Albany To Visit Sunshine States' Squad For First Time

July 13, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release


Albany, N.Y. - The Albany Conquest dropped a 51-48 decision to the Macon Knights at Pepsi Arena's U.S. Army Field on Saturday. Albany (5-8) ranks sixth in the East Division and has dropped three consecutive contests. The Florida Firecats defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers 56-51 on the road Saturday night. Florida (10-3) leads South Division and the American Conference in their fourth consecutive double-digit win campaign.

THE SERIES: Tonight is the first all-time meeting between Albany and Florida. The Conquest will be playing its third game against the South Division, while the Firecats are in the fourth of five games against the East Division. Florida joined the af2 prior to the 2001 campaign and won the 2004 ArenaCup in a 39-26 victory over the Peoria Pirates.

RUN, RYAN, RUN: QB Ryan Vena had a pair of highlight-reel rushing TDs (8, 10) to raise his league-leading total to 21 rushing TDs during the 2006 season. He is seven TDs shy of tying the league record and is the ninth player in league history with more than 20 rushing TDs in a single season. His career total of 52 rushing TDs ranks third in af2 history, three behind Arkansas' Darnell Small.

ANOTHER 100 FOR ANTHONY: WR/DB Thomas Anthony caught eight passes for 144 yards with a pair of TDs, including a 45-yard reception early in the second half against Macon. The Iowa-born threat ranks second in the af2 with 121.0 receiving yards per game, fifth with a 15.5 yards per catch average and is tied for the team lead with 14 receiving TDs in just five games

TINSON TAKES CHARGE: DS Brandon Tinson returned to the lineup with a solid effort against the Knights. He led the defense with six tackles and forced a fumble that led to Albany's second TD and a 14-3 lead. The 28-year-old tops the club with 46 (37UA, 11A) tackles and ranks second with five pass breakups in his first af2 campaign since 2002.

WILLIAMS WORKIN' OT: WR/DB Kenny Williams stepped up with strong special teams play against Macon last weekend. He returned three kicks for 70 yards, giving him a total of 15 kick returns for 249 yards this season. The former UAlbany Great Dane added 3.5 tackles on defense and ranks fifth on the team with 30.0 tackles during the 2006 campaign.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Florida Offense:

QB Chris Wallace threw for 182 yards, but fired off eight TDs against Wilkes-Barre last weekend. He is tied for third on the circuit with 85 total TDs. OS Magic Benton, who earlier this season became the af2's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards, ranks second in the league with 1,369 receiving yards and third with 35 TDs. WR/DB Ethenic Sands has hauled in 25 TDs and is second on the Florida roster with 76 receptions this season.

Conquest Defense:

DS Brandon Tinson led the Conquest with six tackles, while DS Pete McBride added five total tackles in one of his strongest games of the season. The line brought good pressure resulting in a season-high three QBHs from OL/DL Karleton Thomas, who has 10 QBHs on the 2006 season. OL/DL Konrad Dean added one QBH and OL/DL Ralph Horton notched his first career sack in the game against Macon.

Conquest Offense:

QB Ryan Vena threw for 272 yards against the Knights, but cracked 300 yards of offense with another 37 on the ground. He leads the af2 with 4,014 yards of total offense and with an average of 292.8 passing yards per game. OS Bakari Brown had another solid effort with six catches for 69 yards and one TD. The real success came on the ground with three TDs and 60 yards between Vena along with FB/LB's Jose Harris and Melvin Parris.

Firecats Defense:

DS Cory Bailey paced the Firecats with nine total tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery last week. He ranks second in the league with 86.5 tackles, while DS Quincy Sorrell leads the way with 13 pass breakups to go with his 81.5 tackles. WR/DB Levy Brown has a team-high six INTs and OL/DL Comone Fisher anchors the line with five sacks, two blocked kicks, one safety and a forced fumble.

FORWARD MOTION: The Albany Conquest close the home portion of their schedule against the Manchester Wolves on July 22, 2006 in a 7:00pm kick-off at Pepsi Arena's U.S. Army Field. There will be an Xtreme Sports Block Party featuring Ronnie Reality performing Motorcycle Freestyle Stunts and the KISS 102.3FM DJ Mix Off Battle starting at 5:30pm. The first 1,000 fans at the game will receive a U.S. Army Camouflage hat and U.S. Army thunderstix.

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 for more information. Season ticket packages for the 2007 season featuring a guaranteed prize raffle drawing are also available by contacting the Albany Conquest.



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