af2 Nation
by Walter L. Johnson II
Published on May 5, 2005 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Say goodbye to April, and hello to May, as the 2005 arenafootball2 season enters its second month. As we approach Week 6, only two teams are still unbeaten in af2 action. The Florida Firecats ran their record to 5-0 after routing the winless Arkansas Twisters 68-50 last Saturday. Meanwhile, 9,151 fans packed Freedom Hall to see the Louisville Fire hold off a late rally from the also winless Birmingham Steeldogs for a 48-46 victory.
Speaking of the Twisters, they provided the first firings of the 2005 season, as head coach Gary Anderson and general manager Andy Haskell both lost their jobs after starting 0-4. John Gregory is now the Twisters head coach. In Amarillo, Tex., the Amarillo Dusters also had a coaching change, as Steve Perdue took over as head coach last Thursday. Perdue replaces Don Carthel, who resigned to became the head coach at West Texas A&M.
Oh, and one more thing! There was a thriller in the Quad Cities, as the host Quad City Steamwheelers and the visiting Memphis Xplorers played a wire-to-wire battle last weekend. That leads to our weekly recap of the week that was in the af2.
XPLORERS XTERMINATED! A 45-yard field goal by Nick Gatto in the closing helped lift the Steamwheelers to a 45-42 win over Memphis. Quarterback Sam Clemons threw a touchdown pass to Jack Walker, Jr., therefore tying the score at 42-42 to help set up the eventual game-winning field goal. The Xplorers fell to 4-1 on the season despite Kevin Prentiss making 10 receptions for 87 yards. Meanwhile, the Steamwheelers improved to 3-1 on the season, thus pulling Memphis to within half a game of first place in the Midwest Division.
TALONS TAKE DOWN YARD DAWGZ: The Tulsa Talons scored the last two touchdowns of the game to take a 47-34 win over the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz Saturday night in Tulsa. Chris Canty broke up four passes as well as made four tackles in the victory. Additionally, Donovan Morgan gained 171 all-purpose, including a 56-yard return of a missed field goal for a touchdown to give the Talons an early lead.
BLIZZARD BLITZ PIONEERS: The Green Bay Blizzard handed the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers their second straight loss Saturday, as they picked a 48-40 win on the road. The Pioneers fell to 3-2 despite 10 receptions, 139 yards, and three touchdowns from Rocco Forgione. On the other hand, Green Bay wide receiver/linebacker Robert Garth contributed equally on both sides of the ball, as he had four receptions for 61 yards, while returning a 49-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
WOLVES "HOWL" IN MACON: The Manchester (N.H.) Wolves overcame a slow against the Macon Knights to claim a 56-32 win in Macon, Ga. last Friday. Quarterback Jake Eaton completed 19-of-26 passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns and one interception. Additionally, Eaton also rushed five times for 14 yards and one touchdown. The Wolves notched their straight win after losing their season opener to Florida on Apr. 8, and now find themselves tied with Green Bay for second place in the East Division.
ELSEWHERE: Here is a quick round up of scores of other games in the af2 from Week 5.
Albany 48, South Georgia 39: Despite another impressive turnout of fans at the Albany (Ga.) Civic Center last Saturday, the Wildcats still yet to find their first win of the season, as the Conquest capitalized on four interceptions to improve to 1-3 on the season.
Amarillo 49, San Diego 31: The Dusters improved to 3-1 on the season, thanks to QB Julian Reese completing 20-of-36 passes for three touchdowns to go with four rushing touchdowns.
Central Valley 40, Bakersfield 21: Quarterback Juston Wood completed 17-of-34 passes for 185 yards and four touchdowns, as well as rushed for another touchdown, as the Coyotes remained tied with Tulsa for first place in the West Division.
A LOOK AHEAD: The first weekend in May has several great match-ups on tap. Let's read on to find out what's in store for Week 6.
Louisville (4-0) at Manchester (3-1): The Fire face another big test this Friday, as they make the long trek up to New Hampshire to take on the Wolves in this East Division showdown.
Quad City (3-1) at Amarillo (3-1): The Steamwheelers travel down to Texas to face the Dusters in this Midwest Division clash Saturday. The winner of this game not only will take over sole possession of second place in the division, but also could even be in first place depending upon the outcome of the Memphis-Oklahoma City game, also on Saturday.
Central Valley at Tulsa: First place in the West Division will be on the line this Saturday when the Talons host the upstart Coyotes in a battle of 3-1 teams.
QUICK PICKS:
Manchester over Louisville
Albany over Macon
Bakersfield over Bossier-Shreveport
Tulsa over Central Valley
Quad City over Amarillo
Green Bay over Arkansas
Memphis over Oklahoma City
Birmingham over South Georgia
San Diego over Rio Grande Valley
Bye: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Florida
UNDER THE ROOF: Get your indoor/arena football weekend started off right, with "Under The Roof", every Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern time, on OSC Radio. Join host Dean Jackson for the latest news and interviews on the indoor and arena football scene, from the AFL to the UIF. Then, on game night, log on to http://www.oursportscentral.com, click on the "Netcasts" page, and look under "Indoor/Arena Football" to see if your favorite team is broadcasting its games online. Finally, after the game, continue to log on to OSC for headlines, press releases. Make OSC your number one source for indoor and arena football information.
CONTACT US: Do you want to sound off about what's going on around the af2? Or, do you want us to know how we're doing? Send a message to af2nation@hotmail.com, and tell us what you think.
arenafootball2 Stories from May 5, 2005
- Blizzard Ranked #7 - Green Bay Blizzard
- Lucero Rejoins the Blitz - Bakersfield Blitz
- Yard Dawgz travel to take on Memphis Xplorers - Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
- af2 Nation - OSC Original by Walter L. Johnson II
- Xplorers Look to Get Back in Win Column - Memphis Xplorers
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
