Conquest ranked sixth in af2 coaches poll

March 25, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release


Albany, N.Y., March 25, 2004 – The Albany Conquest, back-to-back Northeast Division Champions of arenafootball2 (af2), will open training camp tonight at the Watervliet Recreational Dome as the No. 6 ranked team in the first-ever af2 Coaches Poll. The Conquest received 119 out of a possible 288 points.

Conquest Head Coach Steve Matthews and his coaching staff will now have the responsibility of selecting which 21 players will be a part of Conquest's third af2 season.

"We have a lot of talent at training camp, and now it's time to find the 21 that will help us bring a Championship to Albany," said Coach Matthews. "We have a good mix of players with arena football experience and some rookies that I am confident will make an immediate impact for this team," he added.

Training camp will conclude on April 5 when the team trims its roster to 21 players (19 active and two inactive). The Albany Conquest will play their regular season opener on the road against the Cape Fear Wildcats on April 10 in Fayetteville, N.C., before returning to the Capital Region for their home opener against the Manchester Wolves on April 16 at the Pepsi Arena.

The Conquest will have three quarterbacks that will be vying for a starting position this season following the advancement of Ryan Vena to the Arena Football League's Columbus Destroyers. Vena set a single season af2 record last season by passing for 4,452 yards.

Gus Ornstein, reserve QB for the Conquest last season is one of the three that will be trying to earn a starting position. Ornstein shared time as the starting QB for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe in 2001, after being in NFL camps with the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins. Ornstein saw some action last season with the Conquest and had a 107.03 QB rating playing in three games. He was 9-of-16 passing for 103 yards with two touchdown passes.

D Bryant and Jake Knott are af2 rookie quarterbacks at Conquest training camp. Bryant became the starting quarterback at Duke University mid-way through his sophomore season and continued in that role as a junior. During his junior season he passed for 2,454 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Jake Knott, as a QB at Wabash College (Indiana), is one of only 16 quarterbacks in NCAA history to pass for over 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns in a career. Knott finished his career with 11,213 passing yards and 116 TD passes, shattering both Wabash and North Coast Athletic Conference records in both categories.

Travis Coleman, former defensive back for the Chicago Bears, is one of three defensive specialists at Conquest training camp. Coleman played for the Bears during the 2002 season. John Stuart and Elijah Beamon, who have been defensive specialists for the Conquest since 2002, are also at training camp.

In addition to Stuart, Beamon, and Ornstein, the Conquest have been reassigned eight other Conquest players from last year's squad that are at training camp. They are: Jamie Ware (WR/DB), Jim Jones (WR/LB), Jeff Higgins (WR/DB - injured reserve last year), Nick Anderson (OL/DL), Lube Stamenich (OL/DL), Adriel Linyear (WR/LB), Dave Mahoney (OL/DL), and Rich Barlette (OL/DL). Mike Guazzo (WR/LB), a member of the Conquest's 2002 squad, is also at training camp.

The Conquest, who saw their top receiver from the past two seasons, Corey Hill, sign with the Columbus Destroyers along with Vena in the off-season, will be looking to fill the offensive specialist position. Higgins, along with Derek Baker, who played for now-defunct Rochester Brigade last season, are potential candidates. Baker had 97 catches for 1,320 yards and 24 touchdowns for Rochester in 2003.

Albany Conquest season tickets are available by calling (518) 487-2222 or visiting www.albanyconquest.com.

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The af2 Coaches Poll will be announced every Wednesday during the regular season. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team and the poll results have no bearing on postseason qualification.

Preseason Top 12 Rankings
1. Tennessee Valley Vipers - 239 (11)
2. Quad City Steamwheelers - 221 (4)
3. Macon Knights - 164 (1)
4. Peoria Pirates - 154 (2)
5. Hawaiian Islanders - 132
6. Albany Conquest - 119
7. Tulsa Talons - 116 (5)
8. Florida Firecats - 113
9. Cape Fear Wildcats - 107
10. Arkansas Twisters - 105
11. Wichita Stealth - 88 (1)
12. Birmingham Steeldogs - 75

Other teams receiving significant votes this week include the Louisville Fire (54 points), the Manchester Wolves (34 points), the Bakersfield Blitz (38 points), and the San Diego Riptide (34 points).

About af2 - Entering its Fifth Anniversary Season this Saturday night, af2 is a grass-roots developmental Arena Football league for players, coaches and officials. Operating under the same Mission Statement and Fans' Bill of Rights as the Arena Football League, over 175 players have advanced to the AFL over the past four seasons.



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