af2 arenafootball2

af2 Friday Night Matchups

Published on May 22, 2003 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


GREENSBORO PROWLERS (3-4) AT WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PIONEERS (1-6)
FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2003 - FIRST UNION ARENA AT CASEY PLAZA (7,955) 7:00 P.M. ET

The Greensboro Prowlers look to rebound from last week's loss in Peoria when they head to face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers. Greensboro leads the all-time series with the Pioneers 3-0, including a 46-25 win back in Week 2. These teams rank 21st and 22nd in scoring, as the Prowlers average 39.3 points per game and the Pioneers 38.7 per game. Pioneers' QB CHRIS BODEN has thrown 27 touchdowns, including 11 to COSMO DEMATTEO. Prowlers' QB CALEB SLOVER has 17 touchdown passes since taking the starting role. Receiver COREY SULLIVAN can eclipse 30 receptions and 400 receiving yards for the season with two more catches and one more yard. Defensively for the Prowlers, THADDEUS BULLARD is second on the squad with 21.5 tackles and he leads the team with three sacks. The Prowlers can better its win total from a season ago with one more win. The Pioneers can improve on last year's 1-7 start with a win.

BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS (3-3) AT ALBANY CONQUEST (5-1)
FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2003 - PEPSI ARENA (13,901) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Birmingham Steeldogs travel to Albany for its first ever meeting with the conquest. The Steeldogs started the season 2-0, but have since found themselves at .500, while the Conquest has used a four-game win streak to take command of the Northeast Division. Albany is 7-3 all-time at home, including 1-0 this season. The Steeldogs went 6-2 on the road in 2002, but have stumbled to a 1-2 start away from Birmingham this season. OS COREY HILL and QB RYAN VENA continue to power the Albany offense, which has averaged 63 points over its last three games. Vena has passed for 20 touchdowns and run for four during that stretch. The Steeldogs no longer have the services of QB JEFF AARON under center, so they'll turn to newly acquired CHRIS WINDSOR. Windsor, a Steeldog in 2000 and 2001, led the team to a 12-4 record in 2001 with 76 touchdown passes. Japan's YUICHI WATANABE may see action this game, as he was activated from the Conquest's practice squad this week. Watanabe is a defensive specialist with experience in Japan's X-League. During his college years (1998-2001) at Senshu University, he was chosen as "Touchdown" magazine's All-Japan defensive back. This is the first time the fourth-year Steeldogs has ever played a Northeast Division team and the first time the Conquest has faced a South Division team.

NORFOLK NIGHTHAWKS (4-2) AT MOHEGAN WOLVES (4-2)
FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2003 - MOHEGAN SUN ARENA (7,700) 7:30 P.M. ET

Friday's game between the Wolves and Nighthawks will be the third all-time meeting between the two teams. The series is currently tied, 1-1. Their two previous head-to-head battles came last season. In the first matchup on April 13, 2002, the Wolves defeated the Nighthawks, 47-29, at Mohegan Sun Arena. In the rematch on May 4, 2002, Norfolk won at home in overtime, 58-51. Norfolk is led by the one-two punch of QB AARON SPARROW and OS TRAVIS BURNS. Sparrow was almost flawless in the Nighthawk's most recent win at WB/Scranton on May 16, throwing for six touchdowns and no interceptions. Burns has been Norfolk's most explosive offensive weapon in 2003. Through six games, he ranks among the league leaders in scoring (T-7th, 96 pts), all-purpose yards (2nd, 1,335 yds and receiving yards (T-5th, 703 yds). Mohegan will be led again by its defense, which ranks tied for first overall in the league in sacks with 14 recorded on the season. CHARLIE COOK leads the Wolves individually in that category with five. Offensively, the Wolves will look for more positive play from QB GREG SMITH and his receiving corps. Both team sit in second place in their respective divisions and are one game behind the division leaders. This is the first of back-to-back meetings between these inter-division foes. The results of this two-game set could have huge playoff implications for both teams. Right now the Wolves would be seeded No.4 and the Nighthawks No. 5 in the American Conference bracket.

RICHMOND SPEED (3-3) AT ROCHESTER BRIGADE (1-6)
FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2003 -BLUE CROSS ARENA (10,598) 7:30 P.M. LOCAL ET

The Richmond Speed heads to Rochester for its second meeting of the season with the Brigade. These teams hooked up in Week 7 with the Speed winning 62-43. That win is the Speeds' only win against Northeast division teams this season. The Speed is 1-3 for the year against the Northeast, but they are 4-0 all-time when facing the Brigade. QB ROY JOHNSON has emerged as a star for the Speed, passing 1,208 yards and 23 touchdowns in five games. He has only been picked off once and has a QB rating of 124.88, which is only percentage points better than Quad City's TONY ZIMMERMAN for the league lead. Another budding star in the Speed's lineup is OS DAMON THOMPSON. The Week 6 Offensive player of the Week has caught 60 passes (1st in af2) for 743 yards (3rd in af2) and 14 touchdowns in six games this season. The Brigade's main playmaker is DEREK BAKER, who has 632 receiving yards with 13 touchdowns on offense and three interceptions on the other side of the ball. The Brigade needs a win to avoid matching its worst start in team history (1-7 in 2001). A Speed win builds momentum for as they enter a crucial stretch of their season where they play the next 3-of-4 at home and face division leader Cape Fear twice.

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