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af2 Saturday Night Matchups

Published on June 6, 2003 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


MOHEGAN WOLVES (5-3) AT ROCHESTER BRIGADE (1-8)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - BLUE CROSS ARENA (10,598) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Mohegan Wolves look to make it two in a row as they travel to Rochester to tangle with the Brigade. The Mohegan Wolves sit in second place in the Northeast division, with the Brigade five games behind them. Rochester leads the all-time series with the Wolves, including a 37-34 win the last time these teams met on May 3. Wolves' receiver MEL LONG is coming off an eight-catch, 123-yard performance against Norfolk. He had four of QB GREG SMITH'S six touchdowns in the game. The Brigade, losers last week to first-place Albany, relies on all-around star DEREK BAKER for their big plays. The WR/DB leads his team in receiving, tackles and interceptions. Another offensive threat for the Brigade is MARTINO THEUS, who has 36 receptions with seven touchdowns this season. The Wolves currently hold the fifth seed in the American Conference playoff picture. If they were to move up to the fourth spot they would host a first-round game. Rochester's playoff hopes are bleak, but a strong second half could make things interesting. Rochester is 1-3 at home this season, while the Wolves have split (2-2) its road games. This is the final meeting of the season between these division foes.

RICHMOND SPEED (4-4) AT CAPE FEAR WILDCATS (6-2)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - CROWN COLISEUM (8,920) 7:30 P.M. ET

The first-place Cape Fear Wildcats play host to division rival Richmond in the first of two scheduled meetings this season. The Wildcats have won five of its last six games, with the only loss coming to the unbeaten Tennessee Valley Vipers two weeks ago. Last week the Wildcats avenged its 2002 Conference Championship loss to Florida with a 45-31 decision over the Firecats thanks to four rushing touchdowns from WILMONT PERRY. Richmond, who is off to its worst start since 2000, is trying to stay in the wildcard picture. As of today the Speed would not be in the postseason, missing by just one spot. Although off to a 4-4 start, the Speed has gone 4-2 since QB ROY JOHNSON took over the starting spot. Combined with the talents of OS DAMON THOMPSON, the Speed offense packs an explosive punch. Johnson is closing in on 2,000 yards passing and 40 touchdowns for the season. Thompson should eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark this week and he already has 20 touchdowns on the season. The Wildcats continuous its dominance of last season, but now they are doing it with a high-powered defense instead of a suffocating defense. The Wildcats average 52 points per game, which is 5th best in af2 and are led by QB BRYAN SNYDER. Snyder is also closing in on 2,000 yards passing for the season. For a league that has seen 238 interceptions this season, Sndyer (2) and Johnson (3) has only combined for only five. These teams both allow around 43 points per game. The Speed's DENNIS DASHANE is among the league leaders with his four interceptions. Richmond has never lost to Cape Fear, sweeping the two-game set last season. These teams faceoff again on June 21.

ALBANY CONQUEST (7-1) AT GREENSBORO PROWLERS (4-5)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - GREENSBORO COLISEUM (8,350) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Albany Conquest, first-place in the Northeast, looks for its sixth straight win as they travel to Greensboro to take on the Prowlers. The Conquest topped Rochester last week, while the Prowlers busted a four-game losing streak with a much-needed win over Charleston. The Prowlers can climb back into the American Conference wildcard picture with a win, while Albany hopes to hold its second seed and earn a first-round bye. QB RYAN VENA leads the Conquest offense and is coming off a Week 10 Offensive Player of the Week award. Vena, who has 49 touchdowns (40 pass, 9 rush) this season should surpass the 2,000 passing yard plateau this week. Vena has thrown 74 of his 160 completions (46%) to COREY HILL, who has 11 touchdowns as a result. Albany's 55.5 points per game, including a 61.8 average over the last five games, is tops in af2. Defensively, the Conquest rank fifth and they have had three players win ADT Defensive Player of the Week this season, including SPENCER CONLEY who has six sacks on the season. ELIJAH BEAMON, another ADT winner, leads the team with 43 tackles and has three interceptions. Greensboro's offense averages 41.7 points per game and QB CALEB SLOVER has thrown 29 touchdowns. COREY SULLIVAN has 10 touchdowns, while BOBBY SIPPIO has eight for the Prowlers receiving corps. This is the first time the Conquest and Prowlers has met. It is the only meeting of the season.

BAKERSFIELD BLITZ (3-6) AT LOUISVILLE FIRE (3-6)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - FREEDOM HALL (16,154) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Bakersfield Blitz has won its last two games and they'll go for three in Louisville against the Fire. Last week the Blitz got by the Riptide 43-24, thanks in large part to the play of ERIC MAHANKE. Mahanke caught 12 passes for 178 yards and four touchdowns in the win. During the two-game win-streak, the Blitz defense has only allowed 27.5 points per game. For the season they allow 209 yards per game (2nd best in af2), and RICKY LEUNG'WAI has a league-best six sacks on the year. Leading the Fire's defense is ARKEE THOMPSPON, who has six interceptions (2nd best in af2) and leads the team with 36 tackles. Offensively, QB JOSH ROGERS is closing in on 1,500 yards passed for the season, having appeared in only six of the Fire's nine games. The Blitz and Fire met one other time in af2 history, with the Blitz earning a 28-23 win. This will be the only time they play each other this season.

BOSSIER CITY BATTLE WINGS (3-6) AT MACON KNIGHTS (5-3)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - MACON COLISEUM (7,182) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Bossier City Battle Wings and Macon Knights are both looking for returns to the win column after Week 10 losses. The Wings dropped a 62-35 decision to the Xplorers, while The Knights fell to Birmingham. Bossier City is one game back in the wildcard spot, while the Knights (2nd place in the American South) hold the top wildcard spot right now. QB PAYTON PERRETT completed 15-of-29 passes for four touchdowns last week in his Battle Wings debut, earning the nod from coach GARRETT HAGIN again this week. Perrett will have a couple of more options down field this week as speedsters LEAFORD HACKITT and SHADRICK MCAFFEE have both been re-inserted into the Wings' roster. Hackitt is coming off an injury, while McAfee returns after a short stint in the CFL. The Knights main offense threat is JACQUES RUMPH, who has 832 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns this season. ANTHONY SNEAD also has nine receiving scores for the Knights. Defensively, BYRON DOUZART remains among the league's best sack artists with five for the season. Bossier City's CHRIS SAMSON leads all of af2 with 57 tackles. This is the first time the Knights and Battle Wings have met and it is the only matchup of this season.

NORFOLK NIGHTHAWKS (5-3) AT CHARLESTON SWAMP FOXES (3-5)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - NORTH CHARLESTON COLISEUM (10,400) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Norfolk Nighthawks are looking for their fourth win in the last five games this weekend as they travel to Charleston for a division showdown with the Swamp Foxes. The Nighthawks lead the all-time series 4-2, including a 31-21 win earlier this season. The Nighthawks, who have not been in the playoffs since 2000, are vying for a return to the postseason and currently hold the American Conferences last invite. Charleston needs a win to stay in the hunt. QB AARON SPARROW and WR/DB TRAVIS BURNS have connected for 875 yards and 16 scores this season. Overall, Sparrow has tossed 28 touchdowns and may surpass 2,000 yards passing this weekend. Defensively, QUESUAN WIGFALL and KOFI SMITH lead the Nighthawks. The two have combined for 79.5 tackles, Wigfall leading the way with 46 total, including 35 solo stops. Smith has two tackles for loss and 15 pass breakups, and both have tallied an interception. QB JOHN TURMAN commands the Swamp Foxes offense and has thrown 20 touchdowns in the five games he's played. Defensively, the Swamp Foxes turn to MICHAEL BROWN who leads the team in tackles (32) and now interceptions (3) since DEMONT SMITH was traded to earlier this week. This is the final regular season meeting between these clubs.

MEMPHIS XPLORERS (3-5) AT FLORIDA FIRECATS (3-5)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - TECO ARENA (7,128) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Memphis Xplorers head to Ft. Myers to clash with the Firecats. Memphis comes in on a two-game high as they try to put a second half run together and secure a wildcard spot. Last week they handled Bossier City 62-35. The Firecats lost last week to first place Cape Fear and currently find themselves four spots back of the last remaining wildcard position in the American Conference, the same conference they won last season. Memphis, who has put together offensive outputs of 62 and 68 points over the last two weeks, received some bad news this week, as OS KEVIN PRENTISS has been sidelined for the season with injury. Also not playing this week for Memphis is QB ROD ROBINSON, who has been regulated to the short-term IR list. Coach DANTON BARTO brought in veteran signal-caller MATT HICKS to fill in for Robinson. Hicks, who debuted with Tennessee Valley in 2000, has thrown for 2,672 yards and 31 touchdowns in his af2 career. Former Chicago Bear training camp QB KEN MASTROLE has begun to find his groove since taking over the QB duties three games ago. Mastrole has thrown for 510 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Receiver CAINON LAMB was uncharacteristically kept out of the endzone last week against Cape Fear, but leads the team with 16 touchdowns. Defensively, the Firecats rank No.1 in af2, allowing only 36.2 points per game, while the Xplorers are sixth in that category with a 39.9 points allowed per game average. Florida leads the all-time series with the Xplorers 2-1, including a 53-42 win on April 26. This is the final game between these teams this season.

HAWAIIAN ISLANDERS (7-2) AT ARKANSAS TWISTERS (4-4)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - ALLTEL ARENA (16,058) 8:00 P.M. ET

The Hawaiian Islanders go for win No. 5 in a row in Little Rock on Saturday when they play the Twisters. The Islanders are coming off a season-high 67-point performance against Louisville last week. In fact, the Islanders have broken the 60-point mark twice in the last two weeks. Last time the Islanders and Twisters hooked up, Arkansas came away with an 83-73 win back in 2002. With QB DARNELL ARCENEAUX on short-term IR, rookie MIKE TILLIS has taken the reigns and found some quick success. Last week he completed 17-of-30 passes for 250 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. NIAN TAYLOR caught five of those (career high) and now has 19 for the season. The Twisters have put together two wins over their last three games and are always a threat to put up big numbers on offense. QB RICKY HEBERT has thrown 35 touchdowns through the midway point and should break 2,000 yards passing this week. The Twisters are 2-1 at home this season, while Hawaii is 2-2 away from Honolulu. This is the only regular season meeting between these teams this season.

SAN DIEGO RIPTIDE (4-5) AT GREEN BAY BLIZZARD (0-8)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - RESCH CENTER (8,327) 8:30 P.M. ET

The Green Bay Blizzard continues its search for win No. 1 in team history. This week, they'll try to do it against the struggling Riptide. San Diego has dropped two straight and has gone 2-5 since starting the season 2-0. Last week, the 'Tide was held to 24 points by a strong Bakersfield defense. QB KANE CLAUNCH has thrown for 1,844 yards and 34 touchdowns this season, and he has done a good job of spreading the ball around as six receivers have recorded four or more touchdowns this season. Green Bay QB RAMON ROBINSON has 1,058 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. Team leading receiver NICK JOHNSON has totaled 569 receiving yards. The Riptide defense, led by KENNY HASLIP (50 tackles) gives up 46.9 points per game, compared to 51.6 allowed by the Blizzard. The Riptide currently hold the final wildcard slot in the National Conference, but need a win to keep it. This is the first of two meetings this season between these clubs. The Blizzard heads to San Diego for the final week of the regular season.

CINCINNATI SWARM (3-6) AT QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (7-2)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - THE MARK (9,200) 8:30 P.M. ET

The Cincinnati Swarm and Quad City Steamwheelers meet up for the second straight week, this time in Moline, IL. Last week in Cincinnati, the Steamwheelers topped the Swarm 48-21, getting six touchdown passes from QB TONY ZIMMERMAN. Zimmerman, who has 51 touchdowns for the season, leads several of af2's passing categories. He also has 11 rushing tallies, giving him 62 total touchdowns. OS IRA GOOCH is poised to make a run at the league scoring lead. He added five touchdowns to his total last week and now has 20 for the year. The Swarm's main offensive weapon is OS JAMES SCOTT, who has 17 touchdowns on the season. The Swarm needs to find an answer for Quad City's WR/DB JEFF HEWITT, who registered three interceptions last week on his way to earning ADT Defensive Player of the Week honors. Cincinnati's offense is averaging 37.9 points per game, compared to 53.9 by the Steamwheelers which leads the league. The Steamwheelers are looking for their eighth straight win, as they have not lost a game since starting the season 0-2. They have a comfortable lead in the Midwest over the Swarm and other division foes. This is the final regular season meeting between these two teams.

WICHITA STEALTH (6-3) AT TENNESSEE VALLEY VIPERS (8-0)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - VON BRAUN CENTER (6,642) 8:30 P.M. ET

The undefeated Tennessee Valley Vipers continue its chase for history, playing host the dangerous Wichita Stealth. The Vipers snuck by a surprising Columbus team last week, while the Stealth handled the Blizzard for the second time this season. This is the first-ever clash between these two teams and the only scheduled meeting of the season. Two of Wichita's three losses have come on the road, and all three of their losses have come to first place teams (Tulsa, Hawaii, Quad City). ANTHONY BUICH sits under center for the Stealth and could eclipse the 2,000-yard passing mark this weekend. He has 33 touchdowns this season, but the man who has caught 22 of those is no longer available. Superstar OS MICHAEL DRITLEIN is gone for the season after suffering a knee injury last week. Despite the offensive loss, the Stealth still packs a punch on defense with GREG VAUGHN and BRIAN GOOLSBY. Vaughn leads the team with 42 tackles and he has three interceptions while Goolsby has five sacks. As a team the Stealth is second in af2 with 14 interceptions, which could spell trouble for Vipers QB MATT SAUK, who has tossed 11 picks this season (2nd most in af2). Aside from the picks, Sauk has done just about everything else to perfection, passing for 42 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards this season. Sauk also has three receivers (RONNEY DANIELS 11, CALVIN HALL 10, JERRIAN JAMES 9) with nine or more touchdowns. Defensively, the Vipers have a sack artist of their own in WES STEPHENS, who has tallied five QB takedowns this season. This is the first time the Vipers have ever faced a team from the West Division.

PEORIA PIRATES (3-5) AT TULSA TALONS (8-1)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 - TULSA CONVENTION CENTER (7,111) 8:30 P.M. ET

The Peoria Pirates enter hostile territory this week when they play the first place Tulsa Talons. The Talons, winner of five straight, have not lost a regular season home game in its last 23 tries, including last week's 59-46 thrashing of Arkansas. The Pirates, who were idle last week, has gone 1-3 on the road this season and dropped a home game to Tulsa back in Week 1. Despite the differences in record, these teams match up rather even on paper. Peoria QB CHARLIE PETERSON has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards and has tossed 43 touchdowns. Tulsa's signal-caller CRAIG STRICKLAND has thrown for 2,209 yards and 48 touchdowns, but has also played one more game than Peterson. Tulsa's leading touchdown grabber, TACOMA FONTAINE, has 19 for the season. JACK WALKER has 23 touchdown receptions for the Pirates. Overall, these teams rank fourth and sixth in scoring offense. Tulsa averages 52.4 points per game to the Pirates' 50.6 a game. Tulsa's defense edges Peoria, as the Talons allow 41.6 while the Pirates give up 44.8 points per game, but Tulsa's "D" took a blow this week with the loss of sack-master GREG TAYLOR. Taylor, who had one sack in the first game between these teams this season, is lost for the season with a knee injury. The Pirates defense will no doubt keep an eye out for MITCH ALLNER, who burned Arkansas for four touchdowns last week. This game is a must-win for the Pirates, who are desperately trying to stay in the wildcard hunt. The Talons sit as the top seed in the conference right now, meaning they are on track for a first-round playoff bye.

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