The Deuce Scoop

Published on August 7, 2002 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

LISTEN LIVE: Interested in listening live to af2 playoff action? Log on to www.af2.com and follow the desired link off of the main page.

BREAKING THROUGH: The field of teams surviving the first round of the playoffs has a distinctly different look than the first two af2 seasons. Led by three expansion clubs (Albany, Cape Fear, San Diego) all eight teams that advanced to the semifinal round did so by winning their first-ever postseason game. Florida and Peoria (second-year clubs) joined the freshmen by winning in their first-ever playoff appearances. Birmingham and Macon improved from first-round defeats last season to move on to the conference semifinals. Tulsa shook off consecutive one-and-done playoff efforts in 2000 and 2001 to win its first-ever postseason game.

AND THE AWARDS GO TO: The af2 award winners for the first round of the playoffs are: Birmingham QB MONTRESSA KIRBY (Offensive Player of the Week), Florida DS QUINCY SORRELL (ADT Defensive Player of the Week), Florida WR/DB ANTHONY DIXON (Ironman of the Week) and Macon DS DENARIO SMALLS (Built Ford Tough Man of the Week).

WHERE'S IT GOING TO BE?: ArenaCup 2002 will played at the arena of the participating team with the best overall record. Of the eight remaining teams in the ArenaCup hunt, only San Diego cannot host ArenaCup. Below are the hosting scenarios for the eight remaining playoff teams:

Tulsa (14-2 in regular season): Would host any team.
Macon (13-3 in regular season): Would host any team except Tulsa.
Cape Fear (13-3 in regular season): Would host any team except Tulsa.
Albany (13-3 in regular season): Would host any team except Tulsa.
Birmingham (11-5 in regular season): Would only host Florida.
Peoria (11-5 in regular season): Would only host Florida.
Florida (9-7 in regular season): Would only host San Diego.
San Diego (7-9 in regular season): Cannot host ArenaCup.

THE HOST WITH THE MOST: After the dust had settled on the regular season, Tulsa (14-2) had claimed the league's best record. The Talons will host all the way through the playoffs, including ArenaCup 2002, as long as they advance.

MAKING IT STAND: Last week's first round action featured four games decided by less than 10 points, including four decided in the final minute and two of those determined by missed field goal attempts. With games that close, it pays to find an edge any way possible. One possible advantage could be to take control early. Of the eight victors from last week's games, five were ahead at halftime. That trend is in line with af2 playoff history, as teams that have led at halftime are 16-6 all-time, including ArenaCup. Below is a table of key playoff situational records:

Year ... Leading after one ... Leading at halftime ... Leading after three ... Scoring 50 or more ... Scoring less than 50
2000 ... 6-1 (.857) ... 7-0 (1.000) ... 5-1 (.833) ... 4-2 (.667) ... 3-5 (.375)
2001 ... 3-3 (.500) ... 4-3 (.571) ... 3-3 (.500) ... 6-4 (.600) ... 1-3 (.250)
2002** ... 4-3 (.571) ... 5-3 (.625) ... 6-2 (.750) ... 3-1 (.750) ... 5-7 (.417)
Total ... 13-7 (.650) ... 16-6 (.727) ... 14-6 (.700) ... 13-7 (.650) ... 9-15 (.375)
* table includes ArenaCup
** in progress

BUT DON'T SCORE FIRST: While the numbers suggest holding a halftime edge bodes well for a team's chances of winning, scoring first might not. In 2000, teams that tallied the game's first score went 6-1 throughout the postseason. Since then, teams drawing first blood in a postseason game have gone 4-11 (2-5 in 2001, 2-6 in 2002).

IT PAYS TO PLAY AT HOME: As might be expected, home teams have had the advantage in the postseason, going 16-6 all-time. In 2000, home teams went 6-1; in 2001, they finished 5-2; so far in 2002, they've gone 5-3.

BATTLE TESTED?: Aside from Macon, which boasts the hardest regular-season schedule of the original 16-team playoff field (determined by opponents' combined records), tough schedules didn't translate into first-round postseason success. Playoff qualifiers with schedule strengths ranked No. 2 through No. 7 all were bounced in the first round. Some interesting tidbits about two conference semifinal battles ... the Macon-Florida matchup pits the playoff team with the best schedule strength against the team with the worst; the Tulsa-Birmingham tilt features teams with identical strengths of schedule. The playoff field is below (first-round winners shaded):

Playoff team ... Team Record ... Opp. Record ... Pct.
Macon ... 13-3 ... 142-114 ... .555
Wichita ... 6-10 ... 134-122 ... .523
Arkansas ... 11-5 ... 132-124 ... .516
Augusta ... 13-3 ... 130-126 ... .508
Tennessee Valley ... 13-3 ... 126-130 ... .492
Richmond ... 12-4 ... 124-132 ... .484
Tallahassee ... 9-7 ... 124-132 ... .484
Tulsa ... 14-2 ... 123-133 ... .480
Birmingham ... 11-5 ... 123-133 ... .480
Cape Fear ... 13-3 ... 121-135 ... .473
San Diego ... 7-9 ... 119-137 ... .465
Bakersfield ... 9-7 ... 116-140 ... .453
Peoria ... 11-5 ... 112-144 ... .438
Albany ... 13-3 ... 111-145 ... .434
Rochester ... 7-9 ... 110-146 ... .430
Florida ... 9-7 ... 106-150 ... .414

EXPANSION COMPARISON: Three expansion teams (Albany, Cape Fear and San Diego) compete in conference semifinal games this weekend, though at least one will be sent home after this weekend's action as Albany and Cape Fear are pitted against one another. Both the Conquest and Wildcats won their respective divisions and hosted first-round games. Defense has been key to both American Conference teams as they have thrived with conservative offense and attacking defense. The Wildcats lead the league in three defensive categories and ended the season second in af2 with a +17 turnover margin. San Diego may not have the same statistical resume as its American Conference counterparts, but the Riptide played eight of its games against playoff teams. Here is a breakdown of the three remaining expansion teams:

Statistical Category ... Albany (14-3) ... Cape Fear (14-3) ... San Diego (8-9) (Rank, Stat)
Scoring Offense ... 21 ... 42.8 ... 14 ... 46.1 ... 17 ... 45.4
Scoring Defense ... 3 ... 35.4 ... 1 ... 29.8 ... 18 ... 45.5
Total Offense ... 15 ... 246.0 ... 15 ... 246.0 ... 15 ... 245.6
Total Defense ... 9 ... 224.8 ... 1 ... 186.3 ... 23 ... 250.7
Pass Offense ... 13 ... 229.8 ... 22 ... 205.1 ... 18 ... 214.7
Pass Defense ... 9 ... 200.3 ... 1 ... 166.6 ... 22 ... 222.5
Rushing Offense ... 13 ... 29.4 ... 4 ... 40.9 ... 12 ... 30.9
Rushing Defense ... 10 ... 21.9 ... 6 ... 19.7 ... 22 ... 28.2
Turnover Margin ... 15 ... +3 ... 4 ... +17 ... 17 ... +1
Sacks By ... 12 ... 27 ... 2 ... 45 ... 21 ... 23
Sacks Against ... 24 ... 24 ... 2 ... 12 ... 30 ... 36
Red Zone Off. % ... 10 ... 78.7 ... 17 ... 74.6 ... 11 ... 78.0
Red Zone Def. % ... 3 ... 62.5 ... 1 ... 61.7 ... 14 ... 73.0

FRESHMAN FOLLIES: Expansion teams went 2-0 against "veteran" clubs in the first round of the playoffs. Cape Fear knocked off Richmond 57-48 and Albany edged Rochester 31-26. The only expansion team to lose was Bakersfield, the 40-27 victim of its first-year rival San Diego.

COACHING CONFRONTATIONS: All eight of the head coaches guiding their teams to conference semifinal games earned their first-ever af2 playoff victories last weekend. Macon's KEVIN PORTER has the most previous postseason experience, spending four years with a very competitive Kansas City team in the NFL and making two previous playoff appearances as an af2 head coach. Birmingham's BOBBY HUMPHREY is one of a select few that can say they started in the Super Bowl. Humphrey was Denver's starting running back in 1990 when the Broncos lost to San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIV. Below is a breakdown of the playing and coaching postseason histories of the eight remaining coaches:

Birmingham at Tulsa
Bobby Humphrey (31-19)
2001
Steeldogs lost to Richmond 67-60 in first round of playoffs.
1990
Starting running back for Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV. The Broncos lost 55-10 against San Francisco. Skip Foster (28-6)
2001
Talons lost to Carolina 69-35 in first round of playoffs

Florida at Macon
John Fourcade (10-7)
1987
Quarterback on playoff roster for New Orleans. The Saints lost 44-10 against Minnesota in NFC Wild Card Game.
Kevin Porter (32-17)
2001
Head coach of Macon, which lost 80-55 to 2001 ArenaCup champions Quad City in the first round action.
2000
Head coach of Pensacola, which lost 55-19 to 2000 ArenaCup champions Quad City in the first round.
1999
Defensive backs coach for Orlando Predators in Arena Bowl XII. The Predators lost 59-48 against Albany.
1992
Safety for Kansas City in AFC Wild Card Game against San Diego. The Chiefs lost 17-0.
1991
Safety for Kansas City as the Chiefs defeated Los Angeles 10-6 in AFC Wild Card Game. The Chiefs lost 37-14 to Super Bowl-bound Buffalo in the divisional playoffs.
1990
Safety for Kansas City in AFC Wild Card Game against Miami. The Chiefs lost 17-16.

Albany at Cape Fear
Ron Selesky (20-13)
1998
Assistant coach and director of player personnel for Tampa Bay's Arena Bowl XII team. The Storm lost 62-31 to Orlando.
Chris Siegfried (14-3)
2000
Played for Augusta's American Conference first-place team that lost to Tennessee Valley in the semifinals of the playoffs.

San Diego at Peoria
Cree Morris (8-9)
No prior professional postseason experience.
Bruce Cowdrey (17-16)
2000
Head coach of Peoria's Indoor Football League championship team that finished season 17-0.
1991
Offensive line coach for 1991 Canadian Football League Grey Cup Champion Toronto.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Birmingham head coach BOBBY HUMPHREY hopes one trend continues in the playoffs: the quick start. The Steeldogs have scored first in seven of their last 10 games and have done so 11 times overall this season. They are 9-2 this season when scoring first.

DOWNRIGHT DEFENSIVE: Most af2 already knows the defensive styles of Cape Fear and Albany. Although the Wildcats may have turned their offense up a notch in recent games, defense still fuels the team. Cape Fear has shut out opponents in 15 quarters of action this season, four of which coming in the first quarter. Albany, on the other hand, has recorded 13 quarters of shutout football with four coming in the final period of play.

PICKING IT UP: In two previous seasons of playoff history there only had been three games in which a single player recorded a two-interception game. In the first round of this season's playoffs, three players managed the feat. Florida's QUINCY SORRELL, Birmingham's MICHAEL FEAGIN and Wichita's HAROLD PIERSEY all picked off a pair of passes last weekend. Former Quad City Steamwheeler CLARENCE THOMPSON holds the postseason career mark with five interceptions in six postseason games.

50 EQUALS WIN: Macon is 11-0 this season when it scores 50 or more points. The Knights' American Conference semifinal opponent, Florida, is 9-1 when scoring 40 or more points in a 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 have gone 159-40 (80 percent) when they score 50 or more points in a game, including a 3-1 mark in the first round of the playoffs last week. When teams score less than 50, they are 121-240 (34 percent) ... 5-7 in the first round. Here's a win-loss breakdown of the league by points scored:

2002 ... W-L ... Pct. ... All-time ... W-L ... Pct.
0-19 ... 1-24 ... .040 ... 0-19 ... 2-67 ... .029
20-29 ... 7-53 ... .119 ... 20-29 ... 13-137 ... .087
30-39 ... 35-88 ... .285 ... 30-39 ... 77-177 ... .303
40-49 ... 78-71 ... .523 ... 40-49 ... 170-162 ... .512
50-59 ... 77-31 ... .713 ... 50-59 ... 166-69 ... .706
60-69 ... 58-8 ... .879 ... 60-69 ... 134-20 ... .870
70-79 ... 15-1 ... .938 ... 70-79 ... 52-2 ... .963
80+ ... 9-0 ... 1.000 ... 80+ ... 23-0 ... 1.000

PERFECT PASSERS: First-round winning quarterbacks ANTHONY BUICH (Tulsa), BOB PESAVENTO (Cape Fear) and JOHN RAYBORN (Macon) all went interception-free in their playoff openers. (Richmond's BOB BEES, Rochester's MATT D'ORAZIO, Bakersfield's CHAD ELLIOTT, Arkansas' RICKY HEBERT and Wichita's RON LOPEZ also avoided interceptions). Rayborn has a streak of 100 consecutive attempts without an interception (71 completions, 779 yards, 20 TDs in that span), dating back to the first drive of Macon's 54-51 win at Pensacola July 6. Buich stands at 91 consecutive attempts (62, 665, 13) and Pesavento stands at 43 (32, 341, 4). Cape Fear's MIKE GLUSKI (95, 1,097, 24) posted the longest consecutive attempts streak of the season with 170, including five interception-free games in a row. Tennessee Valley's MATT SAUK is the only af2 player to have two consecutive games without an interception in postseason play (2001 - vs. Tulsa, Richmond).

ONE SMOOTH BUICH: ANTHONY BUICH was the most accurate quarterback in the 2002 af2 season, completing 66.1 percent of his passes. He also won or shared the Most Valuable Player of the Game award in each of Tulsa's last five regular-season victories and was chosen for that honor eight times this year. Over Tulsa's final four games (three of which were on the road), he completed 71 percent of his passes (97-137-3) for 1,070 yards and 28 TDs. Equally impressive is the fact that Buich is 24-6 as an af2 starter: 9-4 last year with the Iowa Barnstormers and 15-2 this season with Tulsa.

CATCHING COREY: Albany's COREY HILL did it again. The Conquest's offensive specialist wrote his name in the record books with 13 receptions against Rochester last week, setting a new af2 postseason single-game record. KEVIN HARVEY, KELLY FIELDS and JOHNNY WALKER all previously shared the honor with 12 receptions in a game.

RUSHING RECORD RUNDOWN: On the heels of Hawaii QB DARNELL ARCENEAUX's two new af2 regular-season rushing records, four single-game individual postseason rushing marks were established in last weekend's first-round action. Cape Fear's WILMONT PERRY set new marks for rushing attempts and yards in a game with nine carries for 37 yards against Richmond. Tulsa's CRAIG STRICKLAND held the record for yards in a game with 25 against Tennessee Valley in 2000. JAY McDONAGH set the previous mark for rushing attempts with eight in Quad City's 80-55 victory over Macon in the first round last season. MONTRESSA KIRBY helped Birmingham earn its first playoff win with a postseason-record four rushing touchdowns. The previous mark had been two rushing scores. Finally, KEVIN WILLIAMS' 26-yard run for a touchdown for Arkansas at Tulsa was a playoff record for longest run from scrimmage. Strickland held the previous record with a 23-yard run against the Vipers in 2000.

RUSHING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS: Cape Fear's offense wrote itself into the record books Saturday, setting new playoff records for rushing touchdowns in a game (six) and rushing yards (79). Carolina owned the previous mark for yards in a game with 48 against Tulsa in the first round last season; Quad City's five touchdowns in ArenaCup 2001 were the standard for rushing scores. WILMONT PERRY's 37 yards and three touchdowns led the way for the Wildcats, with RUSS LINDGREN adding 24 yards and BOB PESAVENTO two touchdown rushes.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS, PART I: The league record book will have a distinctly different look in the "Returns" section heading into next season. With eight kickoff return touchdowns, both Jacksonville's LAWRENCE PULLEN and Peoria's LINCOLN DUPREE tied the single-season league record (ADLAI TRONE had eight kickoff return TDs for Louisville in 2000). Both Dupree and Pullen were one return touchdown short of Louisville's BRIAN McDONALD 10 combined return touchdowns last year (seven KO, three MFG). Florida's JARROD WARE (29.6 yards per kickoff return) led a group of six players that topped JOHNNY LOPER's previous season standard of 24.9 yards-per-kickoff return, established last year. Augusta's UNDRE WILLIAMS equaled an af2 record for combined return touchdowns with three against Jacksonville in Week 11.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS, PART II: LINCOLN DUPREE's kickoff return for a touchdown against Memphis in the regular-seaosn finale increased the Pirates' season total to 11, surpassing Birmingham's single-season team record of 10, set last year. Peoria also broke Louisville's record for combined return touchdowns with Dupree's kick being the Pirates 12th of the season. Louisville had 11 return touchdowns (seven KO, four MFG) last season.

RIVAL RECEIVERS: With 11 receptions in Rochester's season finale at New Haven, MARTINO THEUS equaled the all-time professional football record for most receptions in a single season (160), set in the Canadian Football League by DERRELL MITCHELL in 1998. However, Albany's COREY HILL stole the spotlight with an af2-record 18 catches against Mohegan, leapfrogging both Theus and Mitchell as professional football's all-time receptions leader with 161. Below are the all-time reception records for various leagues:

arenafootball2
161, COREY HILL, Albany, 2002

Canadian Football League
160, DERRELL MITCHELL, Toronto Argonauts, 1998

Arena Football League
138, EDDIE BROWN, Albany Firebirds, 1999

National Football League
123, HERMAN MOORE, Detroit Lions, 1995

United States Football League (1983-85)
115, RICHARD JOHNSON, Houston Gamblers, 1984

American Football League (1960-69)*
101, CHARLIE HENNIGAN, Houston Oilers, 1964

World Football League (1974-75)
89, TIM DELANEY, (Honolulu) The Hawaiians, 1974

NFL Europe/World League
74, JERMAINE COPELAND, Barcelona Dragons, 2000

All-American Football Conference (1946-49)*
67, MAC SPEEDIE, Cleveland Browns, 1947

XFL (2001)
67, JERMAINE COPELAND, Los Angeles Xtreme, 2001

* merged with NFL

GOING, GOING, GOOCH: Quad City OS/KR IRA GOOCH broke BRIAN McDONALD's single-season all-purpose record of 3,271 (for Louisville, 2001). Gooch ended the season 3,472 yards. Gooch went over 200 all-purpose yards in eight straight games earlier in the season and did it nine times overall, both league records. He 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, with four runbacks of more than 50 yards.

RUNNING AWAY WITH IT: Hawaii QB DARNELL ARCENEAUX broke SHERARD POTEETE's 2001 record of 23 rushing touchdowns with 26 this season. Poteete finished this season with 24. Arceneaux and Rochester's MATT D'ORAZIO both tied the league record for rushing scores in a game (five) this year... Arceneaux at Bakersfield June 22 and D'Orazio July 6 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

THE NEW SACK KING: With 4.5 sacks against Albany on July 7, Cape Fear's E.J. BURT equaled the af2 mark for most sacks in a single game. Burt's single-season record, also set this year, is 27.5. Pensacola's DERRIC COAKLEY originally set the single-game record against Norfolk (4/7/01), then Arkansas' REGGIE COOLEY and Norfolk's SPENCER CONLEY tied it on consecutive weekends last year (Cooley - 5/5/01 at Memphis; Conley - 5/12/01 vs. Greensboro).

WIZARDS OF OSKIE: Tennessee Valley's KELLY SNELL, who set an af2 record with interceptions in six straight games to start the year, grabbed 15 picks this year to break the league single-season interception record of 14, set by Richmond's TYRONE LASTER last season. Peoria's LINCOLN DUPREE, who had an af2-record four-interception night at Quad City June 1, had 12 for the season. Quad City's BRENT BROWNER tied Dupree's single-game record last week with four pickoffs against Bakersfield July 6. Augusta's LAVAR RAINEY, who had 11 interceptions this season, matched Snell's consecutive games standard with pickoffs in six straight contests in Weeks 9 through 14.

RICO SUAVE: San Diego WR/LB RICO CURTIS made 2.5 tackles against Quad City to end the season with an af2-record 121.0 stops, breaking CORNELIUS COE's mark of 117 with Quad City in 2000. Curtis led or tied for the team lead in tackles in 13 of 15 games. He also was named one of the Riptide's Built Ford Tough Players of the Game in all 16 games this year.

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. The American Conference won the regular season series between the conferences, 17-10.

SOMETHING TO BUILD ON: Of the 24 teams in af2 this season that were in the league last year, 14 of them matched or bettered their win total from a year ago. Seven of those teams earned playoff spots, four for the first time. Leading the way in the group of improved clubs was Arkansas, which has five more wins than last season. Below is a look at the teams who equaled or surpassed their win totals of 2001:

Team ... 2001 wins ... 2002 wins ... Difference
Arkansas* ... 6 ... 11 ... +5
Augusta* ... 9 ... 13 ... +4
Peoria* ... 7 ... 11 ... +4
Columbus ... 0 ... 4 ... +4
Macon* ... 10 ... 13 ... +3
Pensacola ... 5 ... 8 ... +3
Rochester* ... 4 ... 7 ... +3
Bossier City ... 7 ... 9 ... +2
Florida* ... 7 ... 9 ... +2
Memphis ... 3 ... 5 ... +2
Tulsa* ... 13 ... 14 ... +1
Norfolk ... 7 ... 8 ... +1
Roanoke ... 7 ... 8 ... +1
Charleston ... 7 ... 7 ... E
* Clinched a spot in the postseason

SUCCESSFUL 'TEN'-DENCIES: In the 2002 regular season, 11 of the 34 teams (32.4 percent) reached or passed the 10-win plateau. In 2000, 26 percent of the league's teams (four of 15) had 10 wins or more. That number increased to 32 percent (nine of 28) last year.

DIVISIONAL DIVIDENDS: This year's playoffs feature the top two teams from each division based on overall record, but the stats show it also paid to do well against your division rivals. Fifteen of this year's 16 playoff teams either owned or shared one of the two best records within their respective divisions. The lone exception is in the American South, where third-place Jacksonville (8-8 overall) finished with a 4-2 division record compared to Florida's 2-4 division mark (the Firecats, who advanced to the conference semifinals with an upset win at Tallahassee in the first round, went 9-7).

GIVE AND TAKE: The four National Conference division champions and two American Conference first-place teams, the Augusta Stallions and Cape Fear Wildcats, also led the league in total turnover margin, led by Bakersfield at +22. Tulsa was +19, Peoria was +18, Cape Fear was +17, Tennessee Valley was +15 and Augusta was +10. The six teams went a combined 73-23. The six worst teams in turnover margin had a combined 18-78 record. Roanoke (8-8) ended its season as af2's most opportunistic team on defense, forcing a league-high 47 turnovers. Tennessee Valley and Tulsa were the league's most careful teams with the football, giving up just 25 turnovers.

LEAGUE OF OPPORTUNITY: Chicago's af2 contingent of MARVIN TAYLOR and BILLY DICKEN helped the Rush advance to the semifinals of the Arena Football League playoffs with a 60-47 victory over Dallas Monday night. Taylor's strong defensive display earned him AFL Defensive Player of the Week honors. The former Steamwheeler recorded six solo tackles, four assists, three pass breakups, and an interception to lead the Rush. BILLY DICKEN (Quad City '00) led Chicago's offense with 297 yards passing and seven scores. SHANE STAFFORD (Tallahassee '00) could not connect on a last-second pass attempt as the Tampa Bay Storm suffered a heartbreaking 55-48 loss to San Jose. Stafford completed just 14-of-39 passes, but threw for 268 yards and four scores. JAY McDONAGH (Quad City '01) made his first AFL postseason appearance for New Jersey, but the Gladiators suffering a 49-46 loss to Orlando. McDonagh threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns and added a one-yard TD rush. FRANK CARTER (Quad City '01) recorded three tackles and 1.5 sacks to lead the Gladiators' defense. JAMARR WARD (Quad City '01) and JEREMY WILKINSON (Quad City '01) also contributed for New Jersey.

-------------------------------------------------

FIRST ROUND BY THE NUMBERS:

8 ... First-time playoff winners in the eight first-round games
6 ... Tulsa's winning streak (including the regular season), the longest current streak in af2
5 ... Division champions to win first-round games
3 ... Division runners-up to win first-round games
2 ... First-round games decided by missed last-play field goals
2 ... Sacks by Cape Fear's E.J. BURT (including a safety) on the last two plays of the Wildcats' 57-48 win over Richmond

arenafootball2 Stories from August 7, 2002

• The Deuce Scoop - af2
• Denario Smalls Named af2's Built Ford Tough Man of the Week - Macon Knights
• Barracudas coach on television Saturday - Pensacola Barracudas
• Firecats vs Macon Saturday Night - Florida Firecats

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.