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Soul Grab Top Ranking After Win Over SaberCats, Chicago Loss

April 18, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL) News Release


CHICAGO - The Philadelphia Soul (4-1) overtook the top ranking in the Week 6 Coaches' Poll with an impressive victory over the San Jose SaberCats (3-2), who retained their ranking of fourth. The Soul won 61-55 in Philadelphia behind seven touchdown passes from Dan Raudabuagh and two rushing scores from Derrick Ross, the AFL's leading rusher. The SaberCats did mount a furious late-game comeback, but the Philadelphia defense held one final time, preserving their claim as the League's elite. The Soul received 11 first-place votes in the Week 6 Poll, and finished with 164 total points. The SaberCats, who host the Kansas City Command next week, finished with 117 points. The last time the Philadelphia Soul were atop the Coaches Poll, in Week 4, they were upset the following week on the road in Cleveland. The Soul will look to make this stay atop the Poll more permanent, and will host the Tampa Bay Storm (3-2) on "NET10 Arena Football Friday" on NFL Network this Friday.

The Chicago Rush (4-1) fell only to second place in the Poll after Georgia ruined their unbeaten record. The Rush helped the Force (3-2) with a season-high five turnovers in the matchup. Chicago had spent two weeks at first-place in the Coaches' Poll, and was the League's last remaining unbeaten team. Even with the loss, however, they edged the Arizona Rattlers (3-2) for second-place by one point, finishing with 132 total points and two first-place votes.

Voters rewarded the Iowa Barnstormers (3-2) for their home victory over Arizona, but the Rattlers were largely unaffected in terms of points. Arizona still polled strongly, with 131 total points and three first-place votes, despite the loss. Quarterback Nick Davila may have something to do with that, as he continued his stellar play in Iowa's Wells Fargo Arena. However, his interceptions proved costly as the Barnstormers prevailed 56-54, leapfrogging from ninth to seventh in the process. Iowa tallied 53 points this week, up considerably from their 40 total points in Week 5.

The Georgia Force (3-2) were the big winners in the Week 6 Coaches' Poll, jumping from tenth to fifth after their victory over the Chicago Rush. Quarterback R.J. Archer bounced back after a tough game in Week 5, throwing six touchdown passes in the team's win. The Force were also impressive rushing the football, with four touchdowns on the ground during the game. Georgia previously had only one rushing touchdown all season. The Force recorded 75 points in the Week 6 poll, and will return to action Friday, April 20 against the Orlando Predators (0-5).

A monster game by quarterback Tommy Grady helped push the Utah Blaze (3-2) to a 75-67 victory over the Jacksonville Sharks, as he tossed 10 touchdowns and ran for another. Grady won the AFL's Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week award, and also helped move his team to sixth place in the Week 6 Coaches' Poll. The Blaze totaled 63 points, good enough to move up one spot from last week. The Blaze will host the seventh-ranked Barnstormers this week in a battle of surging teams.

The next two teams in the Poll played each other in a hard-fought game last week, yet the score did not affect the rankings. The Cleveland Gladiators (3-2), who fell to the improving Tampa Bay Storm (3-2) still remained on top in the minds of coaches, as they came in eighth and ninth respectively. The Storm jumped out to a 21-7 first quarter lead at home, and the Gladiators couldn't recover. The game ended at 69-48, and Storm QB Stephen Wasil's eight touchdowns (six passing, two rushing) stole the show. The Gladiators finished at 49 total points, two ahead of the Storm's 46. Cleveland will host the Jacksonville Sharks (1-4) next week, while the Storm will travel to the top-ranked Philadelphia Soul.

Aaron Garcia's impressive play continued last week as he led his San Antonio Talons (3-2) over the New Orleans VooDoo (2-3) in "NET10 Arena Football Friday" on NFL Network. Garcia, the ageless Arena Football quarterback, leads the AFL in passing touchdowns with 36 this year and is looking to lead the League's newest franchise, the Talons, to the playoffs. Garcia will face a familiar foe in Nick Davila and the Arizona Rattlers this week with a quarterback rematch of last year's ArenaBowl.

WEEK 6 COACHES' POLL

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

1 Philadelphia Soul (11) 4-1 164 3

2 Chicago Rush (2) 4-1 132 1

3 Arizona Rattlers (3) 3-2 131 2

4 San Jose SaberCats (1) 3-2 117 4

5 Georgia Force 3-2 75 10

6 Utah Blaze 3-2 63 7

7 Iowa Barnstormers 3-2 53 9

8 Cleveland Gladiators 3-2 49 6

9 Tampa Bay Storm 3-2 47 -

10 San Antonio Talons 3-2 42 -

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