Albany Looking To Snap Skid Against Division Rival
Published on July 25, 2006 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
Albany, N.Y. - The Albany Conquest dropped a 51-50 decision to the Manchester Wolves at Pepsi Arena's U.S. Army Field last Saturday. Albany (5-10) ranks sixth in the East Division and has dropped five consecutive contests. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers are coming off a 55-34 road loss to the Quad City Steamwheelers on Saturday. Wilkes-Barre (8-7) is tied for third in the East Division and is part of a three-way tie for the final two American Conference playoff seeds.
THE SERIES: Saturday is the 15th all-time meeting between Albany and Wilkes-Barre. The teams split the first two games of the season series. The Pioneers turned in a 55-48 victory at Pepsi Arena's U.S Army Field Arena on April 14, 2006 in the season series opener, while the Conquest scored 17 points in the game's final minute for a 73-70 win at U.S. Army Field on June 10, 2006.
RYAN THE RECORD-BREAKER: QB Ryan Vena accounted for six TDs last weekend, including three rushing scores for the fourth time this season. He is 60 yards shy of setting a new single-season af2 passing yardage record (4,489). The 28-year-old's 354 completions this season ranks eighth in league history. His 221 career passing TDs puts him sixth in the af2 record books, while his 56 career rushing TDs ranks second in the seven years of arenafootball2.
BROWN BAGS THE BALL: OS Bakari Brown has become Albany's possession receiver in recent weeks. He led the Conquest with 10 catches for 98 yards against Manchester along with a 41-yard kick return. He ranks second on the team with 59 receptions and ranks third in the af2 with an average of 8.43 receptions per game during the 2006 campaign.
DOWNRIGHT OFFENSIVE: The Albany Conquest will look to become the first af2 member club to record 5,000 yards of total offense this weekend. The Conquest have already set a new league standard with 4,836 yards to go with a league-best 345 first downs, eight away from the current af2 record. The team also leads the league with 63 rushing first downs rushing and 42 rushing TDs during the 2006 season.
McBRIDE MAKES IT HAPPEN: DS Pete McBride totaled four total tackles with one pass breakup and an interception to earn ADT Defensive Player of the Game against the Pioneers. He leads the Conquest with eight pass breakups and stands second with three interceptions and 47.5 (39UA, 17A) tackles during the 2006 season.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Wilkes-Barre Offense: QB Kelvin Robinson threw for 206 yards with a pair of TDs against Quad City in his first start of the 2006 season. WR/LB Yardon Brantley caught five passes for 140 yards with two TDs last week. He has a team-leading 81 receptions and 1,010 receiving yards in 15 games this season. WR/DB Yaacov Yisrael, who stands second on the team with 51 receptions, and WR/DB William Ferguson are the other targets.
Conquest Defense: DS Pete McBride led the Conquest in tackles, but WR/DB DeOnte Taylor nipped at his heels with 3.5 tackles. Newcomer WR/DB John Chestnut was strong with two tackles, including one for a nine-yard loss. OL/DL Karleton Thomas added his team-high 11th QBH and six different linemen had at least one tackle. The entire group held the Wolves to under 200 yards (184) of total offense.
Conquest Offense: QB Ryan Vena leads the af2 with 4,430 passing yards and 25 rushing TDs in a league-high 643 plays during his third af2 campaign. WR/LB Manwell Talbert returned to the lineup with six catches for 47 yards with one TD after missing six games with injury. WR/DB Thomas Anthony ranks third in the af2 with 118.0 receiving yards per game and tops the Conquest in both receiving yards (826) and TDs (18).
Pioneers Defense: DS Jamie Hattley led Wilkes-Barre with nine total tackles last weekend. He ranks ninth in the af2 with 82.0 tackles and stands second on the club with four INTs. DS Matt Forbes tops the Pioneers with five INTs and 14 pass breakups to go with 56.0 tackles. OL/DL Doug Harding IS the line with eight tackles-for-loss, 5.5 sacks, 10 QBHs, two forced fumbles, two safeties and a blocked kick.
FORWARD MOTION: The Albany Conquest return to the field next spring for their sixth arenafootball2 campaign beginning with training camp in March.
The Albany Conquest are now offering season ticket packages for the 2007 season
featuring a guaranteed prize raffle drawing for great prizes including jerseys,
football and more. Fans can call the Albany Conquest offices at (518) 487-2244 or by
visiting www.albanyconquest.com 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.
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