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Week 12 Friday night matchups

June 17, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


NO. 1 WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PIONEERS (8-2) AT ALBANY CONQUEST (4-6)
FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2004 - PEPSI ARENA (13,901) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers take the number one ranking in the af2 Coaches' Poll into Albany to face the Conquest. The Pioneers will look to break the curse and become the first number one in eight weeks to be victorious. They were in this same situation in Week 6, ranked number one and playing on the road at Albany, when they lost 54-45 to the Conquest to lose their top ranking. That game has been the turning point for the Conquest, they have since won four of their last six games after losing their first four. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has bounced back well, with only one loss since that game. On offense for the Pioneers TIM HICKS and J.R. KELLY make a dynamic duo. Hicks threw five touchdowns and zero interceptions last week against the Steamwheelers to bring his touchdown count to 46 and keep his interceptions at six. Kelly's 77 receptions this season is tied for second in the league with Central Valley's Kenyatte Morgan. The Pioneers defense has a trio of key players in AMEER RILEY, JAMIE HATTLEY, and KYLE GROVE. Riley and Hattley both have five interceptions while Grove has four, putting all three of them in the top ten in interceptions. The only other team with multiple players in the top ten is Columbus, who has two on the list. After a slow start, Albany has turned into an offensive juggernaut. D. BRYANT has thrown 28 touchdowns after starting the season on the bench. He has a knack for getting the ball to TONY LOCKE. Locke averages 20.6 yards per catch, first in the league. He is second in touchdown receptions with 25 and fourth in receiving yards with 1033. These two clubs will meet once more this season, July 17 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers.

MEMPHIS XPLORERS (5-5) AT MANCHESTER WOLVES (4-6)
FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2004 - VERIZON WIRELESS ARENA (9,500) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Manchester Wolves play hosts as the Memphis Xplorers come to town. After an impressive 59-31 victory over Bakersfield last week the Xplorers now stand at .500. Newly acquired MICHAEL WALL entered the game to relieve an injured BRIAN JONES to complete 13 of 20 passes for five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Wall will get the start against Manchester. A win against Manchester would put the Xplorers above .500 and tie the team mark for most victories in a season. Manchester lost last week at Cape Fear 47-38 and needs a victory to stay in playoff contention. The Wolves have a solid passer in CHRIS SANDERS. Sanders has thrown for 2,534 yards this season, currently seventh best in the af2. On defense for the Wolves, ten different players have recorded an interception this season. MARVIN OWENS with four and ALLISTAIR SEBASTIEN with three are the only Wolves with multiple interceptions. The Xplorers defense is lead by former Wolves player DAHNEL SINGFIELD who leads the league in passes defended with 24. After being out for Week 10, KEVIN PRENTISS returned last week in a big way catching nine passes for 112 yards and four touchdowns. Prentiss is a threat on special teams also, averaging 30.8 yards per return, second in the league. He is first in the af2 in kicks returned for a touchdown with six. This is the only meeting between the Wolves and Xplorers this season.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS (3-6) AT BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT BATTLE WINGS (4-7)
FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2004 - CENTURY TEL CENTER (12,500) 8:00 P.M. ET

In the first of a stretch of four straight games at the Century Tel Center, the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings host the Rio Grande Valley Dorados. After four straight loses the Battle Wings have won their last two games keeping the playoffs a possibility, especially considering four of their next five opponents have below .500 records. The Dorados have struggled after a 3-1 start, losing five straight. The Dorados should get a boost from the return of quarterback CALEB SLOVER. Last week Slover was rushed to the hospital after suffering a bruised larynx after taking a hit to his Adam's apple. After spending almost 24 hours in the hospital Slover expects to play on Friday night. Being able to suit up after such an injury should boost the spirits of the Dorados. Playing quarterback for the Battle Wings is SHERARD POTEETE who has thrown fourteen of his 42 touchdowns during the last two weeks. Of his 42 touchdown tosses, 24 have gone to BO SMITH, who leads the team in receiving. Poteete also has thirteen rushing touchdowns. It will be the responsibility of the Dorados line to try to keep Poteete under wraps. The leader of the Dorados line is SPENCER CONLEY. His 7.0 sacks is third best in the af2 and tops on the team. His three forced fumbles also leads the team. Also a contributor on defense for Rio Grande Valley is EDDIE MOTEN who has two interceptions in just four games. This is the first ever meeting between the Dorados and Battle Wings.

NO. 8 QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (6-4) AT GREEN BAY BLIZZARD (4-6)
FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2004 - RESCH CENTER (8,600) 8:30 P.M. ET

In a rematch of a Week 5 battle, the Quad City Steamwheelers take on the Green Bay Blizzard. At halftime in Week 5 the Steamwheelers were up by just one point, but a strong defense held Green Bay to just one touchdown in the second half to pull out the win, 47-26. In that game CHRIS GREISEN was unable to play, this week Greisen will be on the field. At 116.3, Greisen has the third highest quarterback rating in the league and is the key to the Blizzard offense. The loss of OS RANDALL LANE hasn't necessarily hurt the Blizzard's output, it has just moved the ball around. ROBERT GARTH grabbed three touchdown catches last week and DERONN FINLEY has eight touchdown catches in the last two weeks. While the Blizzard have lost three of their last four games, they have been coming up just short, losing by an average of four points in the span. The Steamwheelers have hit a rough spot in their season also, losing their last three games. The three game skid is tied for the longest losing streak in Quad City history. Like the Blizzard, the Steamwhelers are coming up just short, losing by an average of six points in these three loses. With this in mind chances are this will be a close game. MATT FORBES holds the team lead in tackles and interceptions but also passes broken up with 15 and forced fumbles with three. The Steamwheelers are the only team with two players in the top ten of receiving yards, TIM DODGE with 1,077 and second in the league, JEFF HEWITT with 937 and seventh in the league. This is the final meeting between the Steamwheelers and Blizzard this season.

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