NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



arenafootball2

af2 Week Three: Saturday Night Matchups

April 11, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


TENNESSEE VALLEY VIPERS (0-2) AT FLORIDA FIRECATS (1-0)

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008 - Germain Arena (7,128) 7:30 P.M. ET

Tennessee Valley travels to Florida this week for a Saturday night South Division showdown against the Firecats. The Vipers head into Week 3 on the heels of two straight close home defeats to start their season. Their most recent loss came last Saturday at the hands of the Green Bay Blizzard, 37-35. After being unable to score a touchdown in three of four possessions in the first half, the Vipers were able to make a comeback with the insertion of rookie backup QB BRENT DEARMON. Trailing by eight points late in the fourth quarter, the Vipers defense forced a kick after a key pass breakup by DB TROY GRAHAM. WR/LB MAURICE BROWN returned the kick to the 22-yard line and the Vipers took over with 23 seconds left. Brown then beat double coverage and caught a 24-yard TD with nine seconds left to leave the Vipers two points down. The two-point conversion failed when WR AGIM SHABAJ was stopped on a pitchout. DB DEMETRIUS DERICO led the Tennessee Valley defensive effort with 5.0 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups. Graham also recorded an interception for the Vipers. Head Coach DEAN COKINOS named Dearmon as his starting quarterback earlier this week and traded former starter ANDY HALL to Austin. Shabaj leads the team with 16 catches in two games while Brown leads in receiving yards with 183. Derico leads the Vipers with three interceptions. Florida, ranked No. 4 in the latest league coaches poll, is coming off of its first game and win of the 2008 season, a 56-14 road triumph over Texas. Veteran QB CHRIS WALLACE was efficient in his first outing, throwing for 203 yards on 16-of-20 passes with six touchdowns. Two of his scoring passes went to WR MATT BURSTEIN. The five-year af2 veteran and 2004 af2 Offensive Player of the Year appeared in three games with the Firecats last season. WR/LB CHRIS MCKINNEY had a strong performance as well. His three total touchdowns (2 receiving, 1 rushing) on offense combined with his defensive effort (2.0 tackles, 2 pass breakups, 1 sack) earned him the af2 U.S. Army Strong Ironman of the Week award. Speaking of defense, DBs JAMES MCCOY (9.5 tackles, 1 INT) and former Viper CARLOS CAMPBELL (2.5 tackles, 38-yard fumble return TD) and DL TERRANCE CHAPMAN (3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks) all played big parts in Florida's convincing victory. The Firecats offense looks to have improved during the week thanks to the return of WR ETHENIC SANDS. Sands was second on the squad in receiving a year ago with 98 catches for 1,196 yards and 24 TDs. This is the first home game of the season for the Firecats. Florida is 5-2 all-time in home openers. Florida also holds a 6-4 edge on Tennessee Valley in all-time head-to-head matchups. The Firecats took 2-of-2 from the Vipers last year. Dearmon will need to play well for four quarters for Tennessee Valley to keep things close with Florida.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS (1-0) AT CORPUS CHRISTI SHARKS (1-1)

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008 - American Bank Center (7,498) 8:00 P.M. ET

Rio Grande Valley heads to Corpus Christi for a Southwest Division matchup against the Sharks. The Dorados should be well rested on Saturday after enjoying a bye in Week 2. In their only action so far in 2008, Rio Grande Valley won at Texas. The win was the 10th consecutive road triumph for the Dorados. The reigning Southwest Division champions enter Week 3 ranked No. 5 in the latest league coaches poll. QB TRAVIS COLE, a former AFL backup, threw eight touchdowns for the Dorados in his af2 debut. Other members of the Rio Grande Valley offense to watch out for are WRs ANTHONY CHAMBERS and JERMAINE CARPENTER. The tandem combined for 13 catches and seven touchdowns against Texas. Standing out on defense for the Dorados in Week 1 was DB PIERRE THOMAS, who recorded 13 total tackles and two interceptions, one of which he returned 27 yards for a touchdown. Corpus Christi is coming off a 66-55 road loss last week at Bossier-Shreveport. The Sharks got down early and couldn't catch up late. DWIGHT IJAMES has been the rock on the Sharks' defense with 12 solo tackles (14.5 total) and three pass break ups. On offense, WR BRANDON HUSSEY will be on the Dorados defensive radar as he leads Corpus Christi with 16 catches and five touchdowns. The Sharks also hope that veteran QB BRIAN VILLANUEVA will play like he did in the second half against Bossier-Shreveport. Villanueva showed signs of promise despite a slow start. After throwing three interceptions in the first half, Villanueva led the Sharks to touchdowns on all seven of the team's second-half possessions. He finished with 239 yards passing and six total touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing). This is the first home game of 2008 for Corpus Christi. Last year the Dorados won all three head-to-head meetings between these two teams. This year Rio Grande Valley and Corpus Christi will square off three times as well. If Villanueva plays well, the Sharks should be able to stay with the Dorados.

OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ (1-0) AT LUBBOCK RENEGADES (1-0)

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008 - City Bank Coliseum (7,040) 8:00 P.M. ET

Oklahoma City travels to Lubbock this week for a Saturday night Central Division showdown against the Renegades. The Yard Dawgz opened their season last week with a 57-42 home victory against Arkansas.

• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...

arenafootball2 Stories from April 11, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central