EVERETT – Kevin Williams has been around a lot longer than the Everett Hawks.
Williams, a seven-year veteran who is the No. 2 scorer in arenafootball2 history with more than 900 points, sandwiched a pair of touchdown receptions around his fourth-quarter interception to spark the Arkansas Twisters to a 64-60 af2 victory over the Everett Hawks Saturday night at the Events Center.
With the victory Arkansas improved to 8-3. Everett fell to 3-8 and needs to win its final five games in order to have any chance to qualify for the post-season.
“Arkansas stepped up and made plays,” Everett coach Cedric Walker said. “Our offense played well, our defensive line did a good job, but our defensive backs did not make the plays and it’s as simple as that.”
Trailing 48-42 after Everett’s Josh Richey caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Jason Campbell, Arkansas tied the score 48-48 when Davon Vinson threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Williams.
On Everett’s next possession Williams – who also had a fumble recovery in the first half – intercepted an under-thrown Campbell pass inside the Hawks’ 15-yard line.
The Hawks appeared to have stopped Arkansas on downs at the Hawks’ four-yard line, but an illegal defense penalty called on Phil Goodman gave the Twisters an automatic first down.
On the next play Vinson threw a touchdown pass to Williams and a 2-point conversion to Jonathan Schoonover for a 56-48 Twisters lead with 5:23 remaining.
Campbell (27-for-40, 344 yards, seven touchdowns) stepped up in the pocket and fired a 33-yard touchdown pass to Richey with 1:47 left to play, but the 2-point conversion pass failed.
Robert Kilow’s third touchdown reception and Vinson’s 2-point conversion pass to Jon Schoonover pushed Arkansas ahead 64-54 with less than a minute to go.
Campbell ran three yards for a TD with 15 seconds remaining to close the gap, but Everett was unable to come up with an on-side kick recovery.
Richey shined throughout the game for Everett with 12 receptions for 217 yards and five touchdowns, but it was not enough to lift the Hawks to an upset victory.
LaMonte Jones, playing for the first time since breaking his right arm on April 30, made a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown to give Everett a 41-35 lead with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter.
The Twisters re-took the lead on their next series when Vinson sprinted right and fired back across the grain to Kilow for a five-yard touchdown pass to make the score 42-41 at the end of the third quarter.
After battling to a first-half tie, Arkansas took a 35-27 lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter when Vinson scampered around left end on a short touchdown run and then threw a 2-point conversion pass to Schoonover.
Campbell answered by throwing a long pass to Richey who beat his man for a 38-yard touchdown. Eric Azorr’s conversion kick got the Hawks within 35-34 with 8:01 to play in the third quarter.
Trailing 27-20 in the waning seconds of the second quarter, and facing fourth-and-goal at the Arkansas 2-yard line, Campbell zipped a strike to Goodman (10 receptions, 83 yards, two touchdowns) along the back wall of the end zone to draw the Hawks even just 2.1 seconds before halftime.
Campbell came out firing in the first half, completing 17-of-25 passes for 188 yards and four touchdowns.
Trailing 20-13, Everett tied the score when Campbell capped a 10-play, 48-yard drive with a five-yard TD pass to Goodman who extended to make a one-handed catch with 6:22 remaining in the first half.
Everett opened the scoring when Campbell fired a 30-yard touchdown pass to Richey on the third play of the game.
Frightening moment: Everett’s Raymond Little was tackled along the wall, near his own 13-yard line by Arkansas kicker David Carlton while returning Carlton’s kickoff with 3:01 remaining in the second quarter. Little, a second year defensive back from Sacramento City College, was flipped upside down on the play and may have landed on his head. Little lay on the ground for nearly 15 minutes while being attended to by emergency medical technicians and other medical staff. EMT’s strapped Little to a stretcher with his head and neck immobilized. Little was lifted to a gurney, but managed to give a thumb’s up sign to the relief of the crowd.
After the game Everett coach Cedric Walker was still seeking an update on Little.
“He was conscious,” Walker said following the game. “He said he felt numbness in his neck and a stinging sensation (in the middle of his upper back). We hope he’s going to be OK.”
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