Albany Conquest Game Notes
August 4, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Albany Conquest (12-3) vs Macon Knights (11-6)
Date: Saturday, August 9, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. EST
Site: Pepsi Arena (13,901)
National Anthem: Tiffany Dzembo
Coin Toss: Head Referee
Officials: James DiBell (Head Referee)
Broadcast: Teamline Services (Internet broadcast via www.albanyconquest.com)
Series Record: 1st Ever Meeting
Streaks: ALB â WON 2 MAC â WON 3
Coaches: Pete Costanza (13-3, 17-15 overall, 1st postseason berth) Kevin Porter (11-6, 24-11 overall, 3rd postseason berth with Macon)
THE STAKES: It's Do or Die time in arenafootball2. The 2003 af2 playoffs are underway and the Conquest are getting set to host their second-ever playoff game at the Pepsi Arena, this one against a first-time foe in the Macon (GA) Knights. The Knights defeated the Florida Firecats, 42-35, in Macon last Saturday night. The winner of this game will continue on to the American Conference finals and face the winner of the Mohegan/Tennessee Valley game Friday night. Tennessee Valley would host either team with a win and Albany would host Mohegan if both teams should win this week. THE IFs:
If Albany defeats Macon, it would ...
· Give the Quest their second ever playoff victory and first berth in the American Conference finals.
· Give the Quest a 9-0 home record in 2003 and 15-2 overall.
· Give Pete Costanza his first-ever playoff win as head coach in af2.
· Give the Quest a 3-game overall (playoff and regular season) winning streak.
· Keep the Quest alive in the af2 playoffs, living to play another day.
HEAD COACHES: Pete Costanza guided the Conquest to the playoffs and their second consecutive Northeast Division Championship in his first season as head coach. In 2002, Pete turned around a 0-16 Columbus (GA) Wardogs team and finished 4-12, including having the league's #5 ranked defense. Costanza, a New Jersey native, brings over seven years of arena football coaching experience to the Capital region, which includes stops with the New Jersey Red Dogs, Roanoke Steam, Norfolk Nighthawks, Iowa Barnstormers and the Wardogs. Costanza has coached every position in arena football and will be responsible for calling both the offense and defense for the Conquest in 2003.
Kevin Porter is in his third season as Head Coach of the Knights. In 2001, he guided them to a 10-6 record and a first-round playoff appearance. The Knights were also named af2 Expansion Team of the Year that season. In 2002, Porter took the Knights to the Eastern Division Championship and a 13-3 overall record. The Knights also hosted and won their first playoff game. Porter was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998, following a career at Auburn University that saw him named to the All-SEC team at cornerback in 1986 and 1987. He was a member of the Sporting News All-Rookie Team as an NFL rookie safety in 1988. Porter last played professionally with the London Monarchs (NFL Europe) in 1995.
MILESTONES:
· The Corey Hill Watch
af2 Career Numbers
Receptions (401)
Receiving Yards (4,403)
All-Purpose Yards (7,287)
Scoring (460 points)
· QB Ryan Vena has 422 career rushing yards and 6,839 career passing yards.
DROPBACK: Albany QB Ryan Vena scored from 2-yards out with no time on the clock, minutes after he set the af2 single season record for passing yards, to lift the Conquest to a 54-51 victory over the Mohegan Wolves, in front of 6,385 fans at the Pepsi Arena Saturday night.
Vena, the Game's MVP, completed 21-of-35 pass attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Vena finished the 2003 season with 4,452 passing yards, eclipsing the old mark of 4,417 set by Jon Nielson (Arkansas) in 2000.
Offensive Specialist Corey Hill caught a game-high 11 passes for 139 yards and a season-high three touchdowns. Hill finished the season with 159 receptions, two short of his pro football record for receptions in a single season, but enough to lead the entire af2 for the second straight season.
Albany jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter on a Rich Ehmke field goal and led 10-7 at the end of the first quarter when Vena ran in his first of three rushing touchdowns on the night, this one from 3-yards out.
The Wolves would counter in the second with a Mel Long touchdown reception and an Akeiff Staples 1-yard run. Albany answered in the same period with Hill's 12-yard touchdown catch, a Schree Lewis 5-yard run and another Ehmke field goal, to enter the locker romms at halftime with a 27-20 lead.
The Conquest would be outscored 19-7 in the third period. Long hauled in his second of three scoring receptions, while LaJohn Jones and Anthony Comer each added touchdowns of their own, getting the Wolves ahead 39-34 with fifteen minutes to play.
Vena began the final period with a 1-yard plunge getting Albany back on top 41-39. Long caught a 22-yard Greg Smith pass with 12:06 to paly in the game and Mohegan led 45-41. Hill's 6-yard scoring reception gave the Conquest a 48-45 lead, but Comer caught his second touchdown of the night, giving Mohegan a 51-48 lead with 2:23 left, settin the stage for a final effort by the Conquest offense.
Vena found Hill three times on the final drive and got the ball to the Mohegan eight-yard line with 3.9 seconds left in the game. An incomplete pass was washed away by a Wolves defensive pass interference call, giving Vena one more shot at the win. Vena dropped back with no time on the clock, but when the Mohegan linebacker followed Hill into the endzone it opened up a lane for the quarterback to carry the ball two yards for the game-winning touchdown.
It was the fourth time Vena has led a fourth quarter comeback this season and the tenth time he has been named the Game MVP.
FORWARD MOTION: Next week will be the American Conference Championship game. The game will be played on either Thursday, August 14th in Huntsville, AL, or Saturday, August 16th in Albany. If Mohegan upsets Tennessee Valley, they will travel to either Albany or Macon for the conference finals. Should the Vipers defeat the Wolves, the winner of this week's Conquest/Macon game will go to Huntsville for the Thursday night tilt. The ideal scenario for the Conquest would be defeat Macon and then host Mohegan for the third time this season at the Pepsi Arena.
TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:
Hill ties his own record, but leaves mark on af2: If this should happen to be Corey Hill's final season in af2, he will not leave without etching his name in the league's record books. Hill caught 161 passes for the second straight season, giving him 401for his career and putting him atop the af2 record books. He is currently #1 in league history in receptions (401) and receiving yards (4,403) and while the league does not keep track of career all-purpose yards, Hill's 7,287 yards is unofficially amongst the af2's top three. Hill is the first player ever to catch 161 passes in a season, and now is the first to do it in back-to-back seasons.
VENA for Player of the Year: Albany Conquest QB Ryan Vena has made a very serious case for Player of the Year honors. The 2nd-year player out of Colgate finished #1 in the league in Passer Rating (123.3), Passing Yards (4,461), Total Offense (4,635), Completions (345), #2 in completion percentage (67.3) and touchdowns (85), #6 in Rushing Yards (174) and #3 in Rushing TD's (17). Vena led the Conquest to their second straight Northeast Division crown and has compiled a 26-6 record in two seasons. Top Ten Tacklers: The Conquest DS combination of Elijah Beamon and John Stuart finished the regular season ranked 6th and 5th, respectively, in af2 in tackles. Beamon (79.5) played in all 16 games, while Stuart (80.0) started 14 of the 16 games played by the Conquest. Stuart set a team record for tackles in a single season and also finished 5th in af2 in passes defended (34) and 4th in Fumbles Recovered (3). Both players played WR/DB for Albany in 2002, before claiming the starting DS spots in 2003.
Ehmke Healing Kicking Woes: Newly singed kicker, Rich Ehmke, has lessened the blow of losing long-time AFL kicker Chris Drennan for the Conquest. Ehmke ahs been nothing short of perfect, connecting on all three field goal attempts he has tried and hitting 12-of-12 PAT attempts through two games. Ehmke played in four games with Quad City earlier this season.
Running Game: The Conquest and Knights have very similar looks on paper when it comes to the running game. Albany has the edge in yards gained (344-212), but Macon has recorded the 2nd most rushing touchdowns in the entire league (40). Macon gives up 1.9 yards per carry, while the Conquest allow 2.3 per carry. Albany averages 21.5 rushing yards per game and Macon picks up 13.2 (24th in af2) on each rushing attempt. Between them, the two teams have scored 71 rushing touchdowns in 2003, so good money says there will be a few during this week's semifinal match-up.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Macon OS Jacques Rumph: Rumph is to the Macon Knights what Corey Hill is to the Albany Conquest, except more. Rumph is the leading receiver, scorer and return specialist for the Knights. Rumph leads the af2 in receiving yards (1,704), but ranks 2nd behind Hill in receptions (131). His 36 total touchdowns (34 rec., 2 ret.) put him 2nd in the league in scoring. Look for Rumph one-on-one downfield with the DS combination of John Stuart and Elijah Beamon Saturday night.
Albany D-Line vs Macon O-Line: The Albany Conquest pass rush has been one of the more effective units in the league in 2003. As a team, Albany ranks 5th in total sacks (27), while Macon has grabbed just 15 (21st). Conversely, the Knights have allowed only 10 sacks through 16 games (4th in af2) and the Conquest have given up 21. With three players all having at least 3.0 sacks, Albany will need to do something no team has been able to do all season long, get constant pressure on Macon QB Jermaine Alfred. Albany WR/DB Phil Taylor: Taylor was held out of the end zone for the first time in nine games during the Conquest's season finale against Mohegan. Taylor, who finished the regular season as the team's leading scorer (29 touchdowns), recorded three touchdowns on seven separate occasions this season. Taylor has lessened the load of OS Corey Hill, allowing Hill to work his best, underneath, while Taylor stretches the field and draws constant double teams. Look for Tayor to bounce back in a big way in his first career af2 playoff game.
• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...
arenafootball2 Stories from August 4, 2003
- Hawaiian Islanders Game Notes - Hawaiian Islanders
- Albany Conquest Game Notes - Albany Firebirds
- af2 First Round Game Summaries - af2
- Steamwheelers Weekly Report - Quad City Steamwheelers
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.
