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Command Players Lead League Stats Going into Week 3

March 22, 2011 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Kansas City Command News Release


Only two games into the season and despite a lack of victories for the team so far on the scoreboards, several of the COMMAND players have vaulted to the top of the league's statistical leaderboards for their respective positions.

Quarterback JJ Raterink takes the #1 spot, leading the league in both Passing, and Total Offensive yards. With 710 total yards, Raterink comes in nearly a full field's length of yards above the second place finisher, Arena Bowl champion Spokane's QB, Kyle Rowley. So far, Raterink is averaging 355 yards a game and is completing almost two-thirds of his passes. With this being his first full season as a starting quarterback for an AF1 team,he seems poised to have a spectacular career in the league.

We asked JJ Raterink about the latest numbers, and he had this to say: "It's nice to have those numbers when you look at the individual part of it, but we'd all enjoy them a lot more if they came with some wins. The numbers are really a testament to the coaching staff with the way they call the game and prepare us for the game, and also the receivers running their routes and making catches. So they're really the ones responsible for those yards at the end of the day."

Defensive Back Ken Fontenette also topped the league in his category, leading in tackles with a total of 20.5; 19 solo and 3 assists. The next closest defensive player is Chicago's Vic Hall with a total of 17.5. The 5'11", 185 lb. Fontenette is starting his first season with the AFL and is already establishing himself as a nightmare for the league's receivers.

Other notable COMMAND players showing up on the leaderboards include Wide Receiver and fellow AFL rookie Bret Smith, who ties for third in yards gained per reception, at 11.5, with a total of 265 yards; the latter number putting Smith in a solid second place for total reception yards. Receiver Aaron Hosack managed to show up in 5th place for the number of points per game (18), even though he was injured and missed the second game of the season.

Bye Week

The players and coaches take a much-needed breather this week due to the team's Week 3 bye, but the news about the top rankings on the league's leaderboards is being warmly received after last week's heartbreaking loss to the San Jose SaberCats. The COMMAND was leading the top-ranked team in the league, only to lose in the final minute of the game by a field goal. Despite the loss, the fan reaction has been positive. Bobby Brashears is a fan from the old Brigade days, and after this past week's game he had a message for the team: "I cannot express how proud I am to be a Command fan, and how proud I am of this team's effort last night in San Jose. (They) went into the HP Pavilion, and stood toe to toe with the SabreCats for 60 minutes. You guys left everything on the field, and you should be proud of the progress you have made and the fact that you never quit. Yeah, a win would have been great, but if you guys continue to play like you did last night I see nothing but good things for this team."

The COMMAND will be back on the road again in Week 4, taking on last season's Arena Bowl champions, the Spokane Shock. The team's home opener, against the Iowa Barnstormers follows shortly thereafter on April 9th. And if fan comments on various social media sites are any indication, Sprint Center is going to be the scene of one of the better sporting events in Kansas City this year.



Arena Football League Stories from March 22, 2011


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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