Bandits top 10 (part 2)

#5 DeAndre starts with D

In the only regular season meeting between the Bandits and the Johnstown Riverhawks, the game was competitive for the first three minutes, as the teams traded touchdowns. The next four possessions for Johnstown didn’t go quite as well. All four ended in turnovers at the hands of DeAndre Green (3 interceptions and a fumble recovery), who immediately established himself as the best two-way player in the league. Green proved to be uncoverable as a wideout, and a top-flight blanket coverage corner. Later in the season, he would absolutely shut down Canton’s Randell Knapp, who was their best player and made QB Dan Larlham look as good as he did. DeAndre would finish the season with 12 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Oh, and he led the Bandits to a 94-point showing on this night in Johnstown.

#4 On to the Championship

As the second seed, the Bandits hosted Johnstown in the AIFL semifinals. It was one of those games that in retrospect the Bandits were never really in danger of losing, but during the game things sure seemed awfully tight. Bryan Still caught nine passes for four scores, and defensive captain Lawrence “the LAW” Lewis notched a safety.

Chris “don’t call me Mike” Brown hauled in an interception on the game’s last play to confirm Richmond’s reservation in the AIFL championship game.

#3 Coming from behind

In week 4, the Canton Legends came to town for what would be the most exciting home game of the season. The Bandits seemed to have the game in control, until Legends QB Dan Larlham caught fire in the fourth quarter. He completed 10 of 12 passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns to bring Canton back from 20 points down and take a 69-68 lead with just 16 seconds to go. The Coliseum crowd became the ninth man for the Bandits, as Will Burch, who finished with eight TDs, led the game winning drive culminating in a 30-yard touchdown pass to Redd Thompson with six seconds left. DeAndre Green (12 receptions, 143 yards, 3 TDs) outdueled Canton’s Randell Knapp (11 receptions, 140 yards, 3 TDs), and made the game-sealing interception on the last play. This game had everything that indoor football is all about – lots of offense, some phenomenal individual performances by quarterbacks and receivers for both teams, an exciting finish, and of course a Bandits win! Little did we know that this game would be mere prelude to the rematch…

#2 What a finish!

Just two weeks after losing in the final seconds at Richmond, the Legends tried to return the favor in Canton. And they came out of the gate ready to get revenge and then some. Canton intercepted Will Burch three straight times and took a 16-0 lead, with the Bandits defense the only thing that kept it that close. Rik Richards yanked Burch and Robbie Jenkins began a comeback for the ages. He threw touchdown passes to Redd Thompson four times and Marcel Willis and DeAndre Green once each, but appropriately the defense completed the comeback when DeAndre Green returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown. But that only set up the final, frantic seven minutes. Since coach Richards was at this point in the season still quite pissed off at kickers (both his, and the concept in general), there was no true kicker on the active roster for this game. Richmond went for two after every touchdown, and Mike Davis served as the kickoff guy and had some pretty ugly efforts. But in what could be a microcosm of his season and his love/hate on-field relationship with Rik, Davis managed to score a rouge late in the game! Dan Larlham scored three touchdowns on the ground and with 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter, scored again and threw a two-point conversion pass to make it 58-57 Canton. But as Canton learned in the first matchup, any time is too much to leave Brent Williams’ offense. Robbie Jenkins moved the Bandits down the field, and on the game’s last play found Redd Thompson from 11 yards out to complete the improbable victory. Redd had actually injured himself against the boards earlier in the game and had to come out, but was able to go for the last couple of possessions. Unfortunately, medical tests would show that the injury was more severe than anyone thought, and Redd’s career was over after this game. Redd was such a gifted receiver, he would come off the field after the first series and tell the coaches, “I can beat this guy all night.” That’s what he said in Canton, and on the last play, Robbie was looking right at Redd all the way.

#1 Champions!!

It was a rematch for the ages…the game that everyone wanted to see. Richmond vs. Erie, at the scene of the Bandits’ only loss of the season, for the inaugural league championship! Both teams came out intense, and Erie harassed Robbie Jenkins into numerous incompletions early. He was able to keep the chains moving, though, and thanks in part to a big run by Mike Davis to keep the Erie defense honest, completed a touchdown drive to notch the game’s first touchdown. The teams counterpunched throughout the first half, and with the score tied, Erie was driving and had a goal-to-go situation with less than a minute to go. But in the blink of an eye, the Bandits seized momentum and the lead. Quesuan Wigfall intercepted a David Dinkins pass in the end zone, and returned it 52 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. Not only did the Bandits take the crowd out of the game, but they began to realize that coach Richards’ defensive scheme for this game would work. The defensive onslaught continued in the second half, and by game’s end, David Dinkins – who was named the league’s MVP at halftime – had thrown six INTs. Chris Brown had three of them, making fans wonder how much better the defense could have been had he been with the team during the regular season. The offense scored way more than enough, and Mike Davis ran in for the last touchdown of the game to cap the 56-30 victory. The Bandits had come back to Erie, and completely demolished the Freeze, leaving no doubt to which team deserved the championship. In their first season, the Bandits won the AIFL Governor’s Cup and brought a championship to Richmond!