Brigade Today // June 18, 2019
June 18, 2019 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Baltimore Brigade News Release
Baltimore Brigade wide receiver Joe Hills is congratulated by teammates after catching a touchdown
(Baltimore Brigade)
TODAY'S STORYLINES:
JOE HILLS HITS 100 CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A TOUCHDOWN RECEPTION EXTENDING HIS UNBELIEVABLE AFL RECORD
On Saturday, June 15th, Baltimore Brigade wide receiver Joe Hills became the only player in Arena Football League history to score at least one touchdown reception in 100 consecutive games. The 11-yard pass from Brigade quarterback Shane Boyd to Hills at Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Destroyers extended Hills' record far beyond one that any other player is close to reaching. AFL Hall of Famer Damian Harrell held the previous record at 78 straight games until Hills broke it on July 15, 2017.
" It's actually crazy to think about," Hills said. "This didn't just happen overnight. I never woke up one day and said, 'Hey I want to score 100 straight touchdowns' or 'Hey I want to have over 10,000 receiving yards'. I just come out to the field and put in work. I work hard every single game and every single practice. This record is the result of that effort, but it was never my goal. I feel blessed to have made it this far, but it is just a stepping stone to my ultimate goal which is a championship."
The last time Hills did not score a touchdown reception was on June 15, 2012 which means he has scored in every game he has appeared in for seven straight years. Hills is in his eighth season in the AFL and has spent time on five different teams including the Albany Empire, Tampa Bay Storm, Jacksonville Sharks, and Spokane Shock. He has collected a career total of 864 receptions for 10,428 yards and 278 touchdowns.
Hills has recorded 50 receptions for 518 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Brigade so far this season.
JOE HILLS MAKES HISTORY AS BRIGADE BEAT DESTROYERS 44-39
Hills extends AFL record, Boyd throws 6 touchdowns, Collins adds 3
SCORE BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 FINAL
BALTIMORE 13 7 14 10 44
COLUMBUS 13 7 7 12 39
The Baltimore Brigade (5-3) defeated the Columbus Destroyers (1-7), 44-39, Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, O.H. Brigade wide receiver Joe Hills made Arena Football League history by catching a touchdown reception in his 100th consecutive game. Hills finished with six receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns.
"It's a milestone that I am very proud to have reached," Hills said. "It took me a long time to get here. Over the course of my career, there has been a lot of coaches and players that were a part of those 100 games and my family has been supporting me the entire way."
Quarterback Shane Boyd completed 18 of 28 passes for 229 yards and six touchdowns. Boyd was named Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive game and connected touchdown passes to all three starting wideouts including three to Brandon Collins who led the Brigade with seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns. For his efforts, Collin was named Offensive Player of the Game. Baltimore sacked the Columbus quarterback four times with defensive linemen Darryl Cato-Bishop and Justin Lawrence hauling in two each.
"It was a big win for us," Baltimore Brigade Head Coach Omarr Smith said. "First time in franchise history we won consecutive road games. Columbus is a very physical team, has a very good defense with a good young quarterback. We knew it wasn't going to be easy and I'm happy for our guys."
COACH'S CORNER
BRIGADE HEAD COACH OMARR SMITH
On game in general
"It was important for us to grow individually and as a team. I still think offensively we need to be better and defensively we didn't handle the situation at the end of the game very well. So, those are things I am looking to work on but, I am proud of the way we played today."
On wide receivers Brandon Collins and Joe Hills
"Brandon stepped up tonight. Made some big plays for us. Joe Hills, you have to acknowledge him for his 100th consecutive game with a touchdown. It is a remarkable feat, well deserved and a true testament to his work ethic and his God given ability."
On defensive line 4 sack performance
"Going into this week we knew that for us to have success defensively we would have to get after them up front. Coach Housman put a great game plan together and got those guys motivated to get after it."
TEAMMATE TALK
QUARTERBACK SHANE BOYD
On game win
"I'm proud of my guys, really proud. We knew coming into this game that Columbus was coming off a win and was going to give us their all. We knew we were in for a battle but the way we responded was great. Offensively we kept going, we overcame some adversity, we have some guys that are banged up, but they pushed through it. Defensively we got some stops, they got us the ball back and we were able to separate ourselves to be able to close the game out."
On wide receiver Joe Hills
"When you look at the great milestone of Joe Hills and him having 100 straight games with a touchdown, that's just amazing. Let alone playing 100 games period but to produce in 100 straight games is something unheard of. It's a testament to how he prepares himself, how he takes care of his body and how he puts himself in different positions to help us win."
On road game win
"Winning at all in this league is hard, but winning on the road is even harder no matter who you play. It's awesome to see how we responded to everything that happened in the game. Everything wasn't as clean as we may have wanted it to be, but we did everything we needed to do to come out with a victory."
WIDE RECEIVER JOE HILLS
On game win
"We went out and we played. Tonight, we did what we had to do and we handled business."
BRIGADE'S SHANE BOYD NAMED AFL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Boyd threw for 261 yards and six touchdowns in Week 7, tying personal season high
The Arena Football League announced that Baltimore Brigade quarterback Shane Boyd has been named Week 7's Offensive Player of the Week for his strong performance that resulted in giving the Albany Empire their first loss of the season.
Boyd threw for 261 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Brigade to a narrow 42-41 victory against the previously unbeaten Empire on Saturday, June 8th. The six touchdowns tied his previous season high from Week 1 against the Washington Valor and the 261 passing yards are his second highest of the season.
Boyd, a seven-year veteran, is in his third season with the Brigade. He is leading the league with the fewest interceptions with 4 and has completed 150 passes for 1,625 yards and 31 touchdowns this season.
UPCOMING BALTIMORE BRIGADE GAMES:
The Baltimore Brigade take on the Washington Valor on Thursday, June 20 at 7:00 p.m. in Washington D.C at Capitol One Arena. Then on Friday, June 28 the Brigade return home to take on the Columbus Destroyers at 7:00 p.m. Check out all the games (schedule here ) live on NBC Sports Washington, ESPN3 or the ESPN App.
TICKETS:
For additional information about joining the Battalion full season ticket membership club, as well as other group and all-inclusive ticket packages, call the Brigade Ticket Sales office at 667-930-0200 or email ticketsales@baltimorebrigade.com.
Images from this story
 Baltimore Brigade wide receiver Joe Hills is congratulated by teammates after catching a touchdown |
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