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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

Five Teams In, Six More Can Clinch This Week; Kelly, Harrell Make History

May 3, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


NEW YORK - The Drive to ArenaBowl XX Las Vegas playoff race picks up intensity this week as teams look to secure spots and seeding with two regular-season weeks remaining on the schedule.

Five teams - Dallas (12-2), Colorado (10-4), Orlando (9-5), San Jose (8-6) and Nashville (7-7) - have already clinched playoff spots. Dallas also has sealed a first-round bye, home-field advantage through the Conference Championship Round and the best record in the American Conference. Colorado has locked up the best record in the Central Division and earned a bye for the first round.

Six additional teams - Arizona (7-7), Austin (8-6), Columbus (7-7), Georgia (8-6), New York (9-5) and Utah (6-8) - can all secure playoff berths this week.

Dallas, the top-ranked team in the AFLWA Schutt Sports Top 12 Poll for the seventh straight week and winners of five straight, travels to Philadelphia on Saturday to take on the Soul (7-7) at the Wachovia Spectrum at 4:00 p.m. ET on OLN, CSN West (tape delay Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET) and CSN Philadelphia (tape delay at 7:30 p.m. ET). Dallas can become the first team in AFL history to win eight road games in a single season with a win at Philadelphia this week.

The Desperados boast a trio of receivers hoping to become just the second group in AFL history to reach 1,000 receiving yards each. WR/LB TERRILL SHAW (1,364) and WR/DB WILL PETTIS (1,220) have already surpassed the mark and OS DIALLEO BURKS (933) needs just 67 yards to put the trio in the history books. The only other trio of teammates to reach 1,000 yards each was Dallas ' JASON SHELLEY (1,304), BOBBY SIPPIO (1,218) and Pettis (1,076) in 2004.

Colorado, who can secure the best record in the American Conference with a win this week, travels to San Jose on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET on FSN Rocky Mountain (tape delay at 11:00 p.m. ET) to take on the SaberCats who can clinch the Western Division title with a win or a loss by Arizona.

Crush OS DAMIAN HARRELL continues his assault on the AFL record books. Last week in Colorado's 75-54 win over Orlando, he broke the League record for most touchdown catches in a single season with his first score of the game. He surpassed the previous mark of 46 previously shared by five players. This week Harrell is gunning to break the single-season total touchdown record of 51 held by EDDIE BROWN (1996) and BARRY WAGNER (1997), the no. 1 and no. 2 ranked players in AFL history respectively as voted by the League's Historical Committee.

MOST TOTAL TDS IN SINGLE AFL SEASON
NAME, TEAM YEAR TOTAL TDS
Damian Harrell, Colorado 2006 51
Eddie Brown, Albany 1996 51
Barry Wagner, Orlando 1997 51
Eddie Brown, Albany 1999 49
Marcus Nash, Las Vegas 2004 49

Utah Blaze QB ANDY KELLY became the AFL's all-time leader in touchdown passes last week in Utah's 66-52 win at Las Vegas. Kelly surpassed New York' s AARON GARCIA (757), who has missed the last nine games due to a leg injury, for the top spot and now boasts 762 career touchdown passes. Dallas QB CLINT DOLEZEL (752) needs six more touchdowns to pass Garcia for second place.

AFL TOP FIVE CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
NAME, TEAM TD PASSES
1. Andy Kelly, Utah 762
2. Aaron Garcia, New York 757
3. Clint Dolezel, Dallas 752
4. Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 736
5. John Kaleo, Columbus 552

Dolezel also needs 162 passing yards to become just the second player in AFL history to throw for over 37,000 yards in a career joining Kelly (39,457). Dolezel has 4,103 passing yards this season and leads the AFL with 92 touchdown passes.

AFL TOP FIVE CAREER PASSING YARDAGE
NAME, TEAM YDS
1. Andy Kelly, Utah 39,457
2. Clint Dolezel, Dallas 36,838
3. Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 36,535
4. Aaron Garcia, New York 36,102
5. John Kaleo, Columbus 33,271

Columbus DS CECIL DOGGETTE announced this week he will retire from the AFL at the end of this season, his 12th in the League. He will play his final home game when the Destroyers host the Tampa Bay Storm (7-7) at Nationwide Arena on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET on AFL Net. Doggette is the AFL's all-time leader in pass breakups with 152 and ranks fifth all-time in tackles with 546.0. Columbus can clinch a National Conference postseason berth with a win this week and a loss by Philadelphia. Other games this week: Georgia at New York on Saturday, Orlando at Kansas City on Saturday, Utah at Chicago on Saturday, Nashville at Los Angeles on Saturday and Grand Rapids at Austin on Sunday.

This Week in AFL History

May 4, 2002: The Dallas Desperados play their first-ever home game against the Los Angeles Avengers in front of 15,196 fans at the American Airlines Center. Los Angeles won the game 52-51.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 3, 2006


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