Canton Rep
Legends surge, bring crown home
Tuesday, July 4, 2006 By Jeremy Stewart Special to The Repository
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Rome (Ga.) News-Tribune Ruthanne Anderson Legends owner Joe Hoffman (with trophy) got to celebrate an American Indoor Football League championship in his first season with the team Monday as Canton defeated Rome, 61-40. Also pictured are Thomas Matthews (9) and Head Coach Bobby Olive.
<object classid="clsid<img src=" http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif="" alt="" title="Big Grin" smilieid="4" class="inlineimg" border="0">
<embed src="http://www.cantonrep.com/phpAds/Ads/remake_final_2.swf?alink1=http://www.cantonrep.com/phpAds/adclick.php%3Fbannerid=164%26zoneid=4%26source=%26 dest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.co.stark.oh.us%2Finternet%2F HOME.DisplayPage%3Fv_page%3Ddjfs_upcomingEvents&at ar1=_blank" quality="high" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="250" width="300"></object> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> ROME, Ga. - Legends Head Coach Bobby Olive was a powder keg of excitement as his team took the field Monday night at The Forum in this northwest Georgia town.
With his players greeted by a lone spotlight, they introduced themselves to the mostly Renegade-friendly crowd with a burst of emotion.
They were here, direct from Canton, and looking to prove that they were the best in the American Indoor Football League.
Providing the evidence turned out to be a little tougher than they would have liked. Yet in a game that seemed to be built on the motto of, “expect the unexpected,” the Legends turned a 3-point lead at the break into a 61-40 victory when it came time to pop the champagne.
Canton has an American Bowl champion.
“I just go back to the first day of training camp when we didn’t know exactly what we had,” Olive said as he celebrated with teammates and family.
“After a few weeks, I knew we had something special. I just had to convince 20 other guys we did.”
The first half alone included four turnovers, an amazing end zone volleyball match and a last-second field goal that put the Legends up, 24-21.
Thomas Matthews got one of those turnovers, providing a huge momentum shift for the Legends in just the second play of the game as he picked up a fumbled reception by Renegade T.J. Anderson and put the ball on the Rome 24-yard line.
The fast-pace Renegades defense stopped the drive, and the Legends had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by J.R. Cipra.
The ball would bounce Canton’s way, though, during the first minutes of the second quarter as Mason snapped the ball from the Rome 4-yard line and lobbed it in to the corner of the end zone.
Renegade defender Russell Green tipped the throw back to Mason, who then knocked it back into the end zone and into the hands of teammate Tim Smith for a touchdown.
“The big reason we struggled in the first half is because Mike (Anderson) and I weren’t connecting on the exchanges under center,” Canton quarterback Kevin Mason said. “Once we fixed that, I was able to read the defense better and get the ball in for some touchdowns.”
The Legends came back from the break to outscore the Renegades, 40-19, during the second half behind a reinvigorated Mason.
Mason finished with five scoring throws, the longest of which came in the fourth quarter as he connected with Randy Knapp on 23- and 30-yard touchdowns. He completed 14-of-28 passes for 185 yards.
“Right now, it just feels good to see these guys smile and be happy, because they weren’t really like this when I started with the team,” Mason said. “It just means a lot to see them enjoy this moment.”
Olive confesses that the season was not easy, but the addition of Mason partway through was a welcome addition.
“I remember asking Coach (Kevin) Jackson if he thought that we would be able to win the rest of our games with Mason,” Olive said. “He said, ‘Absolutely.’ ”
Jo Jo Polk had three interceptions and numerous pass breakups to help lead the Legends defense. Matthews would return to the forefront during the third quarter as he intercepted a pass and ran it in 10 yards for the score, and Ron Waife added a pair of sacks that knocked Renegade quarterback Bo Bartik back 9 and 11 yards.
“We played a little clumsy in the beginning and started out slow but we eventually got back to out game plan,” Polk said. “Our hearts remained focus throughout the whole game. We never gave up. We knew we were going to win, and that’s a huge confidence booster in itself.”
Knapp finished with four receptions for 67 yards to lead the receivers, while Cipra hit all seven of his extra points and added three 1-point rogues.