Conquest still fighting for berth
July 6, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
The Albany Conquest (3-9) are coming off a 73-63 loss to the Louisville Fire at Pepsi Arena back on June 24th. The Conquest still trails Macon by two games for the final playoff spot in the American Conference, while holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. The South Georgia Wildcats (2-10) dropped a 65-46 decision to the Arkansas Twisters back on June 25th. Albany turned in a 48-39 road win on April 30th for the club's first victory of the season.
LOCKE, STOCK AND SIGNED Tony Locke recently became the highest paid member of the Albany Conquest alumni upon signing a two-year extension with the AFL's Los Angeles Avengers. The extension comes on the heels of a season that saw Los Angeles' Offensive Specialist finish with 82 catches for 1182 yards and 27 TD's. Locke has worked out with the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks and starred with Albany during the 2004 season. Conquest Head Coach Pete Costanza, who had Locke in Columbus before coming to Albany, stated "Tony is an up and coming star who needed an opportunity, and that's why we arranged for him to play in Albany last season."
MORE FRESH SQUEEZED POPE, PLEASE Conquest OS Jeremiah Pope ranks among the league leaders following a HUGE game against Louisville. He led the team with 12 receptions for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Pope leads Albany and ranks seventh in the af2 with 83 receptions, while his 21 TD's are just one behind teammate WR/LB Manwell Talbert.
DURABLE D, THE QB Albany QB D. Bryant has become an ironman in his own right during the 2005 season. He leads the af2 with 496 snaps under center and stands third overall with 3,234 yards gained from scrimmage. Bryant is coming off a 335-yard, seven-touchdown night as the club scored 30 fourth quarter points against Louisville.
ALWAYS A McBRIDE'S MAID Conquest DS Pete McBride seemingly gets more comfortable in the af2 as the weeks roll on. He led the Conquest for the third straight game with five solo tackles against Louisville on June 24th. The af2 rookie leads Albany with 12 pass breakups and stands second on the team with 33 (30UA, 6A) tackles playing in all 12 games for the Conquest this year.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH - Wildcats Offense South Georgia QB Brian Zbydniewski threw for 374 yards and six TD's in the loss to Wilkes-Barre. He has played in eight of the club's 12 games, totaling 1,046 yards and 14 touchdown passes. Zbydniewski has a host of targets to evenly distribute the ball, starting with WR/DB Antwone Savage's 58 receptions and 687 yards. WR/LB Chris McKinney (50 receptions & 575 yards), and WR/DB Adrian Cockfield (47 receptions & 575 yards) spread the defense and give the league's second ranked passing attack a few different options.
- Conquest Defense Albany DS Travis Coleman continues to lead the club's defense both on the field and in the lockerroom. He forced a fumble along with a tackle against Louisville, and tops the Conquest with 47.5 (43UA, 9A) tackles, three interceptions and stands second with 10 pass breakups. The Conquest are sixth in the af2 having allowed the opposition 209 first downs, and the group has recovered 14 fumbles this season, which is tied for third overall on the circuit.
- Conquest Offense Albany QB D. Bryant's durability will be a factor in the season's final quarter. He has already set new career highs with 59 TD passes and went over the 3,000-yard mark last week. OS Jeremiah Pope ranks second on the club with 911 receiving yards in nine games and is one of only eight players in the af2 to average over 100 receiving yards a game. WR/LB Manwell Talbert is one of 12 receivers with over 1,000 receiving yards and leads the team with 22 TD's.
- Wildcats Defense South Georgia has the league's top ranked total AND pass defenses, allowing fewer than 200 yards through the air and 216 overall per game. Former Albany Conquest DS Drakus Langford led the team with nine solo tackles and a pass breakup last week and has 19.5 (18UA, 3A) tackles with two interceptions in two games for the Wildcats. WR/DB Elliot Burkes leads South Georgia with 33.5 (32UA, 3A) tackles and eight pass breakups in seven games this season.
The Albany Conquest, a proud member of the Arena Football family, are in their fourth arenafootball2 season. Season ticket packages for the 2006 season are on sale now by calling the Albany Conquest offices at (518) 487-2244 or by visiting www.albanyconquest.com for more information.
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