The Deuce Scoop

June 19, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release

ARENACUP PLAYOFFS RUNNETH OVER: Albany, Augusta, Macon and Peoria clinched playoff spots in Week 12. It's the second postseason trip for Augusta and Macon, the Eastern Division rivals who will play each other in the first round. Augusta advanced to the league semifinals in 2000 while Macon lost to eventual champion Quad City in the quarterfinals last year. Peoria, which also assured itself of homefield advantage in the first round, qualifies in its second af2 season while Albany, which can wrap up the Northeast Division championship with a win this week, heads to the playoffs in its inaugural year. The top two teams in each of af2's eight divisions (based on overall record) qualify for the postseason, with division foes facing off in the first round.

AND THE AWARDS GO TO: This week's af2 award winners are: Greensboro's CHRIS WEIBEL (Offensive Player of the Week), Quad City's BRENT BROWNER (ADT Defensive Player of the Week), Florida's MAGIC BENTON (Ironman of the Week) and Norfolk's JAY CLARKE (Built Ford Tough Man of the Week).

LEAGUE OF OPPORTUNITY: Former Rochester DS DWAINE CARPENTER earned recognition as the Arena Football League's ADT Defensive Player of the Week, highlighting another impressive week for former af2 players in the AFL. Carpenter recorded 10 solo tackles, an assist, an interception and 37-yard return, and three pass breakups to help lead Buffalo to a 55-27 victory over Toronto. CORNELIUS COE (Quad City '00) was another former af2 defensive specialist to impress this weekend, leading Indiana with 5.5 tackles and an interception for 24 yards. In Carolina's 53-42 defeat to Georgia, JUSTIN CLEVELAND (Tennessee Valley '01) started on the line and CARL BOND (Tallahassee '00) had five catches for 63 yards. New Jersey's stockpile of former Quad City Steamwheelers pulled through again this weekend as the Gladiators defeated Tampa Bay 55-33. JAY McDONAGH (Quad City '01) earned game MVP honors, going 21-of-32 for 169 yards and three touchdowns. JEREMY WILKINSON (Quad City '01) recorded four tackles and a fumble recovery. FRANK CARTER (Quad City '01) barreled in for two rushing touchdowns and DENNISON ROBINSON (Quad City '01) added six catches for 44 yards and a score. MICHAEL MONCRIEF (Bossier City '01) also saw action for New Jersey, recording 1.5 tackles. Los Angeles' SEAN McNAMARA (Quad City '00) started on the offensive and defensive lines and recorded an assist and a quarterback hurry in the Avengers' 68-61 win over Grand Rapids. BILLY DICKEN (Quad City '00) led Chicago as the Rush dropped a 74-68 decision to San Jose. Dicken ended the night 22-of-46 passing for 236 yards and five scores. LINDSEY FLESHMAN (Roanoke '01) caught three passes for 26 yards, rushed for a touchdown and recovered a fumble, returning it one yard for a touchdown.

FRESHMAN FOLLIES: With all 10 first-year clubs in action, the 2002 expansion class went 5-5 in Week 12. Three of those games pitted freshman vs. freshman as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton downed Mohegan 51-26, Hawaii stunned San Diego 53-34 and Albany toppled New Haven 49-46. The other four expansion teams went 2-2 against veteran teams. Cape Fear and Fresno earned wins for the first-year squads as the Wildcats knocked off Carolina 41-38 and the Frenzy defeated Arkansas 65-48.

BEGINNER'S LUCK? PART I: Cape Fear and Albany both are enjoying six-game win streaks and set new af2 records for expansion team winning streaks with victories last weekend. The Wildcats can add to their run at Carolina, and the Conquest hopes to keep its streak alive at Rochester. The two teams face off on July 7, in what could potentially end an eight-game winning streak for the loser. Here's a historical look at other win streaks by af2 expansion teams:

Team ... Overall record ... Win streak ... Period
Cape Fear ... 8-2 ... 6 ... 5/10/02 – Present
Albany ... 9-1 ... 6 ... 5/10/02 – Present
Iowa ... 9-7 ... 5 ... 6/23/01 – 7/21/01
Macon ... 10-6 ... 5 ... 5/19/01 – 6/16/01
Florida ... 7-9 ... 4 ... 6/23/01 – 7/14/01
Louisville ... 6-10 ... 4 ... 5/19/01 – 6/8/01

BEGINNER'S LUCK? PART II: Albany's 9-1 record currently is tied for the best record in af2. Should the Conquest win this weekend, it would be the first team to clinch their division and achieve 10 wins on the season. Albany also is the only team in the league to be undefeated on the road. Only two teams have finished the season undefeated in away contests and both of those teams went to the ArenaCup that season. Tennessee Valley did it in 2001 and Quad City in 2000. The Conquest is 5-0 this season away from Pepsi Arena.

HOME SWEET HOME?: In Week 12, home teams combined for a 9-8 overall record. National Conference teams fared better in front of their home audiences with a 6-1 mark; American Conference went just 3-7 in their not-so-friendly confines. Home teams are 104-73 overall this season for a .588 winning percentage. 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: Tulsa boasts af2's longest active streak of regular-season home victories and the second-longest home streak ever with 17 straight regular-season wins at the Tulsa Convention Center. Quad City owns the league records of 19 straight regular-season home wins and 25 consecutive overall home victories (including playoffs), streaks that ended earlier this year. Quad City and Tulsa are in a virtual tie at the top of the list of all-time regular-season home records. The streaking Talons are 20-3, including last week's 56-41 win over Bossier City that capped a perfect five-game homestand. Birmingham, tied for fifth on the list, goes for its 12th-straight home win this week against 9-2 Macon.

Regular Season At Home ... Record ... Pct.
Quad City ... 19-2 ... .905
Tulsa ... 20-3 ... .870
Augusta ... 17-3 ... .850
Tennessee Valley ... 19-4 ... .826
Birmingham ... 17-4 ... .810
Norfolk ... 17-4 ... .810
Albany ... 4-1 ... .800
Macon ... 11-3 ... .786
Cape Fear ... 3-1 ... .750
Richmond ... 16-6 ... .727

CLOSE CALLS: Eight of last week's games were decided by 10 points or less, including three contests determined by a field goal. The most "heart-stopping" week came back in Week 4, when nine of the 16 contests were decided by 10 points or less. Overall this season, 70 of the 177 total games (40 percent) fit that bill.

N-N-N-N-NINETEEN: In a statistical oddity, four games in Week 12 were decided by the unusual margin of 19 points ... Hawaii over San Diego (53-34), Florida over Charleston (54-35), Birmingham over Columbus (50-31) and Greensboro over Rochester (81-62).

HIGH SCORIN': The Greensboro-Rochester game (143 total points) helped make Week 12 the second-highest scoring weekend of the year behind Week 8's 94.6 ppg. The game was the second-highest scoring of the season (Macon 80, Pensacola 65 in Week 8) and the total tied for the fourth-highest combined output all-time. This week's 17 games averaged 93.5 points, the fourth week over 90 this season. Six games in Week 12 topped the 100-point mark for combined points, with two other contests eclipsing 90. The season scoring average currently stands at 88.0 combined points per game. Greensboro's 81 points were the high for the week. The Prowlers became the sixth team this year and 20th team all-time to score 80 or more in a single game.

HALF-CENTURY CLUB: Tulsa, Peoria, Richmond, Augusta and Macon have exhibited powerful offenses this season. The quintet makes up the league's top five in scoring offense, with Peoria and Tulsa scoring 50 or more points in a game seven times this year and Augusta, Macon and Richmond reaching 50 six times each. Peoria leads the way with 614 points, while Tulsa (in one less game) averages the most points per contest at 56.7.

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 98-23 (81 percent) when they score 50 or more points in a game, including a sparkling 11-1 mark in Week 12 (Rochester lost 81-62 at Greensboro). When teams score less than 50, they are 79-154 (34 percent) ... 6-16 in Week 12. Here's a win-loss breakdown of the league by points scored:

2002 ... W-L ... Pct. ... All-time ... W-L ... Pct.
0-19 ... 1-19 ... .050 ... 0-19 ... 2-62 ... .032
20-29 ... 4-34 ... .105 ... 20-29 ... 10-119 ... .078
30-39 ... 22-58 ... .275 ... 30-39 ... 64-147 ... .303
40-49 ... 51-43 ... .543 ... 40-49 ... 143-132 ... .520
50-59 ... 44-18 ... .710 ... 50-59 ... 133-56 ... .704
60-69 ... 37-5 ... .881 ... 60-69 ... 113-18 ... .863
70-79 ... 11-0 ... 1.000 ... 70-79 ... 48-1 ... .980
80+ ... 6-0 ... 1.000 ... 80+ ... 20-0 ... 1.000

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

PASSING KING: Augusta's GLEN GAUNTT tossed four more touchdown passes in last weekend's 41-30 win at Tallahassee. Through 10 games, Gauntt has thrown for 54 scores this year, putting the former Southern Florida standout on pace to at least equal the af2 record for most touchdown passes in a season. MATT SAUK set the standard, totaling 86 touchdowns with Tennessee Valley in 2001. The Xplorers' TIM LESTER is not far behind Gauntt, throwing 53 TD passes in 11 games.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS, PART I: The league record book could have a distinctly different look in the "Returns" section heading into next season. Both Tulsa 's MITCH ALLNER and Tallahassee's LAWRENCE PULLEN are on pace to break the single-season league record for kickoff return touchdowns (ADLAI TRONE – eight for Louisville in 2000). Allner and Pullen have six each through 10 team games, including one each last week. Allner, Pullen and Cape Fear's EDDIE MILLER are ahead of JOHNNY LOPER's season standard of 24.9 yards-per-kickoff return (Memphis' Loper set the record last year). Pullen, BRANDON BURNSIDE of Mohegan and Augusta's UNDRE WILLIAMS, who equaled an af2 record for combined return touchdowns in Week 11, have a solid shot at breaking Pullen's 2000 season mark for missed field goal return yardage (393). Burnside's 280 MFG yards lead the league, but Williams owns the best per-game average at 25.9, putting him on pace for 414 yards this season.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS, PART II: MITCH ALLNER's 57-yard kickoff return TD against Bossier City was Tulsa's league-leading ninth of the season, putting the Talons within one of Birmingham's single-season team record, set last year.

GOING, GOING, GOOCH: Another week, another 200-yard all-purpose game for Quad City's IRA GOOCH. The OS/KR totaled 276 all-purpose yards at Memphis Saturday, his eighth straight game (out of 10 total) over the 200-yard mark. Gooch has reached the 300-yard mark in all-purpose yards three times this year (356 at Peoria, 342 vs. Wichita, 300 at Fresno). He set a new af2 record for combined return yards (288) in that May 18 game against Wichita, ripping off four runbacks of more than 50 yards. Gooch holds the league all-purpose lead with 2,382 yards, with his 234.0 yards-per-game average putting him on pace to shatter BRIAN McDONALD's single-season all-purpose record of 3,271 (for Louisville, 2001). Mohegan OS/KR BRANDON BURNSIDE is well off Gooch's pace, but with 2,058 yards through 10 games, he also could eclipse McDonald.

THE MARTINO THEUS WATCH: Rochester OS MARTINO THEUS currently is ranked first in the league with a team-record 118 receptions, 1,296 receiving yards and an average of 117.8 yards per game. He also has 15 touchdowns to his credit and averages 11 yards per catch. Last week, he caught 10 passes for 141 yards and four touchdowns. Averaging 10.73 receptions per game, Theus is on a pace to catch nearly 172 balls this year. That mark would obliterate the af2 record for receptions in a season ... 148 by Wichita's PASCAL VOLZ in 2001.

THE NEW SACK KING: Cape Fear's E.J. BURT registered another sack in last weekend's win over Carolina. For the season, the league's sack leader has 18.5, including five in two games against Norfolk. Averaging 1.85 sacks per game, Burt is on pace to shatter the af2 record for most sacks in a season with 29 or 30. ERNEST CERTAIN (2001 Defensive Player of the Year) set the af2 mark, totaling 20.0 sacks with Tallahassee last season. KEN BOUIE (Peoria), ERIC JOHNSON (Peoria) and BRYAN HENDERSON (Wichita) are behind Burt with 11.5, 11.5 and 12.0 sacks, respectively, and currently are off record pace. Here is a look at the pace of Burt compared to Certain's 2001 totals:

Sack totals ... Certain (2001) ... Burt (2002)
Week 12 ... 2.0 (11th game) ... 1.0 (10th game)
Through Week 12 ... 16.0 (11 games) ... 18.5
Week 13 ... 1.0 (12th game) ... vs. Greensboro 6/21
Season ... 20.0 (af2 record) ... 29.6 (projected)

SACK KINGS: Led by TYRONN JOHNSON's 10.5 sacks, Tallahassee leads the league with 33 sacks this season, and is on pace to tie or break Carolina's mark of 52 set during 2001. Tallahassee is averaging 3.3 sacks per game. SYDNEY MADISON and COMONE FISCHER have added eight and seven sacks, respectively, for the Thunder.

WIZARDS OF OSKIE: Two of this year's ADT Defensive Player of the Week honorees are waging a nip-and-tuck battle on top of the league's interception leader board. Peoria's LINCOLN DUPREE leads the way with 10, bolstered by his af2-record four-interception night at Quad City three weeks ago. Tennessee Valley's KELLY SNELL, who set an af2 record with interceptions in six straight games to start the season, is right on Dupree' s heels with nine pickoffs. Both players have their sights set on the single-season interception record of 14, set by Richmond's TYRONE LASTER last year. Dupree currently is on pace for 16 while Snell is on pace for 14 or 15.

RICO SUAVE: Another defensive record that could fall this season is CORNELIUS COE's individual mark for tackles in a season. The former Quad City standout made an af2-record 117 tackles in 2000, then set the Arena Football League single-season record with the Indiana Firebirds last year. Who knows if the AFL is in RICO CURTIS' future, but Coe's af2 record could be. The San Diego WR/LB has 84.5 tackles on the year, ranking first in af2 and putting him on pace for 123 stops.

‘IT-IS' INEVITABLE: Tulsa DS ITIS ATKINSON needs five tackles to break the af2 career record. Atkinson has 251.5 tackles in three seasons with the Talons. The af2 career mark for total tackles is 256 by CORNELIUS COE. Atkinson began this season with the AFL's Grand Rapids Rampage before re-joining the Talons in Week 6. He's also Tulsa's career leader in interceptions (20).

FOUR FROM PERFECTION: Macon, the first team to clinch a playoff berth with a win last Friday at Jacksonville, has jumped out to a 9-2 mark this season, but is just four points shy of being 11-0. In Week 5, the Knights lost to Tennessee Valley 50-47 and in Week 7 lost to Augusta 48-47. Six of Macon's games this season have been decided by six or fewer points, including Week 10's 60-57 win over Augusta in which JOHN RAYBORN hit MARTEZ WESLEY with the game-winning TD pass with just seven seconds left. Up until this past week, Macon had won every game which it led at halftime and lost when it trailed at the break. On Friday, the Knights were down 29-20 to Jacksonville at halftime, but came back to outscore the Tomcats 28-12 the rest of the way for the victory.

SECOND-HALF TURNAROUND?: Since losing their first six games, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers have won four of their last five. The only loss was a 37-35 setback at Albany, one of the league's leaders at 9-1. The playoffs now are a real possibility for the 4-7 Pioneers, who stand just one game behind second-place Rochester in the Northeast Division. All five of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's remaining games are within the division, including a matchup with Rochester June 29, meaning the Pioneers basically control their own destiny.

STREAKY SITUATION: The Florida Firecats currently sit at 6-4 and own a share of the Southern Division lead, but they've taken a peculiar road to get there. The 'Cats started the season as one of af2's hottest clubs, winning three straight out of the gate. But then Florida faded, losing the next four and falling into the division cellar. Rather than call it quits, the Firecats regrouped and have strung together three consecutive wins to get back into the playoff hunt. While the division race probably won't be decided until the final week of the season, Florida has a chance to accomplish something special this week when it plays Tallahassee. Not only would a win give Florida sole possession of first place, it would match the team's longest win streak in history.

SPEEDY RECOVERY: Since suffering losses in his first two games as head coach, RICHARD DAVIS has not seen his team lose consecutive contests – a streak that has remained intact for over two full calendar years. Richmond avoided back-to-back losses with a Week 11 win over Rochester, and must do the same this week against Mohegan after losing to Norfolk last week.

STILL NO BRAGGING RIGHTS: It's no secret that the rivalry between Norfolk and Richmond is particularly bitter, and the results on the field prove the point. Over their first two seasons, the teams have split their series 2-2, and this year proved to be no different. After falling 75-12 in the first meeting this season, the Nighthawks reversed fortunes last weekend, handing the Speed a 55-48 loss and earning another series split. Aside from the 75-12 game earlier this season, the point differential in this series is minimal with Richmond holding a 215-204 edge.

IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT: The Albany Conquest has scored 390 points this season, the lowest total for a first- or second-place team except for Florida, which has 388 points. In fact, every team behind Albany in the Northeast Division except New Haven (364) has scored more points than the Conquest. So how can a team that is 24th in scoring be 9-1, in first place and guaranteed a spot in the postseason? Well, one reason is Albany's defense, which has held opponents to 33.0 points per game (third-best in af2). The other is timing. Of the Conquest's 390 total points, 126 have come in the fourth quarter. Albany has outscored its foes by a combined 52 points in the final period, including a 20-0 fourth frame at Richmond in Week 10. Last week, the Conquest became the first 2002 expansion team to seal up a playoff spot by beating New Haven 49-46.

GIVE AND TAKE: Four National Conference teams lead the league in turnover margin, led by Peoria with 16 more takeaways than giveaways. The four teams have a combined 41-9 record on the season and all lead their respective divisions. Interestingly, the four worst teams in turnover margin have a combined 14-38 record. Peoria is af2's most opportunistic team on defense, forcing a league-high 37 turnovers (the Pirates' 22 interceptions also are a league high).

BEASTS IN THE EAST: Five east coast teams lead the league in penalty yards against. Cape Fear is the most penalized team, with 886 total yards surrendered due to penalties. Norfolk (878), Greensboro (803), Mohegan (790) and Richmond (773) follow. Two western teams, Bakersfield and Fresno, are af2's least penalized teams, giving up 351 and 393 yards to penalties, respectively.

GLUSKI JUST WINS: MIKE GLUSKI did it again. Gluski, who was 11-3 as a starter in Macon (3-0 this season), passed for four touchdowns and 229 yards in his team's 41-38 win over Carolina Saturday. The league's answer to the NFL's Mr. Perfecto, TRENT DILFER, Gluski now is a perfect 9-0 as a starter this season and has helped Cape Fear win six straight games and has the Wildcats on the verge of a playoff berth.

REVOLVING DOOR? Of the 34 opening-day starting quarterbacks, only 11 still start for their respective teams. Of those 11, six play for winning teams with four of those squads leading their respective divisions. Tennessee Valley (9-1 and, according to tiebreakers, the team with homefield advantage throughout the playoffs if they started this week) will be forced to start a new signal-caller Saturday after losing WES COUNTS to a broken leg in last week's game with Roanoke. TRACY KENDALL switched from wide receiver/linebacker to QB after Counts' first-quarter injury, but Tennessee Valley was assigned JERMAINE ALFRED, one of the league's top 10 passers for Augusta in 2001, on Tuesday.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: Through Week 12, nine teams have had more than two quarterbacks start for them this season. Mobile leads the way with six starters. Norfolk and Roanoke each have started four different players at the field general position. Columbus' JEFF WELSH, New Haven's CHRIS BODEN and Quad City's MIKE CAWLEY made their first starts of the season last week, with Cawley and his six total TDs leading the Steamwheelers to a 57-47 win at Memphis.

HAVE ARM, WILL TRAVEL: MIKE CAWLEY's successful debut for Quad City came after just two days of practice after his mid-week signing. While it was Cawley's first af2 game, his football experience showed. The Indianapolis Colts drafted Cawley out of James Madison University, and he also spent time in training camps with the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills. He played four seasons in the Canadian Football League (Hamilton Tiger-Cats 1997, 1998; Saskatchewan Roughriders 1999; Calgary Stampede, 2000). He also had stints as a starter with NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals in 1999 and with the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws last year.

IN THE ZONE: Bossier City's KEVIN STEVENSON continued his streak of catching a touchdown pass in every game this season with three TD grabs in Saturday's 56-41 loss at Tulsa Saturday. Stevenson, the only player with a receiving TD in every game, has 20 total touchdown catches this season. He is among the league leaders in catches, receiving yards, touchdowns and all-purpose yards, and his 30 career touchdowns tie him with SEAN CANGELOSI for the Battle Wings' all-time record. Mohegan's BRANDON BURNSIDE and Peoria's CORNELL CRAIG share af2's receiving touchdown lead with 22 each. The league' s overall touchdown leader is Fresno's LAMONT WEBB with 29.

KINETIC KENDRICK: Since Mobile OS/KR KENDRICK LEE joined the Wizards in May, he's put up eye-popping numbers that has him threatening to jump onto the league's individual leader boards despite appearing in five to six fewer games than most everyone else. Lee already has 1,187 all-purpose yards (an average of 237.4 ypg), 545 receiving yards (109 ypg) and 12 touchdowns. In Mobile's 42-39 to Pensacola in Week 12, Lee caught 12 passes for an af2 season-high 248 yards and all five of the Wizards' touchdowns. His receiving yardage was the second-most all-time behind CARL BOND's 277 yards for Tallahassee against Tulsa (7/28/00). Lee also had five kickoff returns for 91 yards and two missed field goal returns for 23 yards, giving him a new team all-purpose record of 362 yards, the third-most in the league this year.

KILLER B's GETTING IT DONE: Having won three of their last four games and owning a 4-1 mark at home, the 4-6 Norfolk Nighthawks are poised to pressure the division frontrunners should Richmond or Cape Fear falter. Part of the resurgence of the Nighthawks can be attributed to the play of the Killer B's trio of WR/LB TRAVIS BURNS, OS GARY BRIGGS and WR/DB DOMINIC BANKS. Here's how they fared last week against Richmond: Burns – three receptions for 88 yards (one TD), two rushes for three yards (two-point PAT rush), 0.5 tackles, one breakup; Briggs – two receptions for 33 yards, one return for 21 yards; Banks – four receptions for 51 yards (one TD), 1.5 tackles, two breakups.

CAPTAINS CRUNCH: Peoria OL/DL KEN BOUIE and FB/DL ERIC JOHNSON not only share the responsibilities of being team captains, they each have 11.5 sacks this season, ranking third in af2 in sacks. Peoria ranks third overall with 29, trailing Tallahassee (33) and Cape Fear (30).

ALL ON THE LINE: Five teams rank in the af2 top 10 in both sacks by and sacks against, paced by Tallahassee, which has a league-leading 33 sacks, and Arkansas, which has given up just eight (second behind Birmingham's seven allowed). The other lines that get the job done on both sides of the ball belong to Albany, Cape Fear and Richmond. As you might suspect, each of the teams with the exception of Arkansas, currently sits in first place in their respective divisions.

Team ... Sacks By Rank ... Total ... Sacks Against Rank ... Total
Tallahassee ... 1 ... 33 ... T-3 ... 9
Cape Fear ... 2 ... 30 ... 9 ... 12
Arkansas ... 4 ... 26 ... 2 ... 8
Richmond ... T-5 ... 24 ... T-3 ... 9
Albany ... T-8 ... 20 ... T-10 ... 13

POSTSEASON AWARD CANDIDATES: Below is a glance at the current leading candidates (in alphabetical order) for three of the league's postseason awards. In addition to the award categories to follow, af2 will honor a Built Ford Tough Man of the Year, Lineman of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year and Expansion Team of the Year.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
MITCH ALLNER (Tulsa) – 2nd in af2 in scoring (164), 1st in kickoff return avg (28.3), 4th in all-purpose yds (179.8), 26 TD
BOB BEES (Richmond) – 3rd in passer rating (112.9), 8th in passing ypg (227.5), 45 TD, 8 INT
BRANDON BURNSIDE (Mohegan) – 5th in scoring (146), 2nd in all-purpose yds (209.4), 2nd in receiving yds (1145), 8th in receptions (72), 19 TD
WALTER CHURCH (Peoria) – 2nd pass rating (113.4), 7th total offense (214.2), 48 TD, 7 INT
KANE CLAUNCH (San Diego) – 4th in af2 in passer rating (110.4), 9th in passing ypg (223.6), 7th in total offense yardage (230.5), 47 TD, 9 INT
CORNELL CRAIG (Peoria) – 4th in scoring (148), 6th in receptions (77), 3rd in yds (1141), 22 TD
CABLE DAVIS (Mohegan) – 5th in passing ypg (233.2), 6th in total offense yds (230.7), 36 TD, 15 INT
MATT D'ORAZIO (Rochester) – 3rd in rush ypg (20.7), 2nd in total offense yds (2747), 39 TD passing, 13 TD rushing
CHAD ELLIOTT (Bakersfield) – 1st in passing ypg (259.1), 44 TD, 11 INT
GLEN GAUNTT (Augusta) – 5th in passer rating (110.0), 3rd in passing ypg (253.3), 54 TD, 8 INT
MIKE GLUSKI (Cape Fear) – 9-0 as starter this season, 43 TD, 11 INT, 2,042 yards passing
IRA GOOCH (Quad City) – 3rd in scoring (158), 21 receiving TD, 1st all-purpose ypg (238.2), 3 return TD
RICKY HEBERT (Arkansas) – 6th in passing ypg (232.6), 9th in total offense ypg (233.8), 46 TD, 15 INT
COREY HILL (Albany) – 2nd in receptions (94), 6th in receiving yds (1,038), 20 TD, 5th in all-purpose yards (175.9)
TIM LESTER (Memphis) – 2nd in passing ypg (258.6), 1st in total offense yds (2,854), 53 TD, 16 INT
SHERARD POTEETE (Bossier City) – 4th in rushing ypg (19.9), 3rd in total offense ypg (238.5) 15 rush TD, 38 pass TD
JOHN RAYBORN (Macon) – 9th in passer rating (103.6), 4th in passing ypg (248.0), 36 TD, 10 INT
MARTINO THEUS (Rochester) – 1st in receptions (118), 1st in receiving yds (1296), 15 TD
WAYNE THOMAS (Birmingham) – 6th in scoring (138), 23 TD
LAMONT WEBB (Fresno) – 1st in scoring (178), 11th receptions (68), 20 receiving TD, 4 return TD
STEVE WOFFORD (Bakersfield) – 6th in receptions (76), 6th in receiving yards (838), 17 TD

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
KENNY BAILEY (Tennessee Valley) – T-5th with 6 INT for 69 yds, 7th in tackles (57.0)
MICHAEL BROWN (Charleston) – T-3rd in INT with 8 for 13 yards, 38.5 tackles
E.J. BURT (Cape Fear) – 1st in forced fumbles (7), 1st in tackles for loss (10.5), 1st in sacks (18.5)
RICO CURTIS (San Diego) – T-1st in fumble recoveries (4), 1st in tackles (84.5), 2 INT, 2 fumbles forced
LINCOLN DUPREE (Peoria) – 1st in INT (10) for 153 yards and TD, single-game record 4 INT in a game, 52.0 tackles
BRYAN HENDERSON (Wichita) – 2nd in sacks (12.0), T-2nd in fumbles forced (4)
LARRY HOLLINQUEST (Tulsa) – T-5th in INT (6), 2nd in passes defended (29), 5th in tackles (59.5)
ERIC JOHNSON (Peoria) – T-3rd in sacks (11.5), 4th in tackles for loss (6.5)
TYRONN JOHNSON (Tallahassee) – T-4th in sacks (10.5)
J'SHARLON JONES (Bakersfield) – T-5th in INT (6), T-3rd in fumble recoveries (3), T-3rd in passes defended (27), 51.0 tackles
CARLOS McLAURIN (Mohegan) – 6th in tackles for loss (5.5), 5th in tackles (59.5)
WILL PETTIS (Pensacola) – 1st in passes defended (34), 3rd in INT (8), 27 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
LaVAR RAINEY (Augusta) – T-3rd in INT (8), 49.0 tackles, T-3rd in fumbles forced (3), 1st in recovered (4), 22 PD
KELLY SNELL (Tennessee Valley) – 2nd in INT (9), 26 passes defended, 38.5 tackles
VONKEITH SPENCER (Rochester) – T-5th INT (6), 10th in passes defended (20), 36.5 tackles

IRONMAN OF THE YEAR
CHRIS ANTHONY (Quad City) –7th in receiving yds (989), 7th in receptions (74), 17 TD, 20.0 tackles, 1 INT
E.J. BURT (Cape Fear) – 1st in forced fumbles (7), 1st in tackles for loss (10.5), 1st in sacks (18.5)
RICO CURTIS (San Diego) – T-1st in fumble recoveries (4), 1st in tackles (84.5), 2 INT, 2 fumbles forced, 7 rushes, 38 yards, 2 TD, 22 catches, 283 yards, 4 TD
CHRIS JOHNSON (Augusta) – 35 receptions, 582 yards and 18 TD, 29.0 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
KEVIN HARVEY (Richmond) – 107 rushing yds, 4 TD, 59 receptions, 654 yds, 16 TD, 36.0 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 INT
ERIC JOHNSON (Peoria) – T-3rd in sacks (11.5), 4th in tackles for loss (6.5), 14 rush, 58 yards, 7 TD
TYRONN JOHNSON (Tallahassee) – T-2nd in sacks (10.5), 3 receptions, 71 yds, 1 TD, 1 forced fumble
JERMAINE SHEFFIELD (Peoria) – 19.0 tackles, 4 INT for 76 yds, 1 TD, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 forced, 47 rec., 658 yds, 15 TD
GREG TAYLOR (Arkansas) – 9 receptions, 131 yds, 5 TD, 17.5 tackles, 7 sacks, 3 fumbles forced, 2 fumbles recovered
FRANK TRENTADUE (Quad City) – 6th in sacks (8.5), 3 blocked kicks, 2 fumble recoveries, 47 yds rushing, 3 TD, 3 safeties
MATT VITTENGL (Albany) – 25 rushes, 48 yds, 7 TD, 5 receptions, 14 yds, 1TD, 32.5 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumbles recovered, 1 blocked kick, 1 safety

FROM THE TURF TO THE SIDELINES: When Cape Fear faces Greensboro this weekend, two former af2 players will face off as head coaches for the first time. CHRIS SIEGFRIED was the first former af2 player to become a head coach when he joined the Wildcats at the beginning of the 2002 season. Siegfried played for the Augusta Stallions in 2000 and caught 72 passes, including 13 for touchdowns. Last season, Siegfried was the offensive coordinator for Macon. Greensboro's JOHNNY SMITH took over head coaching duties for the Prowlers on May 21, becoming just the second af2 player to make that move. Smith started three games at the quarterback position in 2001 for Greensboro and started this season as the Prowlers' offensive coordinator.

BYE, BYE, BYE: A pair of National Conference expansion teams, Fresno and Mobile, have the week off, making this the first time since Week 9 that all 34 teams won't be in action. There are six weeks this year in which no teams have a bye. In addition to Weeks 8, 10, 11 and 12, the other full slates come in Weeks 14 and 17.

TOUGH SLATE: We have a new schedule strength leader. Pensacola (5-5), which has owned the league's toughest schedule (according to opponents' combined records) over the past month, dropped to fourth behind Columbus (2-8), Mobile (0-11) and Jacksonville (4-6). Columbus' foes are 64-38 (.627) so far this season. After last week's trip to 9-1 Tulsa, Bossier City (6-5) owns the hardest schedule faced by a team with a winning record (59-56, .513 – 13th in af2). A look at the toughest slates to date:

Team ... Team Record ... Opp. Record ... Pct.
Columbus ... 2-8 ... 64-38 ... .627
Mobile ... 0-11 ... 67-46 ... .593
Jacksonville ... 4-6 ... 60-42 ... .588
Pensacola ... 5-5 ... 61-43 ... .587
Roanoke ... 5-6 ... 64-48 ... .571
Carolina ... 2-8 ... 60-45 ... .571

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 13 features two interconference games, including a doozy Saturday in Birmingham as the 8-2 Steeldogs host the 9-2 Macon Knights. The other interconference game matches Pensacola (5-5) against Jacksonville (4-6) on Friday. Last week, the National Conference swept a pair of games, with Birmingham winning 50-31 at Columbus and Tennessee Valley edging visiting Roanoke 39-35. Overall this season, the American Conference leads the National 10-8.

THE GREAT AMERICAN CHASE: The state of Florida is home to "The Great American Race" in NASCAR's Daytona 500, and now Floridians are witnessing "The Great American Chase" as af2's American Conference Southern Division clubs (three from Florida) jockey for playoff position. Only two games separate first and last in the division, as Tallahassee (6-4), Florida (6-4), Jacksonville (4-6) and Charleston (4-6) battle for postseason rights. Tallahassee used a five-game winning streak to hop into the lead, but Florida (on a three-game win binge) has come back to tie the Thunder. And if either of those two teams slip, Jacksonville and Charleston are right in the thick of things, as well.

WILD, WILD WEST: With Bakersfield and San Diego losing last weekend, the playoff race in the Western Division again looks interesting. Bakersfield remains atop the division with a 6-4 record, followed by San Diego at 5-6, Fresno at 4-7 and Hawaii at 2-9. All four teams still are eligible for the playoffs, though the Blitz remains in the driver's seat for the division title with the tiebreaker advantage over both San Diego and Fresno. Next week's game between the Frenzy and Riptide in San Diego looms as a potential swing game for second place since the winner of that game will take the season series.

POST POSITION: The potential playoff pairings remain unchanged from a week ago. Here's a look at this year's first-round matchups were the season to end today: American Conference – Cape Fear at Richmond, Rochester at Albany, Macon at Augusta, Florida 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 Presented by Built Ford Tough on Aug. 15 (televised by The New TNN). According to tiebreakers, 9-1 Tennessee Valley currently owns homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 19, 2002

• Foggie Returns to Toronto - Toronto Phantoms
• The Deuce Scoop - AFL I
• Rocket performs at Desperados game - Dallas Desperados
• Q&A With John Elway - AFL I
• Arena Football League Transactions - AFL I
• AFL Announces Denver Team - AFL I

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