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March 31, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


LOUISVILLE FIRE (0-0) AT W-B/SCRANTON PIONEERS (0-0)
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2006 - Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza (7,950) 7:00 P.M. ET
The Fire had a tremendous season in 2005, winning eight straight games at the end of the year before falling to Memphis in the ArenaCup. This year, however, QB MATT SAUK has moved on to Philadelphia to back up Tony Graziani in the AFL. Louisville does have a young gun with a lot of promise in BRETT DIETZ, a solid second man in JOEL STEELE, and a host of weaponry at the team's disposal. OS ROB MAGER (39 TDs), WR/DB CESARE MANNING (24 TDs) and WR/LB DENNIS FRYZEL (17 TDs), the team's top three pass catchers from 2005, are all back in 2006. The Fire also welcome back one of their former stars in WR/LB ANTHONY PAYTON. Payton is the team's career leader in scoring, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Louisville's defense, on the other hand, has a lot of new faces this year. They do have DS NATE GREEN, however, and he'll take over as the team's top cover man. Last season he ranked second on the squad in tackles with 47.5 and also tallied three interceptions. The Pioneers couldn't have found a better coach to replace Les Moss than area native Rich Ingold. Ingold is one of the most successful coaches in league history (34 career wins in three seasons with Quad City, including playoffs). He's very high on rookie QB MIKE GRANIERI from the University of New Hampshire. Granieri should find a nice security blanket in OS J.R. THOMAS, who is healthy again this year after suffering a leg injury just past the midway point of 2005. Thomas had 76 catches for 884 yards and 22 TDs in 11 games last season. The Pioneers defense looks young but very talented. Ingold does have one of the best cover corners in the league on his team in DS MATT FORBES. Forbes, who played for Ingold in Quad City in 2003 and 2004, has recorded nine interceptions in each of his last two seasons.

FIRE PIONEERS
SERIES LEADER Louisville leads series 2-1
LAST MEETING Louisville won 58-50 on 4/22/2005
LAST FIVE GAMES 4-1 3-2
LAST GAME Lost vs. MEM 41-63 on 8/27/2005 in the ArenaCup Championship Lost at FLA 45-59 on 8/13/2005 in the playoffs
2005 LEADERS FIRE PIONEERS
PASSING Sauk: 603-408-16; 4489; 99 TDs Rowley: 298-188-11; 2193; 48 TDs
RECEIVING Mager: 125-1439; 39 TDs Forgione: 104-1363; 32 TDs
RUSHING Forney: 31-98; 9 TDs Apostolidis: 23-44; 5 TDs
TACKLES Green: 62.5 Hattley: 102
SACKS Tippins: 4.5 Ekwueme: 3
INTERCEPTIONS Matthews: 4 Three players tied with 3
KICKING Kight: 92-113 PAT; 9-20 FG 119 PTs Davis: 75-98 PAT; 9-27 FG 102 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 55.6 PPG; 291.8 YPG 49.4 PPG; 243.8 YPG
TEAM DEFENSE 51.6 PPG; 279.7 YPG 46.1 PPG; 250.9 YPG


ARKANSAS TWISTERS (0-0) AT QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (0-0)
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2006 - The Mark of the Quad Cities (9,437) 8:15 P.M. ET
Arkansas has high hopes for 2006 under the direction of head coach John Gregory, an Arena Football coaching legend. Gregory, who came to the Twisters four games into the 2005 campaign, has the benefit of a full season ahead and a strong group of veterans at his disposal. QB WALTER CHURCH will lead the offense. Church has af2 experience with Peoria, tossing 50 touchdowns for the 11-5 Midwest Division Champion Pirates in 2002. The Twisters also have a solid group of skill players returning in 2006, including OS ROBERT KILOW (92 receptions, 1,088 yards, 12 TDs, 3 kick return TDs), WR/LB KEVIN WILLIAMS and WR/DB TED ALFORD. Williams led Arkansas with 18 touchdown catches while Alford was second in receiving TDs (14) and third in receptions (51). He also ranked fourth in tackles with 36.5. Defensively, the Twisters have their top pass rusher back from 2005, FB/LB C.J. MCCLAIN. McClain may see his sack total skyrocket from a year ago if he is utilized in the newly created Defensive Line Specialist (DLS) position. He ranked in the top-5 in 2005 with 6.5 sacks. The Twisters final four losses last year were by a combined score of 19 points, with two games being decided in the last minute of play. Quad City Head Coach Rick Frazier has always put defense first, so this offseason he brought in a coach who puts offense above all else, former San Diego Riptide skipper Sean Ponder. Ponder's presence should open up the Steamwheelers aerial attack and make WR/LB JACK WALKER and company dynamite once again. Quad City also did well bringing in some new players with af2 pedigree in QB TIM HICKS, WR/DB REGGIE PERKINS, OS BO SMITH, and FB/LB JEFF MCCREA. Hicks, Perkins and Smith all played together in Bossier-Shreveport in 2005 while McCrea was with a big part of Ponder's squad in San Diego. Hicks was brought in to replace SAM CLEMONS, who is now with the AFL's New York Dragons. Hicks is a league veteran whose best season came with W-B/Scranton in 2004 when he led the Pioneers to a 13-3 record and a Northeast Division title. That year he threw for 3,679 yards, 82 TDs and just eight INTs. Perkins and Smith were recruited to replace former Quad City playmakers TRAVIS BURNS and JEFF HEWITT. Both Perkins and Smith were impact performers for the Battle Wings in 2005, combining for 1,775 receiving yards, 40 TDs, and seven kick return TDs. McCrea led San Diego a year ago with 72 yards and 11 TDs. Quad City has lost DS MATT FORBES to W-B/Scranton, but the Steamwheelers still have WR/DB TIM DODGE in the mix as well as a number of other young defenders who are looking to make an immediate impact.

TWISTERS STEAMWHEELERS
SERIES LEADER Quad City leads series 5-1
LAST MEETING Quad City won 54-23 at Arkansas on 6/25/2004
LAST FIVE GAMES 3-2 3-2
LAST GAME Won at AMA 44-40 on 7/30/2005 Lost at RGV 38-56 on 8/7/2005 in the playoffs
2005 LEADERS TWISTERS STEAMWHEELERS
PASSING Motley: 249-123-13; 1492; 28 TDs Clemons: 592-392-13; 4104; 73 TDs
RECEIVING Kilow: 92-1088; 12 TDs Burns: 109-1220; 21 TDs
RUSHING Small: 42-176; 9 TDs Clemons: 59-155; 13 TDs
TACKLES Mitchell-Hughey: 52.5 Forbes: 92.5
SACKS McClain: 6.5 Barr: 4.5
INTERCEPTIONS Mitchell-Hughey: 4 Forbes: 9.0
KICKING Pohlman: 32-49 PAT; 5-13 FG 47 PTs Gatto: 86-103 PAT; 6-27 FG 104 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 44.0 PPG; 232.2 YPG 48.5 PPG; 277.2 YPG
TEAM DEFENSE 51.8 PPG; 241.8 YPG 50.4 PPG; 285.0 YPG


ALBANY CONQUEST (0-0) AT GREEN BAY BLIZZARD (0-0)
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2006 - Resch Center (7,995) 8:30 P.M. ET
The return of QB RYAN VENA is a welcome site for Albany Conquest fans. Head Coach Pete Costanza has got to be pretty excited as well. Last time Vena played in the Capital City of New York in 2003, the Conquest went 13-3 during the regular season and claimed the Northeast Division crown. That year he was electric, setting team season records in passing yards (4,452), passing TDs (85) and rushing scores (17). Vena spent the last two seasons in the AFL with the Columbus Destroyers. Another former teammate of Vena's has also returned in 2006, WR/DB/KR JIM JONES. Jones was a key player in 2003 as well, scoring 15 total TDs, including four on kick returns. Albany's best offensive holdover from a ago is WR/LB MANWELL TALBERT, who was one of the final cuts of the AFL's Orlando Predators in January. Last season Talbert was a playmaker on both sides of the ball for the Conquest. He recorded 90 receptions for 1,264 yards and 26 TDs on offense and tallied 31.5 tackles on defense, with three fumble recoveries, two sacks and one interception. The offensive unit is solid. Last year Albany's defensive unit gave up almost 56 points per game. Green Bay has a veteran cast and a veteran coaching staff in place for a strong run in 2006. They have a solid set of QBs in RONNIE GORDON and JAMES MACPHERSON and a strong group of receivers, led by OS RANDALL LANE. Lane has played most recently with the AFL's Dallas Desperados. In 2004, he was the Blizzard's main target and caught 24 TDs in just eight games before an injury cut short a record-setting season in the making. They also have a strong defense in place, one that should be even better than the 2005 group that allowed just 47.2 points per game and led the league in turnovers forced with 52 (31 INTs, 21 fumble recoveries). The defensive unit will likely be paced by the efforts of FB/LB PETER LAZARE (3.0 sacks in just 8 games) up front and the DS tandem of DAVID CROCKER and RONNIE KAYMORE in the secondary. Crocker had 54 tackles and four interceptions in 2005 with the Blizzard. Kaymore, an import from W-B/Scranton, registered 72 tackles and three INTs for the Pioneers a year ago.

CONQUEST BLIZZARD
SERIES LEADER Series tied 2-2
LAST MEETING Albany won 88-82 in overtime on 7/15/2005
LAST FIVE GAMES 1-4 1-4
LAST GAME Lost at MAN 30-45 on 7/29/2005 Lost at WBS 41-48 on 8/6/2005 in the playoffs
2005 LEADERS CONQUEST BLIZZARD
PASSING Bryant: 602-370-19; 4230; 81 TDs Turman: 535-307-18; 3599; 71 TDs
RECEIVING Pope: 131-1454; 32 TDs Holmes: 64-857; 71 TDs
RUSHING Bryant: 68-184; 14 TDs Huebner: 60-160; 13 TDs
TACKLES Coleman: 66 Bowers: 102.5
SACKS Arah: 4 Eggleston: 4.0
INTERCEPTIONS Coleman: 5 Bowers: 10.0
KICKING Cirrincione: 44-61 PAT; 2-6 FG 50 PTs Juul-Nielsen: 95-111 PAT; 11-31 FG 128 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 51.2 PPG; 285.0 YPG 50.1 PPG; 243.2 YPG
TEAM DEFENSE 55.6 PPG; 256.9 YPG 47.2 PPG; 283.3 YPG

Week 1 Schedule & Results
Thursday, March 30, 2006
SPOKANE 41, Stockton 40
Bakersfield 60, EVERETT 54
Friday, March 31, 2006
Louisville at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Arkansas at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
Albany at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 1, 2006
Memphis at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Amarillo, Birmingham, Bossier-Shreveport, Florida, Macon, Manchester, Oklahoma City, South Georgia, and Tulsa



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