Arena football

Bruising fullback has big first half

By FRANK PASTOR
Published May 16, 2005

TAMPA - Fullback David White picked up his teammates with two physical first-half touchdown runs Sunday.

The second bailed out his coach.

Late in the first half, White took a toss to the right and ran 13 yards, belly-flopping into the end zone with three seconds left.

Had White fallen short, the Storm might have been forced to try a field goal, a four-point difference in a game it won by three.

"We almost played it too cute before halftime," Storm coach Tim Marcum said. "I like to try to run the clock down and be the last team to score. And if I'd have known it was going to be (three seconds), I would have called timeout.

"I was waiting for (New York coach Weylan Harding ) to call timeout, and he didn't. So thank goodness (White) got in."

Earlier in the quarter, the 6-foot-3, 270-pounder ran through 6-4, 275-pound Jermaine Miles ' tackle during a 19-yard run that gave the Storm a 34-14 lead.

White, in his seventh season, carried four times for a career-high 36 yards. His physical play was an encouraging sign considering he missed six games this season with knee and hip injuries.

"It's a big motivational factor because when you run in this league, it's physical," White said. "So when you run over a couple of people or break a couple of tackles, it just hypes everybody up."

White punctuated his first touchdown with a high-stepping celebration dance.

"We need to have some fun," said White, who has four touchdowns this season. "We've been so up and down this year. You're almost scared to really celebrate, so it's like, "Hey, let's do some things. Let's get ahead. Let's have some fun for a change."'

SAY WHAT?: Storm lineman Kelvin Kinney received a delay-of-game penalty for "a move uncommon to the game of football that was distracting" before a New York extra point in the third.

Asked what that meant, Marcum said, "No idea. Maybe when he was picking up his hand off the ground, simulating to start a defensive charge."

NO GARO: Unlike ex-Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian , whose errant pass after a blocked field goal was returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl VII, the Storm's Matt George kicked the ball into the opposite net after an extra point snap went over his head.

Holder Clif Dell recovered the ball and ran it out of the end zone, preventing New York from getting two points.

RECORD SETTER: Quarterback Shane Stafford set team season records for touchdown passes (78) and passing yards (4,245), surpassing the 75 and 4,188 set by John Kaleo in 2003.

[Last modified May 16, 2005, 01:22:06]