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By KELLY HILL
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 28, 2001
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Storm remains the only undefeated team in the Arena League after routing the previously unbeaten Rampage 66-41 Sunday before 10,022 at VanAndel Arena.
Tampa Bay quarterback John Kaleo tied a team record he set here last season with eight touchdown passes. Wide receiver James Bowden caught five of those, ran for a sixth and finished with 311 all-purpose yards . He was named the game's MVP.
Kaleo completed 20 of 34 passes for 251 yards, but he threw his first interception of the season. He was intercepted by linebacker Michael Baker on a tipped ball in the second quarter.
Bowden caught 11 passes for 167 yards. "We knew this was going to be a shootout," said Storm coach Tim Marcum, whose team puts its 6-0 record on the line Friday at the Ice Palace against the Carolina Cobras. "We beat a good Nashville team this year, but this was a complete game. And (the Rampage) only had that one stop."
The Storm, which never trailed and led 35-28 at halftime, stopped Grand Rapids on its first possession of the second half, then scored 17 unanswered points.
"That first possession of the second half, when we got a stop, that was the key," Marcum said. "Grand Rapids is a big, physical football team, and they were 5-0 for a reason. I didn't know if we could stop them. I didn't know if we could slow down (quarterback Clint) Dolezel or not."
Kaleo shares the Storm record of eight touchdown passes in a game with Jay Gruden, who did it in 1992.
"This building brings back good memories for me," Kaleo said. "We feel pretty comfortable coming here. We respected Grand Rapids, but we didn't fear them."
Kaleo felt particularly comfortable throwing into the secondary.
"Their defensive back technique is pretty poor," he said. "They give up the post a lot, so we took advantage of that."
Bowden caught scoring passes of 7, 15, 28, 14 and 10 yards.
"I was happy the ball went to me today, but any of our receivers are capable of doing this," Bowden said. "Now we are focused on Carolina."
LIONS: Herman Moore, the leading receiver in franchise history, probably is in his last week with the team, according to the Detroit News. Team president Matt Millen wants the 10-year veteran to take a pay cut, from $3.25-million to $1-million this season. Moore thinks he is being asked to give up too much and that if he had a place in the team's plans, Millen would be more flexible, the News reported. "There's money," Moore said. "If you want a player bad enough, you make ways to fit him in."
RAMS: Free-agent wide receiver and punt returner Az-Zahir Hakim has agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.1-million, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hakim was the only restricted free agent who had yet to sign before doing so late last week.
JAGUARS: The team has commenced contract discussions with Sean Dawkins, but the club's precarious salary cap situation, along with Dawkins' performance last season with the Seahawks, are making it difficult to strike a deal with the unrestricted free agent wide receiver, according to CBS SportsLine.com. "It's going to have to be very creative to get things to $1-million, which is at least what it will take," agent Angelo Wright said.
DUESSELDORF 22, FRANKFURT 5: Safety Clarence Leblanc returned two interceptions for touchdowns, leading the host Rhein Fire over its German rival. Leblanc twice intercepted Lionel Hayes in the second quarter and ran them back 35 and 44 yards for scores.
SCOTTISH 17, AMSTERDAM 7: Running back Anthony Gray scored two touchdowns and rushed for 91 yards as the Claymores rolled in Glasgow.