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Conference Semis: Quick Hitters

August 7, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


AMARILLO KNOCKS OUT DEFENDING ARENACUP CHAMPIONS: The No. 7 seed Amarillo Dusters scored the biggest upset of the 2008 playoffs last Saturday night, defeating the defending ArenaCup Champion Tulsa Talons, 65-62, at the Tulsa Convention Center. QB JULIAN REESE, Amarillo's veteran signal caller from Indiana State, nearly single-handidly carried the Dusters past the Talons. Reese completed 20-of-30 passes (66.7 percent) for 275 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception. He also came up with two key plays late in the fourth quarter that helped propel Amarillo past No. 2 seed Tulsa. Facing a 4th down-and-14 situation with just over a minute to play and clinging to a three-point lead (58-55), Reese kept the Dusters' crucial drive alive with a 15-yard scramble for a first down. Two plays later he saw an opening up the middle and took off for a 13-yard touchdown run with 40 seconds left that increased the Dusters lead to 10, 65-55. This Saturday Amarillo (9-8) travels to Bossier-Shreveport to face the No. 3 seed and Southwest Division Champion BattleWings (10-7).

GREEN BAY SHATTERS POSTSEASON SACK RECORD: The Midwest Division Champion Green Bay Blizzard had a dominating defensive effort in the team's 65-37 First Round home playoff win against Lexington. The No. 3 seed Blizzard registered a new postseason record 10 sacks in the victory over the Horsemen, shattering the old mark of five set in 2001 by the Carolina Rhinos. Green Bay finished the regular season with 53 sacks as a team to finish second in the league overall, right behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's af2-best 54 sacks.

SYKES SETS NEW SINGLE-GAME SACK RECORD: Green Bay rookie DL JOE SYKES was a key part of the Blizzard's First Round playoff win against Lexington, registering a playoff record five sacks. Sykes shattered the old single-game high mark of 3.5 set by former Bossier-Shreveport DL ELEX REED in 2007. Sykes was named to the American Conference All-af2 First Team on Wednesday after leading the af2 in sacks with 19.5, the third highest single-season total in league history.

MCCOLLISTER RUNS FOR KICKOFF RETURN RECORD: Bossier-Shreveport WR/KR CHAVIS MCCOLLISTER set a new af2 postseason record with three kickoff return touchdowns (all in the first half) in the team's 77-61 First Round home victory against Lubbock last Saturday. The fourth-year player from Tarleton State had return touchdowns of 51, 50 and 56 yards. McCollister's return efforts were so impressive that it earned him national TV exposure as the No. 3 play on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays of the Weekend. He had two touchdowns on offense as well, one rushing and one receiving. His 264 total kickoff return yards and five total touchdowns also ranked as the second-highest single game totals in playoff history. McCollister finished the regular season ranked second in the league in scoring (264 points) and total touchdowns (44) and led the BattleWings in receiving with 123 catches for 1,466 yards and 33 touchdowns.

HUGHLEY SETS ALL-PURPOSE RECORD: Overshadowing Tulsa's first round upset exit to Amarillo was the individual performance of Talons' WR/KR JEFF HUGHLEY. Hughley set a new league postseason record with 385 all-purpose yards in the team's 65-62 loss to the Dusters. The second-year standout from Averett recorded 186 yards on 13 pass receptions and 199 yards on eight kickoff returns. Hughley's receiving yards total ranked as the fourth-highest single-game playoff total while his kickoff return yards total was the fifth-highest single-game total in postseason history. Hughley earned Second Team All-af2 recognition on Wednesday as a wide receiver and special teams performer. This year he ranked among the af2's elite in receiving yards (3rd - 1,629), receptions (T4th - 123) and receiving touchdowns (T7th - 33). He was also named to the All-af2 Second Team as a rookie in 2007.

MCCOLLISTER, REESE, SYKES, VIJIL EARN FIRST ROUND HONORS: Bossier-Shreveport wide receiver/kick returner CHAVIS MCCOLLISTER, Amarillo quarterback JULIAN REESE and Green Bay defensive lineman JOE SYKES were named the JLS Ironman, Schutt Offensive Player and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for the First Round of the 2008 af2 Playoffs. In addition to these three awards, the Cutters Catch of the Week Award for the First Round went to Spokane wide receiver RAUL VIJIL.

McCollister (5-9, 210, Tarleton State) had a record-setting showing for Bossier-Shreveport in the team's 77-61 First Round home victory against Lubbock on Saturday. The fourth-year player from Tarleton State made an impact on offense and was special on special teams to help the BattleWings advance to the National Conference Semifinals. McCollister had two touchdowns on offense, one rushing and one receiving, and set a new af2 postseason record with three kickoff return touchdowns (51, 50, 56). McCollister's return efforts were so impressive that it earned him national TV exposure as the No. 3 play on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays of the Weekend. His 264 total kickoff return yards and five total touchdowns also ranked as the second-highest single game totals in playoff history. McCollister recorded one tackle in the contest as well. This is the second time in his career that he's received the Ironman of the Week Award and the fourth time overall that he's received an af2 weekly honor (two-time Offensive Player of the Week Award winner). McCollister finished the regular season ranked second in the league in scoring (264 points) and total touchdowns (44) and led the BattleWings in receiving with 123 catches for 1,466 yards and 33 touchdowns. Reese (6-2, 215, Indiana St.) had a stellar individual effort for Amarillo in the team's 65-62 upset victory on the road Saturday against the defending ArenaCup Champion Tulsa Talons. The af2 veteran signal caller from Indiana State, in his fourth season, nearly single-handidly carried the Dusters past the Talons. Reese completed 20-of-30 passes (66.7 percent) for 275 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception. He also came up with two key plays late in the fourth quarter that helped propel Amarillo past Tulsa. Facing a 4th down-and-14 situation with just over a minute to play and clinging to a three-point lead (58-55), Reese kept the Dusters' crucial drive alive with a 15-yard scramble for a first down. Two plays later he saw an opening up the middle and took off for a 13-yard touchdown run with 40 seconds left that increased the Dusters lead to 10, 65-55. This is the fourth Offensive Player of the Week Award of Reese's career. He led Amarillo to its second playoff appearance in 2008 after leading the team in passing (2,712 yards, 55 TDs, 4 INTs) and rushing (233 yards). Sykes (6-4, 275, Southern) was a difference maker on defense to help Green Bay dominate Lexington, 65-37, for a first round home playoff win Friday night. The rookie defensive lineman from Southern University had a record-setting performance for the Blizzard to help the squad advance to the American Conference Semifinals. Sykes recorded 5.5 total tackles (5 solo, 1 asst) and an af2 postseason-record five sacks. His sack total shattered the old mark of 3.5 set by former Bossier-Shreveport lineman Elex Reed in 2007. As a team, Green Bay set a new playoff record with 10 sacks against the Horsemen, doubling the old mark of five set in 2001 by the Carolina Rhinos. Sykes, who also forced two fumbles in the victory, led the af2 in tackles for loss (22) and sacks (19.5) during the regular season. Vijil (5-11, 185, Eastern Washington) is the First Round recipient of the Cutters Catch of the Week Award, a weekly honor that emerged in 2006 to highlight the player who makes the best catch of the week. Vijil's catch was a fantastic, five-yard touchdown grab early in the third quarter of Spokane's 42-14 home win against Austin to advance to the National Conference Semifinals. The third-year playmaker from Eastern Washington skyed high to snatch QB Nick Davila's scoring pass away from Austin defensive back Demetrie McCray. Vijil, who finished the night with a game-high 10 catches for 124 yards, has been one of the league's top players in 2008. He finished fourth in the league in scoring (252 points), tied for third in total touchdowns (42) and tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns (35). Vijil also led the Shock in receiving yards (1,212), kick return yards (1,248) and all-purpose yards (2,545).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE: This season the af2 continues to maintain its strong international development program, which began in 2003. Currently the league has international athletes from 15 countries on team rosters. During the First Round of the 2008 af2 playoffs, eight international players saw action around the league and five players started for their respective teams (excluding kickers). Two players who stood out from the af2's international talent pool from the First Round were Green Bay DB OLAWALE KWAKU (Nigeria) and Spokane FB/LB LEE FOLIAKI (Tonga). Kwaku recorded a game-high 10.5 tackles (8 solo, 5 asst), including 1.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup to key the Blizzard in the team's 65-37 win against Lexington last Friday. Foliaki finished with 4.5 total tackles (3 solo, 3 asst), including one tackle for loss and one forced fumble in the Shock's 42-14 home win against Austin.

INGOLD RECORDS 75TH CAREER WIN: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Head Coach RICH INGOLD recorded his 75th career victory last Saturday as the Pioneers cruised past Quad City (57-29) in the First Round of the af2 playoffs. Ingold is the league's all-time leader in career coaching wins. His overall record is 75-29 (.721). Manchester Head Coach DANTON BARTO, in his sixth season as an af2 head coach (first five with Memphis), can become just the fourth coach in league history to reach 60 career coaching victories this week with a road triumph at Green Bay in an American Conference Semifinal affair. He earned his 59th career win last Saturday when the Wolves upset No. 2 seed South Georgia in the First Round, 46-42. Arkansas' CHRIS SIEGFRIED (68) and Austin's BEN BENNETT (64) rank second and third, respectively, on the all-time win list. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in career af2 coaching wins.

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