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af2 week seven quick hitters

May 11, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


AND THEN THERE WAS ONE: Entering Week 7 of the season, there is only one team that remains undefeated - the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers. The Pioneers (5-0) are off to their best start in team history. They are currently ranked No. 1 in the Weekly Coaches Poll. This is the team's third straight week atop the chart. Below is a chart detailing the best starts in af2 history.

TEAM START SEASON
Quad City 16-0 2000
Tennessee Valley 14-0 2003
Augusta 7-0 2002
Richmond 7-0 2002

STRICKLAND PASSES 20,000 MARK: Oklahoma City quarterback CRAIG STRICKLAND became the first af2 quarterback to ever throw for 20,000 yards this past week, eclipsing the mark in a 90-54 home win against Midwest Division and in-state rival Tulsa. It was fitting to note that the record came against the same team where Strickland began his af2 career. Strickland led the Talons to the 2003 ArenaCup title. The af2 veteran signal caller finished the night 18-of-32 passing for 282 yards and an af2 season-high 10 touchdowns. He also tied his own team record for most touchdown passes in a game, a mark he hit last season against Arkansas. Strickland's current all-time passing yards total now stands at 20,055 and counting. He was named the af2's Schutt Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday for his impressive Week 6 performance.

SOONER STATE SHOOTOUT: Oklahoma City piled on an af2 season-high and team record 90 points on its in-state rivals from Tulsa this past Saturday in a 90-54 home victory. The Yard Dawgz' point total was the 7th highest single game output in league history. This isn't the first time Tulsa has given up such a lofty point total in a game. The Talons actually fell victim to the 2nd highest single game point total in league history on June 22, 2002 when they lost at Arkansas, 102-63. Quad City owns the league record for most points scored in a game with 103, set on May 26, 2000 when they trounced the Greensboro Prowlers, 103-3.

BENT-ON BREAKING LEAGUE RECEIVING RECORDS IN 2006: Florida OS MAGIC BENTON, already the most prolific pass catcher in af2 history in terms of career receiving yards (4,988), is set to catch and pass numerous other records this Saturday night at home against Birmingham. The former Miami Hurricane is coming off another strong showing in a 76-37 Week 6 win at Tennessee Valley in which he caught seven passes for 106 yards and four touchdowns. His receiving scores improved his career total to 112, just one behind Mitch Allner's league record of 113. And that's not it. Benton, who has 396 career catches, is also five receptions away from Corey Hill's all-time top mark of 401. The five-year veteran is showing no signs of slowing down in 2006. He leads the Firecats in receiving and also ranks among the league leaders in scoring (1st - 100 points), receiving yards (4th - 560) and receptions (T6th - 40).

BRYANT SETS LEAGUE PASSING MARK: Manchester QB D. BRYANT, in his first start since the team's opener, had a tremendous individual outing as the Wolves nearly defeated the defending ArenaCup Champion Memphis Xplorers, 58-52, in overtime. Bryant, in his third af2 season and first with Manchester, completed an af2-record 42 passes out of 57 attempts. The old league record was 38, set by Matt Sauk in 2000 as a member of the Tennessee Valley Vipers. Bryant also passed for an af2 season-high 389 yards and threw eight touchdown passes with no interceptions. The former Duke product has tossed 16 touchdowns in 2006 without an interception and currently owns a 123.8 passer rating. The Wolves (2-3) travel to Albany, N.Y. this week to play the Albany Conquest (3-2), their East Division rivals. Bryant was Albany's starting quarterback in 2004 and 2005.

SOUTHWEST SACK ATTACK: The Arkansas Twisters can point to a few different factors as to why they are off to a 4-2 start. One huge factor is their defense, and more specifically, their defensive front. The Twisters currently boast a league-leading team sack total of 24, averaging 4.0 per game. Arkansas is on pace to post 64 sacks this season. The current league record is 52, set by the now-defunct Carolina Rhinos in 2001. The Twisters have three players at or near the top of the league leaders in the sack standings - Steve Watson, CJ McLain and Shakorr Bryant. Watson leads the af2 with eight sacks. McLain is second with 6.5. Another team to fear up front on defense is the Tulsa Talons. The Talons currently rank second in the league in sacks with 18 (3.6 per game). Both teams (Arkansas and Tulsa) have recorded eight-sack games in 2006.

700 CLUB: Arkansas WR/DB Kevin Williams is the only active player in the af2 with over 700 career points scored. He upped his current total to 766 with one score this past Saturday in the Twisters' 45-34 road loss to Amarillo. He currently stands alone in second place on the all-time scoring list. Former Tulsa star Mitch Allner owns the all-time top mark with 780 points. Williams is well on pace to catch Allner and break the record. Other active af2 players looking to join Williams in the 700 club are Florida's Magic Benton (694), Williams' teammate LENNIE JOHNSON (618) and Bakersfield's Nian Taylor (600).

MOST POINTS SCORED, NON-KICKING, CAREER
PTS PLAYER YEARS PLAYED
780 Mitch Allner 2000-04
766 Kevin Williams 2001-present
756 Cainon Lamb 2002-05
694 Magic Benton 2001-present
656 George Williams 2001, 2003-present
642 Kevin Prentiss 2003-05
638 Wayne Thomas 2000-02, 2004, 2006 TOUCHDOWN MAKERS: Arkansas WR/DB Kevin Williams also leads a familiar cast of characters in the race for the af2 career touchdown record. Williams has 125 for his career, just one behind Mitch Allner's all-time mark of 126. Florida's MAGIC BENTON (114) is also on his way up the all-time list.

MOST TOUCHDOWNS SCORED, CAREER
TDS PLAYER YEARS PLAYED
126 Mitch Allner 2000-04
125 Kevin Williams 2001-present
118 Cainon Lamb 2002-05
114 Magic Benton 2001-present
108 George Williams 2001, 2003-present
107 Kevin Prentiss 2003-05
106 Wayne Thomas 2000-02, 2004, 2006

TURNIN' 40 ISN'T SO BAD: Memphis Head Coach Danton Barto became the newest member of the 40-career win club (includes playoffs) on April 15 with a 56-21 home win against Tennessee Valley. His career record currently stands at 42-32 overall (.568). W-B/Scranton's Rich Ingold (39) and Manchester's Ben Bennett (38) should also join Barton in the 40-career win club shortly. Only six other coaches in league history have reached the mark in their careers. The only active members are Spokane's Chris Siegfried (44) and Stockton's Richard Davis (43). 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 (31) is the only other current coach within reach of the 40-win club.

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 Orlando OL/DL E.J. BURT or Tampa Bay QB SHANE STAFFORD, have become bonafide AFL stars. In 2006, a new group of AFL players with af2 roots are starting to shine. This week we highlight former Manchester WR/LB J.J. MCKELVEY and former Rio Grande Valley WR/DB MARQUIS FLOYD. McKelvey is in his first AFL season after one and half years of stellar play in the af2 for the Manchester Wolves. This year the former Clemson standout has been an impact player for the Philadelphia Soul. Despite missing five games due to an ankle injury, McKelvey is tied for second on the squad in touchdown receptions with 12 and ranks third in receiving yards with 564. He also leads the team in yards per catch at 16.5 (34 catches, 564 yards), which ranks third overall in the AFL. His play will be key this week as the Soul need a win to ensure themselves a spot in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. McKelvey earned First Team American Conference All-af2 honors in 2005 with a league-leading 138 catches for 1,454 yards and 48 touchdowns. Floyd is also in his rookie AFL campaign as a member of the West Division Champion San Jose Sabercats. Floyd was a standout two-way player for the Rio Grande Valley Dorados in 2005, earning af2 U.S. Army Ironman of the Year honors. He was also a member of the Tennessee Valley Vipers in 2004. This year Floyd has made his presence felt for the Sabercats on both sides of the ball. In 12 games played, the former West Georgia standout ranks second on the team in tackles with 43.0 and is tied for the team lead in forced fumbles with four. Floyd has also recorded two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown. On offense, he has 20 receptions for 197 yards, one receiving touchdown and one rushing score.



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