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af2 week 11 quick hitters

June 8, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


af2 EXPANDING: The af2 Board of Directors approved an application from a multiple member limited liability corporation of Idaho Sports Properties/Block22 - owners of the Qwest Arena, Grove Hotel, and Idaho Steelheads (ECHL), Level 7 LLC, and AW Football Partners for an expansion arenafootball2 team in Boise, Idaho, the League office announced this week. The yet-to-be-named team will play its home games at the Qwest Arena in Boise beginning in April of 2007.

SHOCK MAINTAIN NO. 1 SPOT: The expansion Spokane Shock have maintained their No. 1 ranking in the Weekly Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced Wednesday. The Shock collected 250 of a possible 264 points and 15-of-23 first place votes in securing the top position. Spokane defeated the Central Valley Coyotes this past Saturday at home, 61-59, to improve to a league-best 8-1.

VENA HITS 10,000-YARD MARK: Albany quarterback RYAN VENA became the 10th signal caller in af2 history to hit the 10,000-career passing yards plateau, eclipsing the mark this past Saturday in a losing effort at Quad City. The third-year standout threw for a game-high 323 yards against the Steamwheelers to up his career total to 10,133. Vena owns the Conquest team record in that category and also ranks 10th on the af2 all-time list.

SOUTHWEST SACK ATTACK: The Arkansas Twisters can point to a few different factors as to why they are 6-3 and in second place in the Midwest Division. One huge factor is their defense, and more specifically, their defensive front. The Twisters currently boast a league-leading team sack total of 34, averaging nearly 3.8 per game. Arkansas is on pace to post 60 sacks this season. The current league record is 52, set by the now-defunct Carolina Rhinos in 2001. The Twisters have the top two sack artists in the league in FB/LB Steve Watson and DLS C.J. McLain. Watson leads the af2 with 13.0 sacks and McLain ranks second overall with 10.5. Watson needs one sack to break the team record of 13.5 that is currently held by Greg Taylor.

STRICKLAND AND RISLOV TAKE AIM AT TD RECORD: Oklahoma City QB CRAIG STRICKLAND has already made quite a name for himself over the course of his five-year af2 career. He's won an ArenaCup (Tulsa - 2003) and set numerous af2 passing records. This season he's on pace to break one of the few league marks that has eluded him - most touchdown passes in a season. The former UTEP signal caller has thrown for 58 scores through nine games, averaging almost 6.5 touchdown passes per game. If he continues at his current rate, he could end up with 103 touchdown passes. Central Valley rookie QB SCOTT RISLOV also has 58 touchdown passes and is on pace for 103 by season's end. That number would surpass Matt Sauk's current league record of 99 in a season. The best single season total in Arena Football (AFL and af2) history is Clint Dolezel's 105 touchdown tosses for the Dallas Desperados in 2006.

GREAT RIVALRY IN OK STATE: The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (7-2) head east up Interstate 44 this Saturday night to take on their turnpike rivals, the Tulsa Talons (6-3). Both teams are fighting for the Midwest Division title and the best possible playoff seeding. It's the second of three meetings between the Sooner state foes this season. In the first matchup of the season between these two teams, the Yard Dawgz set a franchise record with 90 points, en route to a 90-54 win in Oklahoma City on May 6. Upon Oklahoma City's entry into the af2 in 2004, a natural rivalry was born. That rivalry has only grown more intense. Three of the six total meetings between these two teams have been decided by a touchdown or less. Oklahoma City currently holds the all-time edge in the series, 4-2. The Yard Dawgz roster features three members of the Talons' 2003 ArenaCup team, including QB Craig Strickland and receivers Jarrail Jackson and Tacoma Fontaine. Oklahoma City's Head Coach Jeff Jarnigan was also the defensive coordinator for that team.

QUAD CITY'S IMPRESSIVE TRIO: Quad City receivers Jack Walker, Tim Dodge and Kris Peters have been a big reason why the Steamwheelers offense is among the most dangerous in the af2. The group is on pace to become just the third threesome of receivers on the same team to each record 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Peters leads the group with 872 yards, Walker is close behind at 858, and Dodge has 685. In 2004, Peters was also part of the second group to hit the milestone as a member of the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz. That season he led the Yard Dawgz with 1,304 receiving yards. Al Hunt and Timon Marshall also recorded over 1,000 yards for Oklahoma City that season. The first group to do it had a familiar face as well. In 2003, the Steamwheelers 1,000-yard trio consisted of Tim Dodge, Jeff Hewitt and Ira Gooch.

"SPEEDY" GONZALEZ ON RAPID RECEIVING PACE: Manchester OS Steve "Speedy" Gonzalez has quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous offensive players in the af2 in just his second season. He currently leads the league in scoring (196 points), total touchdowns (32) and receiving touchdowns (31). He also leads the af2 in all-purpose yards (1,703) and ranks second in receptions (88). If he continues at his current pace, Gonzalez could claim a number of league records in 2006. The following is a breakdown of where Gonzalez stands.

SPEEDY'S PROJECTIONS
CATEGORY CURRENT PROJ RECORD PLAYER, TEAM YEAR
SCORING 196 349 346 Donovan Morgan, Tulsa 2005
TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS 32 57 57 Donovan Morgan, Tulsa 2005
RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS 31 55 54 Donovan Morgan, Tulsa 2005
RECEPTIONS 88 156 161 Corey Hill, Albany 2002, 2003

HICKS AND VENA SETTING PASSING YARDS PACE: Veteran quarterbacks Tim Hicks (Quad City) and Ryan Vena (Albany) are both on pace to break Matt Sauk's league record for most passing yards in one season. Sauk set the all-time mark of 4,489 yards last season with the Louisville Fire. The following is a breakdown of where Hicks and Vena stand.

PROJECTED PASSING YARDS
PLAYER, TEAM CURRENT PROJ RECORD PLAYER, TEAM YEAR
Tim Hicks, Quad City 2,737 4,866 4,489
Matt Sauk, Louisville 2005
Ryan Vena, Albany 2,640 4,693 700 CLUB: Arkansas WR/DB Kevin Williams entered the 2006 season as the only active player in the af2 with over 700 career points scored. Williams leads the scoring list of active players with 772 career points. He currently stands alone in second place on the all-time list, just eight points behind former Tulsa star Mitch Allner, who owns the all-time top mark with 780 points. This year he was joined in this exclusive club by Florida OS MAGIC BENTON. Benton is closing fast on Williams and Allner. Last week in a runaway home win against Tennessee Valley, Benton scored three times to up his career point total to 760. In the process, he passed former teammate CAINON LAMB for third place on the career scoring list, just 12 points behind Williams. Other active af2 players looking to join Williams and Benton in the 700 club are Mempis' KEVIN PRENTISS (660), Williams' teammate LENNIE JOHNSON (624), Quad City's JACK WALKER (612) and Bakersfield's Nian Taylor (606).

MOST POINTS SCORED, NON-KICKING, CAREER
PTS PLAYER YEARS PLAYED
780 Mitch Allner 2000-04
772 Kevin Williams 2001-present
760 Magic Benton 2001-present
756 Cainon Lamb 2002-05
660 Kevin Prentiss 2003-present
656 George Williams 2001, 2003-present TOUCHDOWN MAKERS: Arkansas WR/DB Kevin Williams also leads a familiar cast of characters in the race for the af2 career touchdown record. Williams is currently tied with Mitch Allner with 126 total touchdowns. Florida's MAGIC BENTON is right behind the leaders on the all-time list with 125 total touchdowns.

MOST TOUCHDOWNS SCORED, CAREER
TDS PLAYER YEARS PLAYED
126 Mitch Allner 2000-04
126 Kevin Williams 2001-present
125 Magic Benton 2001-present
118 Cainon Lamb 2002-05
110 Kevin Prentiss 2003-present
108 George Williams 2001, 2003-present

SIEGFRIED APPROACHING THE BIG 5-0: At just past the halfway point of the season, Spokane Head Coach Chris Siegfried has led the Shock to the league's best record at 8-1. In the process, he has steadily climbed up the career coaching victories ladder. He's currently third overall with 48 wins. If his team continues at its current pace, Siegfried could surpass former Rio Grande Valley and Tennessee Valley Head Coach Kevin Guy as the af2 career leader in overall coaching victories. Guy is currently No. 1 in all-time wins with 52 (52-19). Below is a list of the top coaches in league history.

TOP ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES
NAME WINS
1. Kevin Guy 52
2. Bobby Humphrey 51
3. Chris Siegfried* 48
4. Kevin Porter 45
Danton Barto* 45
5. Skip Foster 44
Richard Davis* 44
* denotes active coaches

TURNIN' 40 ISN'T SO BAD: Manchester Head Coach Ben Bennett became the newest member of the 40-career win club (includes playoffs) last Saturday when his Wolves scored a 48-28 road win against W-B/Scranton. His career record now stands at 40-23 (.635). Bennett is just the ninth coach in league history to reach 40 career wins. The only active members of the club are Spokane's Chris Siegfried (48), Memphis' Danton Barto (45), Stockton's Richard Davis (44) and W-B/Scranton's RICH INGOLD (41). Former Rio Grande Valley and Tennessee Valley Head Coach Kevin Guy is the af2 career leader in overall coaching victories with 52 (52-19). Louisville's Tommy Johnson (33) is the only other current coach within reach of the 40-win club.

Macon lineman moves up to NFL: Lineman Kevin McAlmont's stay in Macon was shorter than expected, but with good reason. That's because the New York Giants signed McAlmont to a free agent contract this week, just two days after his first game with the Knights. McAlmont, a rookie from Western Carolina, played with Macon during the team's 55-42 victory over the South Georgia Wildcats last Saturday night and then flew to New York on Sunday morning for a tryout. He impressed the Giants enough that they offered him a contract the very next day.

af2 ALUMS D'ORAZIO AND CARTER EARN AFL HONORS FOR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS: Chicago Rush QB MATT D' ORAZIO and Orlando Predators DS KHALIL CARTER were recently named Offensive and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for the 2006 AFL Conference Championships. D'Orazio (6-4, 215, Otterbein), who is in his fifth AFL season, completed 21-of-36 passes for 219 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions in Chicago's 59-56 American Conference Championship Game win over the San Jose SaberCats on Saturday. He added nine rushes for 20 yards and an additional touchdown in helping lead Chicago to its first-ever ArenaBowl appearance. D'Orazio also played in the af2 in 2001 (Roanoke Steam), 2002 (Rochester Brigade) and briefly in 2003 (Mohegan Wolves). Carter (6-1, 191, Arkansas), who is in his fourth AFL season, recorded 6.5 total tackles, two interceptions - one for a 38-yard touchdown return and one with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the Predator victory - in Orlando's 45-28 National Conference Championship Game win over Dallas on Sunday. Carter played with the af2's Arkansas Twisters in 2000 and 2003. He earned the af2 Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2003 after leading the league in interceptions with 14.

ARENABOWL XX TO FEATURE PLENTY OF af2 FLAVOR: ArenaBowl XX is finally here and this Sunday when Chicago and Orlando do battle for the AFL's ultimate prize, the af2 will be well represented on each sideline. The Rush have eight players (six active) on their roster with af2 experience, while the Predators roster is filled with 10 former af2 players (all active). In addition, each team has a coach on staff that was a former af2 head coach.

CHICAGO
FB/LB CHARLIE COOK - Mohegan Wolves - 2003, New Haven Ninjas - 2002
QB MATT D'ORAZIO - Mohegan Wolves - 2003, Rochester Brigade - 2002, Roanoke Steam - 2001
OL/DL JOE PETERS - Green Bay Blizzard - 2005, Peoria Pirates - 2004
DS DENNISON ROBINSON - Quad City Steamwheelers - 2001
OS BOBBY SIPPIO - Greensboro Prowlers - 2003
OL/DL KHREEM SMITH - Memphis Xplorers - 2005
OL/DL NICK MYERS (IR) - Manchester Wolves - 2005, Louisville Fire - 2005, 2004
WR/LB BUCHIE IBEH (IR) - Albany Conquest - 2005
ASST. COACH BRUCE COWDREY - Peoria Pirates Head Coach - 2002-2004, Pensacola Barracudas - 2001

ORLANDO
DS KAHLIL CARTER - Arkansas Twisters - 2000, 2003
OL/DL JUSTIN CLEVELAND - Tennessee Valley Vipers - 2000
WR/LB JAVARUS DUDLEY - Florida Firecats - 2005
QB JAKE EATON - Manchester Wolves - 2005, Cape Fear Wildcats - 2004
WR/LB JERRIAN JAMES - Tennessee Valley Vipers - 2003-2004, Pensacola Barracudas - 2002
OL/DL GREG KRAUSE - Mohegan Wolves - 2003
FB/LB MARLON MOYE-MOORE - Charleston Swamp Foxes - 2003
FB/LB KEVIN NAGLE - W-B/Scranton Pioneers - 2002-04
OL/DL JIM SODANO - W-B/Scranton Pioneers - 2004-05
OL/DL DELANIO TAYLOR - Memphis Xplorers - 2005, Manchester Wolves - 2004
ASST. COACH LES MOSS - W-B/Scranton Head Coach - 2004-2005

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