THE EMPIRE SECURED THE 78-61 WIN OVER THE PREDATORS IN WEEK 3

THE EMPIRE SECURED THE 78-61 WIN OVER THE PREDATORS IN WEEK 3



ALBANY NY- This past weekend, the Albany Empire brought the heat down in Orlando, Florida. The Empire secured the 78-61 win over the Predators, keeping them undefeated on the road with a 2-1 record overall.

With less than 9-minutes remaining, The Orlando Predators scored what would be the first of two touchdowns in quarter one. Albany was unsuccessful and the first quarter ended 0-13, Predators.

Going into the second quarter, Albany was hungry to get on the board. Just under 10 minutes to go, Wide-Receiver Farrean Toney caught his first touchdown for The Albany Empire. The Predators fired back and scored on their next possession, attempting to maintain their comfortable lead. The second-quarter scoring continued, and Albany began to close the gap with another touchdown. Bringing the score to a narrow 14-19, with just under three minutes remaining in the first half. In the final minute of play, Albany successfully blocked the Predators' extra-point kick. The ball was loose on the field and found its way into the hands of DB Eddie Cheatham-Norrils. There was no stopping Cheatham-Norrils who took the extra point turnover all the way to the house scoring two points for The Empire. In the final minute of play, The Albany Empire scored another touchdown. Ending the first half 22-25, narrowly led by the Predators.

The second half in The Jungle heated up almost immediately as WR Darius Prince scored for The Empire just over a minute into the third quarter. Albany grabbed its first lead off the game on the Prince score. Both teams pushed back and forth most of the quarter, but Albany came out on top at the end. Marc Orozco of The Albany Empire made the first and second Deuces of the NAL season, the first of the league to do so. The Empire dominated the third quarter and ended on top 55-45.

As the football fairytale continued, The Albany Empire charged on and grabbed an even greater lead. Orozco got his third Deuce of the game, newcomer QB Warren Smith Jr. made his debut, and The Empire finished the night with another win on the road, 78-61. Albany ended week three with a 2-1 record.

Up next The Albany Empire will take on the Jacksonville Sharks in MVP arena on May 21st at 7 pm. Join us to celebrate Military Appreciation Night, we hope to see you there!