Swarm In Fight for Playoff Lives vs. Peoria
July 17, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Cincinnati Swarm News Release
The Cincinnati Swarm will continue to battle for a spot in the af2 playoffs this Saturday vs. Peoria. The Swarm's Fan Appreciation Game, on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., is a rematch of one of the most intense games of the Swarm's inaugural season. Last weekend in Peoria, the Swarm won 54-39 and the two teams combined for 227 yards in penalties and three player ejections. The Swarm's 117 penalty yards set a new franchise record for penalty yardage in a game. The Pirates' 100 penalty yards marked a new season high for the team.
Swarm QB Andy Sahm made his first start under center for Cincinnati. Sahm passed for 234 yards and five touchdowns while completing 19 of 33 pass attempts. The Swarm offense scored 50+ points for the fourth time this year and for the second consecutive week. Anthony Payton (one rushing and one receiving) and James Scott (two receiving) each scored a pair of touchdowns in the Swarm victory.
The Swarm defense allowed fewer than 40 points for the fourth consecutive week vs. Peoria. Teams in af2 are 110-25 this season when holding opponents to fewer than 40 points. The Swarm are 5-3 this season when they hold their opponents under the 40-point barrier. Swarm defensive specialist Rob Green took home Defensive Player of the Game honors last week on the strength of a first quarter interception. Green has been named Defensive Player of the Game the last two times the Swarm have hit the road (June 21 at Mohegan and last week). DS Justin Coleman also recorded an interception vs. Peoria, and LB Sam Crenshaw returned a Peoria fumble for a touchdown.
The MVP and Ironman of the Week 16 clash in Peoria was Pirate WR Jack Walker. Walker entered the game leading af2 with 33 touchdowns. Walker added five more TDs to his total to lengthen his lead over the rest of the af2 field. On the night, Walker caught five passes (all for touchdowns) for a total of 101 yards. Peoria QB Charlie Peterson struggled early (0-5 in the first quarter) before throwing for 200 yards and six touchdowns on the night. Despite Walker and Peterson's performances, the loss coupled with a Bakersfield win officially eliminated the Pirates from the playoff picture.
This week's game promises to be intense as the Swarm and Pirates meet for the second consecutive week. Three players (the Swarm's Rob Green and Sam Mavrick and Peoria's Davaren Hightower) were ejected from last week's game. Mavrick received a flagrant foul on an offside call while Green and Hightower were ejected simultaneously for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Swarm fans will also want to keep a close eye on Saturday night's match-up in Wichita. The Wichita Stealth and Bakersfield Blitz are meeting for the second consecutive week and the playoff implications for the Swarm are huge. If Wichita wins, the Swarm will need to win out and will need Bakersfield to lose to Hawaii in Week 18. If Bakersfield wins and the Swarm win the rest of their games, the Swarm will be headed to the playoffs in their first season. The Bakersfield vs. Wichita game starts at 8:30 eastern time on Saturday. Fans returning from the Swarm game can get updates on the Bakersfield-Wichita clash at af2.com.
Tickets for the Swarm's fan appreciation night are available at U.S. Bank Arena box office or via Ticketmaster outlets including select Kroger stores. Fans can charge by phone at 513-562-4949 or visit ticketmaster.com.
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