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Week 12: Qiuck Hitters

Published on June 10, 2009 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


af2TV FREE ONLINE NETWORK CONTINUES SUCCESSFUL RUN IN 2009:

Thanks to a unique league partnership with Network Foundation Technologies (NFT), all the hard-hitting, fast paced action of arenafootball2 is once again available to fans worldwide. The FREE-for-View online network called "af2TV" showcases every game of the league's 10th anniversary season live over the Internet. The process to view games is easy. To obtain the free af2TV player, fans should first click on the af2TV advertisement located on the upper right corner of the league's web site, www.af2.com. Following the link will bring fans to a special landing page which includes simple directions on how to download and place the af2TV player icon on your desktop. The action continues this week (Week 12) with a 12-game slate that will be available to fans at no charge.

AARON'S af2 DREAM TEAM ONLINE FAN VOTING CONTINUES:

The online fan voting process for the Aaron's af2 Dream Team has officially begun. For the next seven weeks fans can log onto af2.com and vote for their favorite af2 dance team member. The top 12 dancers with the most fan votes will represent the 2009 Aaron's af2 Dream Team at ArenaCup10 in August. The Aaron's af2 Dream Team, an exciting new addition to this year's ArenaCup festivities, will be involved in a number of ArenaCup10 activities including performing during halftime of the championship game and appearances throughout the weekend of events.

SHOCK'S RUN AT NO. 1 HITS 13 WEEKS:

The Spokane Shock have maintained the No. 1 ranking of the Weekly Coaches Poll for the 13th straight week, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced on Wednesday. Spokane collected 383 points of the possible 384 and 23-of-25 first place votes while enjoying a bye in Week 11. The Shock head into their Week 12 road game at Stockton as the only undefeated team left in 2009 (9-0). Spokane's current 13-week stay at the top is the second longest run at No. 1 by a team since Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 14-week run in 2007. Tulsa (9-1, 353 points, 2 first place votes) moved up a spot to No. 2 after a 66-48 home victory against last week's No. 2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Talons have won eight straight games. South Georgia (8-2, 315 points) jumped to No. 3 despite also observing a bye this past week. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (8-3, 312 points) fell two places to No. 4 after the Pioneers road loss to Tulsa. Boise (8-2, 288 points) rounds out the Top-5 this week. The Burn defeated West rival Central Valley last Saturday, 67-48.

ROD HARPER SIGNS WITH NFL TEAM:

The Arkansas Twisters announced late last week that WR ROD HARPER has signed an NFL contract with the New Orleans Saints. Harper, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound Murray State alum, is the third af2 player to sign with an NFL team in 2009. He now joins former Arkansas Twisters great Reggie Swinton as the second player in team history to go from the af2 to the NFL. Harper's last game in a Twisters uniform was arguably his best. In Arkansas' Week 10 road win at Corpus Christi, he recorded 275 yards receiving and seven receiving TDs. Both marks set team single-game records. His receiving yard total also tied the third highest single-game effort in league history. At the time of his signing, Harper led the af2 in a number of categories, including scoring (228 points), total touchdowns (38) and receiving touchdowns (38). He was also tied for the league lead in receptions (107) and ranked second in receiving yards (1,375).

SCHULE ON THE RUN TO af2 RECORDS:

Bossier-Shreveport FB JASON SCHULE is running over the af2 record books this season. The Louisiana Monroe alum, in his third season, set two league marks in the BattleWings' 79-29 home win against Corpus Christi in Week 11. Schule had 13 rushes for 112 yards with six rushing TDs against the Sharks. His rushing yards and rushing touchdowns totals both set af2 single-game records. Schule is the first player in league history to rush for at least 100 yards in an af2 game. Kenyatta Spruill set the previous league-high rushing yards standard in 2001 with 96 yards. Seven different players owned the previous af2 record for rushing touchdowns with five. Schule has now moved into second place on the af2 career rushing list with 1,148 yards and trails another former BattleWings player, Sherard Poteete, who has 1,346 yards. He currently leads the af2 in rushing yards in 2009 with 416 and is tied for the league lead in rushing TDs with 16. Schule is also just 84 yards shy of the league single-season record for rushing yards. Former Florida standout Steve Gorrie rushed for 500 yards in 2004.

REESE HAS SUCCESSFUL RETURN IN 2009 DEBUT WITH DUSTERS:

Veteran QB JULIAN REESE, in his first game action in 2009, led the Amarillo Dusters to a 62-48 Week 11 home victory Saturday against Rio Grande Valley. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound signal caller completed 26-of-37 passes against the Dorados for 313 yards and seven TDs with just one interception. The Indiana State alum, in his fifth af2 season overall and third campaign with the Dusters, also had one rushing TD in the victory. Reese was a fixture in Amarillo af2 organization in 2005 and 2008. He is Amarillo's all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. Last season Reese threw for 2,712 yards and 55 touchdowns (4 INTs) and rushed for 233 yards with four scores in 14 regular season games. He also guided the Dusters to an appearance in the National Conference Championship. He also spent time at linebacker when the team was in need and recorded two interceptions. He earned a spot on the 2008 All-Ironman Team for his efforts. Reese earned First Team All-af2 honors in 2005 after throwing for 3,525 yards with 65 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions for the season. He also rushed for 223 yards and a league-record tying 28 touchdowns. Before rejoining the team, Reese was working as a middle school teacher at Austin Middle School in Amarillo.

HAMMEL CONTINUES TO SHINE IN ARENA FOOTBALL RETURN:

Three years after playing in his last Arena Football League (AFL) game, 42-year-old QB TODD HAMMEL enjoyed his second straight stellar start for Milwaukee on Friday against Mahoning Valley. The 15-year AFL veteran completed 25-of-39 passes (64 percent) for 337 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions to help guide the expansion Iron to their first home win of the season (58-47). In two games (both starts), Hammel has completed 48-of-71 passes (68 percent) 610 yards and 14 TDs without an interception. He is the oldest quarterback and third oldest player overall to see action in an af2 game. Milwaukee football fans are more than a little familiar with Hammel, who played with the AFL's Milwaukee Mustangs for five seasons (1995-99) and had his Mustangs jersey retired on opening night of the 2009 af2 season at the Bradley Center. In 15 AFL seasons, Hammel accumulated 27,093 passing yards and 425 touchdowns and 64 rushing touchdowns.

ALLGOOD, HILL AND ROWLEY HAVE SIGHTS ON PASSING RECORDS:

Veteran quarterbacks JUSTIN ALLGOOD (Tulsa) and and rookie signal caller NICK HILL (Rio Grande Valley) are on pace to break the league record for most touchdown passes in one season. The current record is 106 set by former Central Valley QB SCOTT RISLOV in 2006. Allgood has 71 TD passes through 10 games and Hill has 62 through nine games. Hill (2,921) and Arkansas QB KYLE ROWLEY (3,032) also have the single season passing yards record in their sights. D. Bryant set the current af2 standard with 4,680 passing yards in 2007 with South Georgia. The following is a breakdown of where Allgood, Hill and Rowley stand.

Jackson, Schule, Lewis, Rabb, Madarieta earn Week 11 honors:

Albany wide receiver/linebacker ALVIN RAY JACKSON, Bossier-Shreveport fullback JASON SCHULE and Amarillo defensive back GERARD LEWIS have been named the JLS Ironman, Russell Athletic Offensive Player and Aaron's Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 11 of 2009, the af2's 10th anniversary season. In addition to these three awards, the af2 is also highlighting the player who makes the best catch and the best hit of the week. The Big Game Catch of the Week Award for Week 11 goes to Tri-Cities wide receiver FINAS RABB and the NiFTy Hit of the Week is awarded to Boise linebacker LEVI MADARIETA.

Jackson (6-1, 195, Albany State), in his third af2 season, was all over the field for Albany (4-6) in the team's Week 11, 48-46, road win against East Division rival Manchester. Jackson caught six passes for 71 yards on offense. On defense, he was solid, recording 4.5 tackles, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. This is the first Ironman of the Week Award for Jackson this season and the first of his career. He is currently tied for second in the af2 in fumbled recoveries (4) and has 47 receptions this season for 485 yards and 14 TDs. He leads the Firebirds in interceptions (2), scoring (96 points) and tackles (39). Schule (6-0, 250, Louisiana Monroe), is slashing af2 rushing records in his third season. The Louisiana Monroe alum set two league marks in Bossier-Shreveport's 79-29 home win against Corpus Christi in Week 11. Schule had 13 rushes for 112 yards with six rushing TDs against the Sharks. His rushing yards and rushing touchdowns totals both set af2 single-game records. Schule is the first player in league history to rush for at least 100 yards in an af2 game. Kenyatta Spruill set the previous league-high rushing yards standard in 2001 with 96 yards. Seven different players owned the previous af2 record for rushing touchdowns with five. Schule has now moved into second place on the af2 career rushing list with 1,148 yards and trails another former BattleWings player, Sherard Poteete, who has 1,346 yards. He currently leads the af2 in rushing yards in 2009 with 416 and is tied for the league lead in rushing TDs with 16. Schule is also just 84 yards shy of the league single-season record for rushing yards. Former Florida standout Steve Gorrie rushed for 500 yards in 2004. This is the first Offensive Player of the Week honor of Schule's career. Lewis (5-9, 176, Hawaii), in his first af2 season, stood out on defense for Amarillo in the team's, 62-48, Week 11 home win against Rio Grande Valley. The rookie defensive back from Hawaii was a difference maker for the Dusters with a team-high 6.5 tackles, one forced fumble, one pass breakup and a game-high two interceptions. Midway through the fourth quarter the Dusters owned a 56-34 advantage, but saw that lead shrink to 56-48 with time winding down. With Rio Grande Valley attempting to tie the game with less than 30 seconds to play, Lewis stepped in the way for his second interception of the night. He returned the pick 14 yards for a touchdown to seal the win for Amarillo (2-8). Lewis is tied for the team lead in interceptions (3) and pass breakups (7) and ranks second on the Dusters in tackles (33). Rabb (6-6, 201, Washington State), in his first af2 season, is the Week 11 recipient of The Big Game Catch of the Week Award. This is Finas' first Big Game Catch of the Week Award. His brother, Boise's Jerard Rabb, picked up the honor in Week 8. With seven minutes left in the first half, Rabb made a leaping 11-yard touchdown grab in the back of the end zone that carried him up and over the wall. He flipped head over heals onto the opposite side of the wall and still came down with the catch which at that point of the game gave Tri-Cities a three-point lead, 21-18. Despite the result (53-37 loss), Rabb had a team-best two touchdown receptions on the night on seven catches for 83 yards. In four games played this season, the Washington State alum has 27 catches for 272 yards and four touchdowns. Madarieta (6-3, 250, Brigham Young), in his fourth af2 season, has been awarded the NiFTy Hit of the Week, a new weekly honor that highlights the player who makes the best hit or tackle of the week. In the Burn's recent 67-48 victory against Central Valley, the linebacker from Brigham Young squared up against Coyotes receiver LaMonte Jones after a 10-yard catch and drove him to the turf. Boise DB Terrance Sanders had the assist on the tackle as he delayed Jones long enough for Madarieta to finish the job. Madarieta is tied with Sanders for the team lead in interceptions with six. He also ranks third on his team in tackles with 33.5. With the win, the Burn improved to 8-2 on the season and rank second in the West Division behind Spokane (9-0).

HOT ROD ON RECORD RECEIVING PACE:

Rio Grande Valley's rookie WR ROD WINDSOR is on pace to shatter many if not all of the af2's receiving and scoring records in 2009. In nine games played, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Western New Mexico alum leads the league in scoring (230 points) and receptions (119) and is second in receiving yards (1,474). He is also tied for second in total touchdowns (37) and receiving touchdowns (37). Another player who can't be overlooked in this chase towards the af2 record books in Quad City WR JESSE SCHMIDT. Schmidt has 114 catches for 1,617 yards and 37 touchdowns through his first 10 games. The following is a breakdown of where the two players stand to date.

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON'S HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE:

Wachovia Arena, the home of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers, has become a visiting team's worst nightmare in recent years. The Pioneers have won 23 straight regular season home games, a streak that dates back to 2006. Counting the playoffs, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has won 27 of its last 28 home games. The last time the Pioneers lost a regular season home game was on July 8, 2006 when the Florida Firecats edged Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 56-51. The next opportunity for the Pioneers to extend their current home win streak is in Week 13 (June 20) when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton hosts Central Valley. While Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's current streak has been impressive, it hasn't yet approached the all-time best home win streak set by the Tulsa Talons at their previous home, the Tulsa Convention Center. The Talons won 26 consecutive regular-season home games from 2000-03. Tulsa won its final two home games of the 2000 season and 24 straight over the next three years.

MCCOMBS SACKS LEAGUE ALL-TIME MARK:

League veteran and current Spokane Shock DL BEN MCCOMBS became the af2's all-time leader in career sacks in the team's Week 5 road win at Stockton. McCombs, in his sixth af2 season, currently has a league-high 10.5 sacks in 2009 and 51.5 for his career. C.J. MCLAIN owned the previous all-time, league-high sack total with 44.5. McCombs entered the year with 41 career sacks.

WALLACE FIRST TO 500:

Florida Firecats veteran CHRIS WALLACE became the first quarterback in league history to throw 500 career touchdown passes in a 68-62 home win against Kentucky in Week 4. Wallace hit the 500-mark with a 15-yard strike to WR James Panui early in the fourth quarter. He entered the contest with 495 career touchdown passes and added seven against the Horsemen to up his total to 502. He currently has 543. Wallace also holds af2 career records for passing yards (24,690), completions (2,013) and attempts (3,371). He became the league's all-time passing yards leader in a

32-27 road win at Albany in Week 3. Wallace began his af2 career with the Carolina Rhinos in 2000. He played for the AFL's Orlando Predators in 2001 and 2003. Prior to joining the Firecats midway through the 2004 season, he played for the af2's Norfolk Nighthawks and Cape Fear Wildcats.

VENA PASSES LOFTY BENCHMARKS:

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton QB RYAN VENA passed two impressive career milestones in the Pioneers' Week 2 home win against Albany - 20,000 passing yards and 400 touchdown passes. The veteran signal caller from Colgate, currently in his sixth af2 season (third with the Pioneers), joins CHRIS WALLACE and CRAIG STRICKLAND as the only quarterbacks in league history to reach those lofty totals.

VENA PASSES 80 RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS:

Over his career, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton QB RYAN VENA has hurt many opponents with his arm (22,283 yards passing, 446 touchdowns), but he has also proven to be an adept runner as well. With his 1-yard touchdown run in a Week 3 road loss to Kentucky, Vena became just the second player in af2 history to record 80 career rushing touchdowns. He now has 85 and stands just two rushing scores shy of tying SHERARD POTEETE's league record of 87.

TWO PLAYERS HIT GRAND RUSHING MARK:

Bossier-Shreveport FB/LB JASON SCHULE became just the fourth player in league history, and second this season, to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a career. Schule eclipsed the mark with 79 rushing yards in the BattleWings' Week 10 road loss to South Georgia. His current total now stands at 1,148. Schule also leads the league in rushing yards this season with 416. Last week Kentucky FB/LB DEMETRIUS FORNEY became the third player in league history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a career. Forney hit the century mark in a Week 9 home win against Florida. His current career total is now 1,028 yards.

SIEGFRIED HITS 75:

With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's Week 6 home win against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, RICH INGOLD improved his league-leading, all-time coaching win total to 80. His overall record currently stands at 83-32 (.722). Ingold is in his seventh season overall and fourth with the Pioneers. Twisters Head Coach CHRIS SIEGFRIED currently ranks second overall in career wins with 75. Amarillo's BEN BENNETT (66) ranks third on the all-time win list. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in career af2 coaching victories:

HUNT MAINTAINS LEAGUE'S ALL-TIME SCORING LEAD:

With one touchdown in a Week 8 loss at Tennessee Valley, Oklahoma City WR AL HUNT moved into the No. 1 spot on the all-time scoring list, surpassing Central Valley WR GEORGE WILLIAMS. Hunt's current all-time total is 1,238 points. Williams now ranks third with 1,168 career points. Florida WR MAGIC BENTON moved into the No. 2 position with 1,174 points after a 14-point effort in a Week 10 home win against Manchester. Current Bossier-Shreveport WR CHAVIS MCCOLLISTER and former league standout KEVIN WILLIAMS fill out the Top-5. Below is a breakdown of the leading scorers in af2 history:

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