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af2 Alumni To Impact AFL Matchup

June 22, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


CHICAGO - The Colorado Crush (8-7) will take on the Dallas Desperados (14-1) in this week's Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football League Monday matchup. The game, which will be broadcast live at 10:00 p.m. ET on June 25 on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com, will provide a potential playoff preview and a national showcase for a number of notable arenafootball2 (af2) alumni on both sides.

Colorado will utilize two players and one coach with histories in the af2 in its first matchup with the Desperados this season. K JASON BALL is currently in first in the AFL in field goals (16) and fifth in points scored by a kicker with 131. (83-for-97 PATs). Ball got his Arena Football career started with the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings (2004) and Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (2005). Ball earned second team all-af2 honors in 2004 while playing for the Battle Wings, where he went 11-for-29 on field goals and 70-for-87 on PATs for the season. In 2005, Ball was 5-for-12 on field goals and 38-for-47 on PATs for the season with the Yard Dawgz. Ball got his start in the AFL when he signed with the Crush in 2006, connecting on 7-of-9 PATs and hitting his only field goal attempt in his first game against Grand Rapids. Quarterbacks coach CHRIS BODEN is in the midst of his first season with Colorado after working with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2003 as both a player and a coach.

The Desperados feature six players with af2 roots. Dallas WR/DB WILL PETTIS, who began his Arena Football career with the af2's Pensacola Barracudas, is having his best professional season in 2007. Pettis, a three-time All-Ironman selection, leads the Desperados in touchdowns with 42 (37 receiving, 2 rushing, 3 kick returns) and ranks first on the squad in receiving yards (1,424). He is also team's third-leading tackler with 54.5 total stops on the season. Pettis was named the League's Ironman of the Month for the month of March. Before his AFL career began in 2003, he played one season in the af2 and was a major player for the Barracudas, providing a glimpse into his AFL future. In 2002 with Pensacola, Pettis showed off on both sides of the ball. He finished the year second on the team with 55 catches for 791 yards and 14 touchdowns. Defensively, he led the club with nine interceptions for 47 yards, 34 pass break ups and eight missed field goal returns for 168 yards and a touchdown. He was third on the squad with 36.5 tackles. Desperados FB/LB JOSH WHITE, who began his Arena Football career with the af2's Hawaiian Islanders, is the Desperados leading rusher. White leads the team and ranks third in the AFL with 275 rushing yards. White has also recorded 61 receiving yards this season and 13 total touchdowns (3 receiving, 10 rushing). In his second year with the Islanders, White became the first Islander to be named all three game awards (MVP, Ironman and Defensive Player) after rushing for a career-high 52 yards and recording six tackles and two sacks in a single game. Following his second year with the Islanders, White joined the AFL with the New York Dragons, where he stayed for one season. White then played for two years with the Austin Wranglers before being acquired by the Desperados. Dallas also boasts three assistant coaches with af2 experience on their resumes, defensive coordinator JAMES FULLER (Bakersfield 2002-03), OL/DL/FB/LB coach DEATRICH WISE (Norfolk 1999-2001) and special teams coach STEVE CRISWELL (Norfolk 2001).

A full list of the eight players that will make an impact on the Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday game between Colorado and Dallas is located below:

Colorado

Jason Ball - Bossier-Shrev. 2004, Okla. City 2005

Brett Huyser - Green Bay 2006

Dallas

Terrance Dotsy - Quad City 2004

Jermaine Jones - Florida 2001

Bobby Keyes - Birmingham 2006

Peter Lazare - Green Bay 2005-06

Will Pettis - Pensacola 2002

Josh White - Hawaiian 2002-03

Dallas is currently ranked first in the Southern Division, winning its last seven contests. In a 67-13 defeat over New York in their last game, the Desperados have kept a perfect division record of 6-0.

Colorado lost to Chicago in Week 15, 57-66, and is currently ranked third in the Central Division behind Kansas City and Chicago. After dropping their last three games, the Crush's division record has slipped to 4-4.

About af2

In Week 13 of its eighth season with 30 member teams, af2 serves as a vehicle to bring Arena Football into small to midsize cities and as a developmental league with an unmatched history of sending players, coaches and officials to major professional football leagues each year. Af2 operates under the same Mission Statement and Fans' Bill of Rights as the Arena Football League, which is currently in its 21st season. Log on to www.af2.com for more information.



arenafootball2 Stories from June 22, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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