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SaberCats Move to Top Spot After Week One

March 14, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL) News Release


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, March 14, 2012

SABERCATS MOVE TO TOP SPOT AFTER WEEK ONE Barnstormers jump from unranked to fourth after overtime victory in Spokane

CHICAGO - The Arena Football League kicked off its' 25th season with six thrilling games this past weekend, including four that were decided by a touchdown or less. In this week's Coaches' Poll, the San Jose SaberCats sent a message to the League, taking over the top spot after a 71-70 overtime victory against the Preseason Coaches' Poll number one ranked Arizona Rattlers (0-1). SaberCats QB Mark Greib, who also earned the AFL's Riddell Offensive Player of the Week, threw nine touchdowns without an interception to outduel reigning National Guard MVP Nick Davila. The SaberCats also secured a perfect 160 total points in this week's poll, up sharply from 125 points the previous week. Arizona slipped to third after the loss, dropping from 142 total points to 126. The Rattlers will return home this weekend for a Saturday night matchup against the new-look Milwaukee Mustangs, who are yet to open the season while the SaberCats will have the week off.

The Chicago Rush (1-0) moved into second place after their 70-48 win over the Tampa Bay Storm (0-1), who dropped out of the top ten. Rush quarterback Russ Michna threw eight touchdown passes to open the season, hooking up with Rush WR Reggie Gray four times alone. Linebacker Kelvin Morris returned two interceptions for touchdowns. The Rush scored 129 total points in this week's poll, jumping up two spots from last week. Michna & Co. will have a bye week before hosting the Orlando Predators on March 22.

The Iowa Barnstormers (1-0) experienced the biggest jump of the week, moving from unranked to fourth after holding off the Spokane Shock (0-1) in overtime to pull off a tough 69-63 road victory. Barnstormers' QB J.J. Raterink's strike to WR Marco Thomas earned the Cutters Catch of the Week award on the League level, but the victory put them on coaches' radar. The Barnstormers garnered 108 points this week, catapulting them into the top five. Iowa will look to continue the momentum again this week when it hosts the Utah Blaze in its home opener. The Shock, even with the loss, only dropped from ninth to 10th in the coaches ranking, although they did slip from 48 to 34 total points.

The Georgia Force (1-0) and San Antonio Talons (1-0) were both winners in the AFL's opening week, and the victories propelled them to fifth and sixth in the coaches poll, respectively. The Force prevailed in a nail-biting 41-39 game against the Cleveland Gladiators (0-1), whom they also knocked out of the playoff quarterfinals last season. Force WR Larry Shipp was effective in the opening game, hauling in three touchdown passes earning a nomination for Russell Offensive Player of the Week. Talons' QB Aaron Garcia threw a late touchdown pass to give the new San Antonio franchise a win in their first game in the Alamo.

The Philadelphia Soul (0-0) were ranked third in last week's Preseason Poll, but their lack of Week One action caused them to slip to seventh. The Soul open the season Sunday in the Big Easy against the improved New Orleans VooDoo (0-0). The Jacksonville Sharks (0-0), who also were idle in Week One, dipped slightly to an eighth place ranking in this week's poll. The Sharks, who are the defending League champions, experienced some turnover in the offseason, but Head Coach Les Moss looks to have his team ready for its opening game this Friday against the Kansas City Command (0-0). The Sharks were ranked seventh last week.

In the 2012 "Hall of Fame Game," the Pittsburgh Power (1-0) defeated the Orlando Predators (0-1), and the win helped them crack the top ten. Last week the Power went unranked, but this time around, their 36 points were good for the ninth spot in the poll. Power WR Mike Washington poses as a deep threat every time he is on the field and wreaked havoc against the Predator secondary in the opening game. The Predators fell from fifth in last week's poll to unranked.

WEEK 1 COACHES' POLL

RK Team (1st place votes) W-L Pts Last Week

1 San Jose SaberCats (16) 1-0 160 2

2 Chicago Rush 1-0 129 4

3 Arizona Rattlers (1) 0-1 126 1

4 Iowa Barnstormers 1-0 108 -

5 Georgia Force 1-0 87 10

6 San Antonio Talons 1-0 85 6

7 Philadelphia Soul 0-0 83 3

8 Jacksonville Sharks 0-0 43 7

9 Pittsburgh Power 1-0 36 -

10 Spokane Shock 0-1 34 9

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