After Two Tough Road Trips, Albany Returns Home

May 21, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release


2008 Record:

3-4 (2-1 Home, 1-3 Road) - Streak: Lost 3 - Second Place, East Division, American Conference

Week 8 Recap:

The Albany Conquest lost their third successive game in Week 8, falling to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers by a 69-27 score last Friday night at Wachovia Arena. True to plan, the Conquest defense was successful in slowing down the Pioneers high-powered offense in the first quarter, holding Pioneers QB Ryan Vena to just two drives. The first hiccup in Albany's strategy came at the end of the first quarter when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defense forced the Conquest to a turnover on downs and held a 14-7 lead as the quarter came to a close. The second quarter was an entirely different story as the Pioneers erupted on both sides of the ball. The Pioneers offense scored 28 points while Albany's offense sputtered. The Conquest turned the ball over on downs twice and WR Chris Bocage fumbled the ball at the one-yard line as he was trying to stretch into the end zone. Bocage made up for it right before halftime as he return a kickoff 56-yards for a touchdown, cutting lead to 42-14 at the half. Vena finished the first half with six touchdown passes, including three to WR Larry Kendrick.

The second half was not much better for the visitors as the Pioneers defense forced Albany to turnover on downs again to start the third quarter. Albany's offense had another turnover on downs on their first possession of the second half, then later in the quarter Barry Drakeford intercepted a Cole pass on fourth down. The Conquest held the Pioneers to just seven points in the fourth quarter, but the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defense came up with another turnover on downs, the sixth Albany turnover of the game. Cole linked up with Williams for two TD passes in the second half, but Vena finished off the Conquest with four more touchdown passes for a 69-27 final score.

Week 8 Preview:

This Friday might be considered judgment day for two teams that are looking to halt their skids. After getting off to their best start in the last five seasons, Albany has lost their last three games and need a victory to avoid dropping to two games below .500. Manchester has lost six straight games, including their last three games by six points or less. The victor of this contest will stop the bleeding and look to rebound with some momentum, while the defeated team will plunge further into their downward spiral.

Familiarity will not be an issue this week for Albany, as they will be facing a revamped Wolves squad. Since their Week 4 meeting in Manchester has shuffled their roster considerably. Last week against Tulsa, the Wolves dressed nine players that were not in the lineup against the Conquest in Week 4, including four new offensive starters, three defensive starters and two reserves.

Week 8 Schedule:

(All games are broadcast LIVE on 88.3 FM The SAINT and on the Internet at www.albanyconquest.com)

Friday, May 23 - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center

vs. Manchester Wolves (1-6) - Streak: Lost 6

Third Place, East Division, American Conference

This is the 20th All-Time meeting between Albany and Manchester, with the Wolves holding an 11-8 lead in the series. It is the second of four meetings during the 2008 regular season. Manchester has gone through four different quarterbacks so far this season, five if you count WR/DB Bradley Chavez who started at wide receiver, but was listed as the backup quarterback in Week 8 vs. the league-leading Tulsa Talons. QB James Pinkney is expected to get the starting nod from Wolves head coach Danton Barto; it will be his fourth career af2 start. Leading Passer: James Pinkney (#7) - 3 GP, 53-for-89, 675 yards, 12 TDs, 107.7 QB rating.

Leading Rusher: James Pinkney (#7) - 3 GP, 18 carries for 19 yards, 4 TDs, 1.1 yards per carry.

Leading Receivers: Bradley Chavez (#1) - 7 GP, 47 catches for 586 yards, 14 TDs, 12.5 yards per catch - & - Emery Sammons (#5) - 7 GP, 44 catches for 615 yards, 13 TDs, 14.0 yards per catch.

Leading Tackler: Dahn Singfield (#21) - 19.0 tackles (16 solo, 6 assisted), 1 pass break-up.

Conquest Player of the Week: (Week 8)

Antwun Williams - WR - #80 6 catches for 58 yards and 3 Touchdowns

WR Antwun Williams was one of Albany's few bright spots in their devastating loss to first place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Week 8. Williams led the team in receptions (6), receiving yards (58) and scored all three of Albany's offensive touchdowns. The Prince George, Virginia native missed one game while attending the New York Jets Rookie/Free Agent Minicamp in Week 6, but it has not stopped him from being the Conquest's top receiver this season. In six games played, Williams has a team-high 42 catches for 576 yards and 14 touchdowns; he is also leading Albany by averaging 13.7 yards per reception.

Conquest Arrows:

- KAMAKAZE KICKER - Conquest kicker Jason Fralicker currently leads all kickers in the af2 in tackles with 6.0 (5 solo, 2 assisted). Fralicker has a streak of six-straight games with at least 1 tackle (solo or assisted) on kickoff coverage. The next closest kickers in tackles are Green Bay's Bob Forstrom (4.5) and Peoria's Nathan Palkovic (4.5); there are four kickers tied with 4.0 tackles.

- POWER OUTAGE- Albany will be looking to rebound offensively after a disappointing week against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Conquest were held to a mere 153 yards of total offense, their lowest offensive output of the season, and forced into a season-high six turnovers. Conversely Albany scored a season-high 64 points against Manchester in Week 4, including a season-high three rushing touchdowns and will be looking to continue that trend to buck the frustrations felt against the Pioneers.

- RAISING THE BAR - WR Chris Bocage continues to progress as Albany's All-Purpose weapon. Bocage tallied a game-high 224 all-purpose yards against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, marking the fourth consecutive week that the former USC receiver has led the Conquest in all-purpose yards. The Pearl City, Hawaii native currently leads Albany in that category with 1,051 yards (632 kickoff return, 382 receiving, 37 rushing) and he ranks 6th best in the af2 with an average of 175.2 all-purpose yards per game.

- FIELD GOAL SUCCESS - Albany kicker Jason Fralicker is 1-for-3 this season in field goal attempts, but last week's missed field goal was a shocking success. Facing a fourth-and-17 at their own 10-yard line, Albany lined up for a 51-yard field goal attempt with 2:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. Fralicker surprised the Pioneers by short-kicking the ball only 15 yards down the field. Pioneers WR Prince Prempeh was caught off guard and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by LB Michael Lewis for a Conquest first down.

- BLAZING RETURNS - When WR Jared Jones was injured during Albany's Week 3 home game versus Peoria, WR Chris Bocage jumped at the opportunity to showcase his talent. In the next five games, Bocage has averaged 23.4 yards per return, which ranks 6th in the af2. He is tied for third in the league in kick return touchdowns (2) and is ninth in the league in kick return yards (632); of the top-ten in total yards, Bocage has the fourth highest return average. His 56-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last week was the longest Conquest TD return of the season.

- SOLID BOOT - Kicker Jason Fralicker may not have many field goal opportunities so far this season, but his kickoffs have been top notch. Fralicker ranks second in af2 average yards (53.5), fourth in total yards (3,048) and tied for seventh in total kicks (57). Amongst kickers with 40 or more kickoffs, Fralicker ranks second in touchbacks (17) and is tied for second in fewest out-of-bound kicks (1). His kickoff average of 53.5 yards per kick is higher than any kicker with 50+ kickoffs.



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