One More Win For Home-field Advantage
July 23, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rio Grande Valley Dorados News Release
GAME #16 SATURDAY, JULY 28, at Texas Copperheads, 7:30 PM, Berry Center
RADIO: JAMMIN' 104.9 FM (Rich Bocchini)
SPANISH LANGUAGE RADIO: none
WEBCAST: www.doradosfootball.com and www.allinbroadcasting.com
WEB VIDEO: Select road games available www.b2livetv.com
RECORDS: RGV 14-1, TEX 2-13
THE SETUP: The Dorados clinched their first ever division championship on July 14 at Bossier-Shreveport, but still have one goal remaining in the regular season; wrap up the No. 1 seed in the National Conference and lock up home-field advantage during the 2007 Arena Cup Playoffs. They can do that this Saturday at the Berry Center in Cypress (north of Houston) when they square off against the Copperheads. Rio has won 12 games in a row, and is coming off a 73-69 over Lubbock.
This will be the second time the teams have faced each other; the last time saw Rio score a 71-7 victory at Dodge Arena on June 9. George Williams had five TD receptions in the win.
Texas has dropped nine in a row and fell 52-12 to Tulsa last week. The Copperheads have scored just 15 points in their last two games, dropping a 47-3 loss to South Georgia two weeks ago. They also hold a dubious af2 record; they are one of three teams to be shut out by an opponent. Bossier-Shreveport did the honors in a 52-0 final on April 14. Texas' two wins have come at the expense of Corpus Christi and Laredo.
PLAYOFF TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets for the Dorados first round playoff game are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Dodge Arena Box Office and www.ticketmaster.com. The Dorados open the 2007 ArenaCup Playoffs at home on Sunday, August 5, at 4 p.m.
TRAVEL INFO
The team will depart for Houston early Friday.
DORADOS LEADERS
Scoring - Williams (45 TD, 270 pts)
TD's - Williams (45)
Receiving - Williams (93-11480-41TD)
Passing - Kellett (499-286-16, 3782/82TD)
Tackles - Canty (58.5)
Sacks - Staton (16.5)
UPCOMING GAMES AND PROMOS
Saturday, July 28, at Texas
DORADOS ON THE AIR
Every Dorados game will be broadcast on Jammin' 104.9 FM and also on doradosfootball.com and allinbroadcasting.com. Rich Bocchini will call the play-by-play for most games, with Dennis Scott providing the analysis. Scott will handle the play-by-play action when Bocchini is not available. Tune in to ESPN Radio 1240 every Friday at 5 p.m. for the Dorados 50-Yard Indoor War Report. Rich Bocchini and head coach Marty Hammond will recap last week's game and get you ready for what lies ahead.
BOB STARK'S COOKOFF CHALLENGE
Every week, the Dorados and Bob Stark's Beef Shop will hold a cookoff challenge for tailgaters in the parking lot of Dodge Arena. That will continue during the playoffs. A Dorados representative will visit each tailgate to register willing contestants with the winner receiving a $50 Bob Stark's gift certificate. The tailgate party in the west parking lot of Dodge Arena begins at 1:30 p.m. and is sponsored by Univision Radio. There will be live music under the Budweiser tent at the home playoff opener.
UPCOMING CHALLENGES
August 5 - Beef Fajitas
RECORD WATCH
The Dorados have already broken a number of franchise records this season. Below is a list of individual and team records that have been, or are close to being matched or broken.
Individual
Pass attempts/Season - Kellett Record - 533 Current - 499
Most TD Passes/Season - Kellett Record - 63 Current - 82 (record broken June 30)
Most TD Passes/Game - Kellett Record - 8 Current - 9 (record broken June 23)
Most Yards Receiving- Williams Record - 1452 Current - 1480 (record broken July 21)
Most TD receptions/season - Williams Record - 31 Current - 41 (record broken July 7)
Most overall TD's/season - Williams Record - 33 Current - 45 (record broken July 7)
Scoring/season - Williams Record - 198 Current - 270 (record broken (July 7)
All purpose Yards/season - Blalock Record - 2053 Current - 2118 (record broken July 21)
Most kickoff returns/season - Blalock Record - 35 Current - 46 (record broken June 30)
Sacks - Staton Record - 8.5 Current - 16.5 (record broken June 16)
Total Tackles - Canty Record - 64.5 Current - 58.5
Most tackles for loss - Washington, Staton Record - 10.5 Current - record broken June 9 vs. Texas
Team
Scoring Record - 797 Current - 864 (record broken July 21)
Points/Game Record - 75 Current - 78 (record broken June 30)
Interceptions by/season Record - 28 Current - 23
Most TD's /season Record - 107 Current - 123 (record broken July 14)
Most TD's/game Record - 10 Current - 11 (record first broken at Laredo on April 14)
Sacks/season Record - 36 Current - 61 (team record broken June 9) *(af2 record was 52)
Most tackles for loss/season Record - 51 Current - 78 (record broken June 23 (6)
Most blocked kicks/season Record - 5 Current - 5
DORADOS WINNING STREAK AMONG LONGEST IN AF2 HISTORY
The Dorados have won 12 games in a row, one of the longest regular season streaks in af2 history.
Most Consecutive Games Won, Regular Season
16 Quad City, 2000
14 Quad City, 2003
14 Tennessee Valley, 2003
13 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 2007
12 Rio Grande Valley, 2007*
10 Four teams tied (MR: Manchester, 2005)
* Still active
KELLETT MOVES UP AMONG ALL-TIME PASSING LEADERS
With 14,430 career passing yards, Josh Kellett is now third all-time in the af2 record book. His 281 career TDs are also third all-time in af2.
AF2 SACK RECORD SHATTERED
Tony McClain's sack in the second quarter of the July 7 game at Laredo was Rio's third of the night and 53rd of the season. That set a new record for sacks in a season in af2 competition, breaking Carolina's record set in 2001. Rio now has 61 sacks.
DORADOS BECOME THIRD AF2 TEAM TO POST A SHUTOUT
The Dorados became just the third team in af2 history to shut out their opponents with a 64-0 drubbing of Laredo on July 7. Quinton Staton's field goal block with under a minute left preserved the goose egg Laredo actually made it into the end zone, but had what would have been their only TD called back on a holding penalty.
ANOTHER RECORD; MOST FUMBLE RETURN YARDS IN AF2 HISTORY
Keenan Washington returned a fumble 38 yards vs. Lubbock on July 21 for his fourth fumble return TD of the season. Washington's four fumble return TDS and 71 yards are a team record. The Dorados have accumulated the most fumble return yards in af2 history (233), blasting the old mark of 164 set by Tulsa in 2004. The 33 returns are the most since Tulsa's 26 in 2004, and is one short of Quad City's 2001 record of 34. Washington's 71 yards and 4 TDs on four fumble returns are the most since 2004, when Bossier's Shadrick McAfee had four TD and 64 yards on two official returns. McAfee is believed to hold the record for most fumble return yards in one season; he had 78 in 2001 as a member of the Lafayette Roughnecks.
DORADOS SET NEW AF2 RECORD FOR SACKS IN A GAME; SET FRANCHISE SEASON MARK
The Dorados sacked Texas QB Kenton Evans 12 times on June 9 to set a new af2 record for sacks in a game and set a new franchise record for sacks in one season. Keenan Washington (4) and Quinton Staton (3.5) led the team in sacks for the game. The team's previous record was 10 sacks in a game, set on April 3, 2004 at Laredo (the Dorados' first-ever game). The previous team record for sacks in a season was 36 (for 200 yards, 2004). The af2 record in a season was 52, set by Carolina during the 2001 season. The previous af2 high for sacks in a game was 11, set by Richmond in 2001.
TWO RETURN TD'S IN ONE GAME
On June 30, 2007, Rio and Corpus Christi combined for a pair of return TD's. Ivory McCann of Corpus Christi returned a second quarter kickoff 57 yards for a TD, setting an af2 record in the process. After Rio converted on its next drive, the defense stood up and held the Sharks off on their next possession, forcing a 45-yard field goal attempt by Chris Onorato. Coco Blalock took the rebound off the missed attempt and weaved his way into the Dorados record book (and one yard short of tying McCann's new af2 record) to put Rio up 40-17.
KELLETT SETS TD PASSING MARK
Rio QB Josh Kellett's five TD passes on June 30 broke his previous franchise record of 63 TD passes in one season. He began the night with 61. His current stats are also a career-best for the fifth-year pro.
RECORDS SMASHED
A handful of records were set on May 26 as Rio hosted Amarillo. The Dorados won their fifth-straight game, while the receiving corps and QB Josh Kellett set a new franchise record with 29 pass receptions. Kellett's seven TD tosses fell one short of the franchise record in that category. Chris Canty (1) and Andre Goines (2) combined for three interceptions, tying a team record. Dusters WR Craig Fulton's 49-yard TD reception from Steve Panella tied another af2 record.
BY THE NUMBERS
2 - Marty Hammond returns for his second season as head coach.
3 - The number of times the Dorados play both Corpus Christi and Laredo. The Dorados travel to both cities twice.
4 - The previous team record for consecutive games won, broken May 26, 2007 vs. Amarillo.
6 - The franchise record for TD receptions in game (George Williams, 4/14/07).
11 - The Dorados' current winning streak, a franchise record.
11 - The most TD's scored by Rio in one game (4/14/07 vs. Laredo, 4/8/06 vs. Tulsa, 7/21/07 vs. Lubbock)
12 - Rio's total sacks on June 9 vs. Texas, a new af2 record.
19 - Marty Hammond's wins as Dorados Head Coach.
36 - The old franchise record for sacks in one season.
61 - The Dorados lead af2 with 61 sacks for 233 yards.
66 - The record for most points RGV scored on the road, most recently in the season opener vs. Corpus Christi (66-28).
78 - The record for most points scored in a game, set June 30, 2007, vs. Corpus Christi.
217 - The most reception yards in one Dorados game, set by Dwight Counter on June 11, 2005, at Tulsa.
10,648 - Josh Kellett's career passing yards entering this season.
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