First Round: Quick Hitters
July 31, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
POSTSEASON APPEARANCES: In Week 18 the 2008 playoff picture finally cleared up as the final five teams punched their ticket to the postseason - Amarillo, Austin, Bossier-Shreveport, Lubbock and Quad City. The Talons have earned nine straight postseason appearances, the most of any active team. Tulsa, one of three original af2 member teams, has qualified for the playoffs every season of the team's existence. The Florida Firecats and Quad City Steamwheelers currently rank second in all-time playoff appearances with seven. Tennessee Valley is third overall with six trips to the postseason.
MOST PLAYOFF APPEARANCES, ALL-TIME
TEAM APPEARANCES
TULSA 9
FLORIDA 7
QUAD CITY 7
TENNESSEE VALLEY 6
W-B/SCRANTON 5
MANCHESTER 5
SOUTH GEORGIA 5
ARKANSAS 5
CENTRAL VALLEY 5
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON AND GREEN BAY SACK THE OPPOSITION: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers and Green Bay Blizzard became just the fifth and sixth teams in league history to record at least 50 sacks in one af2 season. The Pioneers finished with a league-high 54 sacks while the Blizzard followed right behind with 53. The Rio Grande Valley Dorados set the current single-season league standard in 2007 with 57 sacks.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Spokane Shock (15-1) finished the 2008 regular season with a 7-1 home record and a perfect 8-0 record on the road. The Shock concluded their unblemished regular season road run with a win at West rival Stockton in Week 16, 65-41. The Shock join the 2007 Rio Grande Valley Dorados, the 2001 Tennessee Valley Vipers and the 2000 Quad City Steamwheelers as the only teams in league history to ever finish a season with an undefeated road record.
GILLIAM BREAKS af2 INTERCEPTION RECORD: Spokane rookie DB SERGIO GILLIAM (6-2, 195, Clemson) broke the af2 record for most interceptions in a season with his 16th in the Shock's Week 15 road win against division rival Stockton. The rookie from Clemson surpassed former Tennessee Valley Viper standout KELLY SNELL to make the record his own. Snell, who set the previous league standard for most interceptions in a season with 15 in 2003, is still involved in the game as the defensive coordinator for the Arkansas Twisters.
SIX ACTIVE COACHES AMONG ALL-TIME BEST: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Head Coach RICH INGOLD added another victory to his resume in Week 18. Already the league's all-time leader in career coaching wins, Ingold earned his 74th victory (74-29 overall; .718) with the Pioneers' 51-37 win at Albany. Ingold and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton clinched the team's second straight East Division title and fifth straight playoff berth. KEVIN BOUIS, in his fourth season as head coach of the Florida Firecats, became the eighth coach in af2 history to reach 50 career coaching victories in Week 18 with the team's 87-27 home win against Daytona Beach. He currently ranks eighth on the league's all-time win list. Arkansas' CHRIS SIEGFRIED (68) and Austin's BEN BENNETT (64) rank second and third, respectively, on the all-time win list. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in career af2 coaching wins.
TOP ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES
NAME WINS
1. Rich Ingold* 74
2. Chris Siegfried* 68
3. Ben Bennett* 64
4. Danton Barto* 58
5. Tommy Johnson* 55
6. Kevin Guy 52
7. Bobby Humphrey 51
8. Kevin Bouis* 50
* denotes active coaches
BENNETT, SIEGFRIED TAKE THREE: In Week 18 when the Austin Wranglers' clinched a playoff berth in their first af2 season, head coach BEN BENNETT became just the second coach in league history to take three different teams to the playoffs (Austin, Florida, Manchester). Current Arkansas head coach CHRIS SIEGFRIED has also taken three different clubs to the postseason (Arkansas, Spokane, Cape Fear).
BENTON REGAINS SPOT ATOP LEAGUE'S ALL-TIME SCORING LIST: Veteran Florida WR MAGIC BENTON resumed his perch atop the league's all-time scoring list in Week 18 thanks to a three-touchdown performance in a home win against Daytona Beach. Benton's current total now stands at 1,098 career points. WR GEORGE WILLIAMS (1,084), Oklahoma City WR/DB AL HUNT (1,064), KEVIN WILLIAMS (958) and Tulsa's JARRAIL JACKSON (932) round out the Top-5. Below is a breakdown of the leading scorers in af2 history:
MOST POINTS SCORED, NON-KICKING, CAREER
PTS PLAYER YEARS PLAYED
1,098 Magic Benton* 2001-present
1,084 George Williams 2001, 2003-present
1,064 Al Hunt* 2003-present
958 Kevin Williams 2001-present
932 Jarrail Jackson* 2000-01, 2005-present
906 J.R. Thomas* 2004-present
882 Jack Walker, Jr.* 2002-03, 2005-present
* Active in 2008
VETERAN PASSER BREAKS ALL-TIME PASSING MARKS: When Craig Strickland retired after the 2006 season, many of his league passing records seemed unattainable. However, in Week 16, Florida QB CHRIS WALLACE surpassed Strickland for the lead in all-time pass completions. Wallace also surged ahead of Strickland for the league's all-time lead in career touchdown passes with five in the team's Week 18 home win against Daytona Beach. The veteran signal caller now has 484 career touchdown passes, three ahead of Strickland's career total of 481. Wallace still ranks second to Strickland in career passing yards. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in each category.
Most Touchdown Passes, Career
484 Chris Wallace*
481 Craig Strickland
392 Ryan Vena*
360 Matt Sauk
334 Chad Elliott
* Active in 2008
Most Passes Completed, Career
1797 Chris Wallace*
1736 Craig Strickland
1625 Chad Elliott
1594 Ryan Vena*
1494 Matt Sauk
* Active in 2008
Most Passing Yards, Career
22688 Craig Strickland
22087 Chris Wallace*
19673 Ryan Vena*
18415 Chad Elliott
15262 Josh Kellett
* Active in 2008
1,000-YARD THREESOMES: This season, for the first time in league history, the af2 has seen three sets of team threesomes record at least 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. To date, there have been only eight groups in total that have posted such lofty numbers. The following is a list of all eight threesomes to record 1,000 yards receiving in a season.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (2008) - J.J. Outlaw, Larry Kendrick, Rich Musinski
Manchester (2008) - Bradly Chavez, Steven Savoy, Emery Sammons
Quad City (2008) - Deontrae Johnson, Kris Peters, Jesse Schmidt
Albany (2007) - Bakari Brown, Antwun Williams, Chris Curd
Quad City (2007) - Tom Anthony, Kris Peters, Jack Walker, Jr.
Quad City (2006) - Tim Dodge, Kris Peters, Jack Walker, Jr.
Oklahoma City (2004) - Kris Peters, Al Hunt, Timon Marshall
Quad City (2003) - Tim Dodge, Jeff Hewitt, Ira Gooch
PIONEERS CONTINUE IMPRESSIVE HOME STREAK: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's current home win streak has reached 20 games after the team's 62-33 triumph against Mahoning Valley in Week 17 at Wachovia Arena. The Pioneers' current streak, which dates back to 2006, is the second longest in league history. The last time Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lost a home game was on July 8, 2006 when the Florida Firecats edged the Pioneers, 56-51. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next opportunity to extend its current home win streak is on Saturday, August 2 when the No. 1 seed Pioneers host a first round playoff game. While Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's impressive home streak is still alive, the Tulsa Talons had two notable runs end in 2008. Tulsa saw its team record for consecutive wins (16) halted in Week 10 with a 52-45 road loss at Bossier-Shreveport. The Talons run of 16 consecutive victories is the third longest in af2 history. Despite Tulsa's overall win streak coming to a close, the Talons had an impressive home win streak still in tact. With a 70-40 win against Lubbock in Week 11, Tulsa set a new team record for most consecutive home victories with 12. The Talons won again in Week 12 to run their streak to 13 wins in a row at the Tulsa Convention Center. The streak included the first seven games of 2008 and the last six in 2007. With the Talons set to move to the BOK Center next year, the team's Week 16 home game against the Arkansas Twisters was their last regular season game at the Convention Center. The Twisters spoiled the Talons regular season home finale, 66-54, and stopped Tulsa's streak at 13 straight home wins. Below is a chart detailing the most impressive win streaks in league history.
Most Consecutive Games Won, Regular Season & Playoffs
24 Quad City, 19 games in 2000; 5 games in 2001
17 Quad City, 13 games in 2001; 4 games in 2002
16 Tulsa, 8 games in 2007, 8 games in 2008
Most Consecutive Home Games Won, Regular Season & Playoffs
25 Quad City, 11 games in 2000; 11 games in 2001; 3 games in 2002
20 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 1 game in 2006, 11 games in 2007, 8 games in 2008*
* Still active
MAGIC RECLAIMS ALL-TIME TD RECORD: In addition to regaining his spot as the league's all-time leading scorer,
Florida WR MAGIC BENTON also reclaimed the all-time lead in total touchdowns with 180. Benton surpassed WR GEORGE WILLIAMS, who now ranks second on the all-time touchdown list with 179. Benton is also the career leader in receiving touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards.
Most Touchdowns, Career
180 Magic Benton*
179 George Williams
175 Al Hunt*
157 Kevin Williams
154 Jarrail Jackson*
* Active in 2008
Most Receiving Touchdowns, Career
178 Magic Benton*
150 Al Hunt*
144 George Williams
144 J.R. Thomas*
137 Jack Walker Jr.*
* Active in 2008
Most Receiving Yards, Career
8384 Magic Benton*
6745 Al Hunt*
6588 George Williams
6699 J.R. Thomas*
6303 Tim Dodge*
* Active in 2008
Most Pass Receptions, Career
630 Magic Benton*
500 Jack Walker, Jr.*
492 J.R. Thomas*
486 Al Hunt*
486 Jarrail Jackson*
* Active in 2008
TAKING A LOOK AT THE 2008 PLAYOFF TEAMS: The chart below lists each playoff team and their record against other playoff teams during the 2008 season. Spokane had the best record, winning six of seven games against playoff teams. Amarillo played the most games against playoff opponents in 2008, winning five of eleven (.454). Look below for more analysis.
AMERICAN CONFERENCE GAMES RECORD WINNING PCT.
1. W-B/Scranton (14-2) 7 5-2 .714
2. South Georgia (12-4) 9 6-3 .667
3. Green Bay (11-5) 6 2-4 .333
4. Tennessee Valley (10-6) 10 5-5 .500
5. Florida (10-6) 9 4-5 .444
6. Lexington (9-7) 5 2-3 .400
7. Manchester (9-7) 7 2-5 .286
8. Quad City (8-8) 8 3-5 .375
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
1. Spokane (15-1) 7 6-1 .857
2. Tulsa (12-4) 9 6-3 .667
3. Bossier-Shreveport (9-7) 8 3-5 .375
4. Arkansas (11-5) 8 5-3 .625
5. Central Valley (10-6) 5 2-3 .400
6. Lubbock (9-7) 9 3-6 .333
7. Amarillo (8-8) 11 5-6 .454
8. Austin (8-8) 9 3-6 .333
2008 af2 PLAYOFF SCHEDULE: Sixteen teams qualified for the playoffs, eight from each conference (American and National). The eight qualifying teams in each conference consist of the three division champions and five Wild Cards, determined by best overall record. Seeding in each conference is based on overall record, with the top three seeds in each conference reserved for the division champions, regardless of record. In the First Round (August 1-3), the first three seeds in each conference are the three division winners. The next five teams are seeded by next best five overall records. Teams ranked 1-4 earn home playoff games with 1 hosting 8, 2 hosting 7, 3 hosting 6 and 4 hosting 5. In the Second Round (August 8-10), the winner of the 1-8 game plays the winner of the 4-5 game. The winner of the 2-7 game plays the winner of the 3-6 game. The home team is decided by the team with the higher seed. The winners of the Second Round will meet for the Conference Championships on the weekend of August 15-17. The team with the better overall record hosts the Conference Championship game. The winners of the Conference Championships face off in the 2008 ArenaCup on the weekend of August 22-24 at the venue of the participating team with the best overall record.
American Conference Standings 1. W-B/Scranton (14-2) - East Division Champion
2. South Georgia (12-4) - South Division Champion
3. Green Bay (11-5) - Midwest Division Champion
4. Tennessee Valley (10-6)
5. Florida (10-6)
6. Lexington (9-7)
7. Manchester (9-7)
8. Quad City (8-8)
NATIONAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS 1. Spokane (15-1) - West Division Champion
2. Tulsa (12-4) - Central Division Champion
3. Bossier-Shreveport (9-7) - Southwest Division Champion
4. Arkansas (11-5)
5. Central Valley (10-6)
6. Lubbock (9-7)
7. Amarillo (8-8)
8. Austin (8-8)
American Conference
First Round Playoff Schedule:
Friday, August 1
No. 6 Lexington (9-7) at No. 3 Green Bay (11-5) 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 2
No. 8 Quad City (8-8) at No. 1 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (14-2) 7:30 p.m.
No. 7 Manchester (9-7) at No. 2 South Georgia (12-4) 7:30 p.m.
No. 5 Florida (10-6) at No. 4 Tennessee Valley (10-6) 8:30 p.m.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
First Round Playoff Schedule:
Saturday, August 2
No. 7 Amarillo (8-8) at No. 2 Tulsa (12-4) 8:00 p.m.
No. 6 Lubbock (9-7) at No. 3 Bossier-Shreveport (9-7) 8:00 p.m.
No. 8 Austin (8-8) at No. 1 Spokane (15-1) 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 3
No. 5 Central Valley (10-6) at No. 4 Arkansas (11-5) 6:00 p.m.
• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...
arenafootball2 Stories from July 31, 2008
- Friday Night Matchup - af2
- Sharks Join Forces To Support Jason Baird Recovery Fund - Corpus Christi Sharks
- Dusters unveil watch party - Amarillo Venom
- Fever Head In New Direction - Tri-Cities Fever
- First Round: Quick Hitters - af2
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
