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Week 13: Quick Hitters

June 19, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


FIRST TWO WINNERS NAMED IN "CLICK, CONNECT & VIEW YOUR WAY TO ARENACUP9" SWEEPSTAKES: The arenafootball2 league (af2) and Network Foundation Technologies (NFT) would like to congratulate Shock fan Linda Dowd (Spokane Valley, Wash.) and Talons fan Michael Shimp (Tulsa, Okla.) who were named the first two weekly winners of the "Click, Connect & View Your Way to ArenaCup9" Sweepstakes. Dowd and Shimp won an official af2 Spalding football signed their favorite team just for downloading the af2TV player and completing the necessary registration information. Registered viewers may win 1 of 2 monthly prizes (Official af2 Schutt Replica Helmet of favorite team) or 1 of 8 weekly prizes (Official af2 Spalding Football autographed by favorite team). Furthermore, all registered users will receive special offers from af2 National Partners. The "Online Viewers of the Year" Grand Prize will be awarded to two (2) eligible participants, one from each af2 Conference. The package includes ArenaCup9 VIP game tickets, tickets to all events and travel accommodations. There is no purchase necessary to enter or win. Only registered af2TV users are eligible to win, while all af2 Team staff, families and players are ineligible. To register, visit www.af2.com and follow the link to af2TV, download the FREE player and register your information. Entry can also be made by mailing a postcard with first and last name, complete address, telephone number and age to; 200 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60604. af2TV & NiFTyTV created the "Click, Connect & View Your Way to ArenaCup9" Sweepstakes in late May as a special promotion to reward fans 21-and-older who download the af2TV player and complete the necessary information.

SHOCK NO. 1 IN COACHES POLL: The Spokane Shock have maintained the No. 1 ranking in the Week 13 Coaches Poll, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced today. The Shock collected 447 of a possible 448 points and 28-of-29 first place votes in securing the top position for the third consecutive week. Spokane stayed perfect in 2008 at 11-0 after an impressive 21-point win at Tri-Cities this past Saturday, 54-33. The victory also clinched a spot in the postseason for the Shock. Spokane has qualified for the ArenaCup playoffs in all three seasons of the team's existence. The defending ArenaCup Champion Tulsa Talons (10-1, 407 points, 1 first place votes) maintained the No. 2 position this week on the strength of a 48-31 home win against Iowa. With Lubbock's Week 12 loss at Arkansas, the Talons increased their lead in the Central Division to three games over the Renegades and Twisters. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (9-2, 381 points) also held firm at No. 3 as the Pioneers scored an impressive, 77-49, Week 12 home victory against then No. 5 Tennessee Valley. Green Bay is a new entry into the Top-5 this week. The Blizzard (8-3, 329 points), winners of three consecutive contests, improved two positions from No. 6 to No. 4 on the strength of a 34-31 road win at Midwest Division foe Louisville. Florida (8-3, 325 points) slipped one spot to No. 5 after losing at South Division rival South Georgia, 42-32.

GILLIAM "PICKS" UP ARENA GAME QUICKLY: Spokane rookie DB SERGIO GILLIAM (6-2, 195, Clemson), who broke the Shock team record for most interceptions in a season in Week 10 with his 11th of the year, snatched another in the team's Week 12 road win at Tri-Cities. The rookie from Clemson now has a league-leading 14 interceptions on the season. Former Tennessee Valley Viper standout KELLY SNELL set the current league standard for most interceptions in a season with 15 in 2003. Snell is the current defensive coordinator for the Arkansas Twisters.

DOWN TO ONE: Entering Week 13 of the season, there is only one team that remains undefeated - the Spokane Shock (11-0). The Shock, off to their best start in team history (4th best start in af2 history), are currently ranked No. 1 in the Weekly Coaches Poll. Spokane remained undefeated in 2008 after a 54-33 Week 12 road win at Tri-Cities. The Shock host No. 7 South Georgia (7-4) this Saturday at Spokane Arena. Below is a chart detailing the best starts in af2 history.

TEAM START SEASON

Quad City 16-0 2000

Tennessee Valley 14-0 2003

W-B/Scranton 13-0 2007

Spokane* 11-0 2008

Tulsa 8-0 2008

* denotes active steaks

Of the top three starts in af2 history, however, only one team finished strong as well. The Quad City Steamwheelers ran the table in the league's inaugural 2000 season and won all 16 regular season games and three playoff games, culminating with an ArenaCup Championship. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came close a year ago, losing in the title game to Tulsa, 73-66.

MUSINSKI, RAFE, WILLIAMS AND HUSSEY EARN WEEK 12 HONORS: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wide receiver/defensive back RICH MUSINSKI, Mahoning Valley wide receiver CLENTON RAFE and Amarillo defensive back AARON WILLIAMS have been named the JLS Ironman, Schutt Offensive Player and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 12 of the 2008 season. In addition to these three awards, the Cutters Catch of the Week Award for Week 12 goes to Corpus Christi wide receiver BRANDON HUSSEY.

Musinski (6-0, 205, William & Mary) had a solid all-around effort for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the team's 77-49 home win against Tennessee Valley. The rookie from William & Mary was a factor on both sides of the ball to help the No. 3-ranked Pioneers win their 17th straight game at Wachovia Arena dating back to 2006. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's current home win streak is the second longest in league history. The Pioneers' Week 12 victory also snapped the No. 5-ranked Vipers' seven-game win streak. Offensively, Musinski lined up at wide receiver and caught the first touchdown of the contest. He was also a factor on defense with three solo tackles and a 34-yard fumble return touchdown. This is the first weekly af2 award of Musinski's career. He currently leads the team in receiving touchdowns (19) and ranks second on the squad in receiving yards (738) and third in receptions (53). Musinski has also accumulated 25 tackles and two fumble recoveries on defense. Rafe (5-11, 185, Albany State), in his second af2 season, had an impressive individual showing for Mahoning Valley during the team's Week 12 home loss against Manchester. The Albany State alum had 11 catches for 199 yards receiving and six touchdowns. Rafe's receiving yards and receiving touchdown totals were both Week 12 highs. In just four games played Rafe is tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with 13 and ranks second overall in receptions (25), receiving yards (421) and scoring (78 points). This is the first weekly af2 award of Rafe's career. Williams (5-10, 190, Cal Poly) was an impact player on defense in Amarillo's 49-35 Week 12 home victory against Rio Grande Valley. The second-year player from Cal Poly made quite an impression with four total tackles (3 solo, 2 asst) and three interceptions (Week 12 high). Two of Williams' three picks came in the fourth quarter to help the Dusters preserve their fifth win of the season. This is the first weekly af2 award of his career. Williams currently leads the team in tackles (38.5), interceptions (8) and pass breakups (14). Hussey (5-9, 175, Winston-Salem State) is the Week 12 recipient of the Cutters Catch of the Week Award, a weekly honor that emerged in 2006 to highlight the player who makes the best catch of the week. Hussey's catch was an eight-yard, first quarter touchdown stab in the Sharks' 49-45 home loss against Austin. The second-year player from Winston-Salem State went up the ladder in the back of the end zone and made a one-handed grab off a pass from QB Fran Johnson. For an encore, Hussey made another leaping one-handed catch in the back of the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He finished with six catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns. This is the first af2 weekly honor of Hussey's career. He currently leads Corpus Christi in receptions (74), receiving TDs (16) and scoring (100 points) and ranks second in receiving yards (828).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE: This season the af2 continues to maintain its strong international development program, which began in 2003. Currently the league has international athletes from 15 countries on team rosters. This past week (Week 12), 16 international players saw action around the league and six players started for their respective teams (excluding kickers). Two players who stood out from the af2's international talent pool from Week 12 included Stockton WR/DB JOE TAULA (New Zealand) and Spokane FB/LB LEE FOLIAKI (Tonga). Taula, in his start with the Lightning, recorded three solo tackles and one pass breakup in the team's home loss against Central Valley. Foliaki contributed 5.0 total tackles (4 solo, 2 asst) and a half a sack in the Shock's 54-33 road win at Tri-Cities.

BILETNIKOFF, JR. ABOUT TO TURN 40: Central Valley Head Coach FRED BILETNIKOFF, JR. is just one win away from becoming the 14th coach in league history to reach 40 career coaching victories. Biletnikoff, Jr. has coached the Coyotes for three and a half seasons coming into the 2008 campaign. His career record currently stands at 39-29 overall (.573), including playoffs. This week Central Valley (6-4) hosts the Austin Wranglers on Saturday night. KEVIN BOUIS, in his fourth season as head coach of the Florida Firecats, is currently two wins shy of becoming the eighth coach in af2 history to reach 50 career coaching victories. He currently ranks eighth on the league's all-time win list with 48 career victories. W-B/Scranton Head Coach RICH INGOLD is the league's all-time leader in career coaching wins with 69. Arkansas' CHRIS SIEGFRIED (64) earned his 60th career victory in Week 7 when the Twisters defeated Oklahoma City, 68-25. Austin's BEN BENNETT (62) became the third coach in league history to reach 60 wins with the Wranglers' 66-56 home victory against Amarillo in Week 10. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in career af2 coaching wins.

TOP ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES

NAME WINS

1. Rich Ingold* 69

2. Chris Siegfried* 64

3. Ben Bennett* 62

4. Danton Barto* 54

5. Tommy Johnson* 53

6. Kevin Guy 52

7. Bobby Humphrey 51

8. Kevin Bouis* 48

* denotes active coaches

2007 af2 SPALDING ROOKIE OF THE YEAR JOINS HORSEMEN: DB CHRIS ROYAL, the 2007 Spalding Rookie of the Year, returned to the af2 this week after being assigned to the Lexington Horsemen on Wednesday. The 5-10, 205-pound product from Marshall had a tremendous rookie campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2007. Royal tied for the league lead in interceptions with 14, finished second in pass breakups with 43 and came in third in the af2 in tackles with 117 (111 UA, 12 A). Royal also led the league in interception return yards (185) and tied for the top spot in interception return TDs (3). The playmaking defender also recorded three tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 16 games played. Royal continued his strong play in the 2007 ArenaCup playoffs, finishing with a team-high 34.5 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups in four contests.

af2's ALL-TIME INTERCEPTION LEADER SETS NEW RECORD: Veteran DB MATT FORBES, in his second year with the Louisville Fire and his sixth af2 campaign overall, set a new career high for interceptions in a season in the team's Week 10 road win at rival Lexington. Forbes had two picks against the Horsemen to up his season total to 10 overall. His previous season best for interceptions was nine which he set in back-to-back seasons (2004-05) as a member of the Quad City Steamwheelers. The former William Penn standout recorded his 11th interception in Week 12 against Green Bay and now has an all-time league high total of 44 for his career.

TALONS, PIONEERS CONTINUE IMPRESSIVE HOME STREAKS: The Tulsa Talons saw their team record for consecutive wins (16) come to an end in Week 10 with a 52-45 road loss at Bossier-Shreveport. The Talons run of 16 consecutive victories is the third longest in af2 history. Despite Tulsa's overall win steak coming to a close, the Talons have an impressive home win streak still in tact. With a 70-40 win against Lubbock in Week 11, Tulsa set a new team record for most consecutive home victories with 12. The Talons won again in Week 12 to run their streak to 13 wins in a row at the Tulsa Convention Center. The streak includes the first seven games of 2008 and the last six in 2007.

As impressive as Tulsa's current home streak is, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has been even better at Wachovia Arena, winning 17 straight games dating back to 2006. The Pioneers current home win streak is the second longest in league history. The last time Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lost a home game was on July 8, 2006 when the Florida Firecats edged the Pioneers, 56-51. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next opportunity to extend its current home win streak is this Friday when the Pioneers host Tennessee Valley. Below is a chart detailing the most impressive win streaks in league history.

Most Consecutive Games Won, Regular Season & Playoffs

24 Quad City, 19 games in 2000; 5 games in 2001

17 Quad City, 13 games in 2001; 4 games in 2002

16 Tulsa, 8 games in 2007, 8 games in 2008

14 Rio Grande Valley, 14 games in 2007

14 Quad City, 14 games in 2003

14 Tennessee Valley, 14 games in 2003

13 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 13 games in 2007

Most Consecutive Home Games Won, Regular Season & Playoffs

25 Quad City, 11 games in 2000; 11 games in 2001; 3 games in 2002

17 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 1 game in 2006, 11 games in 2007, 5 games in 2008*

16 Richmond, 3 games in 2000; 9 games in 2001; 4 games in 2002

13 Tulsa, 6 games in 2007, 7 games in 2008*

11 Tulsa, 11 games in 2003

11 Birmingham, 6 games in 2001; 5 games in 2002

11 Albany, 3 games in 20002, 8 games in 2003

11 Green Bay, 2 games in 2006, 9 games in 2007

* Still active

QUAD CITY REACHES 100-WIN MARK: The Quad City Steamwheelers, one of three original af2 members still a part of the league in its ninth season, recorded their 100th win overall (including playoffs) in Week 8. The Steamwheelers joined the Tulsa Talons as the only teams in league history to record 100 victories. Below is a breakdown of the five winningest active teams in af2 history.

R/P/T

Tulsa 108/9/117

Quad City 97/6/103

Florida 82/9/91

Tenn. Valley 80/4/84

Arkansas 71/3/74

R = Regular Season; P = Playoffs; T = Total

WILLIAMS TOPS af2 ALL-TIME SCORING CHART: WR GEORGE WILLIAMS, who earlier this season played with the Boise Burn, became the league's all-time leading scorer in Week 6 win against Stockton with 36 points scored (6 TDs; 3 receiving, 3 rushing). With a three-touchdown performance in Week 8, the seven-year veteran now has 1,084 career points, 64 more than former record holder MAGIC BENTON (1,020). Oklahoma City WR/DB AL HUNT (968 points), Iowa WR/LB KEVIN WILLIAMS (958 points) and JARRAIL JACKSON (914 points) round out the Top-5 on the all-time scoring chart. Hunt scored two touchdowns in a Week 7 loss at Arkansas to become the fifth player in league history to reach the 900-career point plateau. J.R. THOMAS reached the 800-point mark in a Week 8 road loss at Spokane. Below is a breakdown of the leading scorers in af2 history:

MOST POINTS SCORED, NON-KICKING, CAREER

PTS PLAYER YEARS PLAYED

1,084 George Williams 2001, 2003-present

1,020 Magic Benton 2001-2007

968 Al Hunt* 2003-present

958 Kevin Williams 2001-present

914 Jarrail Jackson* 2000-01, 2005-present

876 Jack Walker, Jr.* 2002-03, 2005-present

852 J.R. Thomas* 2004-present

* Active in 2008

WILLIAMS BREAKS ALL-TIME TD RECORD: In addition to breaking the league's all-time scoring record in Week 6, WR GEORGE WILLIAMS also set a new all-time league touchdown mark with 171 career scores. His current total is 179 total touchdowns. Former Florida WR MAGIC BENTON was the former af2 leader with 167 career touchdowns. Benton is also the career leader in receiving touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards. Magic still holds the career records for receiving touchdowns, receiving yards and receptions.

Most Touchdowns, Career

179 George Williams

167 Magic Benton

160 Al Hunt*

157 Kevin Williams

151 Jarrail Jackson*

* Active in 2008

Most Receiving Touchdowns, Career

165 Magic Benton

144 George Williams

140 Al Hunt*

137 Jack Walker Jr.*

135 J.R. Thomas*

* Active in 2008

Most Receiving Yards, Career

7789 Magic Benton

6588 George Williams

6219 J.R. Thomas*

6197 Al Hunt*

6147 Tim Dodge*

6013 Jarrail Jackson*

* Active in 2008

Most Pass Receptions, Career

584 Magic Benton

500 Jack Walker, Jr.*

476 George Williams

475 Jarrail Jackson*

458 J.R. Thomas*

447 Tim Dodge*

447 Al Hunt*

* Active in 2008

VETERAN PASSERS TAKE AIM AT ALL-TIME MARKS: When Craig Strickland retired after the 2006 season, many of his league passing records seemed unattainable. This season, however, Florida's CHRIS WALLACE has the potential to move into the top spot of three all-time passing categories: yards, touchdowns and completions. With 218 yards passing in a Week 8 loss at Tennessee Valley, Wallace became just the second player in af2 history to reach 20,000 career passing yards. His current total now stands at 20,960. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in each category.

Most Touchdown Passes, Career

481 Craig Strickland

464 Chris Wallace*

363 Ryan Vena*

360 Matt Sauk

334 Chad Elliott

299 Josh Kellett

* Active in 2008

Most Passes Completed, Career

1736 Craig Strickland

1689 Chris Wallace*

1625 Chad Elliott

1503 Ryan Vena*

1494 Matt Sauk

1262 Josh Kellett

* Active in 2008

Most Passing Yards, Career

22688 Craig Strickland

20960 Chris Wallace*

18415 Chad Elliott

18157 Ryan Vena*

15262 Josh Kellett

* Active in 2008

af2 ALUMNI EARN AFL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: This week Philadelphia Soul QB MATT D'ORAZIO, a former af2 standout, was named Offensive Player Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 16 of the 2008 AFL season. Before becoming a household name in the AFL, D'Orazio got his Arena Football start in the af2 with the Rochester Brigade in 2002. In 16 games (all starts) with the Brigade that season, D'Orazio completed 324-of-522 passes for 3,372 yards, 51 touchdowns (13 interceptions) and an additional 20 rushing scores. Last week D'Orazio (6-4, 230, Otterbein) completed 25-of-39 passes for 283 yards and accounted for eight touchdowns (6 - passing, 2 - rushing) as Philadelphia (12-3) defeated the Cleveland Gladiators (8-7), 62-61, on Saturday. D'Orazio led the Soul's offense on scoring drives on nine of the teams 12 possessions, including six consecutive, while compiling a passer rating of 124.1.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS FOR WEEK 13

American Conference

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton can clinch a playoff spot and the East Division with a win

National Conference

Spokane can clinch the West Division with a win and a Central Valley loss

Tulsa can clinch a playoff spot with a win or with losses by two of the following four teams (AMA, BSB, BOI, CCS)

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY - af2 PLAYOFF PICTURE: Sixteen teams qualify for the playoffs, eight from each conference (American and National). The eight qualifying teams in each conference consist of the three division champions and five Wild Cards, determined by best overall record. Seeding in each conference is based on overall record, with the top three seeds in each conference reserved for the division champions, regardless of record. In the First Round (August 1-3), the first three seeds in each conference are the three division winners. The next five teams are seeded by next best five overall records. Teams ranked 1-4 earn home playoff games with 1 hosting 8, 2 hosting 7, 3 hosting 6 and 4 hosting 5. In the Second Round (August 8-10), the winner of the 1-8 game plays the winner of the 4-5 game. The winner of the 2-7 game plays the winner of the 3-6 game. The home team is decided by the team with the higher seed. The winners of the Second Round will meet for the Conference Championships on the weekend of August 15-17. The team with the better overall record hosts the Conference Championship game. The winners of the Conference Championships face off in the 2008 ArenaCup on the weekend of August 22-24 at the venue of the participating team with the best overall record.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. W-B/Scranton (9-2) - Current East Division Leader

2. Green Bay (8-3) - Current Midwest Division Leader - Owns better win % in common games over FLA (MAN, PEP, SGW, TVV)

3. Florida (8-3) - Current South Division Leader

4. South Georgia (7-4) - Owns better win % in common games over LEX and TVV (DBT, GBB, LOU)

5. Tennessee Valley (7-4) - Owns HTH advantage over LEX

6. Lexington (7-4)

7. Quad City (6-5) - Owns point differential advantage in HTH games with LOU (92-83)

8. Louisville (6-5)

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

9. Manchester (5-6)

10. Peoria (4-7)

11. Albany (3-8) - Owns better win % in common games over IBS (LEX, PEP)

12. Iowa (3-8)

13. Daytona Beach (2-9) - Owns better win % in common games over MVT (ALB, LEX, MAN, WBS)

14. Mahoning Valley (2-9)

NATIONAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. Spokane (11-0) - y - Current West Division Leader

2. Tulsa (10-1) - Current Central Division Leader

3. Austin (6-5) - Current Southwest Division Leader

4. Arkansas (7-4) - Owns point differential advantage in HTH games with LUB (118-89)

5. Lubbock (7-4)

6. Central Valley (6-4)

7. Amarillo (5-6) - Owns SOS advantage over BOI, BSB and CCS

8. Bossier-Shreveport (5-6) - Owns SOS advantage over BOI and CCS

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9. Corpus Christi (5-6) - Owns better win % in common games over BOI (DBT, OKC, TEX)

10. Boise (5-6)

11. Tri-Cities (4-7) - Owns better win % in common games over RGV (BSB, CVC)

12. Rio Grande Valley (4-7)

13. Oklahoma City (3-8)

14. Stockton (2-9) - Owns SOS advantage over TEX

15. Texas (2-9)

y - clinched playoff spot

*Teams in bold currently lead their respective division; HTH = Head-to-head; SOS = Strength of schedule

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