Conquest Weekly
April 30, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
2008 Record:
3-1 (2-0 Home, 1-1 Road) - Streak: Won 3 - Second Place, East Division, American Conference
Week 5 Recap:
The Conquest recorded their first win against the Mahoning Valley Thunder in franchise history, holding off their East Division rivals 61-49 last Saturday, April 26th at the Times Union Center. Albany got off to a flying start, scoring on their first two possessions as QB Dan Cole and WR Antwun Williams linked up for a 38-yard touchdown pass and a 34-yard strike. It looked as though the Thunder were shell-shocked when the Conquest scored on their third possession to take a 20-7 lead midway through the first quarter, but Mahoning Valley would not go quietly. It got worse for the Thunder before it got better. Brenton Brady recovered a fumble and ran it in from 20-yards out and backup QB Joe DeLuise added a 2-yard touchdown run for a 34-21 lead at halftime. The third quarter was where Mahoning Valley pulled themselves back into the game, out-scoring Albany 14-0. Tim Murphy scored on a four-yard run and Josh Swogger connected with Henry Tolbert for a 32-yard touchdown pass, giving the Thunder their first lead of the game, 35-34. But the Conquest were not about to lay down to a little adversity. Albany opened the fourth quarter with two more touchdown passes from Cole to Williams, including a beautiful 45-yard TD strike that put the Conquest ahead 48-42. Cole then put the game out of reach with two more touchdowns, throwing a 13-yard pass to Chris Bocage and then linking up with Vernard Abrams for two-yard catch, Cole's seventh touchdown pass of the game.
Week 6 Preview:
This week Albany will host the Tennessee Valley Vipers for the first time in franchise history on Saturday, May 3rd at the Times Union Center. The keys to the Conquest success have been simple, yet effective: protect QB Dan Cole and win. Since struggling to protect their quarterback in Week 1 at Mahoning Valley, Albany has limited the pressure on Cole and the wins have followed. The Conquest offensive line has a hefty task this week as they face Tennessee Valley's OL/DL Eric Scott, who is tied for third in the af2 with 5.0 sacks in five games played. Another intriguing match up will be Albany WR Antwun Williams squaring off against Vipers DB Demetrius Derico. Williams ranks 6th in af2 with 107.8 receiving yards per game and has a team-high 9 touchdown catches. Derico is the anchor of the Vipers secondary, ranking 2nd in the league in tackles (33.5) and solo tackles (29) and 4th in the af2 with 5 interceptions.
Week 6 Schedule:
(All games are broadcast LIVE on 88.3 FM The SAINT and on the Internet at www.albanyconquest.com)
Saturday, May 3 - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center
vs. Tennessee Valley Vipers (2-3) - Streak: Won 2
Third Place, South Division, American Conference
The Vipers are starting to gain momentum and find their stride after struggling out of the gates. Tennessee Valley dropped their first three games, including back-to-back home games to open the season. The Vipers broke a three-game losing streak in Week 4, beating Louisville 41-30 and then followed with a Week 5 win at Daytona Beach to pull within one game of second place in the South Division. Leading Passer: Steven Dearman (#14) - 64-for-111, 825 yards, 15 TDs, 99.87 QB Rating. Leading Rusher: Travis Blanchard (#7) - 9 carries for 23 yards, 5 TDs, 2.6 yards per carry. Leading Receiver: Maurice Brown (#16) - 31 catches for 379 yards, 6 TDs, 12.2 yards per catch. Leading Tackler: Demetrius Derico (#1) - 33.5 tackles (29 solo, 9 assists), 5 INTs, 8 Break-Ups. Conquest Player of the Week: (Week 5)
Dan Cole - QB - #7 16-of-35 passing for 245 yards and 7 TDs. Coming into the 2008 season, Albany knew that QB Dan Cole was going to play a crucial role in their success on the field. Cole continued his blistering start to the year by throwing for 245 yards and a career-high 7 touchdowns as he led the Conquest to their first win in franchise history over the Mahoning Valley Thunder in Week 5. Cole currently ranks 2nd in the league in total offense per game (283.0), 3rd in passing yards per game (264.5), 4th in passing yards (1,058) and yards per carry (5.7), tied for 5th in passing touchdowns (21) and 7th in af2 in rushing yards (74).
Conquest Arrows:
- LOTS OF TOUCHDOWNS - QB Dan Cole threw for a career-high seven touchdowns on Saturday against Mahoning Valley, falling just short of the Albany single-game franchise record of eight TD passes, held by Ryan Vena, Ryan Hart and D. Bryant.
- A GREAT START - The Conquest are off to their best start since the 2003 season, going 3-1 in their first four games, the third time in franchise history that Albany has opening a season 3-1 (2002, 2003, 2008). They also put together the team's first three-game winning streak in four years, having last won three in a row from May 8 - May 22, 2004. Albany's best start in franchise history was in their inaugural 2002 season, where they went 10-1 in their first eleven games.
- IN THE TOP TEN - The Albany Conquest have cracked the top ten of the Week 6 af2 Coaches Poll released on Wednesday. Albany is 9th in this week's poll, moving up from 15th in Week 5. East Division-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are 4th in the rankings and the Conquest will face the Pioneers for the first of three times this season in Week 8, on May 16th in Pennsylvania.
- ANOTHER LONG PASS - WR Antwun Williams caught his second 45-yard touchdown pass of the season from Dan Cole in the fourth quarter against the Thunder, equaling Albany's longest TD hook up of the year. In total, Williams had 6 receptions for 164 yards and four touchdowns to help the Conquest to their third-straight win.
Albany Conquest Team Leaders:
Passing
-Attempts: Dan Cole (157)
-Completions: Dan Cole (85)
-Percentage: Dan Cole (54.1%)
-Yards: Dan Cole (1,058)
-Touchdowns: Dan Cole (21)
-Long: Dan Cole (45)
Receiving
-Receptions: Antwun Williams (28)
-Yards: Antwun Williams (431)
-Touchdowns: Antwun Williams (9)
-Yards/Catch: Antwun Williams (15.4)
-Yards/Game: Jared Jones (134.0)
-Long: Antwun Williams (45)
Rushing
-Attempts: Dan Cole (13)
-Yards: Dan Cole (74)
-Touchdowns: Joe DeLuise (3)
-Yards/Carry: Norman Bauer (9.0)
-Yards/Game: Dan Cole (18.5)
-Long: Dan Cole (40)
Kick Returns
-Attempts: Jared Jones (10)
-Yards: Chris Bocage (185)
-Touchdowns: Jared Jones (1)
-Yards/Return: Chris Bocage (23.1)
-Yards/Game: Jared Jones (92.0)
-Long: Jared Jones (55)
Field Goals
-Attempts: Jason Fralicker (2)
-Kicks Made: Jason Fralicker (1)
-Percentage: Jason Fralicker (50.0%)
-Long: Jason Fralicker (19)
Kickoffs
-Attempts: Jason Fralicker (37)
-Yards: Jason Fralicker (1,975)
-Yards/Kick: Jason Fralicker (53.4)
-Touchbacks: Jason Fralicker (11)
Defense
-Tackles: Brandon Taylor (22.5)
-Solo Tackles: Brandon Taylor (16)
-Sacks: Kevin Marchant (3.0)
-Tackles For Loss: Kevin Marchant (4.0-21 yards)
-Interceptions: Brandon Taylor (1)
-Pass Breakups: Aharon Kiett & Matt Millard (3)
-Forced Fumbles: Four tied with (1)
-Blocked Kicks: None (0)
-Defensive Touchdowns: Brenton Brady & Brandon Taylor (1)
East Division Standings:
(AMERICAN CONFERENCE)
Team W L PCT Home Road
WB/Scranton 4 1 .800 2-0 2-1
Albany 3 1 .750 2-0 1-1
Manchester 1 3 .250 0-1 1-2
Mahoning Valley 1 3 .200 1-2 0-2
This week Albany play their second consecutive home game as they host the Tennessee Valley Vipers for their first ever meeting on Saturday, May 3rd at 7:00 pm at the Times Union Center.
Partial season ticket packages and single game tickets are now on sale for the 2008 Albany Conquest regular season. For more information please contact the Conquest at (518) 487-2244 or online at www.albanyconquest.com.
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