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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

The Deuce Scoop

May 29, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


AND THE AWARDS GO TO: This week's af2 award winners are: Bossier City's SHERARD POTEETE (Offensive Player of the Week), Augusta's LAVAR RAINEY (ADT Defensive Player of the Week), Norfolk's DESMOND WASHINGTON (Ironman of the Week) and Mohegan's BRANDON STOKER (Built Ford Tough Man of the Week).

LEAGUE OF OPPORTUNITY, PART I: The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms last week with Roanoke Steam QB CHRIS SANDERS, who was on the Titans' roster during the 2001 preseason. Sanders played in three preseason games for the Titans and completed 11-of-21 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown. In three games for the Steam this season, the Tennessee-Chattanooga product passed for 641 yards and 10 touchdowns, also rushing for three scores.

LEAGUE OF OPPORTUNITY, PART II: QB RICKY RAY, who has led the Fresno Frenzy to three consecutive victories, left the team earlier this week for a chance at earning a roster spot with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. Ray will compete against incumbent QB JASON MAAS and two other quarterbacks during the CFL's training camp, which begins June 1. In eight games with the Frenzy, Ray threw for 1,550 yards and 32 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The three-game win streak he had engineered has pulled the Frenzy from the bottom of the Western Division into a tie for second with San Diego and put Fresno in the middle of the playoff chase. Former Fresno City College star KENNY ROSE is expected to step in under center for the Frenzy.

LEAGUE OF OPPORTUNITY, PART III: New Jersey's JAY McDONAGH (Quad City '01) has done the af2 proud this season, leading the Gladiators to a 4-2 record and first place in their division. In Week 6, McDonagh led the Gladiators to a 45-38 victory over Toronto. The former Steamwheeler threw for 235 yards and four TDs, including a three-yard touchdown toss to DENNISON ROBINSON (Quad City '01). Robinson finished the game with three receptions for 24 yards, two tackles and one pass defended. JAMARR WARD (Quad City '01) added a score on the ground for New Jersey and FRANK CARTER (Quad City '01) led the Gladiators' defense with three tackles and a sack. DONVETIS FRANKLIN (Carolina '01) put in another fine performance for New York in the Dragons' 44-37 win over Detroit. Franklin recorded two interceptions and returned a fumble for a touchdown. BILLY DICKEN (Quad City '00) could not prevent Chicago from losing 52-41 to Arizona. Dicken passed for 184 yards and four touchdowns in defeat. Tampa Bay QB SHANE STAFFORD (Tallahassee '00) passed for 273 yards and six touchdowns in the Storm's 49-45 loss to Carolina. JAMAAL GARMAN (Macon '01) caught a 31-yard touchdown pass for Carolina. JO JO POLK (Tulsa '00) produced another fine defensive game, recording seven tackles and a fumble recovery in Grand Rapids' 47-45 victory over Buffalo.

JUST THE TWO OF US: Tennessee Valley had its 11-game road winning streak snapped by Pensacola in Week 9, leaving just two teams with unblemished records. Augusta improved to 7-0 by getting past Charleston 69-41 on Friday, while Richmond (7-0) had a bye last week. Augusta's win makes this the first time in af2 history that two teams have been undefeated this late in the season. Last year, Augusta, Tennessee Valley and Tulsa all made it to 6-0, but then each club lost the next week. In 2000, Pensacola and Quad City both went 5-0, with the Barracudas dropping their sixth game and the Steamwheelers going on to a 19-0 championship season. This week, both 2002 undefeateds face tough tasks ... Richmond hosts Albany (6-1) while Augusta travels to Macon (6-2).

TWO BAD: Neither Mobile (0-8) or Louisville (0-7) could bust into the win column in Week 9, making this the deepest into an af2 season that two teams have gone winless. In 2000, Roanoke and Richmond both started the season 0-6. On Friday, Mobile heads to Tallahassee (5-2) while Louisville hosts Carolina (2-5).

FRESHMAN FOLLIES: With all 10 first-year clubs in action, the 2002 expansion class went 5-5 in Week 9. Four of those games pitted freshman vs. freshman as Mohegan downed New Haven 36-30, Bakersfield got past San Diego 43-33, Hawaii fell to Fresno 48-33 and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came up two points short (37-35) in Albany. The other two expansion teams earned a split against veteran teams. Cape Fear triumphed over Roanoke 53-32 while Tallahassee beat Mobile 58-39.

HOME SWEET HOME?: The first few weeks of the season had folks wondering, "What homefield advantage?" Home teams went a combined 12-19 over the first three weekends, including a 4-10 mark in Week 3. But the home teams have taken care of business more often than not since that lost weekend, going 61-34 in Weeks 4-9. With the turnaround, the home teams are 73-53 overall (still a not-so-stellar 58 percent). Oddly enough, hosts are just 1-5 in overtime games this season:

DATE ... OVERTIME GAME ... WINNER/SCORE
4/6/02 ... Bakersfield at San Diego ... Bakersfield 49-43
4/12/02 ... Memphis at Peoria ... Memphis 49-48
4/21/02 ... Roanoke at Greensboro ... Roanoke 59-56
5/4/02 ... Mohegan at Norfolk ... Norfolk 58-51
5/18/02 ... Peoria at Bakersfield ... Peoria 60-54
5/24/02 ... Mohegan at New Haven ... Mohegan 36-30

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The only three losses in Quad City history all have come on the road. At The Mark of the Quad Cities, the Steamwheelers are a perfect 25-0. In 19 regular season games at The Mark, Quad City (5-2 in 2002) has outscored opponents 1,232-to-539, an average of 65-28 per game. In six home playoff games, the Steamwheelers have outscored opponents 368-to-227, an average of 61-37 per game. Peoria, the new Midwest Division leader at 6-2, tries to snap the streak on Saturday. Back on May 10, the Pirates broke Quad City's overall winning streak of 17 games with an 81-56 victory in Peoria.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE: The Tulsa Talons are in the middle of a five-game homestand, the longest such stretch in team history. Tulsa owns a regular-season home record of 17-3 (.850) over the last three seasons, including 14 straight regular-season home wins dating back to the 2000 campaign. On Saturday, the 6-1 Talons host 2-6 Wichita, an upset winner over Quad City last week. Richmond has won 16 straight home contests dating back to the 2000 campaign. The 7-0 Speed, the leader of the Atlantic Division, puts its streak on the line Saturday against Northeast Division leader Albany (6-1). Birmingham tries to reach double digits in consecutive home wins when the 5-2 Steeldogs host 5-3 Bossier City Saturday. Birmingham has won nine home games in a row dating back to last year.

ROAD BLOCK: Tennessee Valley finally lost a road game last week, falling 51-38 to division rival Pensacola. The Vipers had won 11 straight road games dating back to last year, a new league record for consecutive road victories. Here's a look at Tennessee Valley's record-setting road run:

DATE ... OPPONENT ... SCORE
4/12/01 ... at Baton Rouge Blaze ... 47-27
4/28/01 ... at Birmingham Steeldogs ... 51-42
5/11/01 ... at Pensacola Barracudas ... 68-49
5/25/01 ... at Peoria Pirates ... 56-16
6/9/01 ... at Greensboro Prowlers ... 50-30
6/16/01 ... at Bossier City Battle Wings ... 74-44
6/30/01 ... at Memphis Xplorers ... 49-48
7/21/01 ... at Arkansas Twisters ... 56-55
4/6/02 ... at Arkansas Twisters ... 37-28
4/27/02 ... at Macon Knights ... 50-47
5/11/02 ... at Memphis Xplorers ... 57-46

Four teams remain unbeaten on the road this season: Augusta (4-0 away from home), Albany (3-0), Richmond (3-0) and Rochester (2-0). None of the road streaks for the three veteran teams (Albany is an expansion club) extend into last season.

HIGH SCORIN': For the first time in a month, the combined scoring average for the week dipped below the 90 points-per-game mark. This week's 87.8 average comes on the heels of 92.7 ppg in Week 6, 92.0 in Week 7 and 94.6 in Week 8, making it the fourth-highest scoring week of the year. The season scoring average stands at 87.2 points per game.

THE BIG '5-0': In the high-scoring sport of Arena Football, reaching the 50-point mark typically serves as a good indicator of team success. League-wide this season, teams are 70-17 (81 percent) when they score 50 or more points in a game, including a 9-1 mark in Week 9 (Memphis scored 61 in a six-point loss to Bossier City). When teams score less than 50, they are 57-108 (35 percent) ... 6-14 in Week 9. Here's a win-loss breakdown of the league by points scored:

2002 ... W-L ... Pct. ... All-time ... W-L ... Pct.
0-19 ... 1-15 ... .063 ... 0-19 ... 2-48 ... .040
20-29 ... 4-28 ... .125 ... 20-29 ... 10-113 ... .081
30-39 ... 18-36 ... .333 ... 30-39 ... 60-125 ... .324
40-49 ... 34-29 ... .540 ... 40-49 ... 126-118 ... .516
50-59 ... 30-13 ... .698 ... 50-59 ... 119-48 ... .713
60-69 ... 25-4 ... .862 ... 60-69 ... 101-16 ... .863
70-79 ... 10-0 ... 1.000 ... 70-79 ... 47-1 ... .979
80+ ... 5-0 ... 1.000 ... 80+ ... 19-0 ... 1.000

NOTE: The lone loss by an af2 team scoring more than 70 points came on June 2, 2000, when the Birmingham Steeldogs defeated the Tallahassee Thunder 86-74 in Birmingham. That contest remains the highest-scoring game in league history (160 combined points).

CLOSE CALLS: More than half of the 47 games over the last three weeks have been decided by 10 points or less (eight games in each week for 24 total). The most "heart-stopping" week came back in Week 4, when nine of the 16 contests were decided by 10 or less. Overall this season, 47 of the 126 total games (39 percent) fit that bill.

QUITE THE CONQUEST: The Albany Conquest has scored 244 points this season, the lowest total for a first-place team. In fact, every team behind Albany in the Northeast Division except New Haven has scored more points than the Conquest, including the 1-7 Pioneers, who have 277. So how can a team that is 27th in scoring be 6-1 and in first place? Well, one reason is Albany's defense, which has held opponents to 30.3 points per game (third-best in af2). The other is timing. Of the Conquest's 244 total points, 86 have come in the fourth quarter. Albany has outscored its foes by a combined 33 points in the final period. The low scoring output has led to some close games for the Conquest, putting its win margin at 6.7 points this season.

IS IT ENOUGH TO BEAT RICHMOND?: It'll be interesting to see what happens in Richmond on Saturday when the Conquest and Speed hook up. As mentioned above, Albany is notorious for close games this season, while Richmond has been known for its dominating wins. However, a closer look at the numbers reveals that tilt between the Speed and Conquest could be a nail-biter. In the first five games of the season, Richmond won by an average margin of 45 points. In the last two games, that margin has dwindled down to 8.5 points.

FOUR FROM PERFECTION: Macon has jumped out to a 6-2 mark this season, but is just four points shy of being 7-0. Three weeks ago, the Knights lost to Augusta 48-47 and in Week 5 lost to Tennessee Valley 50-47. Five of Macon's games this season have been decided by six or fewer points. Macon has led at halftime in each of its five victories, but has been down at intermission in its two losses. This week they take on division front-runner Augusta, looking to avenge that one-point loss in Week 8.

TAKING FLIGHT?: Wichita is 2-6 on the year, but last week's dominating 57-38 win over Quad City may serve notice that the revamped Stealth could be primed for a strong second half of the season. New QB RON LOPEZ passed for 271 yards and four touchdowns as the Stealth posted its highest point total of the year. WILLIE GRISSOM had his best performance of the season, moving to the offensive specialist position in the second half when COREY McCOY was injured. Before switching over, Grissom recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown that gave Wichita a 14-0 lead. He finished the game with nine catches for 109 yards and a receiving TD. DS HAROLD PIERSEY, who faces his former Tulsa teammates this week, set two Stealth team records with three interceptions and 10 passes defended.

IT'S ALL IN THE RISHER: They still may be winless, but the Mobile Wizards are starting to turn things around since new head coach ALAN RISHER took over two weeks ago. In last week's 58-39 loss against Tallahassee, Mobile trailed by only five with 6:50 remaining. The Wizards scored more points against the Thunder than they scored in the previous three games combined (39-37) and just four points less than the previous four games (39-43). The 39 points was a team record. New quarterback Kelvin Robinson overcame some early jitters to throw for a Wizards' record 259 yards and five TDs.

UNLEASHED OFFENSE? Columbus posted its greatest offensive performance in team history in Saturday's 63-46 loss to Macon. The 46 points scored is a team record-high in a game and it marked the first time this season that the Wardogs have scored more than 40 points. Wide receivers PHIL TAYLOR and CLIFTON ROBINSON posted breakout games. Taylor caught eight passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns while Robinson grabbed 10 balls for 130 yards and a score. Saturday's game also marked the first time two Wardogs receivers totaled more than 100 receiving yards in the same contest.

POWER OUTAGE: The Columbus Wardogs and Jacksonville Tomcats meet for the second time this season on Friday night. The first game between these teams almost made history. The Wardogs won 19-14 in the second-lowest scoring game in af2 history. The teams totaled 248 yards of offense, combined for 19 first downs and tossed only 22 completions on the night. Thankfully, both teams have improved since that night. Columbus is coming off its best offensive effort ever, scoring a team-high 46 points, while Jacksonville now averages 42.4 points per game.

TALONS DIGGING IN: Over the last four games, Tulsa has scored at least 70 points in each contest as the Talons improved to 6-1 and opened up a two-game lead in the Central Division. Three weeks ago against Arkansas, Tulsa set new team marks for most points (85), most TDs (13), largest victory margin (43), passing yards (384), turnovers forced (six) and interceptions (five). Here's a look at the Talons' turnaround:

Tulsa Offense 2002 ... First 3 Gms ... Last 4 Gms
Record ... 2-1 ... 4-0
Points Scored ... 123 ... 276
Passing Yards ... 546 ... 1,118
Total Offense Yards ... 589 ... 1,220
Kickoff Return Yards ... 84 ... 545
Kickoff Return TDs ... 1 ... 4
Turnovers Made ... 9 ... 2
Interceptions ... 4 ... 10
TDs After Forcing Turnovers ... 5 ... 13

GLUSKI JUST WINS: CHRIS GLUSKI did it again. Gluski, who was 11-3 as a starter in Macon (3-0 this season), passed for 232 yards and seven scores, leading the Wildcats past Roanoke 53-32. The league's answer to the NFL's Mr. Perfecto, TRENT DILFER, Gluski now is a perfect 6-0 as a starter this season and has helped Cape Fear to a three-game winning streak.

THE MARTINO THEUS WATCH: Brigade OS MARTINO THEUS is currently ranked first in the league with 88 receptions for 962 yards, 10 touchdowns and an average of 10.9 yards per catch. He also is ranked first in the league in receiving yards, averaging 120.2 per game. Last week, Theus set a Brigade record for most receptions in a season with 88, surpassing DEREK BAKER's mark of 80. Theus also caught 13 passes for 100 yards and tallied one touchdown. Averaging 11 receptions per game, Theus is on a pace to catch 176 balls this year. That mark would obliterate the af2 record for receptions in a season ... 148 set by Wichita's PASCAL VOLZ in 2001.

GOING, GOING, GOOCH: Quad City OS/KR IRA GOOCH continued his strong play in a losing effort at Wichita. Gooch hauled in eight passes for 112 yards and three TDs and also returned six kicks for 148 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown. Gooch compiled 260 all-purpose yards. In his first game against the Stealth May 18, Gooch returned three missed field goals for 119 yards (highest total in the league this year) and five kickoffs for 169 yards and a touchdown, setting a new af2 record for combined return yards (288). Gooch had four returns of more than 50 yards and was chased down inside the five-yard-line on three of them. His 57-yard kick return for a touchdown broke the team record (54 yards, Craig Cole vs. Tulsa, 7/7/01). In addition to his 288 combined return yards, Gooch caught four passes for 53 yards and rushed for one yard for a total of 342 all-purpose yards. Gooch has surpassed the 300-yard mark in all-purpose yards three times this year (including 356 at Peoria and 300 at Fresno). Of the top 10 all-purpose yard totals in the league so far this year, Gooch has three of them(No. 3-356 yds.;No. 5-342 yds.; No. 7-300 yds). Gooch leads the league in all-purpose yards per game (237) and is third in the league in kick return yards (663 yards).

WING AND A PLAYER: Bossier City OS KEVIN STEVENSON stood out above the crowd in the Battle Wings' 67-61 win over Memphis. Stevenson had 14 catches (a new Battle Wings record) for 226 yards (the fourth-highest total ever in af2 and the most receiving yards in the league this year). He also scored a Bossier City record five receiving touchdowns. Stevenson's impressive total included two 45-yard touchdown receptions in the second quarter and a 10-yard catch on fourth down late in the game. He also returned one kickoff 23 yards to end the night with 249 all-purpose yards.

CAN'T BEAT THE RUSH: Both the Bossier City and Birmingham rush defenses will have their hands full this weekend. Quarterbacks SHERARD POTEETE and MONTRESSA KIRBY are among the best in af2, with Bossier City's Poteete leading the way at 23.6 yards per game. He also leads af2 with 11 rushing touchdowns, with Kirby close behind at six touchdowns this season. Kirby ranks fifth in rushing, averaging 19.1 yards per game. Poteete, af2's single-season rushing record-holder, also is fourth in the league in total offense, accounting for 1,913 yards this season.

IN THE ZONE: In Week 9, Florida's KENNY CAUSEY and Louisville's ANTHONY PAYTON failed to catch a touchdown pass in a game for first time this season. Five players have caught at least one touchdown pass in each of their games this year. In order of total TDs, they are: Mohegan's BRANDON BURNSIDE (18), Augusta's CHRIS JOHNSON (15), Bakersfield's STEVE WOFFORD (15), Bossier City's KEVIN STEVENSON (14) and Quad City's CHRIS ANTHONY (14). Burnside, Stevenson and Wofford rank in the league's top 10 in receptions and receiving yards.

LEADING LAWYER: In just his second year in af2, Carolina's MAL LAWYER has developed into an offensive and defensive threat. Lawyer leads the Rhinos in six offensive and defensive categories. On offense, the Clemson product has recorded team highs in receptions (34), receiving yards (425), all-purpose yards (737), kick return yardage (292) and scoring (66 points). Lawyer leads Carolina's defense with three interceptions, but also is third on the team with 12 tackles.

SNELL'S PACE: It was a bad week for Tennessee Valley streaks. In addition to having their 11-game road winning streak snapped in Pensacola, the Vipers saw the end of KELLY SNELL's consecutive games streak with an interception. Snell had picked off a pass in six straight contests, a new af2 record. He still holds the league's interception lead with eight on the year. His fellow defensive specialist, KENNY BAILEY, is second in af2 with six INTs. With three picks against Pensacola, the Vipers are on pace to nab 45 interceptions this season. They have 18 through seven games. The Viper record is 29 (set in 2000) and the league record is 36, set by Quad City in 2001.

KUDOS TO THE 'CUDAS: A big factor in Pensacola's upset win over Tennessee Valley was the Barracudas' playmaking ability on the defensive side of the ball. DS WILL PETTIS thwarted a drive with an end zone interception. He now has six picks on the year and leads the league with 28 passes defended. FB/LB JAMES GREEN, a recent pickup after his release by Mobile, made 3.5 tackles and tallied 1.5 sacks on his way to ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors. In fact, heading into last week's game, Pensacola had recorded just four sacks on the season. The Barracudas got seven against the Vipers for losses totaling 48 yards. And talk about a group effort - ANTHONY CRENSHAW had 2.5, JAMES GREEN 1.5, STEVE RUCKMAN 1.0, KEVIN SLUDER 1.0. JASPER PENDERGRASS and AARON McCUBBINS each had half a sack. For good measure, Pensacola's offense became the first team top 50 points against Tennessee Valley this season.

THE NEW SACK KING: Cape Fear's E.J. BURT registered two more sacks in last weekend's win over Roanoke. For the season, the league's leading sacker has 12.5, including five against Norfolk May 18. Averaging 1.79 sacks a game this year, Burt is on a pace to shatter the af2 record for most sacks in a season. ERNEST CERTAIN (2001 Defensive Player of the Year) set the af2 mark, totaling 20.0 sacks with Tallahassee last season. ERIC JOHNSON (Peoria) and BRYAN HENDERSON (Wichita) are right on Burt's heels with 10.5 and 10.0 sacks, respectively, and also are on pace to surpass Certain's standard. Below is a look at the pace of this year's leaders compared to Certain's 2001 totals:

Sack totals ... Certain (2001) ... Burt (2002) ... Johnson (2002) ... Henderson (2002)
Week 9 ... 2.5 (9th game) ... 2.0 (seven games) ... 2.0 (eight games) ... 0.0 (eight games) Through Week 9 ... 11.5 (through 9 games) ... 12.5 ... 10.5 ... 10.0
Week 10 ... 0.5 (10th game) ... vs. Roanoke 6/1 ... at Quad City 6/1 ... at Tulsa 6/1
Season ... 20.0 (af2 record) ... 28.6 (projected) ... 21.0 (projected) ... 20.0 (projected)

ROLLING THUNDER: The Tallahassee Thunder has won four straight games and increased its lead to two games in the American Conference Southern Division. The Thunder's win streak can be attributed to limiting mistakes and improved play from the defense. In the last four games, the defense has recorded at least three sacks, including four by TYRONNE JOHNSON against Columbus on May 11. In three of the last four games, the Thunder "D" has held opponents under 150 yards of total offense. Tallahassee has intercepted five balls in the last three games and the team has had only one fumble in four contests.

HOWDY, PARTNER: Saturday's game between Wichita and Tulsa features an interesting quarterback battle. Seven-year Arena Football League veteran RON LOPEZ, who joined the Stealth last week and led them to a win over Quad City, spent the past two seasons as the starter for the AFL's old Oklahoma Wranglers. JOE PHEARS, one half of the Talons' quarterback tandem along with ANTHONY BUICH, spent most of the 2001 campaign with the Wranglers and was the second-stringer to Lopez for part of the year. Wichita's director of football operations, BOB CORTESE, was Oklahoma's head coach, who employed all these Tulsa and Wichita players at one time or another: WES CASWELL, BRANDON DANIELS, Phears (Talons); CHRIS ENNEKING, Lopez (Stealth). Tulsa's SEAN LOVE and Wichita's WILLIE GRISSOM, who played together at Oklahoma State University, tried out for the Wranglers before catching on with their respective af2 teams.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE SHOWDOWN: When Macon hosts Augusta Friday night, 10 former Southern Conference players will be reunited, and five likely will start for their respective teams. For Augusta, DS LAVAR RAINEY (Georgia Southern), WR/DB CHRIS JOHNSON (Georgia Southern), and OL/DL MIKE ANDERSON (Georgia Sourthern) will line up against the Knights, while Macon DS QUESUAN WIGFALL (Virginia Military Institute) and WR/DB DENARIO SMALLS (East Tennessee State) are scheduled to start against the Stallions. Since putting up record numbers at their respective colleges, Johnson, Rainey and Wigfall lead their teams in several categories. Rainey is the leading tackler for Augusta (39.5) and has recorded a team-high five interceptions. Wigfall has four interceptions to lead Macon's secondary. Johnson leads the Stallions with 15 touchdowns and currently is enjoying a streak in which he has recorded at least one touchdown reception in every game.

CONSTITUTION CUP FINALE: The Mohegan Wolves and New Haven Ninjas will determine Friday who gets bragging rights as the best af2 team in Connecticut. The teams conclude their three-game regular season series at Mohegan Sun Arena, with the winner earning the right to the Constitution Cup until at least next season. The Ninjas held the Cup first, in April, winning 51-38 in the series' inaugural tilt. Mohegan claimed the Cup last week with a thrilling 36-30 overtime win.

POST POSITION: Since we're roughly halfway through the season, here's a look at this year's playoff matchups were the season to end today: American Conference - Cape Fear at Richmond, Rochester at Albany, Macon at Augusta, Charleston at Tallahassee; National Conference - Birmingham at Tennessee Valley, Bossier City at Tulsa, San Diego at Bakersfield, Wichita at Peoria. The first- and second-place teams from each of the eight divisions will make the playoffs, with the first-place team hosting the second-place team in each respective division in the first round. (Quad City is ineligible). In the American Conference second round, Atlantic plays Northeast and Eastern plays Southern. In the National Conference second round, Midwest plays Western and Central plays Southern. (The teams with the better records in each pairing host the second-round games). The second-round winners meet in the two conference championship games. The final two teams will play for the af2 title in ArenaCup 2002 on Aug. 15. According to tiebreakers, the top two seeds in each conference currently are 7-0 Augusta (American) and 6-1 Tennessee Valley (National).

INTERCONFERENCE CLASH: For the first time this season, the ArenaCup is designed to pit the champions of the American Conference and National Conference. In the league's first two years, teams were seeded in the playoffs by record, regardless of conference affiliation. Week 10 features two interconference games, headlined by the Mobile (National Conference) at Tallahassee (American Conference) rematch. Tallahassee defeated Mobile 58-39 in the lone Week 9 interconference clash. Also this week, 2-5 Carolina travels to 0-7 Louisville, with both teams looking to get their playoff hopes back on track. Overall this season, the American Conference leads the National 7-3.

TOUGH SLATE: Pensacola (3-4) earned its biggest victory of the season last week, handing Tennessee Valley its first loss of the year. Though the Barracudas still have a hill to climb to get into playoff contention in the National Conference Southern Division, they're on top of the league in schedule strength (according to opponents' combined records). Pensacola's seven foes are 32-20 (.615) so far this season. The hardest schedule faced by a team with a winning record belongs to Arkansas (29-24, .547 - tied for 10th in af2). A look at the five toughest slates to date:

Team ... Team Record ... Opp. Record ... Pct.
Pensacola ... 3-4 ... 32-20 ... .615
Mobile ... 0-8 ... 36-23 ... .610
Carolina ... 2-5 ... 32-21 ... .604
Charleston ... 3-4 ... 30-20 ... .600
Columbus ... 2-5 ... 29-21 ... .580

BYE, BYE, BYE: This is the first of three straight weeks to feature all 34 teams in action, with no teams on a bye. There are six such weeks this year. In addition to Weeks 8, 10, 11, 12, the other full slates come in Weeks 14 and 17.

WEEK 10 SCHEDULE

Friday, May 31
Mobile at Tallahassee, 7:00 p.m.
Columbus at Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.
Carolina at Louisville, 7:30 p.m.
Augusta at Macon, 7:30 p.m.
New Haven at Mohegan, 7:30 p.m.
Charleston at Florida, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 1
Greensboro at Norfolk, 7:00 p.m.
Albany at Richmond, 7:00 p.m.
Roanoke at Cape Fear, 7:30 p.m.
Rochester at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 7:30 p.m.
Peoria at Quad City, 8:00 p.m.
Bossier City at Birmingham, 8:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Memphis, 8:30 p.m.
Pensacola at Tennessee Valley, 8:30 p.m.
Wichita at Tulsa, 8:30 p.m.
Fresno at Bakersfield, 10:00 p.m.
Hawaii at San Diego, 10:00 p.m.

WEEK 9 BY THE NUMBERS:

376 ... Total offensive yards by Bossier City's SHERARD POTEETE (af2 season high)
226 ... Receiving yards by Bossier City's KEVIN STEVENSON (af2 season high)
61.3 ... Average points by Richmond (first in af2)
30.3 ... Average points allowed by Albany (third in af2)
16.5 ... Tackles by Greensboro's JERMAINE TONEY at Rochester (af2 record)
11 ... Tennessee Valley's af2 record for most consecutive road wins (ended Saturday in Pensacola)
7 ... Games decided by seven points or less in Week 9 (out of 15 total games)



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 29, 2002


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