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Richmond Wins the "Harvey" Way

May 21, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


CHICAGO – The King is back. Richmond Speed WR/DB KEVIN HARVEY, af2's 2001 Ironman of the Year, has been named the league's Ironman of the Week for Week 8, the league office announced today.

Harvey played a crucial role in Richmond's 66-57 come-from-behind win over the Greensboro Prowlers Saturday. With his team trailing by 20 points late in the third quarter, Harvey almost single-handedly led a Speed comeback by scoring four of his team's next five touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 10 seconds left in the game. Defensively, he helped hold the Prowlers to 19 second-half points, recording 3.5 tackles (second on the team) and one pass defensed on the night. Harvey has been named Ironman of the Game twice this season for the 7-0 Speed.

This week's ADT Defensive Player of the Week also was largely responsible for keeping his team undefeated. In Tennessee Valley's 45-20 win over Birmingham, Vipers DS KELLY SNELL ran his streak of games with an interception to six, an af2 record. Snell and his teammates held Steeldogs QB MONTRESSA KIRBY – who entered the game with an af2 second-best 31 touchdown passes – without a TD through the air. Snell led the Vipers (6-0) with 8.0 tackles (seven unassisted) and four breakups in addition to his league-leading eighth interception of the season.

OS BRANDON BURNSIDE earned Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Rochester Brigade Friday. The speedy receiver grabbed nine receptions for 205 yards and five scores. His five-touchdown night propelled him to the top of the af2 scoring list with 110 points for the season. Overall, Burnside averages a touchdown every 2.6 catches. Against Rochester, Burnside also returned eight kickoffs for 127 yards and totaled 347 all-purpose yards, upping his league-leading season total to 1,605.

Fresno OL/DL AHMAD BHATTI is af2's "Built Ford Tough Man" for Week 8. Bhatti registered two sacks, forced a fumble and recovered a crucial fumble late in the game to preserve the Frenzy's 49-37 victory over San Diego.

Every team's coaching staff selects up to five players who display a "get it done" attitude after each game. At season's end, the league will honor the "Built Ford Tough Man of the Year," a player who will win a Ford truck.

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QUOTES FROM AROUND af2

"WHEN YOU START LOSING FOOTBALL GAMES IT'S EASY FOR EVERYBODY TO GET DOWN, NOT JUST THE PLAYERS, BUT THE FANS AS WELL. BUT THE FANS HAVE REALLY BEEN TRUE TO THESE GUYS AND HAVE BEEN FILLING THE ARENA UP. AS LONG AS THEY DO THAT AND THESE GUYS CONTINUE TO PLAY AS THEY ARE RIGHT NOW, THEY HAVE ONE WIN UNDER THEIR BELT, THERE'S NOTHING TO SAY WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO WIN AND GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS." – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Team Operator JOHNNY UNITAS following the Pioneers' first victory last weekend.

"DISAPPOINTING. DISGUSTING. RIDICULOUS. WE DEFINITELY SHOULD'VE WON THIS ONE. WE FOUND A WAY TO LOSE." – Louisville Head Coach JEFF BROHM on his team's 34-31 loss to Columbus.

"HEY, WE DIDN'T DO HIM ANY FAVORS. WE DROPPED BALLS AND RAN ROUTES THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN. WE CALLED ROUTES WITH THE WORD ‘CHOICE' IN THEM FOR OUR RECEIVERS. GUESS WHAT WORD I'M DELETING FROM OUR PLAYBOOK?" – Peoria Head Coach BRUCE COWDREY on QB WALTER CHURCH, who tied an af2 record by throwing five interceptions in the Pirates' 60-54 overtime win at Bakersfield.

"I SHOULD HAVE MADE THAT. I'M JUST DOWN. I PLAYED ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. I FEEL LIKE I LET THE REST OF THE GUYS DOWN." – Bakersfield kicker ROBERT NYCZ following the Blitz's 60-54 overtime loss to Peoria. Nycz missed a PAT with no time left in regulation that would have won the game.

"WE FEEL LIKE WE LET THE AIR OUT OF A BALLOON. ALL WE HAD TO DO IS KICK A PAT AND WE HAD A VICTORY. IT WAS RIGHT THERE. WE HAD CHANCES TO WIN, AND WE JUST DIDN'T GET IT DONE." – Bakersfield WR/DB RYAN SLOTH on Saturday's loss.

"YOU'VE GOT TO REMEMBER THAT THE CROSSBAR IS FIVE FEET HIGHER IN HERE THAN IT IS IN THE OUTDOOR GAME. I HAVEN'T DONE THE PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM ON IT YET, BUT THIS ONE WAS MUCH TOUGHER." – Cape Fear kicker GARY KRAL, whose 48-yard field goal was one of two 40+ kicks he made in the Wildcats' 57-32 win over Norfolk, comparing his efforts to a 51-yarder he made in college.

"EVERYONE TALKS SMACK LIKE WE HAVEN'T PLAYED ANYONE GOOD YET, ANYONE WITH A WINNING RECORD, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. HERE COMES A TEAM THAT'S SECOND IN ONE OF THE BEST DIVISIONS THERE IS. THEY CAME UP HERE AND WE BEAT THEM. WE DID OUR JOB.'' – Albany FB/LB MATT VITTENGL after the Conquest defeated Roanoke 37-32 to go 5-1 on the season.

"IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE. WHEN YOU SCORE 65 POINTS, YOU SHOULDN'T LOSE. BUT YOU CAN'T GIVE UP 80." – Pensacola Head Coach MIKE BUCK on last week's loss at Macon.

"THE BIGGEST WIN IN OUR FRANCHISE'S HISTORY. IF WE LOST THIS GAME, THAT'S IT, IT'S OVER. NO PLAYOFFS." – Charleston QB RAY ISAAC on his team's 67-63 win over Jacksonville.

"YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, THE FANS. I JUST WISH I COULD HAVE MADE IT MORE EXCITING FOR THEM BY COMPLETING ONE OF THOSE LAST THREE PASSES FOR A TOUCHDOWN." – New Haven QB JARROD ROUANZOIN after his team lost an exciting game, 47-43 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

"THE TEAM PLAYED THEIR HEARTS OUT. THIS WAS THE BEST PLAYED GAME OVERALL. IT 'S UNFORTUNATE THAT WE LOST IN THE END. OUR TEAM DEFINITELY IS BETTER THAN 3-3." – Florida Head Coach JOHN FOURCADE after his team's 40-37 loss at Tallahassee.

"WE HAVEN'T PLAYED A COMPLETE GAME FROM GAME 1, AND WE'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO POST TEAMS A TWO-TOUCHDOWN LEAD OUT OF THE GATE.'' – Norfolk Head Coach TONY MISSICK on the loss to Cape Fear.

"WE'VE GOT PROBLEMS, BUT I CAN'T PUT MY FINGER ON THEM." – Richmond Head Coach RICHARD DAVIS, whose team has won back-to-back nailbiters to go 7-0 on the year.

"MY BIGGEST FEAR IS A REALITY." – Quad City Head Coach RICH INGOLD after losing QB TONY ZIMMERMAN to a fractured fibula. Zimmerman is expected to miss two to three weeks.

"I DON'T LOOK AT IT AS PRESSURE TO PERFORM. I'M NOT TRYING TO FILL TONY'S SHOES. I'M JUST TRYING TO WIN UNTIL HE GETS BETTER." – Quad City backup QB DAN McMULLEN on taking over for the injured TONY ZIMMERMAN.

"I WAS TOLD A LONG TIME AGO THAT PLAYING THE RUN IS TOUGHNESS AND PLAYING THE PASS IS AN ART. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT. I BELIEVE THAT PASS RUSHERS ARE VERY ARTISTIC. THEY HAVE GREAT KINESTHETIC AWARENESS." – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant coach MARK DUDA.

"THEY ARE A DANGEROUS TEAM BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE." – Tallahassee defensive backs coach MONK BONASORTE on this week's opponent, the 0-7 Mobile Wizards.

"I ASSURE OUR FANS THAT WITHIN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE WEEKS WE WILL BE COMPETITIVE, WE'LL PLAY HARD AND WE'LL WIN. I REALIZE WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE SOME BABY STEPS, BUT THE NEXT NINE WEEKS WILL BE INCREDIBLE." – New Mobile Head Coach ALAN RISHER.

"HE'S GOT A REALLY ENERGETIC PERSONALITY. HE DOESN'T HOLD BACK. I HAVE A LOT OF FAITH IN HIS PROGRAM AND WHAT HE'S TRYING TO GET DONE." – Mobile OL/DL JASON LAWRENCE on new head coach ALAN RISHER.

"RIGHT NOW, I'M ONLY 22 YEARS OLD, PLAYING FOOTBALL, AND I LOVE WHAT I DO. I GO TO MY JOB AND TRY TO GET BETTER EVERY DAY. THIS IS A BUNCH OF GREAT GUYS AND GREAT COACHES." – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton OL/DL JOE KOWALSKI.

"PLAYERS CAN GO ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY AND MAKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY. THE REASON WHY WE'RE GETTING SO MANY GOOD PLAYERS HERE IS BECAUSE IN THE SEVEN SHORT WEEKS WE'VE BEEN PLAYING, THE PLAYERS REALIZE HOW YOU'VE WELCOMED THEM INTO THIS COMMUNITY, PLAYING IN FRONT OF A PACKED HOUSE AT A GREAT FACILITY." – GREG SMITH, managing operator of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers.

"I'D LIKE TO, IF NOTHING ELSE, JUST TRY TO OPEN UP THAT DOOR FOR POTENTIAL PLAYERS. WITH THIS WHOLE THING OF AF2 BEING AN OPPORTUNITY LEAGUE, IF THEY' RE GOOD-ENOUGH ATHLETES, AND CAN GRASP WHAT'S GOING ON, WHY NOT GIVE GUYS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES OPPORTUNITIES, TOO?'' – Albany Head Coach RON SELESKY, who invited Japanese QB KENTA YAGI to try out for the Conquest last week.



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