Playoff Preview in Alabama

July 11, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release

The Vipers visit bitter rival Birmingham (pay-per-view video webcast on www.eyecentric.com; radio broadcasts on WUMP 730 AM in Huntsville, Ala., and WYDE 850 AM in Birmingham) knowing a win would clinch the National Conference Southern Division title and assure them of homefield advantage against the same playoff-bound Steeldogs team in the first round of the postseason. Birmingham, meanwhile, still has first-place aspirations of its own - a victory would put the Steeldogs (9-4) in position to overtake Tennessee Valley (11-2).

Given the head-to-head point differential tiebreaker, Birmingham would be well-served to win by 26 points or more. Tennessee Valley beat the Steeldogs 45-20 back on May 18. That victory made the Vipers 5-0 all-time against their in-state rivals, a bizarre series history given that both teams rank among the league's best (Tennessee Valley has 25 regular-season wins over the past two years; Birmingham has 21 in the same span).

Tennessee Valley's success has been predicated on its ability to hang onto the football as well as take it away. The Vipers' 19 turnovers committed are a league-low while their +12 turnover margin ranks third in af2. DS KELLY SNELL tied the league single-season record with his 14th interception of the year in last week's 48-34 win at Louisville. Birmingham QB MONTRESSA KIRBY and the Steeldogs have an offense that partially can offset the ballhawking of Snell and secondary mate KENNY BAILEY (six interceptions, team-high 73 tackles). Birmingham boasts the fifth-best rushing offense in the league with 37.8 yards per game. Kirby is af2's No. 4 rusher with 241 yards and 10 TDs - his 4.9 yards per carry is tops among running QBs. But he can air it out also; he was 25-of-29 for 257 yards and six TDs with no picks in last week's 53-24 win at Mobile. Kirby has passed for 2,700 yards and 57 touchdowns against 14 interceptions this year.

His go-to guy is the most prolific scorer in af2 history. OS WAYNE THOMAS scored his 100th career receiving touchdown two weeks ago. His 28 TDs this season have come on 73 receptions; he has 1,051 yards on the year. Tennessee Valley OS/KR KELLY FIELDS joins Thomas as a career receiving leader. Fields has more receptions (338) and more receiving yards (4,062) than any other af2 player in the league's three seasons. This year, despite missing two games with an injury, he has 80 catches for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns. Complementing the big two are Tennessee Valley's REGGIE WORTHY (777 receiving yards, 16 receiving TDs, 10 rushing TDs) and Birmingham's ANTHONY JORDAN (613 receiving yards, 14 scores).

These are two of the best defensive teams in the league, with Tennessee Valley allowing just 37.4 points per game (fifth in af2) and Birmingham 38.5 (sixth). Seven players have interceptions for Birmingham this season, led by MICHAEL FEAGIN's four pickoffs. Feagin also leads the team with 51.5 tackles and 19 pass breakups. With Steeldogs OL/DL JERRY TURNER (team-high 7.5 sacks) out with a knee injury, Tennessee Valley QB JERMAINE ALFRED hopes that gives him more time to make Feagin less of a factor. Since joining the Vipers last month after original starter WES COUNTS was lost for the season with a broken leg, Alfred has passed for 547 yards and 10 touchdowns against two interceptions in leading Tennessee Valley to a 2-1 record.

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Friday Preview

Arkansas looks to take advantage of Bossier City's bye week, with a home contest against Hawaii. A victory would put Arkansas (8-5) into a two-way tie with the Battle Wings (9-5) for the final playoff spot in the Central Division. Their playoff fates could be decided on the final day of the regular season when the Twisters play at Bossier City. Hawaii (3-10) is fresh off a bye week and, with playoff hopes dashed, the Islanders will look to spoil the Twisters' final home game. DARNELL ARCENEAUX is just two rushing touchdowns shy of equaling SHERAD POTEETE's mark of 23 rushing touchdowns scored in one season. The Islanders' signal caller has 21 rushing scores this season and is third in the league with 315 yards on the ground. DARNELL JONES is the Islanders' leading receiver with 56 catches for 598 yards. Hawaii's offense is not as powerful as the RICKY HEBERT-led Twisters, averaging 43.5 ppg compared to Arkansas' 52.9. Hebert leads the Arkansas offense with 3,250 yards and 66 touchdowns. LENNIE JOHNSON has 51 catches for 874 yards to lead the Twisters. Johnson also is a leader on defense for Arkansas, having amassed five interceptions and 42.0 tackles. Defensively for Hawaii, PHIL AUSTIN (38.0 tackles) leads a unit giving up 52.5 points a game.

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Saturday Previews

Charleston (6-7) enters Saturday's game against Augusta (11-2) riding an emotional high after defeating Richmond 49-44 last weekend. The Stallions suffered just their second loss of the season last week, and look to win their remaining three games in the hope of securing homefield advantage for the playoffs. Florida's 54-29 victory stung Augusta, and the Stallions lookto put any doubts behind them with a victory over the Swamp Foxes. GLEN GAUNTT still has a shot at setting a new af2 mark for touchdown passes in the season, needing 19 scoring passes in the final three games of the season to eclipse MATT SAUK's 2001 mark of 86. TIM DUMAS has 92 receptions for 1,095 yards to lead an Augusta offense averaging 52.9 points a game. LAVAR RAINEY leads the Stallions' secondary with nine interceptions and 59.5 tackles. The Swamp Foxes' defense averages 46.9 points against compared to the Stallions' 42.9. Charleston's MICHAEL BROWN is third in the league with 10 interceptions and also leads the team with 39.5 tackles. Brown has factored more predominantly in the Swamp Foxes' offense in recent weeks and has totaled 41 catches for 634 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. However, DWAYNE WILMOT (923 receiving yards, 19 TDs) continues to be the Swamp Foxes' most dangerous threat. BEN CHRISTOPHER has amassed 174 rushing yards on the season.

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Norfolk (7-6) concludes its home schedule Saturday against Roanoke having gone 6-1 in the friendly confines. The Nighthawks currently are one of the hottest teams in af2, having won four straight games and six of their last seven. Roanoke is fresh off of a dominating defensive performance against Rochester which the Steam won 33-20, holding the Brigade to just two offensive scores. Roanoke's offense averages 37.4 points a game and concedes 40.6 points on defense. Norfolk, on the other hand, scores 38.3 points a game and gives up 46.5 points a contest. CHRIS WALLACE leads the Nighthawks' offense, passing for 1,915 yards and 38 touchdowns in just eight games at the helm. With Wallace as a starter, Norfolk is 6-2. GARY BRIGGS has a team-high 65 receptions for 782 yards and 16 touchdowns and TRAVIS BURNS has 842 receiving yards and 16 scores for Norfolk. Defensively for the Nighthawks, CHRIS POINTER comes off of a strong performance against Greensboro in which he recorded four tackles, recovered a fumble and ran back an interception 23 yards. Roanoke's defense produced seven sacks and forced four turnovers in last weekend's victory over Rochester. MARIO KELSO had a strong two-way performance to lead the Steam. Kelso finished the game with two tackles and an interception on defense and caught six passes for 89 yards on offense.

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Richmond (10-3) and Greensboro (3-11) enter Saturday's game looking to rebound from Week 15 losses. The last time these two teams met, Greensboro almost shocked the then-6-0 Speed, but Richmond pulled out a 66-57 victory. Richmond fell a game behind Cape Fear in the Atlantic Division after suffering a 49-44 setback to Charleston last weekend. Greensboro's offense averages 45.3 points a game, but concedes 52.9 points on defense. Richmond remains among the league leaders in scoring and defense with 56.0 ppg and 34.2 ppg, respectively. CHRIS WEIBEL has thrown for 1,953 yards and 31 touchdowns to lead the Prowlers' offense, hooking up with ANTOINE CALLOWAY 103 times for 1,310 yards and 18 scores. JERMAINE TONEY has recorded a team-high 84.5 tackles to lead Greensboro's defense. CRANSTON JOHNSON has five interceptions in the Prowlers' secondary. BOB BEES leads the high-powered Speed offense with a 108.8 passer rating. Bees has amassed 2,937 yards and 52 scores so far this season and likely will eclipse the 3,000-yard mark Saturday. JEFF TOWNSLEY has 65 catches for 1,026 yards an 20 touchdowns to pace the Speed's receiving corps. RODNEY SLEDGE leads a formidable Richmond defense with eight sacks and four forced fumbles.

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The Tallahassee Thunder (8-5) looks to clinch a playoff birth and possibly the American Conference Southern Division title on Saturday when it hosts Columbus (3-10). The Thunder pummeled Jacksonville 70-31 to maintain a one-game edge over Florida in the division. Columbus is out of the playoff hunt with Augusta and Macon dominating, but looks to build for the future with victories in its final three games of the season. The Thunder's offense matches up evenly with the Wardogs' defense as Columbus holds opponents to 48.5 points a game while Tallahassee scores 48.3 ppg. However, the Thunder's defense holds an advantage over Columbus' offense as the Wardogs have mustered only 36.9 points a game. CANION LAMB has been solid all season long for Tallahassee and comes off of a 107-yard, four-touchdown performance against Jacksonville. Lamb leads the Thunder with 80 receptions, 1,017 yards and 22 scores. Tallahassee leads af2 with 36 sacks this season, highlighted by TYRONN JOHNSON's 11.0. PHIL TAYLOR has 1,060 receiving yards for the Wardogs, despite playing in only nine games. His 69 receptions and 21 touchdowns also are team highs. JEFF WELSH put up good numbers against Carolina last weekend, but could not come away with a victory. In five games with Columbus, Welsh has thrown for 708 yards and 11 scores. Defensively for the Wardogs, SHEDRIC HARRIS has 52.0 tackles and 21 passes defended.

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Pensacola (6-7) suffered a double whammy last weekend after losing 54-51 to Macon in the closing seconds and, with the loss, seeing its playoff hopes dashed. The Barracudas still can end the season with a winning record and a victory over Florida may help ease last weekend's pain. The Firecats (7-6) shocked Augusta 54-29 last week and put their playoff push into high gear. However, Florida lost defensive leader ROY STABLER to a rotator cuff injury and must dig into the talent pool to find a replacement. Florida's offense is less potent than Pensacola's (38.6 ppg to 47.8), but, defensively, the Firecats hold opponents to just 35.9 points a game whereas the Barracudas allow 45.9. BRIAN SPARACINO leads Florida's offense with 1,757 yards passing and 30 touchdowns. ANTHONY DIXON currently leads Florida receivers with 57 catches for 702 yards. JOHNNY FROST has been a stalwart on defense for Florida with four sacks, but also has contributed on offense, rushing for 218 yards and 12 scores. CHARLIE PETERSON has 2,240 yards and 46 touchdown passes to his credit as the Barracudas' quarterback. JACK WALKER leads Pensacola's air attack with 805 receiving yards and 19 scores. WILL PETTIS has nine interceptions and 31 passes defended in the Barracudas' secondary.

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Carolina (3-10) and Cape Fear (11-2) square off in Fayetteville Saturday with the Wildcats hoping to add to their one-game lead over Richmond in the Atlantic Division. Cape Fear became head of the expansion class with a 33-25 victory over Albany last weekend. The victory increased the Wildcats' win streak to an af2 season-best nine games. Carolina rebounded from a 28-8 halftime deficit to produce a 42-36 victory over Columbus. RAMONE ROBINSON earned af2 Offensive Player of the Week honors for his part in guiding the Rhinos to the comeback win. Robinson came on to start the third quarter and completed 13-of-18 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 38 yards and three touchdowns to complete the victory. MIKE GLUSKI leads the Wildcats offense; since joining Cape Fear, he is 9-0 as the starting quarterback. Although, Gluski did not throw any touchdown passes against Albany, the signal caller has tossed 37 in his nine games with the Wildcats. Cape Fear's defense has been terrific all season and limits opponents to just 30.3 points a game. Led by E.J. BURT's 25 sacks this season, the Wildcats' defense tackles a Carolina offense that scores an average of 37.2 points a game. NICK JOHNSON leads Rhinos receivers with 56 receptions for 663 yards and nine touchdowns. Defensively, ARKEE THOMPSON averages an interception a game to lead the Rhinos' secondary.

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Mobile (0-13) faces Jacksonville (5-8) Saturday looking for its first win of the season. In contrast, Jacksonville hopes to keep its playoff hopes alive with a victory after a loss to Tallahassee last weekend. Jacksonville's offense has the edge, putting 43.1 points a game on the board compared to Mobile's 26.8. Defensively, the Tomcats also have the edge and are holding opponents to 11 fewer points a game than the Wizards' defensive unit. MELVIN HILL has thrown 17 touchdown passes and just two interceptions since joining Mobile. The former Baton Rouge signal caller has a passer rating of 104.7 in five games with the Wizards. KENDRICK LEE has been another threat for the Wizards; in six games, he has 652 yards receiving and 13 touchdown receptions. T.J. SKAIN has been a stalwart on Mobile's defense with 66.0 tackles, an interception and four fumble recoveries. LAWRENCE PULLEN has been an offensive sparkplug for Jacksonville this season and is a threat as both a receiver and a kick returner. Pullen has 643 yards and 13 scores as a receiver and 1,099 yards and six touchdowns on returns. DAVID EDGERTON started under center last weekend for the Tomcats and threw for 214 yards and four touchdowns, but his three interceptions proved costly for Jacksonville. MARCELLE HOUGH has been a key addition to the Tomcats' secondary. He has 26.5 tackles and five interceptions in just five games.

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New Haven (4-9) and Albany (10-3) both have lost two straight games, but when the two teams meet Saturday at Pepsi Arena in New York, one team will be fighting for a playoff spot and the other for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Albany secured its playoff spot three weeks ago and still is waiting to see whom it will face in the first round. New Haven, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Rochester all are still in the hunt for the Northeast Division's final spot. A victory on Saturday is a must if the Ninjas are going to entertain playoff ideas. The two teams match up equally on offense with Albany holding a slight edge (40.6 ppg to 39.0). However, the Conquest holds a distinct advantage defensively, holding opponents to 36.2 ppg compared to a New Haven's 46.6. ANTHONY COMER is a solid performer on both sides of the ball for New Haven, recording 47 tackles and five interceptions on defense and racking up 750 receiving yards and 15 scores on offense. DAMON RICHARDSON has picked off six passes to lead New Haven's secondary. BRANDON TINSON leads the Conquest defense with 62.5 tackles while ALEX HOUSTON leads the team's pass rush with 10.5 sacks. RYAN VENA and COREY HILL headline Albany's offense. The two have hooked up 124 times for 1,408 yards and 26 touchdowns. Vena has totaled 2,397 yards and 42 touchdowns while completing 61.7 percent of his passes this season.

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The Mohegan Wolves (3-10) return to action to face Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after sitting out last week with a bye. At 5-9, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is just one game behind 6-8 Rochester for the final playoff spot in the Northeast Division. These two teams are evenly matched on defense with both yielding close to 45 points a game. However, on offense, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has the edge, scoring 40.8 points per game compared to Mohegan's 36.3. BRYAN SNYDER has thrown for 1,890 yards and 42 touchdowns to lead the Pioneers' offense. In eight games as a receiver, JOHN KNUST has caught 18 touchdown passes, and amassed 633 yards. Defensively for the Pioneers, RODRICK PRAYER has recorded 79.0 tackles and three interceptions. Mohegan has the league's fourth-ranked pass offense, led by CABLE DAVIS, who has thrown for 2,917 yards. BRANDON BURNSIDE has latched onto 86 passes and totaled 1,384 yards and 27 receptions as the Wolves' offensive specialist. Defensively, CARLOS McLAURIN has registered 70.5 tackles while HERON O'NEAL has picked off six passes to lead Mohegan.

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Quad City (8-5) has a Midwest Division championship to play for, and a win against visiting Louisville (2-11) Saturday would pull the Steamwheelers into a tie for first place with idle Peoria. New QB MIKE CAWLEY has Quad City back on track after a midseason three-game losing streak. Cawley's passed for 907 yards and 18 touchdowns against six interceptions in his four games as the Wheelers' starter. WR/LB CHRIS ANTHONY (100 catches, 1,291 yards, 25 TDs) and OS/KR IRA GOOCH (79 catches, 1,200 yards, 26 TDs) make up af2's only 1,000-yard receiving combo. Gooch also leads the league with 2,829 all-purpose yards. DS BRENT BROWNER tied a league record with four interceptions in Quad City's 27-19 win over Bakersfield last week. Louisville took a lead into the fourth quarter of its 36-27 loss to the Steamwheelers earlier this year. The Fire is led by the "Anthonys Cubed" ... ANTHONY SHELMAN, ANTHONY STALLINGS and ANTHONY PAYTON. Payton is Louisville's top receiver with 1,068 yards and 17 touchdowns. Stallings and Shelman rank one-two on the Fire in both rushing and returns. Stallings has totaled 82 rushing yards and seven touchdowns along with 546 kick return yards. Shelman has 81 rushing yards and five TDs to go with 418 yards in the return game. MIKE SUMMERS paces the Fire's defensive efforts with team highs in tackles (38.5) and interceptions (four).

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The newly-crowned Central Division champion Tulsa Talons (11-2) put the league's longest active home winning streak on the line when they host the Fresno Frenzy (4-9) Saturday. Tulsa has won 17 straight regular-season home games, including seven this season. Expansion Fresno seeks its first-ever road win, and hopes the return of OS/KR LAMONT WEBB pushes it over the top. An injury sidelined Webb for last week's 68-32 loss at Arkansas, although EUGENE SYKES filled in admirably with 230 all-purpose yards, including 102 receiving yards. Webb ranks third in all-purpose yards with 2,417 and second in scoring with 190 points. The man he trails in the race for the league's scoring title is Tulsa OS/KR MITCH ALLNER. Allner has 214 points on the season and ranks in the af2 top 10 in all-purpose yards (2,178), receptions (97), receiving yards (1,248), kickoff return yards (26.8 ypr) and missed field goal returns (8.4 ypr). The triggerman for Tulsa's attack (first in the league with 56.2 ppg) is QB ANTHONY BUICH. As steady as Buich has been all year, he's played his best ball of the season as of late. He has 2,196 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions on the season. Fresno QB KENNY ROSE has begun to come into his own since RICKY RAY went to the Canadian Football League. Rose has 648 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and two INTs for the Frenzy.

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The two most prolific quarterbacks in af2 face off Saturday when Wichita (6-8) travels to Bakersfield (7-6). Wichita's RON LOPEZ leads the league with 295.3 yards per game, passing for 2,067 yards and 35 touchdowns with just five interceptions in his seven games with the Stealth. The former Arena Football League veteran's squad is 5-2 with him under center. Bakersfield's CHAD ELLIOTT has 3,110 passing yards with 57 TDs and 12 INTs, averaging 259.2 yards per game. Elliott missed last week's 27-19 loss at Quad City to be with his wife, who gave birth to their first child this week. His return bolsters the Blitz, which needs a win to avoid falling into a first-place tie with idle San Diego in the Western Division. Elliott and OS STEVE WOFFORD have had the chance to hook up just once in the last month as Wofford missed two games with a knee injury. He has 25 touchdowns this year (21 receiving); his 1,080 receiving yards rank ninth in af2. Wichita's top receivers are two-way players WILLIE GRISSOM (80 receptions, 920 yards, nine TDs) and XAVIER PATTERSON (55 catches, 822 yards, 16 TDs). Defensively, Bakersfield's J'SHARLON JONES comes off a three-interception performance against Quad City. His nine pickoffs rank fourth in the league. Wichita's BRYAN HENDERSON is the top sack master in af2 not named E.J. BURT; Henderson has bagged opposing QBs 14 times this year. Bakersfield and Wichita, which edged San Diego 42-37, both clinched playoff spots last week and will meet in the National Conference semifinals if they win their first-round games.

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PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS/SCENARIOS FOR WEEK 16

ALBANY: Clinched playoff berth. Clinched Northeast Division championship and homefield advantage in first round of playoffs.

AUGUSTA: Clinched playoff berth. Can clinch second-round home game (if victorious in first round) with win at Charleston OR Tallahassee loss vs. Columbus.

BAKERSFIELD: Clinched playoff berth.

BIRMINGHAM: Clinched playoff berth.

CAPE FEAR: Clinched playoff berth.

FLORIDA: Can clinch playoff berth with win vs. Pensacola AND loss by Charleston vs. Augusta AND loss by Jacksonville vs. Mobile.

MACON: Clinched playoff berth. Clinched second-round home game (if victorious in first round).

PEORIA: Clinched playoff berth and homefield advantage in first round of playoffs.

RICHMOND: Clinched playoff berth.

SAN DIEGO: Clinched playoff berth.

TALLAHASSEE: Can clinch playoff berth with win vs. Columbus OR loss by Charleston vs. Augusta AND loss by Jacksonville vs. Mobile. Can clinch American Conference Southern Division championship and homefield advantage in first round of playoffs with win vs. Columbus AND loss by Florida vs. Jacksonville.

TENNESSEE VALLEY: Clinched playoff berth. Can clinch National Conference Southern Division championship and homefield advantage in first round of playoffs with win vs. Birmingham.

TULSA: Clinched playoff berth. Clinched Central Division championship and homefield advantage in first round of playoffs.

WICHITA: Clinched playoff berth.

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from July 11, 2002

• Playoff Preview in Alabama - AFL I
• Anything But a Piece of Cake for Arbet - AFL I
• Rampage Lose Two More to Injury - Grand Rapids Rampage
• Destroyers Set to Face Cobras on Friday - Buffalo Destroyers
• Arena Football League Transactions - AFL I

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