ConQuest Set Schedule, Ready for Run at the Cup
January 13, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
ALBANY, NY â If the Albany ConQuest are going to repeat as Northeast Division Champions in 2003, first-year Head Coach Pete Costanza is going to have to get prepared in a hurry and get the team's travel plans in order for the first half of the af2 season.
The ConQuest are scheduled to play five out of their first six games away from the Pepsi Arena. The team will open up on April 5th against the Richmond (Va) Speed, a team that Albany ConQuest fans remember coming to town and taking part in one of the most exciting arena football games the city had ever seen, a 66-59 victory by the visiting Speed over the ConQuest.
The rivalry began during week ten of the 2002 af2 season. Richmond was at home, playing host to the expansion ConQuest, and riding a perfect 7-0 record. The ConQuest were 7-1 coming into the game and carried their own three-game win streak with them. Leading 17-6 at halftime, the Speed saw two second-half Kevin Harvey touchdowns offset by 17 unanswered Conquest points, culminating in a game-winning 21-yard field goal by Chris Drennan as time expired to give Albany the first win of the series and Richmond their first home loss since the 2000 season. That game set the tone for the rematch in week fourteen.
In round two, played at Pepsi Arena, the two teams traded touchdowns all night long as Richmond ended up with the last score with nine seconds left, a 1-yard Bob Bees touchdown run to give the Speed a 66-59 victory. The win snapped a seven-game winning streak by the ConQuest and evened the series at one game apiece. Throughout the game, which featured ten lead changes and three ties, fans saw what arena football was all about. Of the eighteen touchdowns that were scored in the contest between the two clubs, six came from 20+ yards and three were one-play drives. Following the grueling battle, the Albany faithful rewarded their new hometown football team with a standing ovation. ConQuest QB Ryan Vena threw six touchdown passes and ran for three other scores in the game, but was unable to pull out the victory this time.
As if starting the 2003 season against one of the toughest teams in af2 isn't challenging enough, Costanza gets the daunting task of facing the Richmond Speed twice in a row. The ConQuest play the Speed in back-to-back weeks to open up the season. On Friday, April 11th, they play their home opener at Pepsi Arena against Richmond, less than a week after the first game. Kickoff is set for 7:30 for all 2003 home games and will feature the all-new âTailgate On Pearl Street" before every game in front of the Pepsi Arena.
Following the pressure of a Richmond-Richmond start to the season, Costanza then has to prepare his troops for a four-game road trip around the Northeast US. Following a trip to Mohegan Sun to take on the Mohegan Wolves, and a week five bye week, they will travel to Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton, expansion city Cincinnati, and finish at Rochester in the first 2003 NYS Lottery Cup game. The Conquest took three out of four games from the Brigade last season to earn the cup in its first year of existence.
Playing seven out of the remaining ten games at home could work in the favor of the ConQuest, should they be able to come through the first six games unscathed. The ConQuest play their second home game on Friday, May 23rd, more than a month after the home opener, against the Birmingham Steeldogs. This will be the first game ever between Albany and Birmingham, a two-time playoff team that is coached by former NFL running back Bobby Humphrey.
The ConQuest will then play the first of two home games against Rochester on Saturday, May 31st, before taking off south to take on a couple of first-time Atlantic Division opponents, the Greensboro (NC) Prowlers and Norfolk (VA) Nighthawks. Costanza is a little familiar with the latter organization, having served as the Nighthawks' offensive coordinator for four games during the 2001 season before his stint the Iowa Barnstormers.
Road trips to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in week thirteen and Norfolk in week sixteen offset four home games to finish out the season. The ConQuest are set to face Mohegan twice (June 28th and July 26th) in the last five games, with match-ups against Rochester (July 19th) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (July 5th) in between. This will be the late-season push for one of the two Northeast Division playoff spots and with New Haven not in for 2003, only four teams remain to vie for those two post-season berths. Albany was 11-1 against Northeast Division opponents in 2002 and should be considered favorites to repeat again with the core of their record-setting inaugural team ready to return.
Dates and times for away games are subject to change. All 2003 home games will kick-off at 7:30PM at Pepsi Arena. The entire ConQuest schedule can be viewed online at www.albanyconquest.com. Keep checking the website for future information. Season tickets are still available and can be reserved by calling (518) 487-2222.
ConQuest 2003 Schedule (*subject to change)
April 5 @ Richmond; April 11 vs. Richmond; April 18 @ Mohegan; April 25 BYE; May 3 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; May 10 @ Cincinnati; May 17 @ Rochester; May 23 vs. Birmingham; May 31 vs. Rochester; June 7 @ Greensboro; June 14 vs. Norfolk; June 20 @ Wilkes-Barre /Scranton; June 28 vs. Mohegan; July 5 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; July 12 @ Norfolk; July 19 vs. Rochester; July 26 vs. Mohegan.
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