Lesue, Dietz And Belton Earn Week 14 Honors
Published on July 6, 2010 under Arena Football League (AFL) News Release
TULSA - Utah wide receiver AARON LESUE, Tampa Bay quarterback BRETT DIETZ and Milwaukee defensive back TRACY BELTON have been named the JLS Ironman, Russell Athletic Offensive Players and Riddell Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 14 of 2010. In addition to these three awards, the AFL is also highlighting the player who makes the best Catch of the Week, the Playmaker of the Week and the Highlight of the Week. The Cutters Catch of the Week Award for Week 14 goes to Orlando wide receiver BOBBY SIPPIO, while Iowa wide receiver TANNER VARNER has been named the Playmaker of the Week. The Highlight of the Week award has gone to Tampa Bay's wide receiver HANK EDWARDS.
JLS IRONMAN OF THE WEEK
LeSue (5-9, 190, Utah State) had a standout game for the Blaze in Week 14 despite their eventual loss. LeSue made two receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown over the dasherboards-a catch that was also nominated for Catch of the Week. Defensively, he tallied three tackles (2 UA, 1A). LeSue also tallied some special teams stats, making a kick return for 18 yards. Despite his all-around performance, the Blaze fell to Milwaukee by a score of 82-56.
RUSSELL ATHLETIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dietz (6-4, 235, Hanover) kept his Tampa Bay Storm atop the South Division of the American Conference, propelling them to a 68-60 win over Chicago. Dietz threw 24-of-31 for 359 yards and 8 touchdowns in the critical game against the Rush. His 77.4% completion rate was his second highest of the season. The South Division is one of the closest races for playoff eligibility, and this solid win helped keep the Storm alive.
RIDDELL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Belton (6-0, 175, Massachusetts) was all over the Utah offense in Milwaukee's 82-56 win over the Blaze. Belton tallied 8 unassisted and 2 assisted tackles, a tackle for loss, one pass break up and an interception ran back for 12 yards. Belton is averaging the eighth most tackles per game in the league with 6.9. The Milwaukee victory brought the Iron to 8-5 on the season, just behind division leader Chicago (9-4).
CUTTERS CATCH OF THE WEEK
Sippio (6-3, 215, Western Kentucky) made a critical late catch for Orlando. With about 9 minutes remaining in regulation, Sippio grabbed an acrobatic one-handed catch from QB Nick Hill in the endzone to tie the game up at 56. Orlando and Cleveland had back and forth scoring all night, leading to an eventual overtime before the Gladiators pulled out a one-score victory. Overall, Sippio had nine receptions for 147 yards and five touchdowns on the night.
NIFTY PLAYMAKER OF THE WEEK
Varner (6-0, 200, University of Northern Iowa) was a key element in Iowa's win over Dallas this weekend, 59-38. Varner tallied 8 unassisted tackles, two pass breakups and an interception for 21 yards. One of the most exciting plays of the night was in the third quarter when Varner ran a kick-off back for a score, putting the Barnstormers up 31-17. Varner is currently leading the league in tackles per game average with 8.8.
SPALDING HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Edwards (6-3, 185, Texas Southern) continues to dominate the field for the Storm. This week's highlight comes from Tampa Bay's 68-60 victory over Chicago. Edwards received the ball from QB Brett Dietz late in the third and ran in for a score, knocking off a Chicago defender's helmet in the process. The strong hit and the score sent the Tampa Bay faithful into a frenzy, and helped solidify Edwards as an integral player in Tampa Bay's offense.
JLS Ironman of the Week candidates included: Orlando's Marlon Moye-Moore, Bossier-Shreveport's Jason Schule, Chicago's DeJuan Alfonzo, Iowa's Tanner Varner, Spokane's Quorey Payne and Jacksonville's Bernard Morris.
Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week candidates included: Iowa's Jesse Schmidt, Milwaukee's Chris Greisen, Arizona's Rod Windsor, Cleveland's John Dutton, Oklahoma City's Craig Fulton, Jr. and Jacksonville's Aaron Garcia.
Riddell Defensive Player of the Week candidates included: Jacksonville's Justin Parrish, Orlando's Kenny McIntyre, Oklahoma City's David Hyland, Tampa Bay's Brandon Hefflin, Iowa's Tanner Varner and Spokane's Alex Teems.
Arena Football League Stories from July 6, 2010
- BattleWings Make Unprecedented Move in Bossier-Shreveport - Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings
- Elite coaches team with AAU to launch football evaluation camps for kids aged 13-18 - OSC Original by Dave Eminian
- Dietz and Edwards Honored - Tampa Bay Storm
- Blaze WR/DB Aaron Lesue Earns League Honors - Utah Blaze
- Lesue, Dietz And Belton Earn Week 14 Honors - AFL
- Robert Boss Leaves Rush for Coaching Opportunity - Chicago Rush
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.
