Quick Hitters
Published on April 8, 2010 under Arena Football League (AFL) News Release
CATCH IT LIVE - This season, the AFL is proud to have a partnership with two broadcasting giants: the NFL Network and Network Foundation Technologies (NFT). Catch our Friday night Game of the Week on the NFL Network at 8:00 p.m., scheduled for primetime throughout the length of the 18-week season. The NFL Network will also broadcast playoff games and the 2010 Arena Bowl, taking place in late August. All games will be broadcasted in HD and feature specialized in-game audio techniques to capture the sights and sounds of the action packed, high intensity indoor game. Check with your satellite provider for details. NiFTy continues their relationship with the Arena Football family by broadcasting all games not shown on the NFL Network, free of charge. To watch the games, please visit arenafootball.com and click on the NiFTy icon in the scrolling banner midway down the page. There you will find a page with directions on how to download the player to your desktop. Games began last week and will continue through the end of the regular season.
FORSE, GRIESEN, SWANSON, BLYTHE, PARKER AND ALFONSO EARN KICKOFF WEEK HONORS: Milwaukee wide receiver/defensive back NATE FORSE, Milwaukee quarterback CHRIS GREISEN and Arizona defensive back RILEY SWANSON have been named the JLS Ironman, Russell Athletic Offensive Player and Riddell Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 1 of 2010, the AFL's first season back after taking a year hiatus. 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 1 goes to Iowa wide receiver TODD BLYTHE, while Chicago's wide receiver/defensive back SAMIE PARKER has been named the Playmaker of the Week. The highlight of the week award has gone to Chicago's linebacker DEJUAN ALFONSO.
Forse (6-4, 220, California PA) made a big impact for the victorious Milwaukee Iron this week, putting in serious effort on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Forse caught 11 passes for 124 yards, racking up three touchdowns in the process. He was the second leading scorer for Milwaukee on the night. While he was not credited for any defensive statistics, Forse still made his presence know. Forse played all but a handfull of plays all game, both offensively and defensively, helping to propel the Iron their first victory of the season. Greisen (6-3, 220, NW Missouri State) played a nearly flawless game of arena football this weekend, when the Milwaukee Iron defeated last season's arenafootball2 champion Spokane Shock. Griesen threw for 30-of-36 with zero interceptions, approximately an 83% completion rate. He found the reliable hands of three separate recievers throughout the evening, including this week's Ironman winner Nate Forse. The Greisen-led offense exploded for three touchdowns in the last 90 seconds before halftime, essentially dooming the Shock's comeback chances. His nine touchdown passes topped the league for the week, as did his 144.1 quarterback rating. Swanson (6-0, 185, Wake Forest) came out swinging this weekend when two storied AFL programs took the turf on Saturday. Swanson tallied three unassisted tackles versus the Cleveland Gladiators, but it was his interception that made him this week's defensive star. After Cleveland took a convincing 28-7 lead in the second quarter, Swanson intercepted a John Dutton pass and ran it back for a touchdown. It was the first step towards an Arizona comeback. The Rattlers went on to win the game 61-56. Blythe (6-5, 214, Iowa State) made this week's catch of the week, despite Iowa's eventual loss to Chicago. Blythe, an AFL rookie, made four catches for 40 yards and two touchdowns in the Barnstormers' season opener. One of these catches was a showstopper-an acrobatic catch over the boards from QB Ryan Vena. Blythe went on to score a total of 14 points, including a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to being the Barnstormers within 10-their closest point margin of the second half. Parker (5-11, 180, Oregon) helped to lead the charge of the Chicago Rush this past weekend, bringing them to a 61-43 victory over the Iowa Barnstormers. Parker led the Rush in catches with six, carrying the ball 104 yards total and into the endzone twice. A QB Russ Michna-to-Samie Parker connection in the second quarter helped to change the tide of the game. Iowa was inching closer to taking the lead after a score brought them within nine of Chicago. Michna found Parker for a 42-yard catch for score to make it 31-15 Chicago with a little more than three minutes left in the half. Alfonso (6-0, 205, Indiana State) was expected to do big things this season, but maybe not as quickly as he did. Alfonso started off the season for the Chicago Rush right, intercepting Iowa QB Brian Villanueva's first pass of the game and season. He ran it back for a Chicago touchdown, giving them an early 7-0 lead-- a lead Chicago wouldn't give up the entire night. He went on to force a fumble on the next play as well, which eventually was converted into a touchdown pass. Alfonso was named to the First Team All-Arena in 2007 and 2008
RUSH TOP WEEK 1 COACHES AND AFLWA POLLS: The Chicago Rush topped both the first coaches poll and the Arena Football League Writers Association poll, easily earning the most first place votes in both. In the coaches poll, the Rush earned 78 total points, beating out No. 2 Milwaukee by 14 points. The Rush defeated the Iowa Barnstormers last Friday in the first game of the 2010 AFL season. Milwaukee upset reigning arenafootball2 champion Spokane Shock in Spokane on Saturday, 74-62. Rounding out the top five are: Dallas (60 points, 1 first place vote), Arizona (56 points) and Tulsa (53 points). In the Arena Football League Writers Association poll, the Rush received 8 of 13 first place votes this week with a total of 98 points. Milwaukee came in second in the poll as well, tallying 66 points. Rounding out the top five are: Tulsa (63 points), Dallas (60 points, 2 first place votes) and Arizona (55 points, 1 first place vote).
FIRST TIME IN HISTORY- For the first time ever, a professional sports team will be giving away tickets to every seat in the house to its loyal fans. The Arizona Rattlers will be handing out free tickets to their home opener game, where they will be facing off against the Chicago Rush on Friday, April 16. Tickets are available this Saturday, April 10, from 11am-5pm at participating Napa Auto Parts and Casino Arizona locations. The Rattlers hope to give away all 17,000+ tickets to pack the house with excited fans. Visit www.azrattlers.com for more information.
Arena Football League Stories from April 8, 2010
- SWX Will Air Tape Delayed Broadcast Friday Night - Spokane Shock
- Orlando Predators Kick Off 2010 Season In Bossier City - Orlando Predators
- Quick Hitters - AFL
- Bo Knows Arena Football - 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.
