EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Billings quarterback Issac Harker and wide reciever Duane Brown connected for 5 touchdowns and the defense made a stop on a four-point conversion in the final seconds to help the Outlaws defeated the Albany Firebirds to win ArenaBowl 33 on Friday night at American Dream Entertainment Retail Center.
You read that right, the Arena Football League championship game was held inside a shopping mall. The idea was hatched by AFL management and interim commissioner Jeff Fisher to cap off a season that was full of ups and downs as the league tried to ressurrect itself for the third time.
Harker completed 16 of his 27 passes and threw for 184 yards. Brown caught nine balls for 125 yards. All passing touchdowns were accounted for by both players.
The Firebirds (8-3) were led by their quarterback Jake Medlock, who went 19-of-32 for 213 yards and 2 touchdown passes. He also has 27 yards on the ground to be the games' leading rusher. Darien Townsend caught 5 passes for 101 yards and a score.
Albany took its only lead of the game on a Trevon Shorts 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal with 10:19 left in the second quarter to make it 7-3.
Billings took the lead for good as Harker and Brown connected twice on touchdown scores of 9 and 13-yards to give the Outlaws a 17-13 advantage at the break.
The Outlaws (9-1) began to widen their lead in the third quarter as Harker and Brown hooked up for the third time in the game. This time on a 36-yard touchdown strike as Brown used a double-move to shake his defender for the score. Bailey Giffen added the extra point and a deuce on the kickoff to make the score 26-13 less than three minutes into the period.
Albany climbed back within striking distance later in the quarter, as Jake Molonich scored on a 1-yard run to cut the deficit to 8. Then Darius Prince made a one-handed catch from a scrambling Medlock for a four-point conversion to make it 33-29 after three quarters of play.
Brown and Harker hooked up for the final time on a 37-yard strike to give Billings a 46-35 lead with 4:23 remaining.
The Firebirds drove as far as the Billings 7 on their ensuing drive, but the Outlaws managed to halt the scoring threat by forcing two straight incompletions on third and fourth down to take possession with :47 remaining.
But Billings was unable to run the remaining time out, giving the ball back to the Firebids with :25 left and a chance to send the game into overtime.
Aided by two passing interference calls, Albany got in the endzone with :18 seconds left when Medlock hit Darius Prince for a 2-yard touchdown toss to make it a 46-41 game.
The Firebirds went for the 4-point conversion to try and send the game into overtime, but Medlock's pass came up incomplete and Billings recovered an onside kick attempt to seal the win.
Albany 0 13 16 12 = 41
Billings 3 14 16 13 = 46
First Quarter
BILL — Bailey Giffen 20 field goal, 1:04
Second Quarter
ALB — Trevon Shorts 1 run (Dylan Moghaddam kick), 10:19.
BILL — Duane Brown 9 pass from Issac Harker (Bailey Giffen kick), 3:35.
BILL — Duane Brown 13 pass from Issac Harker (Bailey Giffen kick), 0:50
ALB — Darien Townsend 7 pass from Jake Medlock (4-pt conversion failed) 0:03
Third Quarter
BILL — Duane Brown 36 pass from Issac Harker (Bailey Giffen kick), 12:21.
BILL — Bailey Giffen Duece on kickoff, 12:21.
ALB — Trevon Shorts 1 run (conversion failed), 8:11.
BILL — Hunter Swoboda 1 run (Bailey Giffen kick), 6:08.
ALB — Jake Molonich 1 run (4-pt conversion successful), 1:38.
Fourth Quarter
BILL — Duane Brown 9 pass from Issac Harker (Kick failed), 14:55.
ALB — Jake Molonich 1 run (4-pt conversion failed), 6:46.
BILL — Duane Brown 37 pass from Issac Harker (Bailey Giffen kick), 1:21.
ALB — Darius Prince 2 pass from Jake Medlock (4 pt-conversion failed), 0:18.
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ALB BILL
First downs 22 14
Rushes-yards 17-46 12-17
Passing yards 204 181
Total yards 250 198
Cmp-Att-Int 19-32-1 16-27-0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Sacks-Yards 1-3 4-9
Penalties-yards 5-20 12-57
Time of Poss. 32:01 27:59
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Individual Leaders
RUSHING–Albany: Jake Medlock 7-27, Darien Townsend 1-11, Jake Molonich 5-6 2-TD, Trevon Shorts 4-2 TD; Billings: Hunter Swoboda 10-17 2-TD, Issac Harker 1-0, Arthur Anderson IV 1-0.
PASSING–Albany: Jake Medlock 19-32-1 213 2-TD, Team 0-0-0 minus-9; Billings: Issac Harker 16-27-0 184 5-TD, Team 0-0-0 minus-3.
RECEIVING–Albany: Darius Prince 9-80 TD, Darien Townsend 5-101 TD, Isiah Scott 4-30, Marquel Wade 1-2; Billings: Duane Brown9-125 5-TD, Dallas Dixon 3-38, Arthur Anderson IV 4-21.
MISSED FIELD GOALS–Bailey Giffen 23 wide right (4th quarter).
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