Lubbock Renegades Weekly Notes
June 19, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Lubbock Renegades News Release
RENEGADES LOOK TO TAKE RUBBER MATCH
GAME #11
WHEN: 7:00 PM (CST), SATURDAY, 6/23/07
WHERE: CITY BANK COLISEUM, LUBBOCK, TX
VS: AMARILLO DUSTERS (2-8)
BROADCASTS: RADIO: KFYO 790 AM WEBCAST VIDEO: b2 Networks (www.lubbockrenegades.com)
The Lubbock Renegades (4-6) grabbed some rest last week as they enjoyed their final bye week of the season, and it came following a 74-68 loss in Fresno, California to the Central Valley Coyotes on June 9th. The heartbreaking loss, which left the Renegades sour taste in their mouth during the bye week, will have the Renegades ready to go Saturday night hosting the rival Amarillo Dusters. The Dusters are coming in with momentum, as they ended an eight-game winless streak this past weekend with a 66-53 win over the Stockton Lightning. In rare af2 regular season fashion, Lubbock and Amarillo are meeting for the third time during the regular season. Amarillo won the first match-up 61-26 in Week 2, but Lubbock bounced back to top the Dusters 55-52 in Week 6 with a 46-yard field goal by Chris Balseiro as time expired. Lubbock is 2-4 against Central Division opponents and 3-2 at home this season, while Amarillo is winless (0-4) on the road and 1-6 against Central Division foes.
RENEGADES RECAP
Lubbock - 64, Central Valley - 78
Fresno, CA - Central Valley Coyotes Aleric Clark returned a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns, including a 56-yard return as time expired to prevent a Lubbock comeback win and defeat the Lubbock Renegades 74-68 Saturday night in front of frenzied 2,497 fans at Selland Arena. The Renegades saw their two-game winning streak snapped and they drop to 4-6 on the season.
The two teams combined for 21 touchdowns and there was only one defensive stop of the combined 18 offensive drives. Lubbock's defense could not stop the Coyotes offense, which found the endzone on all eight offensive possessions. The only stop came on the first play of the second quarter, as Donyell Booker scooped up a fumble in Lubbock's offensive backfield and scampered 15 yards for the score. While the Coyotes strikes were short and sweet, Lubbock manufactured their scoring drives. Special teams play hurt the Renegades again, placing the Coyotes with quality field position and forcing themselves to drive long lengths on their scoring drives. The Renegades offense almost overcame the lack of productive special teams and defensive collapses with the play of quarterback Robert Kent. Kent helped the Renegades go 7-for-7 on fourth down conversions and had his hand involved in all ten touchdowns produced by Lubbock. The Lubbock signal-caller tossed eight touchdowns and completed 28 of 45 passes for 363 yards, while also rushing for two scores. Kent finished with 43 rushing yards on seven carries. Chris Highshaw led Lubbock receivers with 126 yards on seven catches, including a franchise best 45-yard touchdown reception. John King had three of Kent's eight touchdown throws for his second consecutive three-touchdown performance.
Quarterback Clay Groefsema picked apart Lubbock's defense by completing 16 of his 20 pass attempts for 231 yards and five touchdowns. His primary target was Tonae Martin, who caught 9 passes for 122 yards and found the endzone twice. Fullback Damian Martin also rushed for a pair of scores in the see-saw affair that saw 12 lead changes.
Lubbock almost pulled off the dramatic win before being upstaged by Clark's winning score. As Central Valley marched offensively in the final minute trailing 62-60, Lubbock's Chris Hudler gave Groefsema an escort to the endzone on first-and-goal from the five yard line. It allowed the Coyotes to take a 68-62 lead, but it gave Lubbock back the ball with 40-seconds remaining and an opportunity to grab the final lead. Lubbock did go the distance on the ensuing drive and Robert Kent's one-yard touchdown run with four-seconds remaining tied the game at 68-68, and Chris Balseiro's PAT was blocked to keep the score tied. Thoughts of overtime were quickly ended on the following kickoff, as Clark eluded several defenders down the right side of the wall and gave the Coyotes the home win. Lubbock now heads into a bye week and will not play until they host the Amarillo Dusters for a Central Division battle on Saturday, June 23rd at Lubbock's City Bank Coliseum.
Score by Quarters: 1, 2, 3, 4,
Lubbock Renegades: 13, 21, 14, 20, 68
Central Valley Coyotes: 19, 20, 14, 21, 74
LEADERS:
PASSING: CLAY GROEFSEMA (CEN) 16-20-231-5; ROBERT KENT (LUB) 28-45-363-8
RECEIVING: TONAE MARTIN (CEN) 9-122-2; CHRIS HIGHSHAW (LUB) 7-126-1
Schutt Offensive Player of the Game: Robert Kent (LUB)
US ARMY Ironman: Aleric Clark (CEN)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game: Doug Langenfeld (CEN)
Cutters' Catch of the Game: Chris Highshaw (LUB)
RENEGADES RIVAL RUNDOWN
The Amarillo Dusters ended an eight game winless streak with a win over Stockton last weekend to improve to 2-8 and now seek their longest winning streak of the season. The Dusters have been snake-bit this season with six of their eight losses coming on deficits of ten points or less. Four of the losses have been decided by five or less points. Amarillo has been able to produce points without their offense this season with 10 non-offensive touchdowns. They co-lead the af2 with four kickoff returns for touchdowns and second in interception returns for touchdowns with six. Like the Renegades, Amarillo has mobility at quarterback with Steve Panella, who ranks tenth in the af2 in rushing with 165 rushing yards. He has help produce 54 touchdowns this season with 40 passing and an af2 second best 14 rushing touchdowns. On the defensive side, Aaron Williams is tied for fourth in the af2 with 7 interceptions.
AMARILLO'S LAST GAME RECAP
Amarillo 66, Stockton 53
Amarillo, TX - The Amarillo Dusters snapped an 8-game losing streak on Friday night with a convincing 66-53 triumph over the Stockton Lightning at the Cal Farley Coliseum in Amarillo. Amarillo quarterback Steve Panella guided the Dusters offense to the endzone seven times, throwing five touchdowns and running for two more scores en route to earning Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors.
The Dusters defense came up with a big stop early in the game, which set the tone for the night. On the first play from scrimmage, Stockton quarterback Evan Gray completed a 33-yard pass to Sale Key, which put the Lightning in great scoring position at the Dusters' 3-yard line. After three straight failed running attempts, Gray threw incomplete to Key in the back of the endzone, resulting in a turnover on downs. The Dusters responded with a 7-play drive that was capped off with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Panella to Steven Bergeski.
The two teams traded scores until Stockton took the lead with 9:55 left in the 2nd quarter on Alex Walls' 18-yard field goal, which put them on top 16-14. The Dusters marched back down the field, and Steve Panella dove into the endzone from 1 yard out to put the Dusters back out front with a 21-16 lead. The turning point in the game came on the ensuing series. On 1st down from his own 5-yard line, Stockton quarterback Evan Gray's pass was intercepted by Dusters linebacker David Ihedigbo, who returned it 11 yards for a touchdown. The Dusters never relinquished that lead.
Panella completed 24 of 41 passes for 263 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. He also rushed for six yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. Steven Bergeski had a stellar night, catching ten passes for 106 yards and four touchdowns. Tim Wilkins also had 106 yards receiving and a touchdown. Wilkins earned the Cutters Catch of the Game Award with his over-the-shoulder touchdown catch in the 3rd quarter. Craig Fulton earned U.S. Army Iron Man Honors, as he had five catches for 28 yards, and also had 2 kickoff returns for 90 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown return in the 1st quarter.
Stockton receivers Sale Key and Clarence Cunningham both had big games. Key grabbed seven passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns, while Cunningham added six catches for 118 yards and two scores. Jajuan Huddleston earned ADT Defensive Player of the Game Honors, as he had three solo tackles, a sack, and put pressure on Dusters quarterback Steve Panella for much of the night.
af2 WEEK 12 REVIEW
Central Valley Coyotes 39, Bakersfield Blitz 37
Rio Grande Dorados 62, Boise Burn 32
S. Georgia Wildcats 68, Tenn. Valley Vipers 65
Laredo Lobos 66, Texas Copperheads 41
Tri-Cities Fever 39, Spokane Shock 34
Bossier Battle Wings 81, Corpus Christi Sharks 35
Tulsa Talons 43, Green Bay Blizzard 26
Arkansas Twisters 51, Oklahoma Yard Dawgz 39
Mahoning Vall. Thunder 63, Q.C. Steamwheelers 34
Florida Firecats 49, Manchester Wolves 27
Fort Wayne Fusion 52, Louisville Fire 34
WB/Scranton Pioneers 77, Alabama Steeldogs 62
Amarillo Dusters 66, Stockton Lightning 53
Albany Conquest 69, Cincinnati Jungle Kats 34
af2 WEEK 13 PREVIEW
Friday, June 22, 2007
Fort Wayne at Green Bay 7:30 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Quad City 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Albany at Florida 6:30 p.m.
Louisville at Cincinnati 6:30 p.m.
Laredo at Corpus Christi 7:00 p.m.
Boise at Spokane 7:00 p.m.
Central Valley at Tri-Cities 7:00 p.m.
Amarillo at Lubbock 7:05 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Rio Grande Valley 7:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Everett 9:00 p.m.
Bakersfield at Stockton 9:30 p.m.
Bye: Alabama, Bossier-Shreveport, Mahoning Valley, Manchester, South Georgia, Tennessee Valley, Texas, Tulsa
NATIONAL CONFERENCE'S CENTRAL DIVISION STANDINGS
Team: Overall W, L, T, Points For, Points Opp, Pct, Home, Away, Neut, Streak
Tulsa Talons: 10, 1, 0, 638, 446, .909, 5-1-0, 5-0-0, 0-0-0, Won 3
Arkansas Twisters: 7, 3, 0, 534, 401, .700, 3-2-0, 4-1-0, 0-0-0, Won 1
Oklahoma Yard Dawgz: 6, 4, 0, 522, 494, .600, 3-1-0, 3-3-0, 0-0-0, Lost 1
Lubbock Renegades: 4, 6, 0, 513, 545, .400, 3-2-0, 1-4-0, 0-0-0, Lost 1
Amarillo Dusters: 2, 8, 0, 486, 519, .200, 2-4-0, 0-4-0, 0-0-0, Won 1
NATIONAL CONFERENCE PLAYOFF STANDINGS
Team: Overall W, L, T, Points For, Points Opp, Pct, Home, Away, Neut, Streak
1. Tulsa Talons: 10, 1, 0, 638, 446, .909, 5-1-0, 5-0-0, 0-0-0, Won 3
2. Rio Grande Dorados: 9, 1, 0, 544, 330, .900, 4-1-0, 5-0-0, 0-0-0, Won 7
3. S. Georgia Wildcats: 8, 3, 0, 609, 528, .727, 5-1-0, 3-2-0, 0-0-0, Won 1
4. Bossier Battle Wings: 9, 2, 0, 649, 436, .818, 5-1-0, 4-1-0, 0-0-0, Won 3
5. Florida Firecats: 8, 3, 0, 531, 377, .727, 4-2-0, 4-1-0, 0-0-0, Won 4
6. Arkansas Twisters: 7, 3, 0, 534, 401, .700, 3-2-0, 4-1-0, 0-0-0, Won 1
7. Oklahoma Yard Dawgz: 6, 4, 0, 522, 494, .600, 3-1-0, 3- 3-0, 0-0-0, Lost 1
8. Alabama Steeldogs: 5, 6, 0, 506, 521, .455, 4-1-0, 1-5-0, 0-0-0, Lost 3
9. Lubbock Renegades: 4, 6, 0, 513, 545, .400, 3-2-0, 1-4-0, 0-0-0, Lost 1
10. Tenn. Valley Vipers: 4, 7, 0, 423, 488, .364, 2-4-0, 2-3-0, 0-0-0, Lost 5
11. Amarillo Dusters: 2, 8, 0, 486, 519, .200, 2-4-0, 0-4-0, 0-0-0, Won 1
12. Texas Copperheads: 2, 9, 0, 322, 622, .182, 2-3-0, 0-6-0, 0-0-0, Lost 5
13. Laredo Lobos: 1, 9, 0, 430, 580, .100, 1-4-0, 0-5-0, 0-0-0, Won 1
14. Corp. Christi Sharks: 1, 9, 0, 344, 614, .100, 0-5-0, 1-4-0, 0-0-0, Lost 3
Playoffs
Sixteen teams qualify 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 3-5), 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 10-12), 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 17-19. The team with the better overall record hosts the Conference Championship game. The winners of the Conference Championships face off in the 2007 ArenaCup on the weekend of August 24-26 at a site to be determined.
Tiebreaking Procedures
If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the same division are tied with identical won-lost percentages, the following steps will be taken to determine rank.
Two Clubs
1. Head-to-head (best won-lost percentage in games among clubs).
2. If teams split head-to-head games, the next tiebreaker will be the point differential in those two games.
3. Best won-lost percentage in common games, if applicable
4. Strength of schedule (strength up).
Three or More Clubs
- If two clubs remain tied after a third club is eliminated during any step, tiebreaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format.
- If one team wins multiple-team tiebreaker to advance to playoff round, remaining teams revert to step 1 of the two-club format.
- All teams must have played head-to-head for step 1 to be utilized in a multiple-team tie.
1. Head-to-head (best won-lost percentage in games among clubs).
2. Best won-lost percentage in common games, if applicable.
3. Strength of schedule (strength up).
4. Coin flip.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
36.7 - Rushing Yards per game - Lubbock ranks second in the af2 in rushing yards per game with an average of 36.7 yards per game.
56.5% - Fourth Down Conversions - The Renegades were 7 for 7 on fourth down conversions against Central Valley and now rank fifth in the af2 with a 56.5% conversion percentage on the season.
284.6 - Offensive Yards per game - With 767 total yards of offense the past two games, Lubbock has moved up to currently ranking sixth in offensive yards per game with an average of 284.6 yards per game.
RENEGADES PRACTICE TIMES
All practices this week are inside City Bank Coliseum: Tue-Thurs: 10-11:30 a.m.
BRING THE GRILL
Beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, the Renegades will have their grills out and will cook a free hamburger for fans that have a ticket for the game. The Renegades encourage fans to bring their own grills and tailgate as well. The cookout and tailgate party will originate from the east parking lot (Jones Stadium side) of the City Bank Coliseum.
NEXT HOME GAME
The Renegades finally return home this Saturday night as they will host the Amarillo Dusters at City Bank Coliseum. Individual tickets for the game and all other home games are already on sale. Season ticket packages and advertising opportunities are still available by contacting the Renegades offices at 806-744-5858. Additional info can also be found by visiting the Renegades online at www.lubbockrenegades.com.
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