BARCELONA, June 17 -- Barcelona Dragons wide receiver Jeremaine Copeland set a NFL Europe record for receptions in a single season Saturday and inspired a 28-25 victory over the World Bowl-bound Scottish Claymores.
Copeland eclipsed the record set by Judd Garrett of the London Monarchs with his 72nd catch and scored two touchdowns as the Dragons ended the year at 5-5.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Claymores (6-4), who will play Rhein in World Bowl 2000 on June 25.
Scotland nearly mounted a dramatic comeback inside the two-minute warning after recovering an onside kick, but came up short.
Kevin Daft hit Damon Gibson with a 52-yard touchdown 19 seconds into the game to give the Claymores the lead.
Dragons linebacker Marc Megna halted the next Claymores drive when he sacked Daft and stripped and recovered the ball for Barcelona. Running back Jesse Haynes, who had 11 touchdowns for the Claymores last season, broke off a 22-yard scoring run with 6:01 left in the first quarter.
Claymores wideout Sulecio Sanford threatened to carry on where he left off last week with another impressive 36-yard kickoff return that gave second quarterback Marcus Crandell excellent field position with which to work. Crandell overthrew Donald Sellers in the end zone and Scotland was reduced to a failed field-goal try.
Tony Graziani replaced Cory Sauter as the Dragons implemented their quarterback rotation and hit Copeland with a 39-yard pass. The two later connected for a four-yard scoring play with 8:23 left in the half.
Daft's 10-yard touchdown pass to Tremayne Allen with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter tied the game at 10-10.
Rob Hart moved the Claymores in front with a 38-yard field goal, but their lead was short-lived as Copeland reeled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Graziani for his record-breaking catch.
Copeland then caught a 34-yard Graziani bomb to the goal line where Haynes was twice stuffed before diving over a pile of bodies to cap a 100-yard plus game with a touchdown to open a 28-17 lead with less than six minutes remaining.
Crandell's four-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion pulled Scotland within 28-25.
A dramatic moment saw Hart recover his own onside kick when Vicenc Rodriguez tipped the ball back to him at the two-minute warning. But with five yards needed for a first down, defensive tackle Chartric Darby sacked Crandell on fourth down.
