af2 Week 2: Quick Hitters

Published on April 3, 2008 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

GAMES ON - af2/NiFTy PARTNERSHIP CREATES NEW FREE ONLINE NETWORK: The arenafootball2 league (af2) and Network Foundation Technologies (NFT) are pleased to announce a partnership that has created a new, FREE online network to provide the league's passionate fan base an opportunity to view the af2's 2008 season live over the Internet. Thanks to the power of NFT's patented online broadcasting technology, fans across the globe are now be able to bring all the action of af2 football right to their home computer or laptop on a "Free-for-View" basis. Broadcasts began last week to rave reviews as all 11 games played were available to fans at no charge. The action continues in Week 2 with a 12-game slate.

TACKMANN, LESTER, GILLIAM, GRAHAM EARN WEEK 1 HONORS: Mahoning Valley wide receiver/linebacker JOHN TACKMANN, South Georgia quarterback CECIL LESTER and Spokane defensive back SERGIO GILLIAM have been named the U.S. Army Ironman, Schutt Offensive Player and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 1 of the 2008 season. In addition to these three awards, the af2 is also highlighting the player who makes the best catch of the week. The Cutters Catch of the Week Award for Week 1 goes to Corpus Christi wide receiver JONATHAN GRAHAM.

Tackmann (6-2, 220, Winona St.), in his rookie season, made his presence felt on both sides of the ball for Mahoning Valley in the Thunder's season-opening, 59-33, home win on Saturday against the Albany Conquest. Tackmann's notable two-way play included 25 yards rushing and three touchdown runs (9, 5, 2) on offense. On defense, the Winona St. (MN) alum was also impressive, recording a game-high 6.5 tackles as the Thunder held Albany to just seven points in the second half. This is the first weekly af2 award of Tackmann's career. Lester (6-1, 215, Fort Valley St.) led the Wildcats to an amazing 59-55 comeback victory in Week 1 at Tennessee Valley. Lester, making his first af2 start since the 2004 season, completed 27-of-45 passes for 375 yards and seven touchdowns with just one interception. The Fort Valley St. alum, used primarily as a backup in his previous three af2 campaigns, saved his best effort for the final play of the game. The Wildcats trailed by three points (52-55) with five seconds remaining when Lester threw a pass underneath a three-deep zone to Alvin Ray Jackson. Jackson proceeded upfield but was held up by a host of Tennessee Valley defenders. Before going down he spotted Lester, who started sprinting down the field after throwing the pass. Jackson then pitched the ball back to Lester who ran 19 yards down the left sideline and into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. This is the first af2 weekly award of Lester's career. Gilliam (6-2, 195, Clemson), an af2 rookie, was a major player on defense in Week 1 for Spokane as the Shock won on the road at Green Bay, 64-48. Gilliam looked like an Arena Football veteran in his first-ever af2 game, tying a Shock team record with three interceptions. The former Clemson standout's individual effort helped Spokane hand the Blizzard their first home defeat since July 7, 2006, a streak of 11 straight wins. Gilliam also recorded 3.5 tackles and two pass breakups. This is the first af2 weekly award of Gilliam's career. Graham (6-1, 195, Winston Salem St.), who is entering his second season in the af2, earned the Cutters Catch of the Week for his outstanding 11-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter of the Sharks' 61-48 road win at Austin. The former Winston Salem St. standout snared what looked to be an errant pass from QB Fran Johnson after the ball ricocheted off the rebound net. Graham finished with two catches for 21 yards and one touchdown.

TALONS TOP WEEK 2 COACHES POLL: By securing 430 of a possible 448 points, the defending ArenaCup Champion Tulsa Talons have maintained the No. 1 ranking in the Week 2 Coaches Poll, the af2 league office announced on Wednesday. Tulsa's total included 25 first-place votes. The Talons opened up defense of their league title with a convincing 69-13 home win on Saturday over Amarillo. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the defending American Conference Champions, slipped nine spots from No. 2 to No. 11 after a 48-41 Week 1 loss at Quad City. Spokane (1-0, 321 points, 2 first place votes) replaced the Pioneers at No. 2 this week on the strength of the team's road win on Sunday at Green Bay, 64-48. Central Valley (No. 3, 300 points) and Rio Grande Valley (No. 5, 281 points) jumped into the Top-5 this week after securing Week 1 wins. The No.4-ranked Florida Firecats, idle in Week 1, start their season on the road this Sunday at Texas. Other teams receiving first place votes this week included the Quad City Steamwheelers (1, No. 6 overall) and South Georgia Wildcats (1, No. 8 overall).

NEW TEAMS START SLOW IN af2: Four of the five newest members of the af2 began play in Week 1, namely the Austin Wranglers, Daytona Beach ThunderBirds, Iowa Barnstormers and Lexington Horsemen. The Horsemen, who hosted fellow league newcomer Daytona Beach, was the only winner of the cast. Lexington defeated the ThunderBirds, 48-12, on Saturday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. The Peoria Pirates, the af2's fifth new member, get their season started this week on Saturday at Lexington. Technically speaking, the Wranglers, ThunderBirds and Horsemen are all designated as expansion teams while the Barnstormers and Pirates are former teams that have been reborn. Iowa played in the af2 for one season (2001) and Peoria was active in the af2 for four seasons (2001-04).

NO HANGOVER AFTER SIPPIN' FROM THE CUP: The defending ArenaCup Champion Tulsa Talons picked up where they left off in 2007, with another win - this time defeating the Amarillo Dusters on Saturday, 69-13, at the Tulsa Convention Center. QB JUSTIN ALLGOOD paced the team offensively with six touchdown passes, four to WR KELLEN ALLEN (6-60-4) and two to WR/KR JEFF HUGHLEY (7-115-2). Allgood earned Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors for his effort. Defensively, Tulsa made a statement with five turnovers (3 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions). DL TERRANCE CARTER (3.5 sacks, 1 FF, 2 PBUs) and DB DELENELL REID (6 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 PBUs) were the two top playmakers for the Talons individually. Tulsa (1-0), ranked No. 1 in the latest Coaches Poll, plays host to the Boise Burn this Saturday night. Below is a look at past ArenaCup winners and how they fared the year after their championship season.

Champion

First Game Next Season

Next Season Final Record

2000

Quad City Steamwheelers

2001: Won, 41-0 (5-0 first 5)

15-1

2001

Quad City Steamwheelers

2002: Won, 39-34 (4-1 first 5)

10-6

2002

Peoria Pirates

2003: Lost, 39-42 (1-4 first 5)

5-11

2003

Tulsa Talons

2004: Lost, 63-70 OT (3-2 first 5)

13-3

2004

Florida Firecats

2005: Won, 35-32 (5-0 first 5)

14-2

2005

Memphis Xplorers

2006: Won, 78-64 (4-1 first 5)

11-5

2006

Spokane Shock

2007: Won, 51-35 (3-2 first 5)

12-4

2007

Tulsa Talons

2008: Won, 69-13 (1-0 first game)

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WIN STREAKING: With a win last week at Texas, Rio Grande Valley improved on two of the longest active win steaks in af2 history. The Dorados win streak of most consecutive regular season games won is still active at 14 straight games while their streak of most consecutive regular season road games won is at 10 in a row and counting. Rio Grande Valley is on a bye in Week 2. The Dorados will look to extend both streaks in Week 3 when they play at Corpus Christi. Below is a chart detailing the most impressive win streaks in league history.

Most Consecutive Games Won, Regular Season

16 Quad City, 2000

14 Quad City, 2003

14 Tennessee Valley, 2003

14 Rio Grande Valley, 13 games in 2007, 1 in 2008*

13 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 2007

10 Four teams tied (MR: Manchester, 2005)

* Still active

Most Consecutive Road Games Won, Regular Season

11 Tennessee Valley, 8 games in 2001; 3 games in 2002

10 Quad City, 8 games in 2000; 2 games in 2001

10 Tennessee Valley, 4 games in 2002, 6 games in 2003

10 Rio Grande Valley, 1 game in 2006, 8 games in 2007, 1 game in 2008*

* Still active

WHO WILL CATCH MAGIC: MAGIC BENTON, the af2's all-time leading scorer, became the first player in af2 history to record 1,000 career points in 2007. This year, with Benton likely retired, a number of veterans look poised to hit the 1,000-point plateau and surpass the former Florida standout's all-time high mark of 1,020 points. The three closest competitors to Benton's career mark are Iowa WR/LB KEVIN WILLIAMS (958 points), Boise WR GEORGE WILLIAMS (944 points) and Tulsa WR JARRAIL JACKSON (908 points).

Below is a breakdown of the leading scorers in af2 history:

MOST POINTS SCORED, NON-KICKING, CAREER

PTS

PLAYER

YEARS PLAYED

1,020

Magic Benton

2001-2007

958

Kevin Williams*

2001-present

944

George Williams*

2001, 2003-present

908

Jarrail Jackson*

2000-01, 2005-present

864

Jack Walker, Jr.

2002-03, 2005-2007

838

Al Hunt*

2003-present

780

Mitch Allner

2000-04

756

Cainon Lamb

2002-05

738

Kevin Prentiss

2003-2006

732

J.R. Thomas*

2004-present

696

Robert Garth*

2002-07

* denotes active players

JOHNSON AND BARTO ABOUT TO TURN 50: TOMMY JOHNSON, in his sixth season as head coach of the Louisville Fire, and DANTON BARTO, a five-year af2 head coaching veteran in his first season with Manchester, are just one victory away from joining the league's exclusive 50-career win club. Johnson, now 49-41 overall (including playoffs), can hit the mark this Saturday with a win at South Georgia. Barto (49-37 overall, including playoffs) can reach the plateau with a victory on Saturday night at Mahoning Valley. W-B/Scranton Head Coach RICH INGOLD is the league's all-time leader in career coaching wins with 60. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in career af2 coaching victories.

TOP ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES

NAME

WINS

1. Rich Ingold*

60

2. Chris Siegfried*

57

3. Ben Bennett*

56

4. Kevin Guy

52

5. Bobby Humphrey

51

6. Danton Barto*

49

Tommy Johnson*

49

* denotes active coaches

A FEW NEW RULES APPLY: The arenafootball2 league (af2) has agreed to implement several rule changes that were approved by the Arena Football League's Board of Directors. The adopted changes are in effect for the 2008 af2 season. The most notable change will be the ability for the "Jack" linebacker to roam from sideboard to sideboard within five yards of the line of scrimmage once a play begins. In the past, the "Box Rule" prohibited the "Jack" linebacker from leaving an imaginary box behind the line of scrimmage until the ball was thrown by the quarterback. Rules governing "Mac" linebackers were unchanged.

af2 IN THE AFL: The af2 has had hundreds of former players move up to the AFL over the years. A number of those players, such as Dallas WR/DB WILL PETTIS or Georgia QB CHRIS GREISEN, have become bonafide AFL stars. In 2008, a new group of AFL players with af2 roots are starting to shine. This week we highlight former Louisville WR TIGER JONES and former Florida DB LEVY BROWN. Jones, who ranked among the af2's elite receivers in 2007 with 142 catches for 1,897 yards and 37 touchdowns, made his AFL debut on Saturday for the Georgia Force. Jones looked like a League veteran in his first outing with the Force, leading the team with nine catches for 131 yards and five touchdowns to propel Georgia to a 70-49 victory over Utah. Brown, the 2007 af2 Defensive Player of the Year, is another AFL rookie making big plays early on in the 2008 season. Brown, now a member of the New York Dragons, is tied for the League lead in interceptions with four. He is also tied for 10th in tackles with 30.5. Brown recorded 14 interceptions (T-1st in af2) and 132.5 tackles (2nd in af2) with the Firecats in 2007.

arenafootball2 Stories from April 3, 2008

• Thunder victimized by Utah's four-goal rally in the final 24 minutes - Stockton Lightning
• Shock Add Third Aggie To Roster - Spokane Shock
• Shock and Spokane Tribe of Indians Tackle Hunger - Spokane Shock
• Dorados Busy Despite Bye-Week - Rio Grande Valley Dorados
• Week 2: Friday Night Matchup - af2
• af2 Week 2: Quick Hitters - af2
• Wolves Open Season This Saturday At Mahoning Valley - Manchester Wolves
• Barnstormers Announce Television Deal With Mediacom Connections - Iowa Barnstormers
• Wildcats Home Opener Saturday Includes United Way "Cats for Kids" Night - South Georgia Wildcats

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