not complete a second half comeback as the Dragons dropped a 60-44 decision to the Tampa Bay Storm at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Browder, who came off the bench in last week's victory over Austin, threw six touchdown passes, finishing 23-36 for 293 yards. With a full week of practice under his belt, the five-year veteran out of Valparaiso showed he can maintain composure regardless of the situation. He will be the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, as Juston Wood and Aaron Garcia are both out indefinitely with leg injuries.
"Basically, in this game you need to score every time you get the ball, and we didn't do that," said Browder. "We just got to keep working and get the ball in the right spots."
Once again, the most reliable target for the Dragons' passing game was WR/LB Mike Horacek, who led all receivers with nine receptions and 103 yards, including two for touchdowns. The veteran receiver has five touchdowns in the last two games.
Despite the effort by Browder and company, the Storm made the big plays at the right time. Protecting a seven point lead late in the fourth quarter, Tampa Bay quarterback Shane Stafford threw the last of his six touchdown passes, finding Lynar Elpheage on a screen pass that sealed the outcome. Stafford finished 29-38 for 258 yards, teaming with Elpheage three times for touchdowns.
"I was expecting us to play a better game than we did, with far less mistakes imposed by ourselves," said Dragons head coach Weylan Harding. "We dug a whole that was too deep to get over."
Click Here for Weeks 9-16 Game Recaps