Valor drop home opener to fall to 0-4

The Washington Valor failed to get into the win column for 2018 Friday night, instead dropping to 0-4 with a 53-42 loss to the Albany Empire at the Valor’s home opener at Capital One Arena.

The Empire (2-2), an Arena Football League expansion team, scored on their first eight offensive possessions to win their second straight matchup with the Valor.

Valor quarterback Warren Smith went 19-for-28 for 227 yards, five passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown and no interceptions. It was an improvement in his second start of the season after his three-touchdown, two-interception performance the week before against the same Albany squad.

“I was just taking what the defense was giving me,” Smith said. “I thought last week, I was trying to get a little greedy. I was trying to make some downfield throws when they were playing off coverage and I should’ve just checked it down. Today, whatever the coverage was, I was just throwing to the man who was open.”

Smith started the year as the Valor’s backup and was pressed into action when Nick Davila was ruled out for the year with a neck injury.

He made it clear that he and his teammates expect to be better, but added that because all AFL teams will make the playoffs this year, it will come down to the “last man standing” in the postseason.

“0-4 sucks. It’s hard to walk around and say you’re 0-4,” Smith said. “But if we stick together and get better and keep working on little things, ultimately it comes down to the end. That’s when it really counts.”

Empire quarterback Tommy Grady went 16-for-24 for 257 yards and seven touchdowns, three to receiver Malachi Jones.

The Empire set the tone by scoring on their first play from scrimmage, when Grady connected with Jones for a 41-yard score. But Washington answered when Smith hit T.T. Toliver for a 14-yard touchdown, and the Valor went ahead 7-6 on a successful PAT.

The teams traded touchdowns again before the end of the first quarter. After Albany flubbed another PAT attempt, Toliver caught his second touchdown for the Valor to put them up 14-12.

“Coach called good plays. He called a post and I ran a good route and the guy just left me wide open,” Toliver said. “And the other play was a little hitch route which they fell off and I got in the end zone with those two plays. They were good calls by our quarterback and coach.”

Washington kept fighting in the second quarter. Chris Duvalt fought his way into the end zone on a touchdown reception that made it 21-19. After the Empire scored their fourth touchdown, they lost an onside kick attempt. The Valor recovered, and an Albany penalty placed the ball at the 5-yard line. Smith ran in for a touchdown on the next play to deliver a 28-26 Valor lead.

Albany managed one more touchdown before halftime and attempted a 2-point conversion that was originally ruled successful, but a challenge by Valor coach Dean Cokinos led to the ruling being overturned. The Empire’s lead was cut to 32-28 for halftime.

But the Valor failed to score on the opening drive of the second half. Smith attempted to scramble to the end zone on fourth down, but he fumbled the ball forward to his teammate, an illegal move in arena football, and the referee ruled it a turnover on downs.

Grady made Washington pay the next drive with his sixth touchdown pass of the night.

Smith lost a fumble on the next drive when a defender’s hand interrupted his throwing motion. The Empire found the end zone again at the top of the fourth quarter, going up 46-28.

The Valor scored their first points of the half on a 24-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Gray that cut the lead to 11 with 10:21 to play. But an Albany touchdown in the final five minutes put it out of reach for Washington. Valor receiver Josh Reese scored in the last minute of the game to make the final deficit 11 points.

Valor coach Dean Cokinos was happy to see Smith’s progress over one week, though still insists the team is not the same without Davila, a three-time AFL MVP.

“We asked a lot from (Smith). When we got to third-and-longs, fourth-and-longs, he really struggled a little bit with the pressure,” Cokinos said. “But he battled, and it’s not on him, it’s on all of us.”

Valor defensive backs Tracy Belton, Qua Cox and Dominic Addison all suffered injuries during the game.