Twisters, Vipers to Renew Rivalry

Published on May 3, 2002 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Here we go again.

Saturday brings another chapter in one of the most intriguing rivalries in arenafootball2 when the Arkansas Twisters (3-1) visit the Tennessee Valley Vipers (3-0) at 8:30 p.m. ET. Though the Vipers lead the all-time series 4-0, the games almost always are shootouts that are decided in the fourth quarter.

This game shapes up as perhaps the best in the series because, for the first time, both teams come in with winning records. Arkansas, which comes into the contest on a three-game winning streak, is two games above .500 for the first time team history. And the Twisters have been on a roll, winning those games by scores of 34-13, 60-13 and 75-51. Tennessee Valley, meanwhile, has started the season in the manner the Vipers have become accustomed to after 12-7 and 15-3 records in their first two years.

The Vipers' 3-0 mark includes two road victories, part of a league-record 10-game road winning streak (also held by Quad City, 2000-01). Tennessee Valley's first road win of the year came in the season opener at Arkansas, a 37-28 triumph in which the Vipers scored the final 14 points of the game. That season-opening rally came on the heels of last year's season finale, a game that saw the Vipers come back from a 55-21 deficit with 13:46 remaining, scoring the last 35 points to win 56-55. OL/DL ANDY FULLER caught the game-winning touchdown pass with :11 left.

In this year's meeting, the hero was WR/DB REGGIE WORTHY, who scored the Vipers' two fourth-quarter TDs and scored three touchdowns overall, rushing for 21 yards and totaling 77 yards on six receptions to win game MVP honors. DS KELLY SNELL, who is second in the league with four interceptions, nabbed two in the season-opening win. On offense, Tennessee Valley's other stars besides Worthy are rookie QB WES COUNTS, who has passed for 651 yards and eight touchdowns (with just one interception) this year, and OS/KR KELLY FIELDS (301 receiving yards, four TDs), the af2 career leader in receptions and receiving yards.

The Vipers' offense (third in af2 at 53.0 ppg) will have to contend with one of the league's top defenses. The Twisters allow just 28.5 points per game (fourth in af2) and entered Week 6 tops in af2 with 17 sacks. League sack leader GREG TAYLOR (6.0 on the season) keys the Arkansas defense.

The Twisters have been in a groove offensively, as well. QB RICKY HEBERT passed for 267 yards and seven touchdowns in the Twisters' 60-13 win over Wichita in Week 4, and followed that up with 325 yards and eight TD passes (the league high along with Quad City's TONY ZIMMERMAN) last week against San Diego. Hebert has thrown for 975 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2002. The Twisters are balanced, with receivers LENNIE JOHNSON, ANTHONY EUBANKS, JOHN DOLLAR and KEVIN WILLIAMS all catching at least three TD passes this year. Johnson and FB/LB DARNELL SMALL, af2's fourth-leading rusher (83 yards, four TDs) earned league Ironman honors in back-to-back weeks last month.

The Augusta Stallions head to Columbus Saturday night to battle the in-state rival Wardogs. Led by QB GLEN GAUNT and WR/DB TIM DUMAS, the Stallions look to start the season 4-0 and increase their lead in the Eastern Division. They'll put their potent air attack (third in the league) against the league 's No. 1 pass defense in the Wardogs. Columbus only allows 128.3 yards per game via the air. Another weapon for the Wardogs is OS MATT BURNSTEIN, who had 145 return yards, including a 52-yard touchdown scamper, last week against Birmingham. He also caught five balls for 55 yards. Last time these teams met, the Stallions routed the Wardogs 62-10. They meet one more time this season.

Head Coach GARY PORTER takes his troops into Norfolk for another tilt with the winless Nighthawks Saturday at Scope Arena. Mohegan got past Norfolk 47-29 in the first meeting, earning the first win in team history. TONY MISSICK's crew has had a hard go of it in 2002, losing the first three games and averaging just 20.0 points per contest. They Nighthawks' gameplan must include plans to contain Mohegan OS BRANDON BURNSIDE if they have any shot of winning. In the last meeting between these teams, Burnside lit up the ' Hawks with more than 200 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including a 56-yard kickoff return for a score.

It's north versus south in Greenville Saturday night as the Greensboro Prowlers knock heads with the Carolina Rhinos at the BI-LO Center. The Prowlers are 2-2 on the campaign, with both wins coming against 0-4 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Their offense has been inconsistent at times, but one constant has been the play of OS ANTOINE CALLOWAY. The third-year receiver has accounted for 35 catches, 402 yards and five touchdowns this season. The Prowlers also have the league's top rusher in RAFIK THOROSSIAN. The 5-foot-11, 245-pound FB/LB has pounded the turf for 92 yards and seven scores so far this season. The Rhinos may be 0-3, but the record is no indication of how this team has played. Throw out the first-week loss to Macon, and the Rhinos have been in the games the last two weeks. QB CALEB SLOVER looks primed to get his team in the win column soon, as he has passed for 493 yards and seven scores in just two starts.

After an 0-2 start, the Jacksonville Tomcats can get to .500 with a win over the Macon Knights Saturday night at the Coliseum. This game features two good friends on opposing sidelines in Tomcats' Head Coach EARNEST WILSON and Knights' head man KEVIN PORTER. Porter liked what he saw in new QB JOHN RAYBORN last week and looks for more of the same on Saturday. Rayborn, assigned three days prior to last week's game, completed 21-of-37 passes for 228 yards and three scores. A major difference in these two teams this season has been the play of the lines. Macon has allowed only three sacks, but has brought down opposing QBs nine times. Jacksonville, on the other hand, has been sacked seven times and racked up only three of its own.

CHRIS SANDERS is one of the hottest QBs in af2 right now. Since coming off the bench for the Roanoke Steam two weeks ago, he has thrown for 468 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions, and has led the Steam to two straight wins. He'll go for three in a row against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers Saturday at First Union Center. To do it, he'll need to get past a team hungry for a win. The first-year Pioneers have yet to dent the win column and need to turn things around quickly. They'll send out one of the better pass defenses in the league to combat the talent of Sanders. The Pioneers have allowed only 185.3 yards per game in the air. The problem for the Pioneers has been their offense, which is averaging a dismal 28.7 points per contest. After this game, the Pioneers play the remainder of the schedule (11 games) against division mates.

Things promise to get a bit tougher for the Pensacola Barracudas Saturday with Bossier City coming to town. Pensacola (1-2) earned its first win last week in a 72-6 laugher over 0-4 Mobile. Bossier City (2-2) has been up and down, but its losses have come to teams (Memphis, Quad City) that are a combined 7-1. The Battle Wings beat Peoria 45-36 last week behind three rushing touchdowns by QB SHERARD POTEETE, his second straight week to pull off the hat trick. Poteete's 22.5 rushing yards-per-game average ranks second in the league. The Barracudas' playmaker the past two weeks has been JERRIAN JAMES. In Week 4, he led af2 with 271 all-purpose yards, then followed that up with three interceptions at Mobile last week, earning league-wide ADT Defensive Player of the Week honors in the process.

Things should be looking up for 0-4 Mobile has the Wizards (finally) play their home opener. But after last week's 66-point loss, Mobile has the task of hosting a high-octane team angry over a Week 5 defeat. The Memphis Xplorers (3-1) came back down to earth in a 30-25 loss to 3-0 Florida, scoring less than half their previous season average of 56.7 ppg. Memphis has multiple weapons, but the attack revolves around QB TIM LESTER and OS RUSSELL COPELAND. Lester leads af2 with 1,123 passing yards (20 TDs, three INTs) while Copeland's 40 receptions and 561 yards also are tops in the league. Conversely, it's been a rough go for the Wizards, who rank last in rushing offense, rushing defense, pass rating, pass defense rating and turnover margin, and next-to-last in scoring defense, total offense and pass offense. The bright spot has been OS ANTOINE FLOWERS, who has 405 all-purpose yards and four receiving touchdowns this season.

The first installment of the "Battle of Highway 99" takes place Saturday when Fresno (0-4) travels to Bakersfield (3-1). Despite the records, Fresno may actually feel a bit better coming in after taking two-time defending champion Quad City to the wire in a 62-54 loss last week. The Blitz, meanwhile, went scoreless for three consecutive quarters over two games and lost 48-27 last week at Tulsa. Bakersfield counts on the offensive triumvirate of QB CHAD ELLIOTT (1,067 passing yards, 14 TDs), OS STEVE WOFFORD (404 receiving yards, six TDs) and WR/DB RYAN SLOTH (356 receiving yards, 2 TDs). The Frenzy counters with QB RICKY RAY and OS/KR LAMONT WEBB, whose 378 all-purpose yards last week rank second all-time. Webb's 822 total yards this season lead the league.

Much has been made of Hawaii's long-distance travels, but Louisville likely is a close second in frequent flyer miles. The 0-4 Fire travels to 1-3 San Diego Saturday, two weeks after losing at Bakersfield and a week removed from its 61-41 loss on the east coast to the Roanoke Steam. DAN ENGLISH starts at QB for the Fire in place of MATT PIKE, who went on short-term injured reserve Thursday. Pike ranks sixth in the league with 971 passing yards, but the Fire ranks just 16th, due to a league-high 19 sacks against for 110 yards. San Diego should have the services of OS/KR MARTY GRAHAM, who hobbled through one game and missed last week's loss to Arkansas with a hamstring injury. Graham, the league's single-game all-purpose yards record-holder (400 vs. Bakersfield, 4/6/02), leads af2 with 267.3 yards per game. Riptide QB KANE CLAUNCH has 911 passing yards and 19 TDs (against six INTs) this year.

Hawaii (1-3) returns home after two road trips to Middle America, hoping to snap a three-game losing streak. But the Tulsa Talons (3-1) provide a stiff test in the Saturday's late game. The Talons have won two straight games against Western Division teams (San Diego, Bakersfield), beating the Blitz last week with the QB tandem of ANTHONY BUICH and JOE PHEARS (20-of-29, 251 yards, four TDs combined). OS MITCH ALLNER ably filled the shoes of the injured WES CASWELL, catching 10 passes for 143 yards and a score. The Islanders need OS DARRELL JONES (754 all-purpose yards, fourth in af2) to be healthy - he's questionable with a bum ankle. After a sterling performance in Week 1, Hawaii QB DARNELL ARCENEAUX has struggled. In his last two games, he has thrown five interceptions and fumbled twice. Hawaii is 0-3 when he completes less than half of his passes.

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THURSDAY'S RECAP
Richmond Speed (6-0) 36, Cape Fear Wildcats (2-2) 28

RICHMOND, Va. - BOB BEES' five-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds to go proved to be the difference as the Richmond Speed edged the Cape Fear Wildcats 36-28 in an Atlantic Division matchup at Richmond Coliseum. The Speed have won 27 of their last 32 games, including 16 straight at the Coliseum.

Richmond fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter before RICHARD HOLLAND turned the game around with a 25-yard interception return for touchdown. The Speed went on to score two more touchdowns and took a 20-13 halftime lead. After Cape Fear tied the game at 20-20 in the third quarter, the Speed scored 16 straight points and carried a 36-20 lead into the final minute. A HOSEA FRIDAY touchdown reception with :05 left decreased the margin to eight. But the Speed survived as FB/LB and Ironman of the Game BRIAN EDMONDS recovered the ensuing onside kick and sealed the victory.

OS JEFF TOWNSLEY led the Speed with four catches for 97 yards and a touchdown and added 53 return yards. Bees completed 13 of 27 passes for 166 yards and one touchdown. Game MVP RODNEY SLEDGE finished with three sacks for a loss of 24 total yards. Holland, who was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game, had six tackles, three pass deflections and his interception return for TD. Cape Fear's NORMAN MASON totaled 10 catches for 102 yards.

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FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE
Charleston at Tallahassee, 7:00 p.m.
Birmingham at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
New Haven at Rochester, 7:30 p.m.
Wichita at Peoria, 8:00 p.m.

All times ET

A LOOK AHEAD TO WEEK 7
Friday, May 10
Charleston at Cape Fear, 7:30 p.m.
Macon at Augusta, 7:30 p.m.
Albany at Mohegan, 7:30 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Rochester, 7:30 p.m.
Quad City at Peoria, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 11
Tallahassee at Columbus, 7:00 p.m.
Jacksonville at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Norfolk at Roanoke, 7:30 p.m.
Pensacola at Birmingham, 8:30 p.m.
Mobile at Bossier City, 8:30 p.m.
Tennessee Valley at Memphis, 8:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Tulsa, 8:30 p.m.
Wichita at Fresno , 10:30 p.m.
San Diego at Hawaii , 1:00 a.m. (7:00 p.m. local)

Sunday, May 12
Carolina at Greensboro , 4:00 p.m.
Bakersfield bye
Louisville bye
New Haven bye
Richmond bye

arenafootball2 Stories from May 3, 2002

• Ninjas Defeat Brigade in Northeast Battle - Rochester Brigade
• Twisters, Vipers to Renew Rivalry - af2

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