Conquest Head Up I-90 to Battle Brigade
May 15, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
(ALBANY, NY) â The Albany Conquest captured the Northeast Division championship in their first season of play and advanced to the second round of the 2002 af2 playoffs. However, like so many other sports leagues, arenafootball2 has been the manufacturer of several regional rivalries, and teams involved sometimes care more about those rivalry games than they do division championships. One of the more prominent rivalries in af2 is the Albany-Rochester I-90 NY State Lottery Cup, played between the Conquest and Brigade three times per season.
Last season Albany defeated Rochester two out of three times during the regular season to earn the right to display and maintain the Lottery Cup during the off-season. The Brigade was the only Northeast Division opponent to gain a win versus the Conquest in 2002. The 32-24 defeat in the Pepsi Arena, at the hands of Game MVP and Offensive Specialist Martino Theus and company, gave the home team their first loss of the season.
Each game of the series has been decided by twelve points or less, the largest margin of victory coming during the Conquest's 54-42 win week twelve in Rochester. Besides the battle between the two teams for position in the division, there was a race ensuing all year long between the two most prolific receivers in the history of arena football. Theus and Albany OS Corey Hill were neck and neck the entire season in the league leaders in receptions and receiving yards. Hill would end up setting the pro football record with 161 catches, while Theus settled for second place with his 160. Hill trailed Theus by 17 going into the final game of the season, a game which saw the former Colgate All-American catch 18 passes for 225 yards and score five touchdowns, en route to being named Week 18 af2 Offensive Player of the Week and claiming the all-time record for receptions in a season.
Now both players return with the hopes of leading their team to the top of the Northeast Division and through the 2003 af2 playoffs. Hill hasn't been the scoring threat he was last season, though still leads the team with eight total touchdowns. The Conquest now feature five receivers that can all beat a defender, rather than beating Hill into the ground on every possession. The change of pace has helped Hill become more of a force on kick returns, leading to his 51-yard return for a touchdown against Mohegan and a 25.3 yards per return average (6th in af2) so far this season.
Theus on the other hand is not even leading the Brigade in receiving this season. Three-year af2 veteran Derek Baker has been the focal point of the struggling Rochester offense (32.3 points per game, 25th in af2), hauling in 35 passes for 511 yards and 12 touchdowns. Baker ranks 7th in the league in scoring (82 pts) and 4th in all-purpose yards (1,054), while grabbing a team-high three interceptions on defense.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 at the Blue Cross Arena. Fans can listen to the game live at www.albanyconquest.com, through a FREE webcast provided by TRZ Teamline Services. The Conquest return home on Friday, May 23rd to face the Birmingham Steeldogs, 7:30pm at the Pepsi Arena.
• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...
arenafootball2 Stories from May 15, 2003
- AFL On NBC This Sunday - Memphis Xplorers
- af2 Friday Night Matchups - af2
- Xplorers Make Player Moves - Memphis Xplorers
- Jim Fyffe Statement from Wardogs - Columbus Wardogs
- Conquest Head Up I-90 to Battle Brigade - Albany Firebirds
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.
