Albany Rests Before Biggest Game of the Year
July 1, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
The Firebirds will play their biggest game of the season in two weeks, squaring-off against the Manchester Wolves on Saturday, July 11th at the Times Union Center in a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Both clubs will head into the contest at 6-7 in the 2009 campaign, while Albany currently holds the head-to-head match-up tiebreaker over the Wolves for the eighth and final playoff spot in the American Conference. A Manchester win would knot the season series at 2-2 and the tie would be broken by point-differential in head-to-head match-ups. In the first three games this season, the Wolves have outscored the Firebirds by 17 points (171-154).
af2 Tiebreaking Procedures
1. Head To Head
2. Point Differential in Head to Head Games
3. Best Won-Lost Percentage in Common Games
4. Strength of Schdule
5. Best Net Touchdowns in All Games (TD's for - TD's against)
6. Coin Toss
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB Stephen Wasil threw for a season high 368 yards last week against Peoria and tied an Albany record with eight passing touchdowns. The performance marked the seventh straight game in which Wasil has thrown for at least 300 yards and five touchdowns. In eight starts this season, the second-year pro has a 116.25 passer rating (eighth in the league) with 2,609 passing yards and 53 passing touchdowns against only eight interceptions. His 289.9 passing yards per game rank third in the league.
WR Anthony Rodriguez filled in as Wasil's top deep-threat last week with leading receiver Christian Wise on Injured Reserve. Rodriguez stretched the field well for Albany, posting season highs in receiving yards (154) and touchdowns (3) on just seven catches in Week 14. His touchdowns came from 36, 44 and 39 yards out. On the year the rookie wide-out has 70 catches for 765 yards with 10 touchdowns.
WR/LB Alvin Ray Jackson posted his fourth three-touchdown game of the season against Peoria last week. Jackson also posted his third 100-yard receiving game of the year, hauling in seven catches for 105 yards. The two-time af2 Ironman of the week leads all Firebirds with 23 touchdowns on the year (20 receiving) and ranks second on the team with 793 receiving yards. On defense Jackson leads the team with seven interceptions and ranks second on the team with 43 tackles.
DB Kenneth Williams and DB EJ Whitley tied for the team lead last week with 5.5 tackles each. Williams also knocked down a would-be go-ahead Pirates score with under a minute to play in the Firebirds victory. In eight games this season, Williams has a team-high 47 tackles with one interception, three fumble recoveries and a team-high nine pass break-ups. In just four games this year Whitley has recorded 17.5 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Week 16 Schedule:
All games are broadcast LIVE on af2TV free streaming video at www.albanyfirebirds.com
Saturday, July 11th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY
vs. Manchester Wolves (6-7)
- This is the 26th all-time meeting between Albany and Manchester and final match-up of the 2009 season. The Wolves lead the all-time series 15-10, but Albany has taken two-of-three contests this season. The Wolves won the first meeting of the year in Manchester 74-53 on April 18 in Week 3. Albany evened the score in Week 8 with a come-from-behind 53-51 win at home on May 16 and then the Firebirds pulled out a 48-46 road win on June 5th.
- Leading Passers: QB - James Pinkney - (186-301-6, 2,375yds, 49TD)
- Leading Rusher: FB - Paul Jefferson - (52att-216yds-5TD)
- Leading Receivers: Steve Savoy - (81rec-988yds-28TD), Emery Sammons - (76rec-1086yds-21TD), Deyon Williams - (50rec-524yds-8TD)
Firebirds Pecks:
- Wasil's TD Record: Stephen Wasil entered a four-way tie for most passing touchdowns thrown in a single game by an Albany quarterback with eight passing touchdowns in Week 14. Ryan Vena and D. Bryant each accomplished that feat three times in their Albany careers and Ryan Hart matched the record twice.
- Upcoming Schedule: Albany's remaining opponents have a combined record of 23-17. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is on a three game winning streak and Manchester has won its last two, while Milwaukee, the Firebirds Week 18 opponent, dropped its second contest in three games.
- Firebirds Dine-To-Donate for Leukemia And Lymphoma Society Next Friday: Players will host a Dine-To-Donate event on July 10, 2009 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Five Guys Burgers and Fries of East Greenbush to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The whole team will be on hand to not only mingle at dinner with fans and sign autographs, but also to help the Five Guys staff members serve-up the best burgers and fries in the region. A portion of all proceeds will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
arenafootball2 Stories from July 1, 2009
- Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings Ranked 12th In Latest Coaches - Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings
- Shock Top Coaches Poll for 16th Straight Week - af2
- Albany Rests Before Biggest Game of the Year - Albany Firebirds
- Shock Top Coaches Poll for 16th Straight Week - Spokane Shock
- Guidugli Wins Player of Week Award, Again - Green Bay Blizzard
- Yard Dawgz Face Dorados Friday July 3rd - Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
- Wildcats Offer 4th of July Ticket Specials - South Georgia Wildcats
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.
