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af2 week three Friday night matchups

April 13, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


W-B SCRANTON PIONEERS (1-0) AT ALBANY CONQUEST (2-0)
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2006 - Pepsi Arena (13,901) 7:00 P.M. ET
In this week's feature matchup, the Pioneers travel to Albany to take on the Conquest in an East Division showdown. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton enters the week ranked No. 5 in the latest Coaches Poll. The Pioneers got their 5th-year anniversary season started off right with a 45-37 win against the defending American Conference Champion Louisville Fire at home on March 31. Pioneers Head Coach RICH INGOLD stuck with rookie QB MIKE GRANIERI through a tough start and Granieri rewarded him with a strong finish. The first-year signal caller threw for a game-high 227 yards and five touchdowns in his first-ever Arena Football game. Another Pioneer rookie, WR/DB YAACOV YISRAEL, also had an impressive overall showing, totaling five catches for 97 yards on offense and 10 tackles and four pass breakups on defense. Yisrael earned U.S. Army Ironman of the Game and af2 U.S. Army Ironman of the Week for his performance. In the final quarter, Pioneers OS J.R. THOMAS caught two key touchdown passes to keep Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the lead. The game was finally secured when Louisville OS Rob Mager caught a 4-yard pass and was stopped by Pioneers WR/DB WILLIAM FERGUSON one yard short of the end zone in the final seconds. ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors went to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton OL/DL JOE HOLLISTER, who tallied 4.5 tackles and one sack. The Conquest (No. 3 in Coaches Poll) are coming home after two road wins to open their 2006 season. Although the Conquest offense may have gained more preseason notoriety with the return of QB RYAN VENA, it has been the team's defense that has stepped to the forefront in the early season. After two games in 2006, the Conquest are currently leading the league in scoring defense (32.5 ppg allowed) and interceptions (6). That's a big difference from last year's team that allowed almost 56 points per game (55.6) and recorded just 12 interceptions. Rookie DS SHAWN MURRAY leads the team and the league individually with three interceptions. Vena is tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns with five. Last week Albany scored a convincing 54-25 road win against Macon, spoiling the Knights' season opener. Albany's Jim Jones was named the Schutt Offensive Player of the Game with seven catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns. The Conquest defense was the difference, however, pressuring Macon into four sacks and forcing QB Chad Elliott into four interceptions. After being ahead 27-25 at the half, Albany didn't allow another point scored by the Knights. Conquest FB/LB MELVIN PARRIS led the team with seven tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery to earn ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors. Murray and PETE MCBRIDE each recorded two interceptions.

PIONEERS CONQUEST
SERIES LEADER Series tied 6-6
LAST MEETING W-B/Scranton won 54-47 on 7/23/2005
LAST FIVE GAMES 4-1 3-2
LAST GAME Won vs. LOU 45-37 on 3/31/2006 Won at MAC 54-25 on 4/8/2006
2006 LEADERS PIONEERS CONQUEST
PASSING Granieri: 32-17-2; 227; 5 TDs Vena: 66-42-4; 519; 6 TDs
RECEIVING Yisrael: 5-97; 0 TDs Jones: 13-189; 4 TDs
RUSHING Ferguson: 4-2; 0 TDs Vena: 12-19; 5 TDs
TACKLES Yisrael: 10 Parris: 9.5
SACKS Hollister: 1, Harding: 1 Parris: 2, Ward: 2
INTERCEPTIONS NA Murray: 3
KICKING Davis: 6-6 PAT; 1-2 FG 9 PTS Cirrincione: 12-15 PAT; 0-1FG 2 PTS
TEAM OFFENSE 45.0 PPG; 213.0 51.0 PPG; 269.5
TEAM DEFENSE 37.0 PPG; 258.0 32.5 PPG; 227.0

MANCHESTER WOLVES (0-1) AT LOUISVILLE FIRE (0-1)
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2006 - Freedom Hall (15,646) 7:30 P.M. ET
This game is an important one for Manchester and Louisville as both are coming off losses in their first action of 2006. The defending East Division Champion Wolves got off to a slow start in their home opener last Friday, falling to a young but talented Green Bay team, 48-34. Manchester's offense struggled to get going until the late moments. The Wolves sub-par play, which resulted in four turnovers, was caused by a combination of nerves and strong defensive pressure and downfield coverage by the Blizzard. OS JAMAAL PERRY led Manchester with 10 catches for 99 yards and one touchdown. WR/DB STEVE GONZALEZ also played well in his debut with the Wolves, scoring on three of his nine receptions. New QB D. BRYANT started a little shaky, but finished with 241 yards passing and five touchdowns with no interceptions. The Wolves defense played well in spite of the outcome, stopping Green Bay on four possessions. WILLIAM "ROC" HAITH led the team with 5.5 total tackles, one interception and three pass breakups. Manchester, ranked No. 10 in the Coaches Poll, will need to hold onto the ball better this week (3 fumbles lost vs. Green Bay, including one return for a touchdown) to compete with the Fire. Louisville has had a week off to think about their narrow, 45-37, road loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on March 31. The Fire (No. 12 in current Coaches Poll) received strong outings from rookie QB BRETT DIETZ and 2nd-year OS ROB MAGER in the loss. Louisville had a chance to score in the final seconds and force overtime with a potential game-tying two-point conversion, but Mager was stopped short by Pioneers WR/DB William Ferguson at the one-yard line. Mager (10 catches, 110 yards, 2 TDs) earned Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors. Manchester finished first in the East Division in 2005 at 12-4 with Louisville right behind at 11-5. They split their two-game regular season series in 2005, with each team winning at home. The Fire defeated the Wolves in the second round of the playoffs, however, on their way to winning the American Conference Championship. Louisville reached the ArenaCup for the first time in team history, but fell short in the title game against the Memphis Xplorers.

WOLVES FIRE
SERIES LEADER Series tied 2-2
LAST MEETING Louisville won at Manchester 69-56 on 8/12/2005 in the playoffs
LAST FIVE GAMES 1-4 3-2
LAST GAME Lost vs. GBB 34-48 on 4/7/2006 Lost at WBS 37-45 on 3/31/2006
2006 LEADERS WOLVES FIRE
PASSING Bryant: 40-24-0; 241; 5 TDs Dietz: 41-26-0; 272; 5 TDs
RECEIVING Perry: 10-99; 1 TD Mager: 10-110; 2 TDs
RUSHING Kimener: 3-7-0 Power: 1-4; 0 TDs
TACKLES Haith: 5.5 Lefall: 4.5
SACKS NA Brockington: 1
INTERCEPTIONS Haith: 1 Chandler: 1, Siykala: 1
KICKING Russell: 4-5 PAT; 0-1 FG 4 PTS Hendrix: 4-5 PAT; 1-2 FG 7 PTS
TEAM OFFENSE 34.0 PPG; 256.0 37.0 PPG; 258.0
TEAM DEFENSE 48.0 PPG; 241.0 45.0 PPG; 213.0

RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS (1-1) AT BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS (1-0)
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2006 - Birmingham Jefferson Civic Complex (16,000) 8:00 P.M. ET
This contest looks to be an intriguing intra-conference affair between two very different teams. Rio Grande Valley is coming off an impressive showing last Saturday night in the team's home opener. The Dorados set a franchise record for points with 75 on their way to cruising past the Tulsa Talons, 75-40. Rio Grande Valley QB JOSH KELLETT rebounded from a sup-par performance in Week 1 in a big way, throwing eight touchdown passes with no interceptions. He also scored a rushing touchdown as well, earning Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors in the process. Four of Kellett's scoring strikes went to WR/LB MEL LONG, who had nine catches in all for 112 yards. TRAVIS MCALPINE caught three more touchdowns for Rio Grande Valley. Defensively, the Dorados recorded stops on four out of five Tulsa possessions in the second half and limited the team to just six points. Lineman CURTIS JETER (1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery) earned ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors while WR/DB PIERRE THOMAS (2 rushing TDs, 1 INT) was awarded the US Army Ironman of the Game. Rio Grande Valley's home win was a welcomed change from their Week 1 lopsided road loss to Central Valley, 63-34. The Dorados are coming off a successful 2005 campaign in which the team finished 10-6 in the regular season and reached the National Conference Championship game. The Steeldogs are off to a 1-0 start after overcoming a 10-point home halftime deficit to defeat the expansion Everett Hawks, 41-36. Birmingham was led by the rookie tandem of QB RYAN HAWK and OS KERRY WRIGHT. Hawk finished 21-for-37 for 242 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. Three of Hawk's scoring tosses went to Wright, who caught nine passes in all for 118 yards. Wright also had 118 kick return yards, including a 50-yard return for a touchdown. Trailing 34-36 with 6:50 to play, Hawk hooked up with Lawrence Story on a 20-yard scoring strike to put the Steeldogs ahead, 41-36. Clinging to a lead, Birmingham's defense held firm against the dangerous Hawks on their ensuing drive. The Steeldogs season opening win firmly put the memories of their tough 2005 campaign behind them. This year veteran af2 coach RON SELESKY is out to bring the bite back to the Steeldogs. Beware of the ‘Dogs.

DORADOS STEELDOGS
SERIES LEADER Birmingham leads 1-0
LAST MEETING Birmingham won at Rio Grande 59-58 on 6/26/2004
LAST FIVE GAMES 3-2 2-3
LAST GAME Won vs. TUL 75-40 on 4/8/2006 Won vs. EVE 41-36 on 4/8/2006
2006 LEADERS DORADOS STEELDOGS
PASSING Kellett: 73-46-3; 515; 11 TDs Hawk: 37-21-1; 242; 5 TDs
RECEIVING Long: 14-189; 4 TDs Wright: 9-18; 3 TDs
RUSHING Brody: 3-13; 0 TDs Browden: 5-25; 0 TDs
TACKLES Withers: 14.5 Keyes: 6
SACKS Colin: 0.5, Bradley: 0.5 Brumbaugh: 1, Daniel: 1
INTERCEPTIONS Thomas: 1 Morris: 1, Mayes: 1
KICKING Bell: 11-15 PAT; 0-1 FG 11 PTS Walls: 3-5 PAT; 0-1 FG 3 PTS
TEAM OFFENSE 54.5 PPG; 270.0 41.0 PPG; 263.0
TEAM DEFENSE 52.5 PPG; 216.0 36.0 PPG; 259.0

WEEK 3:
Saturday, April 15
Tulsa at South Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Florida at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Amarillo 8:00 p.m.
Arkansas at Bossier-Shreveport 8:00 p.m.
Tennessee Valley at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
Green Bay at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
Everett at Spokane 10:00 p.m.
Bakersfield at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Stockton

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