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Eleven former af2 standouts and four coaches will be showcased Monday night

April 20, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


CHICAGO - Monday night (April 21) the undefeated Philadelphia Soul travel to Columbus to face the Destroyers for Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday at Nationwide Arena. The game, which will be broadcast live in high definition at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2, will be a national showcase for several arenafootball2 (af2) alumni on both sides.

The Soul (7-0 overall, No. 1 in this week's AFLWA rankings) take the field on Monday with four af2 alums on their roster. Among those four is QB MATT D'ORAZIO, who is in his sixth year in the Arena Football League and first with Philadelphia. D'Orazio has started the past four games for the squad after QB TONY GRAZIANI went down with an injury. The top-ranked Soul haven't missed a beat with D'Orazio under center, winning their last four contests. The former Otterbein standout has played a big part in Philadelphia's recent run of success, completing 114-of-170 passes (67.1 completion pct) for 1,326 yards and 26 touchdowns with only two interceptions. D'Orazio also has four rushing scores on the year. He currently leads the AFL in passer rating (123.9) and fourth-quarter passer rating (143.2). D'Orazio's best AFL season came in 2006 when he guided the Chicago Rush to an ArenaBowl XX title. He was named the Offensive Player of the Game in the championship by completing 26-of-36 passes for 250 yards and six TDs without throwing an interception. Before becoming a household name in the AFL, D'Orazio got his Arena Football start in the af2 with the Rochester Brigade. In 16 games (all starts) with the Brigade that season, D'Orazio completed 324-of-522 passes for 3,372 yards, 51 touchdowns (13 interceptions) and an additional 20 rushing scores.

The Destroyers (2-5 overall) have seven af2 alums making an appearance in Monday night's contest. The Soul will be watching out for Columbus LB TREMAINE NEAL, who is in his fifth AFL season. Neal made his Destroyers debut on March 2 at Colorado where he racked up two tackles. This season he is tied for the team lead in interceptions with two, including one he returned for a touchdown. Neal also ranks sixth on the Destroyers with 12 total tackles. His efforts have earned him Defensive Player of the Game honors twice this season. Before getting his AFL opportunity, Neal played for the af2's Macon Knights for three years from 2001-03. His finest season with the Knights came in 2003 when he helped the Knights reach the ArenaCup before eventually falling in the final to Tulsa. Neal had 77 receptions for 789 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense and added 72.5 tackles, one interception, five passes defended, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble on the defensive side. He was named Most Valuable Player and Ironman of the Game in Macon's American Conference Championship victory over the Tennessee Valley Vipers.

A full list of the 11 af2 alumni playing in Monday's contest between Philadelphia and Columbus is located below:

Columbus Philadelphia

B.J. Barre - Tulsa 2004, Oklahoma City 2005 Mike Brown - Charleston 2002-03

Howard Duncan - Oklahoma City 2005 Matt D'Orazio - Rochester 2002, Mohegan 2003

Peter Lazare-Saunders - Green Bay 2005-06 Brian Mance - Manchester 2006

Mark Lewis - Tennessee Valley 2002-03 Eddie Moten - Rio Grande Valley 2004

Tremaine Neal - Macon 2001-03

Chris Pointer - Norfolk 2001-02

Will Rabatin - Louisville 2006

The Philadelphia Soul are lead by Head Coach BRET MUNSEY, a former af2 Coach of the Year (2001). Munsey began his coaching career with the Augusta Stallions of af2 in 2000. As defensive coordinator, he helped the Stallions to a 13-3 record and an American Conference Championship. Augusta's defense was one of only three defenses in the 16-team league to allow less than 600 points in the 16-game season. In addition, Munsey's defense ranked in the top five in total defense (4th), pass defense (5th), rushing defense (4th), first downs allowed (1st), and turnover margin (2nd). Three of his players were named to the first unit of the All-af2 team. After working with the Stallions he went to the Tennessee Valley Vipers as Head Coach. In just his first season, Munsey led his team to a 14-2 regular season record (15-3 overall). His defense ranked in the top five in all major categories and three defensive players were named to the All-af2 team. After serving as an AFL assistant for three years with Orlando, Munsey got his first AFL head coaching opportunity with the Soul in 2006. In his two full seasons leading Philadelphia he has led the team to back-to-back postseason appearances.

The Columbus Destroyers have several coaches on staff with af2 roots, including KEN MATOUS, the team's Director of Player Personnel and Special Teams Coordinator. In the af2, Matous was the head coach of the Tulsa Talons in 2004. With very few players returning from the 2003 ArenaCup championship team, he rebuilt the Talons and guided them to an af2 best 13-3 record and a Southwest Division title. Destroyers Assistant Coach JONATHON CHURCHILL has af2 experience on his resume. Churchill was the line coach for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from 2004-05. He was a part of the staff that directed the Pioneers to a division title finishing with a 13-3 record and a berth in the American Conference Championship in 2004. The Pioneers reached the af2 playoffs for the second straight season in 2005 with a 9-7 record. Assistant Coach JOHN ZINSER spent a season as the line coach for the Mohegan Wolves in 2003 and helped the team to its first-ever postseason appearance after a 10-6 regular season.



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