af2 Week 17 : Quick Hitters

July 16, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

VEGAS BABY - 2009 ARENACUP HEADED TO LAS VEGAS - TICKETS ON SALE NOW: The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will be the backdrop for the 2009 ArenaCup, the arenafootball2 league's 10th anniversary championship event. ArenaCup10, promoted in conjunction with the Orleans Casino and Hotel, will be held on Saturday, August 22, the League office recently announced after a unanimous vote by the af2 Board of Directors. This will be the first time the af2 title game will be held in Las Vegas. The Arena Football League (AFL) held two ArenaBowl Championship games in Las Vegas in 2005 and 2006. This is the fourth time in the last five seasons the af2 has held a neutral-site ArenaCup. A neutral-site championship game gives fans time to make plans to attend the game and allows the League to put together a unique sports and entertainment weekend. The Orleans Casino and Hotel has created a number of fan and family-friendly, affordable ArenaCup Weekend options that include tickets to the game and a two-night hotel stay. Those options are listed in detail below.

All Hotel Packages include two (2) tickets to the 2009 ArenaCup on Saturday, August 22 (at price level indicated) + two (2) hotel nights (room & tax). Fans can stay Friday & Saturday or Saturday & Sunday.

Package A: $236 - This includes the $60 tickets (P1)

Package B: $190 - This includes the $40 tickets (P2)

Package C: $175 - This includes the $32.50 tickets (P3)

Package D: $145 - This includes the $17.50 tickets (P4)

Tickets are available by visiting www.orleansarena.com, all Coast Casinos box offices, The Galleria at Sunset or by calling 800-675-3267 and mention code: ARENACUP.

AARON'S af2 DREAM TEAM ONLINE FAN VOTING DOWN TO FINAL TWO WEEKS: The online fan voting process for the Aaron's af2 Dream Team is down to the final two weeks. Fans can log onto af2.com and vote for their favorite af2 dance team member. The top 12 dancers with the most fan votes will represent the 2009 Aaron's af2 Dream Team at ArenaCup10 in August. The Aaron's af2 Dream Team, an exciting new addition to this year's ArenaCup festivities, will be involved in a number of ArenaCup10 activities including performing during halftime of the championship game and appearances throughout the weekend of events.

af2TV FREE ONLINE NETWORK CONTINUES SUCCESSFUL RUN IN 2009: Thanks to a unique league partnership with Network Foundation Technologies (NFT), all the hard-hitting, fast paced action of arenafootball2 is once again available to fans worldwide. The FREE-for-View online network called "af2TV" showcases every game of the league's 10th anniversary season live over the Internet. The process to view games is easy. To obtain the free af2TV player, fans should first click on the af2TV advertisement located on the upper right corner of the league's web site, www.af2.com. Following the link will bring fans to a special landing page which includes simple directions on how to download and place the af2TV player icon on your desktop. The action continues this week (Week 17) with a 12-game slate that will be available to fans at no charge.

RACE TO 2009 ARENACUP NOW ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER: Stay updated on the race to the 2009 ArenaCup. Friend us on facebook -- http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=113035060208 -- or follow us on twitter -- http://twitter.com/RacetoArenaCup.

SCHMIDT SETS TWO NEW RECEIVING RECORDS: Quad City veteran WR JESSE SCHMIDT, in his third af2 season, set a new league record for receiving touchdowns and receptions in a season last Saturday during the team's 62-44 home win against division rival Green Bay. The Buena Vista alum, who entered the game with 51 touchdown catches on the year, finished with four against the Blizzard to bring his season total to 55. The previous af2 record of 54 was set by Louisville's Rob Mager in 2006 and Tulsa's Donovan Morgan in 2005. Schmidt also set a new af2 single-season record in receptions against the Blizzard. Schmidt had 17 on the night to bring his total to 166 on the year, five better than the previous league record mark of 161 set by Albany's Corey Hill in 2002 and 2003. Last week Schmidt eclipsed an af2 record for receiving yards in a season. He currently has 2,325 yards. The old record of 2,086 yards was set in 2000 by Carl Bond of Tallahassee.

SCHULE SETS af2 RUSHING RECORD: Bossier-Shreveport FB JASON SCHULE is running over the af2 record books this season. The Louisiana Monroe alum, in his third season, set the league single-season rushing record in the BattleWings' 69-67 road win against Oklahoma City in Week 16. Schule, who came into the contest with 480 yards on the year, had seven rushes for 68 yards to bring his season total to 548. The old league record was 500 yards rushing set in 2004 by former Florida standout Steve Gorrie. Earlier in the year Schule set two more rushing records in Bossier-Shreveport's home win against Corpus Christi in Week 11. The Louisiana Monroe alum had 13 rushes for 112 yards with six rushing TDs against the Sharks. His rushing yards and rushing touchdowns totals both set new af2 single-game standards. Schule is the first player in league history to rush for at least 100 yards in an af2 game. Kenyatta Spruill set the previous league-high rushing yards standard in 2001 with 96 yards. Seven different players owned the previous af2 record for rushing touchdowns with five. Schule is currently in second place on the af2 career rushing list with 1,280 yards and trails another former BattleWings player, Sherard Poteete, who has 1,346 yards. Schule leads the af2 in rushing yards and in rushing TDs (23).

SHOCK'S RUN AT NO. 1 HITS 18 WEEKS: The Spokane Shock have maintained the No. 1 ranking of the Weekly Coaches Poll for the 18th straight week, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced on Wednesday. The Shock collected 382 of the possible 384 points with 22 first place votes after their 56-52 home victory over No. 2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last weekend. Spokane's 18-week stay at the top is the longest run at No. 1 since the inception of the coaches poll in 2004. The Shock, who still own the league's best record at 13-1, play at Central Valley this Saturday before finishing the regular season next week at Boise. The Tulsa Talons (334 points, one first place vote) jumped two places to No. 2 this week after their 62-50 victory over Rio Grande Valley. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (321 points) slipped one spot to No. 3 after the club's road loss at Spokane. The Pioneers had previously been ranked No. 2 for three straight weeks. Boise (319 points, one first place vote) moved up to No. 4 after a 63-21 victory against Tri-Cities. The Burn are currently riding a league-best, eight-game win streak. Iowa (269 points) rounds out the Top-5 this week. The Barnstormers most recently defeated Milwaukee, 69-37.

ALLGOOD, HILL AND ROWLEY HAVE SIGHTS ON PASSING RECORDS: Veteran quarterback JUSTIN ALLGOOD (Tulsa) is on pace to break the league record for most touchdown passes in one season. The current record is 106 set by former Central Valley QB SCOTT RISLOV in 2006. Allgood has 97 TD passes through 14 games. Hill (4,202) and Arkansas QB KYLE ROWLEY (4,123) also have the single season passing yards record in their sights. D. Bryant set the current af2 standard with 4,680 passing yards in 2007 with South Georgia. The following is a breakdown of where Allgood, Hill and Rowley stand.

BROOKINS, JR., SCHMIDT, WINDSOR, HAMPTON, WHITE, REID earn Week 16 honors: Stockton defensive back MERVIN BROOKINS, JR., wide receivers JESSE SCHMIDT (Quad City) and ROD WINDSOR (Rio Grande Valley), and Peoria defensive back BRANDON HAMPTON have been named the JLS Ironman, Russell Athletic Offensive Players and Aaron's Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 16 of 2009, the af2's 10th anniversary season. In addition to these three awards, the af2 is also highlighting the player who makes the best catch and the best hit of the week. The Big Game Catch of the Week Award for Week 16 goes to Spokane wide receiver MARKEE WHITE and the NiFTy Hit of the Week is awarded to Tulsa defensive back DELENELL REID.

Brookins, Jr. (5-11, 195, Bethel College), in his first af2 season, joined the Stockton Lightning on June 11. In just his fourth game with the club, the rookie defensive back tied the league record for most interceptions in a single game (5) in the team's playoff-clinching Week 16 home win against Central Valley. Albany WR/LB Alvin Ray Jackson set the record earlier this season. Brookins, Jr. also accumulated three solo tackles against the Coyotes, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups. The Bethel College returned two of his five interceptions for touchdowns (54, 28) and also returned three kickoffs for 48 yards for a team-high 139 all-purpose yards (48 kickoff, 91 interception). Brookins, Jr. has 20 tackles, six interceptions and five pass breakups in four games played for the Lightning (5-9). Schmidt (6-3, 225, Buena Vista) and Windsor (6-2, 208, Western New Mexico) have been chosen as Co-Offensive Players of the Week. Schmidt continued setting af2 records on Saturday night during Quad City's 62-44 home win at home against division rival Green Bay. The Buena Vista alum caught a team-high four touchdowns, bringing his single-season total to 55, surpassing the af2 record of 54 set by Louisville's Rob Mager in 2006 and Tulsa's Donovan Morgan in 2005. Schmidt, who entered the game with a single-season record 2,113 yards receiving, added 212 to his total on 17 catches. He also set a new af2 single-season record in receptions against the Blizzard. Schmidt now has 166 on the year, five better than the previous mark set of 161 set by Albany's Corey Hill in 2002 and 2003. Meanwhile, Windsor has been giving Schmidt a run for his money. The Western New Mexico alum is currently tied with Schmidt with 166 receptions after his 13-catch effort against the Tulsa Talons on Saturday. Windsor finished with 213 yards receiving and six touchdowns. He now has 2,111 yards receiving and 52 touchdowns in 13 games played with the Dorados (7-7). This is Windsor's second Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week honor in 2009 (Week 9). Hampton (5-8, 195, California), in his rookie af2 season, was a terror in the backfield for the Peoria Pirates during Saturday's 76-34 home win against the Mahoning Valley Thunder. The California alum had three defensive touchdowns; two on interception returns (31, 45) and one fumble recovery in the Thunder's end zone for a score. He also added an additional two more interceptions and six total tackles (4 solo, 4 assisted). His four picks tied a team record set in 2002. Hampton has totaled 23.5 tackles for the Pirates this season in five games played. He is the second consecutive Peoria player to earn Defensive Player of the Week honors. White (6-7, 215, Texas State), in his first af2 season, is the Week 16 recipient of The Big Game Catch of the Week Award. The Spokane receiver came up big for the No. 1-ranked Shock in the fourth quarter of their Saturday Night slugfest against No. 2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, hauling in the go-ahead score with less than 30 seconds to play. The former Bobcat raced down the field, and with about two feet of separation from Pioneers DB Chris Royal, reached out with one hand and, leaping, hauled in the over-the-shoulder pass. White's momentum carried him into the boards, but he was able to hang on the football for the game-winning score. It was White's only score on the evening but proved to be the deciding touchdown in a game that saw seven lead changes. White has 41 catches for 447 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Shock this season. Reid (5-10, 180, Houston), in his fifth af2 season, has been awarded the NiFTy Hit of the Week, a new weekly honor that highlights the player who makes the best hit or tackle of the week. With Tulsa holding onto a 5-point lead against Rio Grande Valley with less than a minute to play, the Dorados turned to their clutch playmaker, Rod Windsor, for a third down pass on their way down the field. Reid, however, had other plans, putting a jarring hit on Windsor and knocking the ball out of the star receiver's hands. Tulsa LB Jamar Ransom picked up the loose ball and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown to seal the Talons' 62-50 victory. Reid has put up good numbers for Tulsa this year, recording 67.5 tackles, five interceptions and 22 pass breakups. The veteran defensive back currently ranks fourth in the league in passes defended (27).

RECEIVERS ON RECORD PACE: Quad City veteran WR JESSE SCHMIDT and Rio Grande Valley rookie WR ROD WINDSOR are on pace to shatter many if not all of the af2's receiving and scoring records in 2009. In 15 games played, Schmidt leads the league in scoring (332 points), receptions (166 - tied with Windsor - new af2 record), receiving yards (2,325 - new af2 record), total touchdowns (55) and receiving touchdowns (55 - new af2 record). Windsor, in 13 games played, leads the league in receptions (166 - tied with Schmidt - new af2 record) and ranks second in scoring (320 points), receiving yards (2,111), receiving touchdowns (52) and total touchdowns (52). The following is a breakdown of where the two players stand to date.

WALLACE FIRST TO 500/25,000: Florida Firecats veteran CHRIS WALLACE became the first quarterback in league history to throw 500 career touchdown passes in a 68-62 home win against Kentucky in Week 4. Wallace hit the 500-mark with a 15-yard strike to WR James Panui early in the fourth quarter. He reached another milestone in Florida's Week 13 road loss at Tennessee Valley by becoming the first player to reach 25,000 career passing yards. Wallace currently holds af2 career records for touchdown passes (556), passing yards (25,332), completions (2,074) and attempts (3,466). He became the league's all-time passing yards leader in a 32-27 road win at Albany in Week 3. Wallace began his af2 career with the Carolina Rhinos in 2000. He played for the AFL's Orlando Predators in 2001 and 2003. Prior to joining the Firecats midway through the 2004 season, he played for the af2's Norfolk Nighthawks and Cape Fear Wildcats.

VENA PASSES LOFTY BENCHMARKS: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton QB RYAN VENA passed two impressive career milestones in the Pioneers' Week 2 home win against Albany - 20,000 passing yards and 400 touchdown passes. The veteran signal caller from Colgate, currently in his sixth af2 season (third with the Pioneers), joins CHRIS WALLACE and CRAIG STRICKLAND as the only quarterbacks in league history to reach those lofty totals. The af2's top three career passer totals for yards and touchdowns are shown below:

Most passing yards, career

25332...Chris Wallace, CAR 2000, NOR 2002-03, CPF 2004, FLA 2004-present

23287...Ryan Vena, Albany 2002-03, 2006, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2007-present

22688...Craig Strickland, Tulsa 2000-01, 2003, Oklahoma City 2004-06

Most touchdown passes, career

556...Chris Wallace, CAR 2000, NOR 2002-03, CPF 2004, FLA 2004-present

481...Craig Strickland, Tulsa 2000-01, 2003, Oklahoma City 2004-06

467...Ryan Vena, Albany 2002-03, 2006, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2007-present

VENA TIES RUSHING TD RECORD: Over his career, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton QB RYAN VENA has hurt many opponents with his arm (23,287 yards passing, 467 touchdowns), but he has also proven to be an adept runner as well. With his 2-yard touchdown run in a Week 13 home win against Central Valley, Vena tied SHERARD POTEETE's league record of 87 career rushing touchdowns.

TWO PLAYERS HIT GRAND RUSHING MARK: Bossier-Shreveport FB/LB JASON SCHULE became just the fourth player in league history, and second this season, to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a career. Schule eclipsed the mark with 79 rushing yards in the BattleWings' Week 10 road loss to South Georgia. His current total now stands at 1,280. Schule also leads the league in rushing yards this season with 548. Kentucky FB/LB DEMETRIUS FORNEY became the third player in league history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a career. Forney hit the millennium mark in a Week 9 home win against Florida. His current career total is now 1,034 yards. Below is a breakdown of the af2 leaders in career rushing yards:

Most Yards Gained, Career

1346.... Sherard Poteete, Bossier City 2001-03, CBS 2003, Bossier-Shreve. 2004

1280.... Jason Schule, Bossier-Shreveport 2006-present

1086.... Darnell Small, Arkansas 2000-05, Oklahoma City 2007

1034.... Demetrius Forney, Louisville, 2002-05, 2007-08, Manchester 2006, Kentucky 2009

962...... Ryan Vena, Albany 2002-03, 2006, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2007-present

NORRIS JOINS 40-WIN CLUB: With a Week 15 win against Amarillo, Bossier-Shreveport head coach JON NORRIS earned his 40th career win. There are now 18 af2 head coaches who own 40 or more career coaching victories. RICH INGOLD is the league's all-time leader in wins with 86 (86-33 - .723). Ingold is in his seventh season overall and fourth with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers. Twisters Head Coach CHRIS SIEGFRIED currently ranks second overall in career wins with 78. Manchester's DANTON BARTO ranks third on the all-time win list with 67 wins. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in career af2 coaching victories:

TOP ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES

NAME

WINS

1. Rich Ingold*

2. Chris Siegfried*

3. Danton Barto*

4. Ben Bennett*

5. Kevin Bouis*

6. Tommy Johnson

7. Kevin Guy

8. Bobby Humphrey

9. Fred Biletnikoff, Jr.*

10. Richard Davis

* denotes active coaches

FLORIDA ONE WIN SHY OF 100: The Florida Firecats, a part of the af2 since 2001, are just one win shy of 100 overall in their nine-year history. The Firecats have a chance to reach the milestone mark this Saturday when they host division rival Tennessee Valley. Currently three teams in the history of the league have reached the 100-win mark: Tulsa (131 - 122 regular season, 9 playoffs), Quad City (110 - 104 regular season, 6 playoffs) and Tennessee Valley (101 - 93 regular season, 8 playoffs). Florida has 90 regular season wins and nine playoff victories overall. The league's Top-5 teams in terms of all-time wins are listed below:

HUNT MAINTAINS LEAGUE'S ALL-TIME SCORING LEAD: With one touchdown in a Week 8 loss at Tennessee Valley, Oklahoma City WR AL HUNT moved into the No. 1 spot on the all-time scoring list, surpassing Central Valley WR GEORGE WILLIAMS. Hunt's current all-time total is 1,352 points. Williams now ranks third with 1,168 career points. Florida WR MAGIC BENTON ranks No. 2 overall with 1,198 points. Current Bossier-Shreveport WR CHAVIS MCCOLLISTER and former league standout KEVIN WILLIAMS fill out the Top-5. Below is a breakdown of the leading scorers in af2 history:

MOST POINTS SCORED, NON-KICKING, CAREER

PTS

PLAYER

YEARS PLAYED

1,352

Al Hunt*

2003-present

1,198

Magic Benton*

2001-present

1,168

George Williams*

2001, 2003-present

996

Chavis McCollister*

2005-present

958

Kevin Williams

2001-2008

932

Jarrail Jackson

2000-2001, 2005-2008

912

Jack Walker, Jr.*

2002-2003, 2005-present

906

J.R. Thomas

2004-2008

880

Robert Garth*

2002-present

866

Tim Dodge*

2003-06, 2008-present

860

Chris McKinney*

2004-present

840

LaMonte Jones*

2004-present

836

Antwone Savage*

2005-present

834

Kris Peters*

2004-present

* Active in 2009

HUNT TOUCHES DOWN ON 200 MARK: Oklahoma City WR AL HUNT became the first player in af2 history to record 200 career touchdowns in the team's Week 11 win at Arkansas. Hunt, who entered the week with 198 career scores, eclipsed the 200 mark with five total touchdowns in the Yard Dawgz' 56-54 victory. His current touchdown total stands at 222. Florida WR MAGIC BENTON ranks second overall with 196 career TDs. Benton is the league's career leader in receiving touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards. Below is a breakdown of the leading touchdown makers in af2 history:

Most Touchdowns, Career

222 Al Hunt*

196 Magic Benton*

193 George Williams*

166 Chavis McCollister*

157 Kevin Williams

154 Jarrail Jackson

149 J.R. Thomas

148 Jack Walker, Jr.*

144 Robert Garth*

143 Tim Dodge*

140 Chris McKinney*

138 Antwone Savage*

137 Kris Peters*

137 LaMonte Jones*

* Active in 2009

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY - 2009 af2 PLAYOFF PICTURE: Sixteen teams qualify for the playoffs, eight from each conference (American and National). The eight qualifying teams in each conference consist of the three division champions and five Wild Cards, determined by best overall record. Seeding in each conference is based on overall record, with the top three seeds in each conference reserved for the division champions, regardless of record. In the First Round (July 31-August 2), the first three seeds in each conference are the three division winners. The next five teams are seeded by next best five overall records. Teams ranked 1-4 earn home playoff games with 1 hosting 8, 2 hosting 7, 3 hosting 6 and 4 hosting 5. In the Second Round (August 7-9), the winner of the 1-8 game plays the winner of the 4-5 game. The winner of the 2-7 game plays the winner of the 3-6 game. The home team is decided by the team with the higher seed. The winners of the Second Round will meet for the Conference Championships on the weekend of August 14-16. The winners of the Conference Championships face off in the 2009 ArenaCup on Saturday, August 22 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

American Conference Standings

1. W-B/Scranton (11-3) - xy - East Division Champion

2. Tennessee Valley (10-4) - y - Current South Division Leader

3. Iowa (10-4) - y - Current Midwest Division Leader

4. Kentucky (9-5) - y - Owns point differential advantage in HTH meetings over SGW (28-6)

5. South Georgia (9-5) - y

6. Green Bay (8-6)

7. Manchester (7-7)

8. Florida (6-8) - Owns HTH advantage over ALB

--------------------------------------------

9. Albany (6-8)

10. Peoria (5-9) - Owns point differential advantage in HTH meetings over MKE (16-5)

11. Milwaukee (5-9)

12. Quad City (5-10)

13. Mahoning Valley (1-13)

NATIONAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. Spokane (13-1) - y - Current West Division Leader

2. Tulsa (12-2) - xy - Central Division Champion

3. Arkansas (10-4) - y - Current Southwest Division Leader

4. Boise (12-2) - y

5. Bossier-Shreveport (9-5) - y

6. Rio Grande Valley (7-7) - y

7. Oklahoma City (7-8) - y

8. Stockton (5-9) - y

-------------------------------------------------

9. Central Valley (3-11)

10. Tri-Cities (2-12)

11. Corpus Christi (2-12)

12. Amarillo (2-12)

x - clinched division; y - clinched playoff spot

*Teams in bold currently lead their respective division; HTH = Head-to-head

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS FOR WEEK 17

American Conference

GBB can clinch a playoff spot with a win

• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...

arenafootball2 Stories from July 16, 2009

Broadway Joe's of Albany to Host Firebirds Viewing Parties - Albany Firebirds
Firecats Midgett Set For First Home Start - Florida Firecats
Dusters lend a hand - Amarillo Venom
Robert "Superman" Garth Looking To End Career With A Bang - Green Bay Blizzard
Friday Night Matchups - af2
af2 Set to Induct First Hall of Fame Class - af2
af2 Week 17 : Quick Hitters - af2
Milwaukee Iron Announce Plans for Iron Fest - Milwaukee Mustangs
Iron Sign WR Robert Gill - Milwaukee Mustangs

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.