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af2 week three quick hitters

April 13, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


CHAMPS KEEP ROLLIN': The Xplorers have picked up right where they left off in 2005. With a convincing, 78-46, home win against the Florida Firecats this past Saturday, Memphis improved to 2-0 in 2006. The Xplorers' impressive victory over a very talented Florida team reaffirmed the squad's stand as the top team in the league. The team has now won eight straight games, including the playoffs. That ties Memphis with four other teams for eighth place on the all-time list for most consecutive games won. The Xplorers still have quite a way to go to take over the all-time league mark of 24 straight games won, set by Quad City over the course of 2000 (19) and part of 2001 (5).

TWISTERS OFF TO FAST START: The Twisters used a stifling defense to throttle a young Amarillo squad, 58-20, Saturday night in their home opener. With the win, Arkansas has gotten off to a 2-0 start for the first time in the team's seven-year history. The Twisters defense shut out the Dusters in the second half and was responsible for four sacks, two forced fumbles and 12 pass break ups. ADT Defensive Player of the Game Delenell Reid, playing in his first game of the year, paced the Arkansas attack with three tackles and six pass break ups. Veteran WR/DB Lennie Johnson earned Ironman of the Game honors with a strong overall effort which included three touchdown receptions on offense and a game-high nine tackles on defense. The Twisters also got another great performance out of QB Walter Church, who threw eight touchdown passes for the second straight week to earn Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors. He is the first Twisters' quarterback to throw eight touchdowns in back-to-back games. He currently leads the league with 16 TD passes.

SIEGFRIED HAS SHOCK SPARKLING IN EARLY SEASON: Spokane head coach Chris Siegfried has helped lead the expansion Shock to a 2-0 start in 2006. Not surprisingly, this isn't the first time Siegfried has started 2-0 at the helm of an expansion team. He guided the Cape Fear Wildcats to a 2-0 start to begin their inaugural season in 2002 before losing by just one point in the third game to the Augusta Stallions. This week Spokane hosts fellow af2 newcomer Everett on Saturday.

VIPERS WIN FIRST GAME SINCE RETURN TO af2: The Tennessee Valley Vipers (1-1) won their first game since their return to af2 play on Saturday night at South Georgia, 58-50. The Vipers defensive unit, which forced South Georgia into six turnovers (3 fumbles, 3 INTs), spoiled the Wildcats home opener. OL/DL Rashad Gibbs (4.5 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 safeties) and DS Joey Robinson (2 INTs, 1 INT return TD) were the main forces behind the Vipers defensive attack. Gibbs, an af2 rookie, was named the ADT Defensive Player of the Game. On Tuesday, he was further honored as the af2 ADT Defensive Player of the Week. Tennessee Valley QB Roger Linn earned Offensive Player of the Game honors with a solid offensive showing, completing 23-of-32 passes for 237 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Viper OS Wayne Thomas caught a game-high 10 passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns. This Saturday Tennessee Valley matches up against Memphis for the second time in three weeks. During the franchise's initial five-year stint in the af2 (2000-05), the Vipers were one of the most successful teams in the league. They won four division titles, made five straight playoff appearances, and won almost 80 percent of their games.

BENT-ON BREAKING LEAGUE RECORDS IN 2006: Florida OS MAGIC BENTON moved into third place in the af2 record books this past week for career receiving yards with 4,565. After just one game, he's now just 264 yards shy of the all-time mark held by James Scott, who ranks number one overall with 4,829 yards receiving. Despite Florida's lopsided loss to Memphis on Saturday night, Benton was a standout for the Firecats, catching 10 passes for 137 yards and four touchdowns. His fourth TD grab made his all-time total for receiving scores hit the century mark (100). He's now just 13 away from Mitch Allner's league record of 113. And that's not it. Benton, who has 366 career catches, is also 35 receptions away from Corey Hill's all-time top mark of 401.

CONQUEST GET DEFENSIVE: Although the Conquest offense may have gained more preseason notoriety with the return of QB RYAN VENA, it has been the Albany 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. Albany ranked near the bottom of the league in both categories. Not coincidentally, the Conquest are currently 2-0 and were just 4-12 in 2005. Rookie DS Shawn Murray leads the team individually with three interceptions.

STRICKLY-BUSINESS: In his sixth af2 season, Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz QB CRAIG STRICKLAND continues to leave his mark in the records books. His name is currently listed at the top in a number of passing categories, including career passing yards (18,659) and career touchdown passes (383). This year he has also claimed the top spot of another league all-time passing category - passes completed - with 1,439. His latest game performance in Oklahoma City's season opening win against Stockton (18-of-25, 257 yards, 8 TDs) vaulted him past former af2 star MATT SAUK's previous league high mark of 1,432.

WOLVES 0-FOR-OPENERS: The Manchester Wolves haven't gotten off to great starts at home since their move to Manchester in 2004. The team's 34-48 loss to Green Bay this past weekend was their third straight home-opening defeat in as many years. In fact, the Wolves have only won one home opener over the course of their five-year existence. That victory came in Connecticut in 2003 when the Mohegan Wolves opened their season with a 57-20 triumph over the Rochester Brigade.

700 CLUB: Arkansas WR/DB Kevin Williams is the only active player in the af2 with over 700 career points scored. His current total of 724 ranks third on the league's all-time scoring chart. Former Tulsa star Mitch Allner owns the all-time top mark with 780 points. If the five-year veteran Williams stays healthy, he has a great chance to catch Allner and break the record. Other active af2 players looking to join Williams in the 700 club are Stockton's George Williams (638), Tennessee Valley's Wayne Thomas (636), Florida's Magic Benton (618) and Spokane's Nian Taylor (600). Williams' teammate Lennie Johnson (582) also has a chance to reach the 700 mark this season.

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 Louisville QB MATT SAUK and former Florida WR/LB JAVARUS DUDLEY. Sauk, the 2005 af2 Offensive Player of the Year, has seen action in three games (one start) this year at quarterback for the Philadelphia Soul (6-5). Due to various injuries to normal Soul starter Tony Graziani, Sauk has been pressed into action and performed well, throwing for 489 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. With Graziani again ailing, the veteran Sauk will be counted on to help the Soul position themselves in the playoff race during the final stretch of the 2006 regular season. Dudley, who played in five games with Florida a year ago, has come on strong of late in his rookie AFL season with Orlando. The former Fordham standout has led the Predators in receiving in each of the last four games, totaling 33 catches, 430 yards and six touchdowns. Orlando has won three straight games and is currently tied for first place in the Southern Division at 7-4.

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