Albany Looking To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
July 19, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
Albany, N.Y. - The Albany Conquest are coming off a 66-56 road loss to the Florida Firecats at Germain Arena last Saturday night. Albany (5-9) ranks sixth in the East Division and has now dropped four consecutive contests. The Manchester Wolves defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers 45-14 at home Saturday night. Manchester (7-7) stands fourth in the East Division and currently holds a tiebreaker for the sixth and final American Conference playoff spot.
THE SERIES: Tonight is the 15th all-time meeting between Albany and Manchester. The teams have split the first two games of the 2006 season series. The Wolves recorded a 59-45 victory at Verizon Wireless Arena on April 22, 2006 in the season series opener, while the Conquest snapped a four-game losing skid against Manchester with a 63-61 win at Pepsi Arena's U.S. Army Field on May 13, 2006.
RYAN ROLLS ALONG: QB Ryan Vena threw for a season-high 370 yards with six TDs in the loss to Florida last weekend. He is looking to reclaim his single-season af2 passing yardage record back from Matt Sauk with two games remaining in the regular season. Vena has 4,177 passing yards and is 312 yards shy of Sauk's total from the 2005 season. The 28-year-old held the previous mark of 4,462 yards that he picked up during the 2003 campaign.
THREE FOR THE CENTURY: WR/DB Thomas Anthony led a trio of receivers with over 100 receiving yards last week against the Firecats. He caught 12 passes for 138 yards with a pair of TDs, while OS Bakari Brown added a career-high 12 receptions and 121 yards. WR/DB DeOnte Taylor added a season-best 102 yards and three TDs to round out the century club.
TINSON ALL OVER THE FIELD: DS Brandon Tinson had another stellar performance in Florida last weekend. He tied for second on the team with three (2UA, 2A) total tackles, added one pass breakup and his first interception of the season. Tinson tops the Conquest with 49 tackles, having played in 12 of 14 games during the 2006 season.
DEFENSE STEPPING UP: The Albany Conquest held the opposition to under 200 passing yards for the third time this season last weekend in Florida. DS Shawn Murray paced the defense with 4.5 tackles, followed by Tinson and DS Pete McBride, who each had three tackles in the game.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Manchester Offense: QB Steve Bellisari threw for 167 yards with five TDs against Wilkes-Barre. He has completed 48-of-81 pass attempts for 597 yards with 14 TDs in parts of 10 games this season. OS Steve Gonzalez was held to three catches for 27 yards with one TD against the Pioneers. He still ranks second in the league with 118 receptions and 44 TDs in his first af2 campaign. WR/LB Marc Bacote ranks second on the Wolves with 666 receiving yards and 16 TDs.
Conquest Defense: Albany's secondary comprised of DS Brandon Tinson, DS Pete McBride, DS Shawn Murray & WR/DB DeOnte Taylor have all recorded over 40 total tackles this season, with McBride topping the secondary crew with seven pass breakups. FB/LB Melvin Parris leads the linebackers with 25 tackles, while OL/DL Ralph Horton tops team linemen with 14 tackles during his first af2 season.
Conquest Offense: QB Ryan Vena set a franchise record with 51 pass attempts against Florida last weekend. He leads the af2 with 4,388 yards of total offense and with 328 completions during the 2006 campaign. WR/DB Thomas Anthony now leads the team with 17 TDs and is averaging 123.8 yards per game. OS Bakari Brown is averaging 81.2 yards per game, while FB/LB Jose Harris has rushing TDs in each of the last two games for the Conquest.
Wolves Defense: DS William Haith had a team-high five pass breakups as Manchester set a franchise record for fewest points allowed. He leads the Wolves with 59.5 tackles and ranks among the league leaders with six INTs and 30 pass breakups. DS Allistair Sebastien is tied for second on the club with four INTs and 16 pass breakups, while OL/DL Demetrius Forney leads the way with four sacks and five QBHs.
FORWARD MOTION: The Albany Conquest close the 2006 regular season in a 7:00pm road contest against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers on Saturday, July 29, 2006.
The Albany Conquest are in their fifth anniversary arenafootball2 season and
individual game tickets on sale now by calling the Albany Conquest offices at (518)
487-2244 or by visiting www.albanyconquest.com
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