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af2 Nation

by Walter L. Johnson II
May 10, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)


Six weeks have come and gone in the 2005 arenafootball2 season, and with at least one-third of the regular season now completed, division races are now starting to take shape, with the only the defending Arena Cup champion Florida Firecats remaining undefeated despite a bye week.

Meanwhile, there has been yet another change of coaches within the af2 ranks, as the Macon (Ga.) Knights fired Mike Hold as their head coach Sunday night. The move comes as the Knights head into their bye week with a 2-4 record, losers of their last three games, the latest a 52-37 loss at home to the Albany (N.Y.) Conquest last Saturday.

As for the actual action on the field, yet another previously unbeaten team fell on the road, while a certain expansion team from Texas continues to surprise even the most casual fan. Let's read on to find out all the details.

WOLVES PUT OUT FIRE: More than 6,000 fans packed the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H., and saw the Wolves hand the Louisville Fire its first loss of the season, as they won 46-37 last Friday night. Quarterback Jake Eaton passed for six touchdowns and 230 yards on 19-of-26 passing to lead Manchester to victory. For the Fire, quarterback Matt Sauk completed 30 of 45 passes for 288 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions, while Rob Mager made ten receptions for 104 yards and touchdowns. But those impressive efforts wouldn't be enough, as Louisville fell to 4-1 on the season, and into a three-way tie for first place in the East Division with Green Bay and Manchester.

DUSTERS DUST STEAMWHEELERS: The Amarillo Dusters continued their amazing first-year run in the af2 last Saturday, as they downed the Quad City Steamwheelers 58-48 in Amarillo, Tex. Jeremy Hershey kicked a 29-yard field goal with six seconds remaining to give the Dusters a 51-48 lead. Then a 51-yard return of a missed field goal by wide receiver/defensive back Kendrick Walker for a touchdown put the game out of reach, as the Dusters ran their record to 4-1 on the season. Quarterback Julian Reese completed 21-of-34 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns. On the other hand, Steamwheelers QB Sam Clemons completed 23-of-32 passes 209 yards and four touchdowns in a losing cause.

COYOTES TAME TALONS: The Talons used a touchdown from Corky Martin with just 27 seconds left to give themselves a 63-57. But a missed extra point would come back to haunt Tulsa, as quarterback Juston Wood tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to De Ronn Finley to help lead the Central Valley Coyotes to a 64-63 win on the road. The win not only exceeded the Coyotes win total from last season (4-1), but also put the second year franchise in sole possession of first place in the West Division.

ELSEWHERE: Here is a quick recap of the remaining action from Week 6.

Albany 52, Macon 37: A third quarter surge helped lift the Conquest to its second straight win after starting the season 0-3. Offensive specialist Jeremiah Pope led the Conquest with seven catches for 102 yards in the victory.

Bakersfield 75, Bossier-Shreveport 40: Rookie QB Jason Thomas connected 18-of-21 passes for 247 yards and seven touchdowns to give the Blitz its second win of the season.

Green Bay 48, Arkansas 35: New head coach, same result for the struggling Twisters, as the visiting Blizzard spoiled the debut of John Gregory, picking up a 13 point win on the road. With the loss, Arkansas remained winless at 0-5, while Green Bay improved to 4-1.

Memphis 43, Oklahoma City 38: Defensive specialist Dahnel Singfield made four tackles, four interceptions, and one interception, as the Xplorers held off the Yard Dawgz late for a five-point win.

South Georgia 69, Birmingham 49: QB Bobby Pesavento and receiver Matt Burstein connected for five touchdowns as the Wildcats won their first game of the season, improving to 1-4. Meanwhile, the Steeldogs joined Arkansas as the only winless teams in the af2 this season, as Birmingham dropped to 0-5.

Rio Grande Valley 51, San Diego 45: QB Josh Kellet connected on 16-of-31 passes for 222 yards, as the Dorados rallied from a 32-13 deficit to defeat the Riptide.

A LOOK AHEAD: Here are the top games for Week 7.

Louisville (4-1) at Green Bay (4-1): The Fire plays its second straight road game in as many weekends, as it takes on the red-hot Blizzard. At least a share of first place in the East Division will be at stake Saturday night.

Amarillo (4-1) at Memphis (5-1): The Dusters travel to Tennessee to face the Xplorers in a Week 2 re-match. Memphis downed Amarillo 66-41 on the road Apr. 8. Once again, sole possession of first place in the Midwest Division will go to the winner of this critical Saturday night contest.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (3-2) at Quad City (3-2): The Pioneers head west to Moline, Ill. to battle the Steamwheelers in this big inter-conference match-up. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton returns to action after a bye week, while Quad City hopes to bounce back after losing to Amarillo last weekend. The Pioneers currently trail Green Bay, Louisville, and Manchester by one game in the American Conference East Division, while the Steamwheelers currently sit in third place in the National Conference Midwest Division.

QUICK PICKS:

Last week: 5-4 (.556)

Year-To-Date: 33-18 (.647)

Tulsa over Bakersfield (Friday)

Manchester over Albany

South Georgia over Arkansas

Florida over Bossier-Shreveport

Green Bay over Louisville

Memphis over Amarillo

Quad City over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Birmingham over San Diego

Central Valley over Rio Grande Valley

Bye: Oklahoma City, Macon

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 game recaps, press releases, and more. Make OSC your number one source for indoor and arena football information.

CONTACT US: Want to comment on this column? Send a message to af2nation@hotmail.com, and tell us what you think.



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