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August 11, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


#4 MANCHSTER WOLVES (10-7) AT #1 FLORIDA FIRECATS (13-3)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2006 - Germain Arena (7,128) 7:30 P.M. ET
Manchester comes to Florida to battle the Firecats in a semifinal showdown after securing a 55-47 first round home win against W-B/Scranton. These two teams met earlier this season in Manchester with the Wolves winning in Manchester, 79-62. The Wolves' 79 points scored set a team record. It was also the most points the Firecats have allowed to an opponent in team history. Florida rookie FB/LB CLENTON CROSSLEY rushed for three touchdowns, while QB CHRIS WALLACE threw for 306 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. WR/DB ETHENIC SANDS (8 catches, 115 yards, 2 TDs) and WR/DB BRENT BURNSIDE (6 catches, 62 yards, 2 TDs) were Wallace's main targets. However, Manchester turned Wallace's mistakes into points as the defense returned two interceptions and one fumble for touchdowns. Defensive specialists BRIAN MANCE (8.5 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 break ups), RON SMALLS (5.5 tackles, FR) and WILLIAM HAITH (INT) all scored defensive touchdowns. Florida DS LEVY BROWN also had an interception for a touchdown. The Wolves offense was led by OS STEVE GONZALEZ, who caught all six of QB D. BRYANT's touchdowns. He had 13 receptions in all for 151 yards. Bryant also rushed for two touchdowns. The South Division Champion Florida Firecats last played in Week 18, winning 46-40 at South Georgia. Wallace threw for 297 yards and seven touchdowns in the victory, with OS MAGIC BENTON, WR/DB BRITTNEY TELLIS and Burnside all catching two touchdown passes. Brown had 9.5 tackles and two break ups, while 2006 tackle leader CORY BAILEY added 9.5 tackles. OL/DL ALFRED PETERSON (7 tackles, FF, FR) accumulated two of the team's four sacks. Benton finished the season second in receiving yards and tied for third in touchdown receptions. Florida finished second in the af2 with a plus+19 turnover margin. They also lead the league in scoring, averaging 59.2 points per game. Manchester's first round win over the Pioneers last week was aided by a number of big plays from Haith. Haith recorded 8.5 tackles, .5 TFL, two interceptions and had a 54-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown. The defense also had three sacks. QB STEVE BELLISARI kept his winning streak going (now at 5 games), throwing for 274 yards and seven touchdowns. OS ARI CONFESOR (subbing for the injured Gonzalez) caught seven passes for 130 yards and five scores, while WR/DB WENDELL WILLIAMS had 8 receptions for 125 yards and a score. This should be a close game and could come down to whoever possesses the ball last, as Florida's offense has been strong all season and Manchester has been riding high since Bellisari took the reins of the offense.

WOLVES FIRECATS
SERIES LEADER Manchester leads 2-1
LAST MEETING Manchester Won 79-62 on 5/20/2006
LAST FIVE GAMES 5-0 4-1
LAST GAME Won vs. WBS 55-47 on 8/4/2006 Won at SGW 46-40 on 7/29/2006
2006 LEADERS WOLVES FIRECATS
PASSING Bryant: 339-221-7; 2424; 59 TDs Wallace: 491-299-14; 3918; 100 TDs
RECEIVING Gonzalez: 118-1355; 44 TDs Benton: 111-1612; 40 TDs
RUSHING Kimener: 61-293; 8 TDs Crossley: 96-380; 18 TDs
TACKLES Haith: 71.5 Bailey: 117.5
SACKS Forney: 4 Fisher: 5
INTERCEPTIONS Haith: 6 Brown: 8
KICKING Pohlman: 40-43 PAT; 3-7 FG 49 PTS Kornblue: 80-114 PAT; 3-7 FG 89 PTS
TEAM OFFENSE 53.6 PPG (9); 278.7 (7) 59.2 PPG (1); 274.1 (11)
TEAM DEFENSE 47.8 PPG (13); 256.3 (8) 47.0 PPG (10); 268.1 (10)

#5 ARKANSAS TWISTERS (11-6) AT #2 TULSA TALONS (11-5)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2006 - Tulsa Convention Center (7,111) 8:00 P.M. ET
The Arkansas Twisters go for their fourth straight victory over Tulsa and third this season against the Talons on Saturday night in this National Conference semifinal. These two teams are very familiar with each other. They are longtime rivals who have played 14 times dating back to the af2's first season of 2000. Tulsa leads the overall series, 8-6. Arkansas will once again be on the road this week at the Tulsa Convention Center after defeating Oklahoma City, 47-43, in the first round. Behind QB WALTER CHURCH (276 passing yards, 5 TD passes), the offense looked sharp, despite scoring only 47 points. OS ROBERT KILOW and WR/DB KEVIN WILLIAMS caught 10 passes total, each for 87 yards and two touchdowns. FB/LB PIERRE THOMAS, who led the defense with 7.5 tackles, rushed for and caught a touchdown as well. OL/DL KIMANI JONES returned a missed field goal for a touchdown that shifted the momentum at the half, especially with Arkansas in the midst of a 21-0 run. Tulsa's last game was a 67-33 home win in Week 18 against Amarillo. QB BEN BOWLING, subbing for QB MARK RADLINSKI, threw for 266 yards and seven touchdowns. Bowling earned Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors. WR/DB CESARE MANNING (7 catches, 120 yards, 3 TDs) and WR/DB DON MCGEE (4 catches, 88 yards, 3 TDs) were Bowling's main weapons as the offense barely missed a beat. OL/DL CHAZ MURPHY played well on defense with two sacks, while DS JAMES SADLER recorded 4.5 tackles and picked off a pass, which he returned for a touchdown. The last time these teams met, Arkansas put up 61 points, the third highest total for them this season. The same result will be tough to duplicate against the league's second-ranked scoring defense. Church threw six touchdown passes in the win, with WR/LB JON SCHOONOVER catching three of them. DS DELENELL REID led the defense with seven tackles and two interceptions. Radlinski had the worst game of his otherwise solid rookie season by throwing an af2 record seven interceptions. He came into that contest with just seven picks in his first 14 games. Both teams feature exceptional pass rushes, ranking first and third in the league. Arkansas, which led the league with 51 sacks, has the most dangerous combination in the af2 in FB/LB Steve Watson (tied for league lead with 16.0 sacks) and DLS C.J. McLain (3rd - 14.5 sacks). Tulsa ranked third overall with 41 sacks. Murphy led the squad individually with 10. Expect a close, low scoring battle. The Talons will be inspired at home and out to take some of the wind out of a Twisters team that has had Tulsa's number of late.

TWISTERS TALONS
SERIES LEADER Tulsa leads 8-6
LAST MEETING Arkansas Won 61-40 on 7/22/2006
LAST FIVE GAMES 3-2 4-1
LAST GAME Won at OKC 47-43 on 8/5/2006 Won vs. AMA 67-33 on 7/29/2006
2006 LEADERS TWISTERS TALONS
PASSING Church: 550-294-25; 3623; 81 TDs Radlinski: 501-301-14; 3525; 74 TDs
RECEIVING Kilow: 82-927; 23 TDs Forde: 83-923; 25 TDs
RUSHING Watson: 18-40; 6 TDs Radlinski: 43-121; 13 TDs
TACKLES Reid: 100.5 Sadler: 69
SACKS Watson: 16 Murphy: 10
INTERCEPTIONS Reid: 7, Williams: 7 Sadler: 8
KICKING Carlton: 67-87 PAT; 9-33 FG 94 PTS Phillips: 94-119 PAT; 6-20 FG 112 PTS
TEAM OFFENSE 47.8 PPG (14); 228.9 (20) 54.2 PPG (8); 275.0 (9)
TEAM DEFENSE 44.6 PPG (3); 238.8 (4) 44.2 PPG (2); 235.7 (3)

#6 BAKERSFIELD BLITZ (10-7) AT #1 SPOKANE SHOCK (14-2)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2006 - Spokane Arena (9,909) 10:00 P.M. ET
Spokane hosts Bakersfield in this semifinal matchup of new West Division rivals. In two previous meetings this season, the two teams have split the series. Spokane won the first meeting in Week 2 at Bakersfield, 49-45, while the Blitz took the second affair three weeks later in Week 5, 52-20, at Spokane Arena. Bakersfield was the only team to defeat Spokane at home this year. The Blitz feature a face at quarterback that Spokane hasn't seen in person in BOBBY PESAVENTO. His backup, however, is someone the Shock are very familiar with - ALEX NEIST. Neist played in 11 games for Spokane this year, many of which were starts, before ending up in Bakersfield. Bakersfield OS RENNA REYNOLDS (4 TD receptions) and DS ALEX WALLACE (1 INT in each game) both played well in the Blitz/Shock season series. The Blitz are coming off a first round upset win on the road, defeating Central Valley, 45-37. They held Coyotes record-setting QB SCOTT RISLOV to 210 passing yards and four touchdowns, and turned their doubters into believers as the #1 total defense held Central Valley nearly 20 points under their regular season scoring average. Wallace accounted for nine tackles and six pass break ups, while OL/DL JERRY TURNER made his presence felt with three sacks. FB/LB NICK ONAINDIA rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown, while WR/DB ERIC MAHANKE, WR/DB DERONN FINLEY and Reynolds all hauled in passes for scores. Pesavento was the real difference maker, however, as he came on in relief of Neist and led the Bakersfield comeback with three touchdown passes and a touchdown run as well. The Blitz rebounded back from an early 13-0 deficit. Finley pulled Bakersfield ahead in the fourth quarter with a 50-yard kick return for a touchdown. They added a field goal in the final minute to seal the victory. The Shock come into the game well rested after a bye week that was well earned after finishing the season with the best overall record in the league at 14-2. In the process, they also won the West Division regular season crown. In the Shock's final matchup of the regular season, they won at Rio Grande Valley, 54-30. FB/LB KATON BETHEY rushed for three touchdowns (and recorded a sack on defense). FB/LB MOA PEAUA rushed for two touchdowns as well as the Shock used a ball-control offense to seal their final victory of the season. DS LEO FENCEROY (7 tackles and an INT) and DS ROB KEEFE (6.5 tackles and an INT) were forces on the defensive side of the ball. Players to watch in the game are Wallace and Turner for Bakersfield and WR/LB CHARLES FREDERICK and Keefe for Spokane as all four have a knack for playing their best when the game is on the line. Spokane fans are hoping for an orange crush, but the Blitz will not be intimidated by the Shock.

BLITZ SHOCK
SERIES LEADER Series tied 1-1
LAST MEETING Bakersfield Won 52-20 on 5/6/2006
LAST FIVE GAMES 2-3 5-0
LAST GAME Won at CVC 45-37 on 8/4/2006 Won at RGV 54-30 on 7/29/2006
2006 LEADERS BLITZ SHOCK
PASSING Wall: 276-160-8; 1787; 43 TDs Neist: 344-214-8; 2550; 44 TDs
RECEIVING Reynolds: 106-1463; 36 TDs Frederick: 85-973; 22 TDs
RUSHING Onaindia: 25-102; 5 TDs Vijil: 30-68; 10 TDs
TACKLES Wallace: 51 Keefe: 86.5
SACKS Turner: 16 Purvis: 3
INTERCEPTIONS Wallace: 11 Keefe: 10
KICKING Johnson: 48-55 PAT; 4-13 FG 60 PTS Koker: 89-114 PAT; 4-9 FG 101 PTS
TEAM OFFENSE 48.2 PPG (13); 251.3 (17) 55.8 PPG (7); 260.2 (15)
TEAM DEFENSE 44.9 PPG (4); 220.2 (1) 47.4 PPG (11); 258.6 (9)



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