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af2 week six quick hitters

Published on May 3, 2007 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


GAMES ON - af2/B2 FEATURED GAMES IN WEEK 6: The arenafootball2 league (af2) has established a new, extensive online network to provide the league's passionate fan base an opportunity to view a vast number of games through the internet. Thanks to a new league partnership with industry leader B2 Networks, fans across the globe are now be able to bring all the action of af2 football right to their home computer or laptop. To tune into the action, fans can log on to www.af2.com and click on the special advertisement located at the top right-hand corner of the page. Viewers looking to enjoy the games via B2 will only need a high-speed internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 or higher. Games will be available for the normal B2 rate of just $6. This week there are nine (9) af2 games available though B2. The Week 6 online broadcast schedule is detailed below. All times listed are Eastern.

Week 6

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Texas at Alabama 8:00 p.m.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Manchester at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Florida at Albany 7:00 p.m.

Louisville at Mahoning Valley 7:05 p.m.

Stockton at Tri-Cities 8:00 p.m.

Amarillo at Lubbock 8:00 p.m.

Tulsa at Oklahoma City 8:05 p.m.

Boise at Bakersfield 10:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Central Valley at Everett 6:00 p.m.

OFF THE NET/WEEK 6: The arenafootball2 league (af2) online radio show, "Off the Net," the only internet radio show devoted solely to af2, will air its sixth show of the season today, Thursday, May 3, on www.af2.com. This week's show features special interviews with Bakersfield Head Coach GARY COMPTON, former af2 Head Coach BRUCE COWDREY and Tulsa QB JOSH BLANKENSHIP. The program will also include news and notes from around the af2 as the league enters the fourth week of the 2007 season. Fans can easily access the program by clicking on a special "Off the Net" advertisement located at the lower right hand corner of af2.com. The show will be available online late this afternoon. "Off the Net," now in its second season, airs every Thursday throughout the regular season and continues all the way until an ArenaCup Champion is crowned in late August. The show is designed to bring af2 fans even closer to their favorite game with in-depth news, interesting interviews and fun feature stories. Veteran broadcaster Dean Jackson serves as host.

PIONEERS SOLIDIFY TOP SPOT IN LATEST COACHES POLL: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers have maintained the No. 1 ranking of the Weekly Coaches Poll for the second straight week, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced on Wednesday. The Pioneers collected 460 of a possible 464 points and 26-of-30 first place votes in securing the top position. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (4-0) scored an impressive, 94-25, home win in Week 5 against Cincinnati to solidify their claim to the top spot. The Tulsa Talons (4-0, 416 points, 3 first place votes) held firm at the No. 2 spot on the strength of a 57-33 home win Saturday against Alabama. The Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings (4-0, 407 points, 1 first place vote) also maintained their position at No. 3 overall after a 64-45 home win against the Laredo Lobos. Rounding out the Top 5 this week are the South Georgia Wildcats (3-1, 325 points) and Arkansas Twisters (3-1, 275 points). South Georgia is coming off a bye in Week 5 while Arkansas won its home opener in convincing fashion, 93-19, on Saturday against Corpus Christi.

KENDRICK, HOWARD, ROYAL, WILLIAMS EARN WEEK 5 HONORS: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wide receiver/linebacker LARRY KENDRICK, Oklahoma City wide receiver DANNY HOWARD and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defensive back CHRIS ROYAL have been named the U.S. Army Ironman, Schutt Offensive Player and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 5 of the 2007 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 5 goes to Arkansas wide receiver/defensive back KEVIN WILLIAMS.

Kendrick (5-11, 210, Mississippi), in his first af2 season, had an explosive all-around effort for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the team's impressive, 94-25, home win against Cincinnati in Week 5. The former Mississippi standout was a playmaker on offense and defense for the Pioneers. He scored four touchdowns overall, two on offense and two on defense. He made his presence felt most on defense, recovering two fumbles, including one 30-yard fumble return TD, and had a 17-yard interception return TD. Kendrick also recorded a sack that forced a safety in the fourth quarter. On offense, he had two catches for 24 yards and two scores. This is the first weekly award of Kendrick's af2 career. Howard (6-2, 195, Southwestern Oklahoma St.) had a career night for Oklahoma City on Saturday night at Boise, but the Burn stopped the Yard Dawgz on a late charge and emerged victorious, 48-42. The playmaker from Southwestern Oklahoma St., now in his first full af2 season, had 12 catches for a af2-season high 210 yards and three touchdowns. Howard also had a 12-yard rush for a touchdown in the first quarter. This is the first weekly af2 award of his career. Howard currently leads the Yard Dawgz in receptions (35), receiving yards (519), receiving touchdowns (10) and rushing (28 yards, 1 TD). Royal (5-10, 205, Marshall), in his first af2 season, was a major force on defense in Week 5 for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the Pioneers' impressive, 94-25, home win against Cincinnati. Royal recorded a game-high 8.0 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. The rookie from Marshall also had two interceptions, one of which he returned 37 yards for a touchdown. Royal's interception return TD was one of four total defensive touchdowns scored by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on the night. The 94 points scored by the Pioneers is the highest single-game total in team history and tied for the fourth highest in league history. This is the first weekly af2 award of Royal's career. He currently leads the Pioneers in tackles (33.5), interceptions (3) and pass breakups (8). W-B/Scranton is 4-0 and alone in first place in the East Division. Williams (6-1, 215, Arkansas Pine Bluff), who is in his seventh season in the af2, earned the Cutters Catch of the Week Award for his leaping, one-handed interception that he returned for a nine-yard score in the third quarter of Arkansas' 93-19 home win against Corpus Christi. Williams finished the night with 3.0 tackles, including one tackle for loss and one forced fumble. He also currently leads the Twisters in total touchdowns (8) and touchdown receptions (6).

DOWN TO THREE: Entering Week 6 of the season, there are only three teams that remain undefeated. They are the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings (4-0), Tulsa Talons (4-0) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (4-0). The Pioneers are currently ranked No. 1 in the Weekly Coaches Poll. This is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's second straight week atop the chart. The Talons are ranked No. 2 overall. The Battle Wings, who are off to their best start ever, are currently ranked No. 3. 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

SCORING BINGE: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers and Arkansas Twisters scored over 90 points last Saturday night in home wins over Cincinnati and Corpus Christi, respectively. This was the first time two teams have scored over 90 points on the same night. The Pioneers defeated the Jungle Kats, 94-25, while the Twisters blew past the Sharks, 93-19. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 94-point total set a new team record, eclipsing the old mark of 75 points recorded in 2004 in a win at Green Bay (4/16/04). Arkansas' 93 points scored is the team's second-highest single game total in team history. The Twisters highest single game output was 102 points. Arkansas set the mark in a 102-63 win against Tulsa on June 22, 2002. Quad City owns the league's all-time single game record with 103 points scored in a 103-3 win at Greensboro on May 26, 2000. Below is a list of the top single-game scoring marks in af2 history:

Most Points, Single Team, Game

103 Quad City at Greensboro, May 26, 2000

102 Arkansas vs. Tulsa, June 22, 2002

97 Quad City vs. Memphis, April 13, 2001

94 W-B/Scranton vs. Cincinnati, April 28, 2007*

94 Charleston at Columbus, April 14, 2001

93 Arkansas vs. Corpus Christi, April 28, 2007*

91 Tulsa vs. San Diego, June 18, 2005

91 San Diego at Hawaii, May 28, 2004

90 Oklahoma City vs. Tulsa, May 6, 2006

88 Albany vs. Green Bay, July, 2005

88 Central Valley at San Diego, July 30, 2005

88 Arkansas vs. Greensboro, June 3, 2000

WALLACE HITS 300: Florida QB CHRIS WALLACE, an af2 veteran in his sixth season, eclipsed 300 touchdown passes for his career last Saturday in a 39-38 home loss to Tennessee Valley. Wallace, who entered the contest with 299, tossed five touchdowns to increase his career total to 304, a mark that places him third all-time in af2 history. Former Tulsa/Oklahoma City standout CRAIG STRICKLAND is the league's leader in career touchdown passes with 481. Louisville QB MATT SAUK ranks second with 360. Wallace currently leads the af2 in touchdown passes with 29 so far in 2007.

BENTON APPROACHING 900 POINTS: Florida WR MAGIC BENTON is rapidly approaching the 900-point mark for his af2 career. The veteran, now in his seventh season, will earn the distinction of being the first player in af2 history to score 900 points with two points this Saturday at Albany. Benton is currently the league's all-time scoring leader with 898 points. His next closest competitor is Arkansas veteran WR/LB KEVIN WILLIAMS (868). Quad City receiver Jack Walker is closing in on the 700-career point plateau. Walker, in his fifth af2 season, currently has 694 points.

MOST POINTS SCORED, NON-KICKING, CAREER

PTS PLAYER YEARS PLAYED

898 Magic Benton* 2001-present

868 Kevin Williams* 2001-present

780 Mitch Allner 2000-04

756 Cainon Lamb 2002-05

754 Jarrail Jackson* 2000-01, 2005-present

746 George Williams* 2001, 2003-present

738 Kevin Prentiss 2003-2006

* denotes active players

BENNETT AND INGOLD GOING FOR 50: Manchester Head Coach BEN BENNETT and W-B/Scranton Head Coach RICH INGOLD are approaching the exclusive 50-win club for coaching wins in the af2. To date, only three coaches in league history have hit the 50-win plateau. The league's all-time leader is CHRIS SIEGFRIED with 57 career wins. Siegfried, now the offensive coordinator of the AFL's Kansas City Brigade, helped guide the expansion Spokane Shock to the 2006 ArenaCup title. Bennett currently ranks fifth all-time in career af2 wins with 48 while Ingold is sixth with 47 victories. They are the two winningest active coaches in the league. The next closest active coaches are TOMMY JOHNSON (39), KEVIN BOUIS (32) and MIKE HOLD (30). Below is a list of the top coaches in league history.

TOP ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES

NAME WINS

1. Chris Siegfried 57

2. Kevin Guy 52

3. Bobby Humphrey 51

4. Danton Barto 49

5. Ben Bennett* 48

6. Rich Ingold* 47

* denotes active coaches

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 Chicago DL E.J. BURT or Orlando QB SHANE STAFFORD, have become bonafide AFL stars. In 2007, a new group of AFL players with af2 roots are starting to shine. This week we highlight former Louisville WR ROB MAGER and former Oklahoma City/Bossier-Shreveport K JASON BALL. Mager, who is currently in his first season with the defending ArenaBowl Champion Chicago Rush, has made an immediate impact with the team since being signed on April 19. In the team's last two games, Mager has accounted for four touchdowns (2 rushing, 2 receiving) for the Rush. He has 11 pass receptions for 139 yards (12.6 yards per catch) and two carries for six yards in two contests. Prior to his opportunity in Chicago, Mager spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the af2's Louisville Fire. In 2006, he established himself as arguably the most dangerous offensive player in the af2. He tied the af2 record for most touchdown receptions in a season with 54. Mager also concluded his 2006 campaign with af2 highs in points (328), total touchdowns (54), receiving yards (1,918) and receptions (143). His 328 points and 54 touchdowns are the second-highest single season totals in league history. His 143 receptions are the third-highest single season sum in league history. Mager also made a big splash in the af2 during his rookie campaign of 2005 with team-highs in receptions (125), receiving yards (1,439) and receiving scores (39). Ball, in his second AFL season, was recently named the League's Kicker of the Month for April. Ball connected on 29-of-34 PATs and converted a League-best 7-of-12 field goals for a League-leading 50 total points during the month of April that saw his Colorado Crush (6-3) go 4-1. Ball also kicked a 38-yard field goal during the Crush's 49-48 victory over the New York Dragons on April 15, which stands as the second-longest kick of the month. He leads the AFL in field goals made (10) and ranks second overall in points scored by a kicker with 83. Ball has converted 53-of-60 extra points and 10-of-18 field goals. Prior to his move to the AFL, Ball spent two seasons in af2 playing with Oklahoma City and Bossier-Shreveport. He earned All-af2 second team honors in 2004.

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