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June 14, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


GAMES ON - af2/B2 FEATURED GAMES IN WEEK 11: The arenafootball2 league (af2) has established a new, extensive online network to provide the league's passionate fan base an opportunity to view a vast number of games through the internet. Thanks to a new league partnership with industry leader B2 Networks, fans across the globe are now be able to bring all the action of af2 football right to their home computer or laptop. To tune into the action, fans can log on to www.af2.com and click on the special advertisement located at the top right-hand corner of the page. Viewers looking to enjoy the games via B2 will only need a high-speed internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 or higher. Games will be available for the normal B2 rate of just $6. This week there are six (6) af2 games available though B2. The Week 12 online broadcast schedule is detailed below. All times listed are Eastern.

Week 12

Friday, June 15, 2007

Cincinnati at Albany 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Alabama at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.

Manchester at Florida 7:30 p.m.

Spokane at Tri-Cities 8:00 p.m.

Rio Grande Valley at Boise 9:00 p.m.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Central Valley at Bakersfield 6:00 p.m.

OFF THE NET/week 12: The arenafootball2 league (af2) online radio show, "Off the Net," the only internet radio show devoted solely to af2, will air its twelfth show of the season today, Thursday, June 14, on www.af2.com. This week's show features special in-depth interviews with Albany QB RYAN VENA, Spokane radio broadcaster LARRY WEIR, and GARY STIBOLT, President of the Quad City Steamwheelers Fan Club. The program will also include news and notes from around the af2 as the league enters the twelfth week of the 2007 season. Fans can easily access the program by clicking on a special "Off the Net" advertisement located at the lower right hand corner of af2.com. The show will be available online late this afternoon. "Off the Net," now in its second season, airs every Thursday throughout the regular season and continues all the way until an ArenaCup Champion is crowned in late August. The show is designed to bring af2 fans even closer to their favorite game with in-depth news, interesting interviews and fun feature stories. Veteran broadcaster Dean Jackson serves as host.

PIONEERS TOP COACHES POLL FOR RECORD EIGHTH STRAIGHT WEEK: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers have maintained the No. 1 ranking of the Weekly Coaches Poll for a record eighth straight week, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced today. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton collected 462 of a possible 464 points and 28-of-30 first place votes in securing the top position. The Pioneers remained undefeated in 2007 at 9-0 after a 70-62 Week 11 win at No. 2 South Georgia in a battle of the two top-ranked teams in the league. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's current eight-week presence at the top of the Coaches Poll surpassed the seven-week run at No. 1 that the Florida Firecats enjoyed in 2005. The Wildcats (7-3, 347 points) slipped three spots this week to No. 5 in light of the loss to the Pioneers. Taking over the No. 2 position is the Tulsa Talons (9-1, 408 points, 2 first place votes), who fought for a 61-48 road win Saturday at Corpus Christi. Rio Grande Valley (8-1, 399 points) moved up one spot to No. 3 after a convincing 71-7 home win against Texas. Bossier-Shreveport (8-2, 367 points) also improved one position this week to No. 4 overall on the strength of the Battle Wings second straight road win at Alabama, 49-32.

DONALDSON, MCCOLLISTER, JETER, PERRY EARN WEEK 11 HONORS: Green Bay wide receiver/kick returner DANNY DONALDSON, South Georgia wide receiver CHAVIS MCCOLLISTER and Rio Grande Valley lineman CURTIS JETER have been named the U.S. Army Ironman, Schutt Offensive Player and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 11 of the 2007 season. In addition to these three awards, the af2 is also highlighting the player who makes the best catch of the week. The Cutters Catch of the Week Award for Week 11 goes to Bossier-Shreveport wide receiver JAMAAL PERRY.

Donaldson (5-9, 185, Greenville), in his first af2 season, had an impressive all-around effort for Green Bay in the team's 54-39 home win against Mahoning Valley in Week 11. The rookie from Greenville College scored five total touchdowns on the night, including three in the fourth quarter to help the Blizzard surge past the Thunder. Donaldson electrified the home crowd with not one, but two 57-yard kick return touchdowns and also caught four passes for 58 yards and three touchdowns. He recorded one tackle on defense as well. This is the first weekly league award of Donaldson's career. He is also the first Blizzard player to be honored by the league this season. Donaldson currently leads Green Bay in scoring (80 points), total touchdowns (13), receiving (32-495; 11 TDs) and kick returns (27-563; 2 TDs). McCollister (5-9, 210, Tarleton) had an amazing individual performance for South Georgia on Saturday in the team's 70-62 home loss to top-ranked Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The playmaker from Tarleton, now in his third af2 season, set new league single-game records with 308 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns against the Pioneers. McCollister also tied af2 single-game highs for points scored (48) and total touchdowns (8). He caught 16 passes on the night, averaging over 19 yards per reception (19.25), and also had three rushes for 13 yards for a total of 321 all-purpose yards. This is the third weekly league honor of McCollister's career. He earned two af2 weekly awards in 2006 with two different teams (U.S. Army Ironman of the Week - WK7 - Oklahoma City; Schutt Offensive Player of the Week - WK14 - Macon). McCollister currently leads the league in receiving yards (1,157), ranks second in receptions (90), and is tied for seventh in receiving touchdowns (21). Jeter (6-1, 315, UAB), in his seventh af2 season, had a breakout game defensively in Week 11 for Rio Grande Valley in the team's 71-7 home win against Texas. The UAB alum recorded 3.0 tackles, 2.0 sacks and forced three fumbles as the Dorados defense set an af2 single-game record with 12 total sacks against the Copperheads. Jeter's impressive effort also included three fumble recoveries, one of which he recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. This is the first weekly af2 award of Jeter's career. He is also the first Rio Grande Valley player to be honored by the league in 2007. Perry (5-9, 180, Hofstra), who is in his third season in the af2, received the Cutters Catch of the Week Award for his diving, 35-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter of Bossier-Shreveport's 49-32 road win against Alabama. The former Hofstra standout fully extended to snare the scoring pass from QB Gary Cooper. Perry finished the night with five catches for 117 yards (23.4 ypr) and two touchdowns. This is the second Catch of the Week Award of Perry's career. He was also honored last season for Week 2 as a member of the Manchester Wolves. Perry leads the Battle Wings in receiving with 70 catches for 904 yards. He's also tied for the team-lead in touchdown receptions with 15 and is tied for second on the squad in scoring with 96 points (16 TDs; 15 receiving, 1 rushing).

SEBASTIEN AND FORBES TIED ATOP THE CAREER INTERCEPTION LEADERBOARD: Veteran DB MATT FORBES of the Louisville Fire began the year tied for first on the all-time regular season interceptions list with 27. He moved into first place outright on the all-time list in Week 1 when he recorded his 28th career interception. Entering Week 10, Forbes held the all-time lead over another veteran DB ALLISTAIR SEBASTIEN, 29-28. Sebastien then recorded two interceptions on June 1 against Tulsa to take over the top spot, 30-29. Forbes evened the score the very next night with an interception in a home win against Green Bay. Florida WR/DB BRENT BURNSIDE ranks fifth overall with 24 career interceptions.

ALL-TIME REGULAR SEASON

INTERCEPTION LEADERS

NAME INTS

1. Matt Forbes* 30

1. Allistair Sebastien* 30

3. Arkee Thompson 27

4. Michael Brown 25

5. Brent Burnside* 24

* denotes active players

INGOLD AND BENNETT MOVE UP WIN LIST: W-B/Scranton Head Coach RICH INGOLD and Manchester Head Coach BEN BENNETT have been steadily climbing up the all-time coaching wins chart this season. With both coaches earning victories in Week 11, Ingold has moved into a tie for second overall in league history with 52 wins while Bennett is now tied for fourth with 51 wins. The current all-time coaching wins leader is CHRIS SIEGFRIED with 57. KEVIN GUY (52) and BOBBY HUMPHREY (51) are the only other coaches in af2 history with 50 or more career wins. Ingold became the fourth coach in league history to win 50 games in Week 8 at Tennessee Valley. He is currently the winningest active coach in the league. Bennett joined the 50-win club with a Week 9 win at Mahoning Valley. Louisville's TOMMY JOHNSON hit a milestone in Week 6 by notching his 40th career af2 win. Johnson, currently with 43 victories, is just the tenth coach in league history to hit the 40-win plateau.

TOP ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES

NAME WINS

1. Chris Siegfried 57

2. Rich Ingold* 52

Kevin Guy 52

4. Ben Bennett* 51

Bobby Humphrey 51

6. Danton Barto 49

* denotes active coaches

MCCOLLISTER SETS RECEIVING RECORDS: South Georgia WR Chavis McCollister put on an amazing individual show for the Wildcats in a home loss to top-ranked Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Week 11, setting af2 single-game records for receiving yards (308) and receiving touchdowns (8). McCollister's receiving yard mark bested the old league single-game standard by 31 yards. The old record was held by Tallahassee WR Carl Bond, who recorded 277 receiving yards on July 28, 2000 against Tulsa. McCollister's eight receiving scores was one more than the previous league record of seven. Current Fort Wayne WR CESARE MANNING was the most recent of four players who totaled seven receiving scores in one game. Manning equaled the old mark on June 24, 2005 as a member of the Louisville Fire in a game at Albany. McCollister, a three-year veteran from Tarleton, also tied af2 single-game highs for points scored (48) and total touchdowns (8). He caught 16 passes on the night, averaging over 19 yards per reception (19.25), and also had three rushes for 13 yards for a total of 321 all-purpose yards. McCollister currently leads the league in receiving yards (1,157), ranks second in receptions (90), and is tied for seventh in receiving touchdowns (21).

BIG GAME LIVES UP TO TOP BILLING: In a heavyweight af2 contest between the two top ranked teams in the af2, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and South Georgia locked up in an epic battle that turned out to be as good as advertised. After an intense back-and-forth affair, the Pioneers held on to win their ninth straight, 70-62, in front of 5,813 at Cooper Tire Field in Albany, Ga. A number of players put up impressive individual statistics in the game, including Ryan Vena (321 passing yards, 8 TDs, 1 INT, 1 rush TD) and Buchie Ibeh (12 catches, 135 yards, 3 TDs) for the Pioneers and D. Bryant (21-35-2, 357 yards, 9 TDs) and Chavis McCollister (16 catches, 308 yards, 8 TDs) of the Wildcats.

DORADOS SET SACK RECORD: Rio Grande Valley sacked Texas QB Kenton Evans 13 times last Saturday to set a new af2 record for sacks in a game. Keenan Washington (4), Quinton Staton (3.5) and Curtis Jeter (3.0) led the team in sacks for the game. The team previous record was 10 sacks in a game, set on April 3, 2004 at Laredo (the Dorados' first-ever game). The previous af2 high for sacks in a game was 11, set on two occasions, most recently by Bossier-Shreveport earlier this season in a game on April 14 against the very same opponent, Texas. The Dorados currently lead the af2 in sacks with a team-record 40 through nine games. At their current rate of 4.4 sacks per game, they are pace to post 71 sacks for the season, a mark that would shatter the current af2 team record of 52 set by Carolina in 2001.

THIS HOUSE CAN MOVE: Florida FB WALLACE HOUSE has been a "big" reason why the Firecats have won three straight games. The 6-foot, 290-pound fullback had a breakout performance in the team's 53-37 win our South Division rival Tennessee Valley on Saturday with 11 rushes for 91 yards and four touchdowns. House's 91 rushing yards was an af2 season-high and also the third highest single game total in league history. Despite playing in just five games so far, the rookie from Fordham ranks in the Top-10 in rushing touchdowns with eight and leads the league in rushing yards per game at 28.8.

DOWN TO ONE: Entering Week 12 of the season, there is only one team that remains undefeated - the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (9-0). The Pioneers, off to their best start in team history (3rd best start in af2 history), are currently ranked No. 1 in the Weekly Coaches Poll. The Pioneers remained undefeated in 2007 after a 70-62 Week 11 win at No. 2 South Georgia in a battle of the two top-ranked teams in the league. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's current eight-week presence at the top of the Coaches Poll surpassed the seven-week run at No. 1 that the Florida Firecats enjoyed in 2005. The Pioneers host No. 16 Alabama (5-5) this Saturday at Wachovia Arena. Below is a chart detailing the best starts in af2 history.

TEAM, START, SEASON

Quad City, 16-0, 2000

Tennessee Valley, 14-0, 2003

W-B/Scranton*, 9-0, 2007

Augusta, 7-0, 2002

Richmond, 7-0, 2002

Tulsa, 7-0, 2007

* denotes active steaks

Of the top six starts in af2 history, however, only one team finished strong as well. The Quad City Steamwheelers ran the table in the league's inaugural 2000 season and won all 16 regular season games and three playoff games, culminating with an ArenaCup Championship. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's fate however, is yet to be determined.

OH BOY GEORGE - WILLIAMS HITS 800: Florida WR MAGIC BENTON became the first player in af2 history to score 900 points in a Week 6 win at Albany. The veteran, who entered the contest with 898 points, scored three touchdowns against the Conquest to increase his career total to 916 points. Benton, in his seventh season, is currently the league's all-time scoring leader with 930 points. His next closest competitor is Arkansas veteran WR/LB KEVIN WILLIAMS. Williams is just two points away from the 900-point plateau (898). Manchester WR JARRAIL JACKSON hit the impressive 800-point plateau in Week 9 and is currently third on the list of the league's all-time top scorers with 816 points. Rio Grande Valley WR/DB GEORGE WILLIAMS (806) broke past 800 career points thanks to a five-touchdown performance this past Saturday (WK11) at home in a win against Texas. Quad City WR/LB Jack Walker, jr. (780) and Oklahoma City WR/DB AL HUNT (754) all ecllipsed the 700-point plateau this season. Below is a breakdown of the leading scorers in af2 history:

MOST POINTS SCORED, NON-KICKING, CAREER

PTS, PLAYER, YEARS PLAYED

930, Magic Benton*, 2001-present

898, Kevin Williams*, 2001-present

816, Jarrail Jackson*, 2000-01, 2005-present

806, George Williams*, 2001, 2003-present

780, Jack Walker, Jr.*, 2002-03, 2005-present

780, Mitch Allner, 2000-04

756, Cainon Lamb, 2002-05

754, Al Hunt*, 2003-present

738, Kevin Prentiss, 2003-2006

* denotes active players

af2 ALUMNI EARNS AFL AWARD: This week Dallas Desperados WR/DB WILL PETTIS was named the AFL's Ironman of the Week for Week 15 of the 2007 season. Pettis began his Arena Football career in the af2. Pettis (6-0, 200, Midwestern St.) recorded a team-high 11 receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns on offense while registering four tackles on defense along with 145 kickoff return yards on special teams as the Dallas Desperados (13-1) defeated the New Orleans VooDoo (4-10), 80-79, on Saturday. Pettis' first touchdown reception put Dallas ahead 14-7 while his second put the Desperados on top, 66-59, with 2:06 seconds remaining in the game. Pettis scored a two-point conversion that put Dallas ahead by seven with 14 seconds remaining in the game. This is Pettis' second straight Ironman of the Week Award and fourth of the season.



arenafootball2 Stories from June 14, 2007


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