Four Of Five Division Leaders Face Off In Week Seven
April 9, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
NEW YORK - Undefeated records, a key interconference matchup between division leaders, winning streaks, and old rivalries revisited highlight Week 7 as divisional and conference structure begins to take shape in the AFL.
The Dallas Desperados (6-0), No. 2 in this week's AFLWA rankings and tied for first in the Mitsubishi Motors Eastern Division, welcome the Mitsubishi Motors Southern Division leading New Orleans VooDoo (5-1), No. 3, to American Airlines Center on Saturday, April 12 at 8 p.m. ET (Metro Sports Local - Live, ESPN360.com).
AFL history was made when these two teams last met in Dallas and something's got to give when they square off on Saturday with multiple winning streaks on the line.
In Week 15 of 2007, Dallas QB CLINT DOLEZEL (11 passing) and New Orleans QB STEVE BELLISARI (9 passing, 2 rushing) became the first quarterbacks in AFL history to account for 11 touchdowns each in a single-game as the Desperados defeated the VooDoo 80-79.
QB DANNY WIMPRINE has taken the reigns this season and guided New Orleans to the second-best record in the AFL and five consecutive victories. With a win, New Orleans will mark its first 6-1 start in franchise history.
Dolezel, in his second start after dislocating his shoulder in Week 1, has streaks and records on his mind as Dallas draws closer to two AFL records that can only be kept alive by a Desperados victory.
With a win, Dallas will become the first team in AFL history to begin its season 7-0 in two consecutive seasons and will tie the 2000-01 San Jose SaberCats with the most consecutive games won in AFL history with 15. The last time Dallas lost was to Georgia, 78-63, in Week 8 of 2007.
The Philadelphia Soul (6-0), No. 1 in this week's AFLWA rankings and tied for first in the Mitsubishi Motors Eastern Division, travels to HP Pavilion to face the Mitsubishi Motors Western Division leading San Jose SaberCats (3-3), No. 6, on Saturday, April 12 at 10:30 p.m. ET (CSN Philadelphia - Live, CSN Bay Area (Delay, 4/15 at 9:30 p.m. PT).
Philadelphia, riding an eight-game regular-season winning streak dating back to 2007, makes its first appearance in northern California since 2005 with hopes of beginning its season 7-0 for the first time in franchise history.
Soul QB MATT D'ORAZIO has guided Philadelphia to three consecutive wins and is 2-0 all-time against San Jose. Since replacing injured QB TONY GRAZIANI in Week 3, D'Orazio leads the AFL in passing touchdowns (21) and ranks second in yards (934) while driving an offense that leads the League in scoring (65.7) and touchdowns (55).
San Jose's first six games of 2008 mirror 2007 as the SaberCats dropped to 3-3 after losing their sixth game in New Orleans, 67-54, in 2007 and 72-43 on Saturday. After their 2007 loss, San Jose won 10 consecutive regular-season games and three postseason victories en route to their third ArenaBowl championship.
The SaberCats are 19-5 all-time at home following a road loss and can maintain their division lead with a win.
The Kansas City Brigade (0-5) welcomes the Mitsubishi Motors Central Division leading Chicago Rush (4-2), No. 5, to the Sprint Center on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday, April 14 at 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2 HD, ESPN360.com).
The Rush look to bounce back from its 57-56 overtime loss to Orlando on Sunday by notching the franchise's first victory in Kansas City with a win.
Chicago QB SHERDRICK BONNER hopes to lead the Rush to its sixth consecutive regular-season victory over a division opponent and make AFL history in the process. With 266 passing yards, Bonner will pass Georgia Force QB ANDY KELLY and become the AFL's all-time leader with 42,529 career.
Kansas City can secure its first win of the season with a victory, and extend its all-time record against Chicago to 2-1.
The Cleveland Gladiators (3-2), No. 7, welcome the Colorado Crush (2-3), No. 10, to Quicken Loans Arena on Friday, April 11 at 7 p.m. ET (SIRIUS Radio - Channel 130).
The matchup rekindles a rivalry between Crush co-owner JOHN ELWAY and Gladiators co-owner BERNIE KOSAR that has spanned two decades. As NFL players, Elway's Broncos defeated Kosar's Browns in three AFC Championship Games (1986-87, 90) during their NFL careers, including the famous "Drive".
Both teams are in second place in their respective divisions and look to keep pace with their division leaders with a victory.
This week's other games include: Utah at Los Angeles on Saturday (FSN Utah - Delay, 4/13 at 1 p.m. MT, FSN Prime Ticket - Delay at 10 p.m. PT), Orlando at Grand Rapids on Sunday, Arizona at Tampa Bay on Sunday (Catch 47 Local - Live, CSS - Delay, at 7 p.m. ET) and Columbus at New York on Sunday. BYE: Georgia
AFLWA TOP TWELVE RANKINGS
RANKING TEAM POINTS 1 Philadelphia Soul (11) 187
2 Dallas Desperados (5) 181
3 New Orleans VooDoo 160
4 Orlando Pradators 140
5 Chicago Rush 130
6 San Jose SaberCats 103
7 Cleveland Gladiators 89
8 Georgia Force 86
9 Tampa Bay Storm 48
10 Colorado Crush 45
11 Grand Rapids Rampage 26
12 Arizona Rattlers 19
Also receiving votes: Columbus 17, New York 12, Los Angeles 5. Dropped out: Los Angeles 11.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 9, 2008
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