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by Walter L. Johnson II
April 19, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)


Only three full weeks have been played so far in the 2005 arenafootball2 regular season, but already, it seems as if the cream is slowly rising to the top, as four teams still find themselves undefeated after last week's games. The Florida Firecats, Memphis Xplorers, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers all improved to 3-0 after wins this past weekend, while the Louisville Fire went to 2-0 after barely escaping with a victory over the South Georgia Wildcats.

So, what did happen this week in the af2? Read on to find out all of the answers.

HUMPRHEY DENIED WIN #50: Birmingham Steeldogs head coach Bobby Humphrey began the season looking for his 50th career win, which would've been a first in af2 history. But the Macon Knights kept Humphrey stuck on win #49 Thursday, as they downed the Steeldogs 67-50 in Macon, Ga. Chris Johnson scored four touchdowns in his Macon debut, as the Knights improved to 2-1, while the Steeldogs remain winless thus far in 2005, falling to 0-2 on the season. Steeldogs fans hope the third time will be the charm next Saturday, as Humphrey will get another chance to win his 50th career game when Birmingham hosts Memphis.

BATTLE WINGS BATTLE...BUT FALL SHORT! The Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings took on the Quad City Steamwheelers in a battle of winless teams in Moline, Ill. Saturday night. Defensive specialist Matt Forbes had two clutch interceptions in the final quarter to seal the victory for the Steamwheelers. On the other hand, offensive specialist Bo Smith caught eight passes for 155 yards, while becoming the Battle Wings all-time leader in touchdown catches with 47. But Smith's heroics wouldn't be enough, as Bossier-Shreveport fell to 0-3 on the season. The Battle Wings play host to 1-1 Amarillo this Saturday in hopes of winning their first game of 2005.

YARD DAWGZ BITE COYOTES! The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz took over sole possession of second place in the Midwest Division after downing the Central Valley Coyotes 48-41 Saturday night. A 57-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Jarrall Jackson with 1:14 left in regulation proved to be the eventual game-winner, as Oklahoma City moved to 2-1 on the season, while Central Valley fell to 1-1.

ELSEWHERE: A 42-yard field goal by Danny Kight as time expired lifted the Louisville Fire to a 48-46 win over South Georgia Friday night. In other Friday night action, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton remained unbeaten after beating Albany, 55-37, Memphis mauled Arkansas 54-13, and San Diego managed to score only more than half as many points than they did against Birmingham, as the Riptide lost badly to Bakersfield, 57-30. In Saturday night action, the Florida Firecats went on a scoring explosion, as they crushed the Rio Grande Valley Dorados 63-30. Meanwhile, more than 7,000 fans saw the host Manchester (N.H.) Wolves defeat the Green Bay Blizzard 59-47.

A LOOK AHEAD: Check out these outstanding match-ups that are on tap for Week 4!

Louisville (2-0) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (3-0): A battle of undefeated teams in the East Division is the marquee match-up for this week, as the Pioneers play host to the Fire in a Friday night showdown. The winner of this contest will take over sole possession of first place in the East Division.

Macon (2-1) at Green Bay (1-1): The Knights hope to extend their winning streak to three straight games with a road win this Saturday. On the other hand, the Blizzard will try to bounce back by winning its second home game in as many tries.

Quad City (1-1) at Oklahoma City (2-1): The Steamwheelers head south to Oklahoma to take on the Yard Dawgz in a battle for second place in the Midwest Division.

QUICK PICKS:

Last Week: 7-1 (.875)

Year-To-Date: 15-7 (.682)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over Louisville

Bakersfield over Rio Grande Valley

Albany over Manchester

Florida over South Georgia

Green Bay over Macon

Amarillo over Bossier-Shreveport

Memphis over Birmingham

Quad City over Oklahoma City

Tulsa over San Diego

Central Valley over Arkansas

UNDER THE ROOF: Don't forget to log on for "Under The Roof" with Dean Jackson every Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT. Each week, Jackson interviews the top players and insiders from around indoor and arena football. You can listen on demand anytime at //www.oursportscentral.com.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! Do you have any questions or comments about the af2, or do you want to brag about your favorite team? Send e-mail to af2nation@hotmail.com, and sound off on what's going on league wide.

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arenafootball2 Stories from April 19, 2005


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