Conquest home opener this Friday
Published on April 12, 2006 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
Albany, N.Y. - The Albany Conquest are coming off a 52-25 road win at Macon and will attempt to go 3-0 for the second time in franchise history (2003). Albany leads the East Division and will honor the AFL"s greatest player "Touchdown" Eddie Brown at Friday's home opener. The Albany Conquest are ranked third in the current af2 coaches poll, trailing only the defending ArenaCup champion Memphis Xplorers and the Arkansas Twisters.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers posted a 45-37 home win over the Louisville Fire on March 31st and stand second in the East Division. Friday's match-up features two of the af2's eight unbeaten teams. Tonight is the 13th all-time meeting between Albany and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with each club earning six victories thus far.
RUSHING AHEAD: QB Ryan Vena ran for two more touchdowns on Saturday, giving him a league-high five TD scampers in two games. Albany has now ran the ball into the endzone nine times over the season's first two weeks, with the FB/LB duo of Kendrick Bournes and Melvin Parris both accounting for two rushing TDs to date.
JONES-ING FOR MORE: WR/LB Jim Jones added 105 receiving yards and 3TDs in Week Two. The 25-year-old added 59 yards on kick returns and now ranks third in the af2 with 148.5 all-purpose yards per game. He is tied for second with 189 receiving yards and ranks third on the circuit with 94.5 receiving yards per game average. His 13 receptions rank fourth in the af2 and he stands tied for fifth with four TD receptions.
MORE MURRAY PLEASE: WR/DB Shawn Murray has shined in his first two af2 match-ups. He picked off a pair of passes in the 52-25 road win over Macon and now leads the league with three INTs in two games. The New Jersey native ranks second on the club with seven (6UA, 2A) tackles through the season's first two games.
C.J. MAKES HIS CASE: Conquest OS Chris Brewer had a workout with the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League earlier this week. He is eligible to be selected in the upcoming 2006 NFL Draft to be held April 29-30, 2006 in New York City.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Offense: QB Mike Granieri completed 17-of-32 passes for five TDs in the season-opening victory over Louisville. The 2004 af2 rookie of the year, J.R. Thomas, and Danny Thomas each hauled in a pair of touchdown receptions in the win. The Pioneers will need a offensive breakthrough against a very strong Albany defense.
Conquest Defense: FB/LB Melvin Parris earned ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors with a team-high seven tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery in the win over Macon. DS Brandon Tinson made four tackles in his first action since 2002, while WR/DB Pete McBride added a pair of INTs. The unit held the Knights off the board in the second half and has six interceptions with five sacks in just two games this year.
Conquest Offense: QB Ryan Vena was able to better spread the ball around in the victory at Macon. WR/LB Jim Jones led the group with 3 TDs, but it was WR/LB Manwell Talbert that led the way with 120 yards receiving on the night. OS C.J. Brewer played well in his af2 debut, catching a team-high eight passes for 99 yards, including his first af2 TD. The three receivers and a strong rushing game bode well for the Conquest.
Pioneers Defense: DS Yaacov Israel posted 10 (8UA, 4A) tackles and four pass breakups to pace the defense, while last year's leader, DS Jamie Hattley chipped in 4.5 tackles in the season opener. Newcomer WR/DB William Ferguson, who was with the Manchester Wolves last season, placed second on the squad with 5 tackles and a pass breakup in his Wilkes-Barre debut.
DROPBACK: Albany is coming off a 52-25 road win over the Macon Knights, which included holding the opposition off the scoreboard entirely in the second half.
FORWARD MOTION: The Albany Conquest return to the field on Saturday, April 22, 2006 when they visit the Manchester Wolves in a 7:30pm kick off at Verizon Wireless Arena.
The Albany Conquest are in their fifth anniversary arenafootball2 season with full
and partial season ticket packages currently on sale. Individual game tickets for
the 2006 campaign are also 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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