Sunday 8 June, 1998
Final Score : Claymores 23 - 26 Admirals
The final home game of the 1998 season had many fans saying 'Thank Goodness' as the losses just kept piling up. It was back to Murrayfield, and home.
A much closer game had both sides in it until the end which, in retrospect is much like most games this season. For all the losses, only one were the Claymores not in it until the fourth quarter. Against who? Oh, the Admirals of course!
Kurt Warner started things off with a 4 yard toss to a waiting Frank Temming mid way through the first period. To conclude the first, JJ Smith rumbled in from 3 yards out for the Claymores to level the score at 7.
Two minutes before half time, Jon Baker added a 40 yard field goal to give the Claymores a 10-7 lead at the break.
It wasn't until the end of the third quarter that this game really heated up.
Malcolm Thomas ran in from 4 yards but the PAT failed meaning a 13-10 lead. Early in the fourth, Amsterdam were driving once again after the Scottish offense stalled. Kurt Warner lofted a pass just a little too much and Claymores CB Kory Blackwell picked it off and romped in from 29 yards out to the delight of the fans and the Claymores sidelines. 17-13 Claymores!
Not to be outdone, Ralph Dawkins, on a 10 yard run made the endzone to regain the lead for the Dutch side. However, two field goals of 42 yards from Jon Baker and 30 yards from Gary Parker gave Scotland a 23-20 lead with just 3:33 left on the clock.
But could the Claymores defense hold? Do you really have to ask?
Warner fired a 17 yard pass into the endzone which was tipped by CB Kory Blackwell and fell into the hands of a waiting Juan Daniels who gratefully held onto it. Ads coach Al Luginbill elected to go for 2 but the attempt failed.
It did not matter. The game was won giving the Admirals a 7-3 record for the season, the same as Rhein and Frankfurt but they missed out on the World Bowl on a tiebreak.
As for the Claymores, well the second 2-8 season in franchise history. Hey, there's always next year!
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
AMSTERDAM 7 0 6 13 26
CLAYMORES 7 3 0 13 23
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: AMS - TD, FRANK TEMMING 4 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER (JEFF
RUSSELL KICK), 7:58. AMSTERDAM 7-0
SCO - TD, JJ SMITH 3 YD RUN (GARY PARKER KICK), 14:47.
AMSTERDAM 7, CLAYMORES 7
2ND QUARTER: SCO - FG, JON BAKER 40 YD, 13:05. CLAYMORES 10-7
3RD QUARTER: AMS - TD, MALCOLM THOMAS 4 YD RUN (PAT FAILED), 14:30.
AMSTERDAM 13-10
4TH QUARTER: SCO - TD, KORY BLACKWELL 29 YD INTERCEPTION RETURN (GARY
PARKER KICK), 4:03. CLAYMORES 17-13
AMS - TD, RALPH DAWKINS 10 YD RUN (JEFF RUSSELL KICK),
7:09. AMSTERDAM 20-17
SCO - FG, JON BAKER 42 YD, 10:17. AMSTERDAM 20, CLAYMORES 20
SCO - FG, GARY PARKER 30 YD, 11:27. CLAYMORES 23-20
AMS - TD, JUAN DANIELS 17 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER
(TWO-POINT CONVERSION FAILED), 13:09. AMSTERDAM 26-23
TEAM STATISTICS
AMS SCO
-------- --------
FIRST DOWNS 18 19
Rushing 5 9
Passing 10 9
Penalty 3 1
3RD-DOWN EFFICIENCY 5-13 4-13
4TH-DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-2 0-0
TOTAL NET YARDS 257 296
Total plays 63 61
Average gain 4.1 4.9
NET YARDS RUSHING 86 120
Rushes 31 24
Average per rush 2.8 5.0
NET YARDS PASSING 171 176
Completed-attempted 12-29 16-35
Yards per pass 5.3 4.
Sacked-yards lost 3-16 2-11
Had intercepted 1 1
PUNTS-AVERAGE 5-37.8 6-32.0
RETURN YARDAGE 88 116
Punts-returns 4-6 3-12
Kickoffs-returns 4-61 5-75
Interceptions-returns 1-21 1-29
PENALTIES-YARDS 3-15 14-103
FUMBLES-LOST 4-1 1-0
TIME OF POSSESSION 26:17 33:43
PLAYER STATISTICS
Missed field goals: None.
Amsterdam rushing: Ralph Dawkins 15-47, Malcolm Thomas 12-35, Kurt
Warner 4-4.
Claymores rushing: Vernon Turner 12-61, Carey Bender 8-44, Jj
Smith 3-9, Chris Miller 1-6.
Amsterdam passing: Kurt Warner 12-29 for 187 yards, 1 INT, 2 TD.
Claymores passing: Jim Ballard 16-35 for 187 yards, 1 INT, 0 TD.
Amsterdam receiving: Jason Shelley 5-79, James Kidd 2-52, Juan
Daniels 2-33, Joe Douglass 1-11, Jarius Hayes 1-8, Frank Temming 1-4.
Claymores receiving: T Davis 6-61, Chris Miller 4-71, Vernon
Turner 3-27, Jerry Reese 1-12, Scott Couper 1-11, Willy Tate 1-5.
Attendance: 8,762.