Conquest goin' down to Georgia
Published on April 5, 2006 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
Albany, N.Y. - The Albany Conquest are looking to go 2-0 for the first time since they opened the 2003 season with two straight victories. Albany is tied for first place in the East Division and will be looking for its second straight road victory and third consecutive win over Macon. The Knights are coming off an 8-8 2005 season and an opening round playoff loss to the Louisville Fire. Macon, tied for third in the South Division, will play its first two games at home this year. Saturday's game is the fourth all-time meeting between Albany and Macon, with the Conquest holding a 2-1 lead in the series. Albany posted a 52-37 road victory in the only meeting of the 2005 season on May 7, 2005. The Conquest has won each of the last two meetings of the series and the clubs will hook up for a second time on July 8, 2006 at Pepsi Arena.
RUSHING AHEAD: QB Ryan Vena led the Conquest offense with his legs rather than his arm, finding the endzone on three different occasions. Albany matched a franchise-record with five rushing TDs on the night, evening the mark set on June 18, 2004 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers. The FB/LB duo of Kendrick Bournes and Melvin Parris each rumbled for their first af2 touchdowns in the win.
JONES-ING FOR ACTION: WR/LB Jim Jones, coming off a one-year hiatus, picked up where he left off for the Conquest back in 2004. The Widener University product once again excelled on the kick return with 49 yards on two chances for an average of 24.5 per return. He added a team-high 84 receiving yards on six catches with one TD.
BE WERY, WEARY OF WARD: OL/DL Jamarr Ward was a force on the field in the club's opening win at Green Bay. He had one sack for an eight-yard loss and forced a fumble. The 6-4, 275-pound lineman also caught one pass for nine yards, bringing the Blizzard crowd to its feet. The Amsterdam, NY native was named the 2001 af2 lineman of the year when playing for the Quad City Steamwheelers.
FAMILIAR FACES: Knights head coach Derek Stingley played for the Albany Firebirds (AFL) and was a member of the 1999 ArenaBowl XIII championship team. Macon OL/DL Marco McGee attended the Conquests' 2005 training camp.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Macon Offense: Knights QB Chad Elliot joins the club from Bakersfield when he completed 40 passes and threw for 9 TDs in limited action with the Blitz during the 2005 season. OS Kendrick Lee joins the Knights following two years out of the af2. WR/LB Jamal Garman returns to Macon following a year that saw him finish second on the club with 625 receiving yards and 14 TDs through the air.
Conquest Defense: WR/DB Pete McBride picked up where he left off last season when he was second on the Conquest in tackles. He led the defense with 5.0 tackles but it truly was a team effort. WR/DB Shawn Murray picked off a pass in his af2 debut, while WR/LB Manwell Talbert added a late INT to clinch the game. Rookie WR/DB Kenny Williams shined with 4.5 tackles, while OL/DL Jamarr Ward was the heart of the line with a sack and forced fumble.
Conquest Offense: QB Ryan Vena used the ground game more than his aerial assault but still threw for 183 yards and 2 TDs. Expect those numbers to be the low end of his totals this season, while WR/LB Manwell Talbert figures to get more touches than the four catches for 27 yards with a TD that he had in the opener. OS Golden Goodwin caught five passes for 48 yards in his debut while veteran WR/LB Jim Jones was the focal point, hauling in six catches for 84 yards with one TD.
Knights Defense: WR/DB Matt Jackson led the Knights with nine INTs and ranked second with 64.5 tackles during the 2005 season. WR/DB Hosea Laney led the team and placed second in the af2 with 109.5 tackles and added 13 pass breakups to go along with six INTs last year.
DROPBACK: Albany posted a season-opening 48-40 road win over the Green Bay Blizzard on March 31, 2006.
FORWARD MOTION: The Albany Conquest will take the field for its home opener on Friday, April 14, 2006 when they take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers in a 7:00pm kick off at Pepsi Arena's U.S. Army Field. The U.S. Army presents the pre-game block party on South Pearl Street beginning at 5:30pm. The AFL's greatest player "Touchdown" Eddie Brown will return to Pepsi Arena to have his jersey retired at the game and there will be a visit by the Buffalo Jills Dancers.
The Albany Conquest are in their fifth anniversary arenafootball2 season, . Full and
partial season ticket packages for the 2006 campaign are on sale now by calling the
Albany Conquest offices at (518) 487-2244 or by visiting www.albanyconquest.com
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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