Thunder are champions

Jul 02, 2001, 9:10:00 AM

Berlin Thunder 24 Barcelona Dragons 17

June 30, 2001
NFLeurope.com

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JONATHAN Quinn threw for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns as he led the Berlin Thunder to World Bowl victory in front of 32,116 fans in the Amsterdam ArenA.

Quinn threw touchdown passes of 46, 17 and 53 yards, the last going to wide receiver Dwaune Jones with 4:08 remaining in the game.

But victory was not assured until the final moments of the thrilling contest in the Netherlands when Jarious Jackson's fourth down pass from the 6-yard line into the Thunder end zone was batted down by defensive tackle Jon Harris with 1:03 remaining.

All that remained then was for World Bowl MVP Quinn to take a knee and clinch the Berlin Thunder's first World Bowl.

The Thunder made a confident start to World Bowl IX with Jonathan Quinn completing his first six pass attempts for 40 yards as Berlin moved into scoring range.

Quinn hit WR Ahmad Merritt twice for 16 yards and also connected with WR Dwaune Jones on two completions for 19 yards. The Jacksonville Jaguars allocated passer also picked up a key first down on a fourth down quarterback sneak at midfield.

But the impressive opening drive stalled when Dragons defensive tackle Tim Engelhardt came up with the game's first big defensive play. The All-NFL Europe League defensive tackle sacked Quinn and stripped the ball loose. Barcelona defensive end Keith Washington fell on the ball at his own 34-yard line to give the Dragons possession and end Berlin's scoring threat.

The Dragons handed the ball back to Berlin three players later with a turnover of their own. After catching a pass from Jarious Jackson, Dragons wide receiver Trevor Insley was hit by CB Dwayne Stukes and fumbled. Stukes recovered the loose ball at the Dragons 42-yard line. Berlin couldn't advance further than the 36-yard line but Bentley was accurate with his four-point field goal attempt from 53 yards.

Berlin's next drive ended in bizarre fashion when Quinn was intercepted by Dragons defensive lineman Teto Simpson at the Thunder 1-yard line.

Barcelona couldn't find a way into the end zone as Berlin's defense stiffened and Angoy was called upon to kick the 20-yard field goal.

A 48-yard punt return by Insley got the Dragons back into scoring range early in the second quarter. Roderick Robinson hit WR Carlos Rosado for an 18-yard gain before the drive came to a halt at the 12-yard line.

Again, Angoy was on target to give the Dragons their first lead of the game with his 29-yard effort that made it 6-4 to the Dragons.

Berlin went three and out on their next drive and Barcelona took over on their own 19-yard line. Robinson continued at quarterback and hit Insley four times for 33 yards.

Tony Simmons also caught 2 passes for 15 yards on the drive. But a fumbled snap on third down forced Robinson to lose yardage by diving on the loose ball.

Angoy landed his third field goal of the first half - this time from 33 yards out to give Barcelona a 9-4 lead late in the second quarter. But Quinn had one more big play up his sleeve and delivered a 46-yard scoring strike to Jones to give Berlin the lead at the break.

The Dragons missed a chance to take the lead early in the third quarter when Angoy's 33-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Berlin DB Billy Gustin. The key play on the drive was a 44-yard pass from Jackson to Simmons. But Gustin's special teams heroics for the Thunder ensured Barcelona's drive ended scoreless.

After Berlin went three and out on their next possession, the Dragons made no mistake as Jackson hit Simmons on a short comeback route. The New England Patriots allocated star turned upfield and sped away from Thunder DB Lelan Brickus to record a spectacular 58-yard touchdown reception.

Jackson then hit a diving Insley in the end zone for the two-point conversion that gave the Dragons a 17-10 lead midway through the third period.

Berlin struck back to level the scores with 9:47 remaining in regulation when Quinn lofted a 17-yard touchdown pass to Merritt.

With the game reaching a critical stage, Quinn lofted the World Bowl-winning touchdown pass to Jones, who caught 6 passes for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns on the night.

Jackson then drove the Dragons downfield and looked set to tie the scores and send the game into overtime when Harris reached up and batted the ball down to secure victory for the Thunder.