Rio Grande Valley Dorados game notes

Published on July 21, 2006 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Rio Grande Valley Dorados News Release


Rio Grande Valley Dorados (6-8) vs. South Georgia Wildcats (3-11)

Date: Saturday, July 22, 2006

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST

Site: Obra Homes Field at Dodge Arena

Coin Toss: Head Official

Dorados Radio: ESPN Radio 1240 (KSOX); free online audio at doradosfootball.com

TV: Televisa XERV-9 (cable 19); streaming video feed at af2tv.com

Season Series Record: 1-0 RGV

Streaks: RGV lost 1, SGW won 2

RGV Head Coach: Marty Hammond (1st Season)

FOR GAME SCORE UPDATES CALL 956-843-5636

THE SCENARIO: The Dorados can still clinch a playoff spot if they win their last two games and Bakersfield loses its last two... Bakersfield (7-7) owns the tiebreaker over RGV by way of a 53-45 victory over RGV at Bakersfield on May 13...The Blitz closes the season with home games against Stockton (5-9) and Everett (4-10)...South Georgia has won its last two games, defeating Bossier and Tenn. Valley after losing six in a row.

THE SERIES: This is the second all time meeting...The Dorados visited South Georgia on May 28, 2005 and won 39-37...

LAST MEETING: The Rio Grande Valley Dorados overcame a scoreless first half with 31 fourth quarter points to eventually hold off the South Georgia Wildcats 39-37 in arenafootball2 action Saturday night in front of 6,112 fans at the Albany Civic Center. The scoreless first half for the Dorados was just their second in franchise history and it was highlighted by 13 consecutive incomplete passes by Josh Kellett. South Georgia could not get their offense going as well in the half. Kellett stumbled into his own endzone on a snap from his own two yard line with four-seconds remaining in the half to give the Wildcats a 16-0 halftime lead.

OFF THE NET

- Dwight Counter needs five receptions tonight to break Marquis Floyd's season-mark of 101.

- SGW QB Julian Reese leads af2 in rushing yards per game with 29.6 and 5.2 yards per rush.

- SGW's Chris McKinney is third in af2 with 1379 receiving yards...RGV's Dwight Counter is 8th with 97 receptions.

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES courtesy of themonitor.com

Mel Long on making the playoffs

"Everybody knows the situation," wide receiver/linebacker Mel Long said. "We put ourselves in this situation and we have to live with whatever happens."

Marty Hammond on the loss to Birmingham

"It's very disappointing. It was embarrassing," Dorados coach Marty Hammond said. "We thought we had some guys with higher character than this. It looks like we've got some phonies on this team and they show their true colors sometimes when things don't go right. It was an embarrassing effort overall for the team and the organization."

Kevin Lacey on winning the last two regular season games

"We want to win the games regardless of if Bakersfield wins or not," Dorados lineman Kevin Lacey said. "We'd rather go .500 than have a losing season. The next game is the most important game, especially at this point. Regardless of what Bakersfield does or doesn't do, we still want to go out there and play our best."

Dwight Counter, on Kellett's return

"It was a little easier," said wide receiver Dwight Counter, who had eight receptions for 161 yards and three TDs. "Everyone had a little different swagger with Josh back."

John Bradley on making the playoffs

"It feels like a relative died to me," Dorados lineman John Bradley said. "I never in my professional career or in football have ever had to worry about not making a postseason game."

WEEK 17 COACHES POLL

The expansion Spokane Shock maintained the No. 1 ranking in the Weekly Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced today. Spokane collected 256 of a possible 264 points and 17-of-23 first place votes in securing the top position. The Shock improved their league-best record to 12-2 with a 63-44 road win Saturday night at Stockton. Spokane clinched the West Division and a first round playoff bye with the victory.

The Florida Firecats (11-3, 238 points, 4 first place votes) held firm at the No. 2 spot this week after a 66-56 home win on Saturday against Albany. The Tulsa Talons (10-4, 210 points) and Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (10-4, 195 points) also maintained their positions at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, after convincing wins in Week 16. One new entry into the top five this week is the Central Valley Coyotes, who moved up one spot from No. 6 to No. 5. The Coyotes (10-4, 169 points) have won five straight games.

The Week 17 schedule features three matchups of Top 12 teams. All three games are on Saturday as No. 7 Louisville plays at No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Tulsa plays at No. 10 Arkansas and No. 4 Oklahoma City plays at No. 5 Central Valley.

Each week during the season af2 coaches will vote for the Top 12 teams in the league by ranking them one through 12 on a ballot. Teams ranked first receive 12 points with the point value decreasing by one for each place below first, meaning a team ranked 12th would receive one point. Total points will determine the Top 12 list. In the event of a tie in total points, the team with the greater number of first-place votes will be ranked higher. The af2 Coaches Poll will be announced every Wednesday during the regular season. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team and the poll results have no bearing on postseason qualification.

The complete Top 12 is listed below. The number in parentheses indicates the number of first place votes the team received.

WEEK 17 TOP 12

RANK TEAM PTS

1 Spokane 256 (17)

2 Florida 238 (4)

3 Tulsa 210

4 Oklahoma City 195

5 Central Valley 169

6 Memphis 167

7 Louisville 160 (2)

8 Green Bay 123

9 W-B/Scranton 73

10 Arkansas 63

11 Manchester 56

12 Macon 30

DORADOS QB REPORT

Josh Kellett returned to the lineup July 1 at Bossier and tossed six TD's. He has been out since injuring his right throwing hand at Bakersfield on May 13. He was among the leaders in af2 stats at the time of his injury. Kellett was first in pass attempts (261), 8th in pass TD's (32), and 3rd in completions (142).

JR Davies matched Josh Kellett's Week 3 performance with 27 completions vs. Amarillo in Week 11. Davies threw seven TD passes, including a 37-yard bomb to Chris Canty to win the game with 53 seconds left in regulation. Davies is 88-for-142 with 15 TD's and seven INTs.

DORADOS RECEIVING LEADERS

Dwight Counter leads the team with 91 receptions and is among af2 leaders in that category. His 23 TD's are also a team high and in the af2's top-10. Mel Long has 65 receptions and 15 TD's. while Travis McAlpine has 55 receptions and 12 TD's.

DORADOS DEFENSIVE LEADERS

Brent Withers leads the team with 57.5 tackles, 49 of which are solo...Mel Long leads the team with four interceptions, including a 49-yard return for a TD at Bossier July 1...Corl Bucknor's seven pass breakups lead the team. Bucknor sat out Games 8 and 9, but suited up for Game 10 due to Withers being out with a bruised knee...Curtis Jeter has 4.5 sacks.

DECEIVING KICKING STATS

Dustin Bell is 4-for-19 on field goal attempts this season...13 of those chances have been from 40 yards out or more...He is 2-for 13 from 40 yards or more...Bell set a team record with a 52-yard kick at Arkansas on June 17, 2006...He also hit a 47-yard field goal at Bakersfield on May 13, 2006.

SECOND HALF BLUES

The Dorados have been outscored in the second half 357-225, including a 187-122 margin in the fourth quarter...They were outscored 29-0 in the second half in Week 10 at OKC...The Dorados were shut down 28-0 in the second half vs. OKC in Week 13...Their biggest comeback of the season, however, happened in the second half vs. Amarillo in Week 11. The Dorados outscored the Dusters 21-10 after coming back from a 28-7 deficit in the second quarter. The Dorados won 49-45.

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