af2 Saturday Night Matchups

May 9, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

Two first place teams hook up for a rare Saturday afternoon matchup as the Albany Conquest visit the Cincinnati Swarm. The Conquest, led by head coach PETE COSTANZA, took over sole possession of first place in the Northeast division with a 68-49 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last week. In the game, quarterback RYAN VENA passed for eight touchdowns and ran for another. Offensive specialist COREY HILL had 13 catches with two touchdowns in the game, and his 115 receiving yards pushed him past the 3,000 mark for his career. The Swarm, coached by CHRIS MACKEOWN, has won three straight and sit tied with Quad City for the Midwest division lead. Offensive specialist JAMES SCOTT sits among the league leaders in receiving, totaling 39 catches for 512 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Offensively the Conquest edge the Swarm by averaging 50.8 points per game to the Swarm's 43.0. Defensively, these teams rank seventh and eighth in points allowed as Albany allows 39.0 while Cincinnati gives up 39.4. The Conquest scored a team record 69 last week, and the Swarm has scored 127 points over their last two games combined. This is the first and only meeting between these teams this season.

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PIONEERS (1-4) AT NORFOLK NIGHTHAWKS (2-2)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - NORFOLK SCOPE ARENA (8,965) 7:00 P.M. ET

The Wilkes-Barre Pioneers travel to Norfolk for their first-ever tilt with the Nighthawks. Both teams come in looking to bust losing streaks as the Pioneers fell to Albany last week, while the Nighthawks have dropped two straight. The Pioneers have the 16th best scoring offense in af2, as they average 40.8 points per game. The combination of quarterback CHRIS BODEN to COSMO DEMATTEO has been lethal at times with the duo hooking up 25 times for 355 yards and nine touchdowns. Norfolk, who ranks 23rd in scoring, counters with AARON SPARROW and TRAVIS BURNS, who have connected for six touchdowns this season. Burns also rushes for the occasional score - he had two rushing tallies last week. The Nighthawks are 8-2 over their last ten home games, while the Pioneers are 2-7 on the road all-time. These teams play again next week at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

ROCHESTER BRIGADE (1-4) AT RICHMOND SPEED (2-2)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - RICHMOND COLISEUM (11,088) 7:00 P.M. ET

After dropping its first two games of the season, the Speed has rebounded to win two straight and they'll try to make it three in row against the Rochester Brigade. Rochester won its first game of the season last week, slipping past Mohegan 37-34. The Speed comes in off its best offensive effort of the season, a 59-52 win over Greensboro. Speed offensive specialist DAMON THOMPSON earned Offensive Player of the week honors for his 18-catch, 225-yard effort against the Prowlers. Quarterback ROY JOHNSON passed for 326 yards in that game and has yet to throw an interception this season. Rochester's DEREK BAKER serves as the Brigade's main playmaker on both sides of the ball. For the season, Baker has leads the team with 22 catches for 442 yards and nine touchdowns and he has three interceptions. The Speed defense has allowed 43.8 points per game this season compared to 45.6 allowed by the Brigade. The Speed is 0-2 against the Northeast division this season. This is the first of two scheduled contests with the second matchup to be played at Rochester in two weeks.

MACON KNIGHTS (4-1) AT COLUMBUS WARDOGS (2-2)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - COLUMBUS CIVIC CE NTER (7,600) 7:00 P.M. ET

The first place Macon Knights battle intra-state rival Columbus on Saturday night. The Knights have never lost to the Wardogs and have outscored them 235-111 in the previous four meetings. The Wardogs, led by JOHN FOURCADE, have lost two straight, but are 2-1 at home this season. Wide receiver/defensive back JAMES DICKERSON, who is closing in on 500 career points, has caught 21 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns this season. Macon's leading receiver, JACQUES RUMPH, has 44 grabs for 473 yards and seven touchdowns. The Knights are seventh in af2 with a 48.6 points per game average, while the Wardogs rank 25th in that category with 30.5 average. Defensively, the Knights have been tough, allowing only 33.6 per game (2nd best in af2). Fullback/linebacker BYRON DOUZART is among the league leaders with 4.5 sacks this season. DENARIO SMALLS has three interceptions and leads the team with 27.5 tackles. ROGER TERRY has thee sacks for the Wardogs. This is the first of two meetings between these clubs. They meet in Macon on July 5. Columbus' DARIN DAMRON, who is starting the game single, will be married at a special halftime ceremony.

GREENSBORO PROWLERS (3-2) AT CAPE FEAR WILDCATS (3-1)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 -CROWN COLISEUM (8,920) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Greensboro Prowlers and Cape Fear Wildcats meet up for a battle for first place Saturday night in Fayetteville. The Wildcats currently hold first place in the division, but a Greensboro win would give them the edge. Coach CHRIS SIEGFRIED'S Wildcats lead the league in scoring with a 55.8 points per game average, while the Prowlers rank 18th with a 40.6 points average. Quarterback BRYAN SNYDER has been sensational for the Wildcats this season, passing for 932 yards and 17 touchdowns with only one interception. One of his favorite targets has been MATT BURNSTEIN, who has 42 catches for 318 yards and six touchdowns. Defensively, the Prowlers edge the Wildcats, allowing only 41.2 points per game this season to Cape Fear's 43.0 per game. Offensive/Defensive lineman THADDEUS BULLARD has four sacks, which is only one less than Cape Fear's team total. This is the first of two games the Prowlers and Wildcats will play this season. They meet again on July 12. Cape Fear swept the season series last year (2-0) and is 2-0 at home this season.

FLORIDA FIRECATS (2-3) AT CHARLESTON SWAMP FOXES (2-3)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - NORTH CHARLESTON COLISEUM (10,150) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Florida Firecats look to get back to .500 on Saturday in Charleston when they take on the surging Swamp Foxes. Florida might be 2-3, but their last two losses were both by three points. The Swamp Foxes continue to bounce back from their 0-3 start, having won two straight. Both of these teams feature strong defenses, as the Swamp Foxes are ranked third in af2 in points allowed (34.2) and first in yards allowed (168.4), while the Firecats rank sixth in points allowed (38.6) and 10th in yards allowed (229.8). Charleston's DEMONT SMITH is the current ADT Defensive Player of the Week after his three-interception performance last week. Smith has seven picks on the year and leads the league in that category. Florida's ROY STABLER has three picks of his own and leads the 'Cats with 34 tackles. Despite ranking 20th in scoring offense, the Firecats' CAINON LAMB has 41 receptions for 509 yards with 12 touchdowns and is among the league receiving leaders. Another plus for the Florida offense is the addition of KEN MASTROLE at quarterback, who nearly made the Chicago Bears roster last season. Charleston ranks 24th in scoring offense, but quarterback JOHN TURMAN might be the answer the Swamp Foxes have been looking for after his 223-yard, five-touchdown showing last week. This is the second and final regular season meeting between these teams. Florida beat Charleston 33-27 in Week 3 and has never lost to the Swamp Foxes (3-0 all-time).

MEMPHIS XPLORERS (1-4) AT ARKANSAS TWISTERS (2-3)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - ALLTEL ARENA (16,058) 8:00 P.M. ET

The Memphis Xplorers head to Little Rock to battle the Twisters on Saturday. Memphis is 1-4 on the season, but two of their losses have been to the first place Tulsa Talons, and both of those games were decided by three points or less. Arkansas has won two of its last three, but fell last week to Macon. The Twisters are one game ahead of Memphis in the Central division. Memphis' KEVIN PRENTISS leads af2 in scoring with 96 points on the season. He has been the focal point of the Xplorers offense, catching 38 passes for 623 yards (1st in af2) and 14 touchdowns (T-1st in af2). Arkansas quarterback RICKY HEBERT has thrown 24 touchdowns this season, seven to KEVIN WILLIAMS who has 399 receiving yards for the season. This is the fifth time these teams have played each other and Arkansas has never lost. They meet again on July 12.

LOUISVILLE FIRE (2-3) AT BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS (3-2)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - BIRMINGHAM JEFFERSON CIVIC CENTER (15,000) 8:30 P.M. ET

The Louisville Fire and Birmingham Steeldogs meet for the fourth time in af2 history with Birmingham holding a one-game edge in the all-time series. The Steeldogs are coming off a thrilling overtime win against Florida, while the Fire is looking to rebound from a close loss to Cincinnati. The Steeldogs offense took a blow this week when offensive specialist ARYVIA HOLMES left for the CFL. Holmes had 13 receiving touchdowns for the 'Dogs this season. With the departure of Holmes, GARY REED has the task of trying to fill the gap. Reed has followed in Holmes footsteps before. While at Samford, he was the second leading receiver in catches and touchdowns behind Holmes. Louisville's offense has shown marked improvement since JOSH ROGERS took over under center. In two games with the Fire, he has passed for 527 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Fire averaged 27.6 points per game prior to Roger's arrival and has averaged 53 points per game since he took over. Defensively, the Steeldogs rank ninth in af2 by allowing only 39.6 points per game, while the Fire rank 23rd with a 48.4 points allowed per game average. DEMETRIUS FORNEY has four sacks for the Fire. This is the only meeting of the season for these squads.

PEORIA PIRATES (1-4) AT GREEN BAY BLIZZARD (0-4)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - THE RESCH CENTER (8,327) 8:30 P.M. ET

The Peoria Pirates try to snap a two-game losing streak when they head to Green Bay to face the expansion Blizzard. Peoria dropped a close game to Quad City last week, while the Blizzard sat idle in Week 6. Peoria quarterback CHARLIE PETERSON is having a magnificent year for the Pirates, passing for 1,213 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. The Blizzard counter with gunslinger RYAN ALENBACHER, who has thrown 12 touchdowns on the year. The Pirates average nearly 20 points more than the Blizzard (50.4 PPG to 30.2 PPG). Coach BRUCE COWDREY made several changes to the Pirates' roster this week, as he tries to find the right lineup. Blizzard coach JOSE JEFFERSON also made some changes to his roster as he looks for his first win. This is the first of two games these teams play this season. They play again in Peoria on June 21.

SAN DIEGO RIPTIDE (3-2) AT TULSA TALONS (4-1)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - TULSA CONVENTION CENTER (7,096) 8:30 P.M. ET

The San Diego Riptide heads to Tulsa for a matchup with the first place Talons on Saturday night. The Riptide, winners last week over Bakersfield, needs a win to keep pace with red-hot Wichita for the West division lead. The Talons have a two-game lead in their division and a 20-game home streak on the line. Quarterback KANE CLAUNCH matches up against Tulsa signal-caller CRAIG STRICKLAND for the first time. Claunch has thrown for 886 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, while Strickland has tossed 22 touchdowns with 1,187 passing yards for the year. All-time af2 sack leader GREG TAYLOR has four this season, and he was last weeks hero by catching the game-winning touchdown for Tulsa. Offensively and defensively these teams match up evenly, as the Talons score 46.8 per game to the Riptide's 45.8. The Riptide allows 41.4 per contest, while the Talons give up 42.8 points per game. This is the first of two meeting this season. These teams play again on May 24 in San Diego.

QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (3-2) AT WICHITA STEALTH (4-1)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - KANSAS COLISEUM (9,686) 8:30 P.M. ET

The Quad City Steamwheelers have won three straight and look for No. 4 this weekend in Wichita. The Stealth, also winners of three in a row, has not lost at home this season. This game is a battle of one of the league's top offenses against one the best defenses. Quad City averages 53.8 points per game (2nd in af2), while the Stealth only allow 35.0 points per game (4th best in af2). The Steamwheelers' TONY ZIMMERMAN is tied for first among af2 quarterbacks with 27 touchdowns. Zimmerman has competed 94-of-163 this season for 1,391 yards and only one interception. IRA GOOCH played offensive specialist for the first time all season and caught 11 Zimmerman passes for 181 yards and four touchdowns last week. Wichita's LEE VAUGHN is second in af2 with 33.5 tackles and he has three interceptions. BRIAN GOOLSBY has three of the teams' seven sacks, which is the fourth highest team total in af2. Quad City leads the all-time series 3-1, but the teams split their only two meetings last year. This is the only time they play each other this season.

BAKERSFIELD BLITZ (1-4) AT HAWAIIAN ISLANDERS (3-2)
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2003 - NEAL BLAISDELL ARENA (6,443) 7:30 P.M. (Local)

The Bakersfield Blitz and Hawaiian Islanders renew their inter-division rivalry on Saturday night in Honolulu. Both teams come in off losses, as the Blitz is trying to snap a two-game skid and Hawaii has lost two of their last three. These teams match up even at the quarterback position. Bakersfield's CHAD ELLIOTT has thrown for 935 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Hawaii's DARNELL ARCENEAUX has thrown for 922 yards and 14 scores. Elliott missed last week's game due to illness, but should be 100% this week. The Islanders are known for their rush and CHRIS PAOGOFIE already has 107 yards on the ground this season, along with six touchdowns. Hawaii's EDDIE KLANESKI has 21.5 tackles and has been named ADT Defensive Player of the game three times this season. JULIAN YEARWOOD tallied the first Blitz interception of the season last week. These teams rank 18th and 21st in scoring defense, as Hawaii allows 45.2 points per game and the Blitz 46.8 per contest. Bakersfield leads the all-time series 3-1, including a 58-43 win over the Islanders in Week 3. These teams play one final time on July 27, again in Honolulu.

arenafootball2 Stories from May 9, 2003

• Steamwheelers Lineman To ‘Steak Out' Port Byron - Quad City Steamwheelers
• Islanders News - Hawaiian Islanders
• af2 Saturday Night Matchups - af2
• Moms to be Pampered at Wardogs Game - Columbus Wardogs

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