COLUMBUS, Ga. - Marvin Stone was beaten up, nearly taken out of the game with a leg injury and embarrassed by a couple of costly turnovers Saturday night in World Indoor Bowl I.

But Stone, the fleet-footed receiver and heartbeat of the Augusta Spartans, wouldn't let himself have a bad night on his biggest stage.

Stone - who already had won offensive player of the year and MVP in the World Indoor Football League - scored five touchdowns, including the game-winner on a 3-yard touchdown catch with 18 seconds left, to lift the Spartans to the 63-60 victory. He was named game MVP, which comes along with a three-day, two-night vacation to Daytona Beach from the WIFL.

"He was the man," Spartans coach Bubba Diggs said.

After returning a first-quarter kickoff 52 yards for a touchdown, Stone fumbled two returns in the game, each leading to Columbus touchdowns. But he kept coming back, as he has all season.

"That's what Stone does. He's a playmaker," quarterback Mike Rathe said. "He's going to do what he does."

Stone had 94 yards receiving and 151 return yards.

RATHE'S RECORD: Rathe matched a season-high and a league-high with eight touchdown passes.

He bounced back from throwing a season-high four interceptions in last week's 25-19 playoff victory over the Osceola Ghostriders.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS: Receiver Isaac West, who has largely played behind Stone, Anthony Young and Michael Flint, came up big Saturday.

With Stone and Young each missing time because of injuries, West caught two passes for 55 yards, including a key fourth-down catch to keep the game-winning drive alive.

BACK IN BLACK: The Spartans, who are partial to their home black jerseys - probably because they went 7-1 wearing them - came out for warm-ups in their blacks instead of the traditional road white jerseys.

Either they were playing head games or the league forced them to change, because they came out for the game wearing white.

A HAPPY FIRST: The World Indoor Football League's inaugural season was perhaps best summed up by Columbus Lions coach Jason Gibson. The WIFL's coach of the year said everyone involved has tasted success.

"I think we've treated our fans and players with the highest of quality, and I think that word will continue to spread," Gibson said. "Everyone's been a winner."

Commissioner Gary Tufford said he couldn't have expected a better season for the WIFL, which wants to add two to six teams in the off-season.

"We absolutely exceeded our expectations, overcame adversity," Tufford said.

Diggs was pleased with the league's first year.

"The play on the field, the level of competition, it's been great," Diggs said.