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Week 16 af2 Saturday night matchups

July 15, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PIONEERS (7-6) AT FLORIDA FIRECATS (11-2)

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2005 - GERMAIN ARENA (7,128) 7:30 P.M. ET

Germain Arena is the site of only the second all-time meeting between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers and the Florida Firecats. Their only previous meeting came last August in the American Conference Championship game. Florida beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on the road 41-31 to advance to the ArenaCup, which they hosted and won. It was only the second home loss for the Pioneers last season. Now the Pioneers would like to get some measure of revenge and move up in the standings. This is the final game in a stretch of four games on the road for the Pioneers. When you throw the bye week in, it has been five weeks since the Pioneers have played at home. They are 1-2 so far in this stretch of four games on the road. Last week they clinched their second playoff berth in franchise history, but a few more wins and they could host a playoff game. Whether they host a game or not will depend largely on the performance of quarterback BRYAN SNYDER. Synder, an af2 veteran, has taken over for KYLE ROWLEY who started the season as the backup but took the job from TIM HICKS, who has since been traded to Bossier-Shreveport. Snyder has completed 77-of-127 passes for 887 yards and 20 touchdowns with six interceptions. Last season's af2 Rookie of the Year J.R. THOMAS has been out of the Pioneers' lineup for the last five games due to a leg injury. He was cleared to practice earlier in the week and will be a game time decision. The Firecats don't need to worry about their leading receiver as MAGIC BENTON has played in every game this season. CAINON LAMB, who returned mid-season from retirement, is second on the team in receiving with 43 catches for 499 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Firecats have already clinched the South Division and a first round bye.

PIONEERS FIRECATS SERIES LEADER Florida leads series 1-0
LAST MEETING Florida won 41-31 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on 8/22/04
LAST FIVE GAMES 3-2 4-1
LAST GAME Lost at Manchester 63-36 Won vs. Arkansas 50-41
2005 STATISTICS PIONEERS FIRECATS PASSING Rowley: 298-188-11; 2193; 48 TDs Wallace: 414-244-10; 2799; 69 TDs
RECEIVING Forgione: 85-1079; 25 TDs Benton: 83-1094; 29 TDs
RUSHING Apostolidis: 20-39; 4 TDs Gorrie: 72-310; 8 TDs
TACKLES Hattley: 87.5 Snell: 86.0
SACKS Ekwueme: 3.0 Fisher: 2.5
INTERCEPTIONS Kaymore/Riley: 3 Snell: 3
KICKING Davis: 66-81 PAT; 8-22 FG 90 Pts Kornblue: 62-78 PAT; 2-16 FG 68 Pts
TEAM OFFENSE 48.9 PPG (11th); 241.3 YPG (17th) 46.0 PPG (15th); 250.2 YPG (15th)
TEAM DEFENSE 45.5 PPG (6th); 242.5 YPG (4th) 39.7 PPG (3rd); 267.1 YPG (13th)


BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS (1-12) AT SOUTH GEORGIA WILDCATS (3-10)

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2005 - ALBANY CIVIC CENTER (8,034) 7:30 P.M. ET

The South Georgia Wildcats host the Birmingham Steeldogs on Saturday night at the Albany Civic Center. The Wildcats still have playoff hopes alive, but they will need win out and get some help. The first step to winning out is beating the Steeldogs. BRIAN ZBYDNIEWSKI took over as the starting quarterback four games ago. On the season he has thrown for 1,287 yards and 21 touchdowns on 103-of-183 passing with two touchdowns. His eight-touchdown (seven passing, one rushing) performance last week earned him Offensive Player of the Week honors. He became the first Wildcats player to earn a weekly honor this season. His main receiver has been ANTWONE SAVAGE. He has caught 11 touchdowns in Zbydniewski's four starts. CHRIS MCKINNEY, who caught two touchdown passes last week, is one of the Wildcats' main two-way threats. On defense McKinney he is second on the team in tackles (31.5) and has broken up four passes. GEORGE WILLIAMS leads the Steeldogs defense. He leads the team in tackles with 37.0 (33UA, 8AT) Williams has three interceptions while KEON MAINOR's four interceptions leads the team. Mainor is also second on the team in tackles with 35.0. On offense, look for THOMAS RICKS to get the start at quarterback for the Steeldogs. This season Thomas is 14-of-28 for 175 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. The Steeldogs hope he can hook up with DETRONN HARRIS, who is in the top ten in receptions with 87. This is the second meeting between the Steeldodgs and Wildcats this season. South Georgia won the earlier meeting 69-49.

STEELDOGS WILDCATS SERIES LEADER South Georgia leads series 2-0
LAST MEETING South Georgia won 69-49 at Birmingham on 5/7/05
LAST FIVE GAMES 0-5 1-4
LAST GAME Lost vs. Macon 68-51 Won at Albany 58-57
2005 STATISTICS STEELDOGS WILDCATS PASSING Linn: 264-145-16; 1857; 27 TDs Pesavento: 329-196-15; 2055; 43 TDs
RECEIVING Harris: 91-1073; 18 TDs Savage: 68-799; 18 TDs
RUSHING Nelson: 15-71; 3 TDs Iorio: 14-32; 2 TDs
TACKLES Williams: 37.0 Burks: 35.5
SACKS Jackson: 2.5 Scott: 3.5
INTERCEPTIONS Mainor: 4 Fenceroy: 4
KICKING Walls: 36-45 PAT; 4-10 FG 48 Pts Virgilio: 49-66 PAT; 1-9 FG 52 Pts
TEAM OFFENSE 46.9 PPG (13th); 267.3 YPG (10th) 45.2 PPG (17th); 279.3 YPG (6th)
TEAM DEFENSE 60.8 PPG (20th); 256.5 YPG (6th) 51.3 PPG (13th); 221.4 YPG (1st)

RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS (9-4) AT TULSA TALONS (9-4)

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2005 - TULSA CONVENTION CENTER (7,111) 8:00 P.M. ET

The Tulsa Talons host the Rio Grande Valley Dorados on Saturday night with major playoff implications on the line. Both teams are 9-4, tied for first place in the West Division. The Dorados currently hold the tiebreaker over the Talons since they defeated Tulsa earlier in the season. Another win by the Dorados would give them the tiebreaker over Tulsa. Tulsa can also take the tiebreaker with a win, but they need to win by at least two points, to give them the point differential tiebreaker. This game may also feature some history. Rio Grande Valley head coach KEVIN GUY is one win shy of his 50th career victory. A win would tie him with Birmingham's BOBBY HUMPHREY for most head coaching wins in af2 history. Also, if Tulsa's DONOVAN MORGAN catches four touchdowns, he would break the record for touchdown receptions in a season and the individual scoring record. Last week he didn't play against Memphis due to an injury late in the week. It is unknown if he will play or not against the Dorados this week. The contest features some of the best two-way talent in af2. MARQUIS FLOYD leads the team in receiving with 80 receptions for 1,071 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is second on the team in tackles with 40.5 (36UA-9AT) and passes broken up (10). Floyd also leads the team in interceptions with eight. The Talons' ALERIC CLARK has 44 receptions for 737 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also has 65 rushing yards. On defense he is third on the team in tackles (33.0) and passes broken up (11). ROBERT REED is another two-way star. He has three interceptions and 1.5 tackles for a loss on defense. On offense he is second on the team in receiving with 59 catches for 737 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Dorados' FB/LB CHRIS ROBINSON has 199 net rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. On defense he has four sacks while registering a blocked kick, a safety and an interception. The contest will be televised in both local markets. The last meeting between these two clubs came down to the final seconds. The Talons' scored with 2:34 left to go up 64-62. The Dorados took the ball and burned most of the final two plus minutes off the clock when ERIC HOULE connected on a 33-yard field goal with two seconds left. The kick gave the Dorados a 65-64 win.



DORADOS TALONS SERIES LEADER Tulsa leads series 3-1
LAST MEETING Rio Grande Valley won 65-64 vs. Tulsa on 6/11/05
LAST FIVE GAMES 4-1 3-2
LAST GAME Won at Bossier-Shreveport 66-52 Won at Memphis 44-41
2005 STATISTICS DORADOS TALONS PASSING Kellett: 428-244-12; 2868; 52 TDs Blankenship: 397-239-9; 3008; 71 TDs
RECEIVING Floyd: 80-1071; 21 TDs Morgan: 93-1316; 41 TDs
RUSHING Robinson: 48-199; 11 TDs Martin: 31-121; 7 TDs
TACKLES Brown: 53.5 Davis: 69.0
SACKS Robinson: 4.0 McIver: 5.5
INTERCEPTIONS Floyd: 9 Davis: 4
KICKING Houle: 58-69 PAT; 16-34 FG 106 Pts Carlton: 49-57 PAT; 1-4 FG 52 Pts
TEAM OFFENSE 51.5 PPG (8th); 261.8 YPG (11th) 56.9 PPG (2nd); 271.5 YPG (19th)
TEAM DEFENSE 52.2 PPG (14th); 267.2 YPG (14th) 49.4 PPG (10th); 277.8 YPG (15th)

MACON KNIGHTS (6-7) AT ARKANSAS TWISTERS (3-10)

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2005 - ALLTEL ARENA (16,508) 8:00 P.M. ET

The Macon Knights head to Arkansas to take on the Twisters with the playoffs almost in their grasps. For the Knights it is very simple, they beat the Twisters and they are in the playoffs. If they happen to lose, then one win in the next two weeks will get them in as well. The Knights receiving corps got a boost last week from SHAWN TERRY. In just his second game with the Knights he caught four passes for 81 yards, including two touchdowns. If he can continue to find the endzone Terry could be a great companion to CHRIS JOHNSON, who leads the Knights in receiving. Johnson has caught at least one touchdown in ten of the 11 games he has played in this season. On defense for the Knights, HOSEA LANEY and MATT JACKSON make a solid combo. Laney is one of the league leaders in tackles (86.5) and Jackson is one of the league leaders in interceptions (eight). Meanwhile LARRY CASHER leads the team in passes broken up with 17. These guys will be covering Arkansas' trio of receivers, ROBERT KILOW, TED ALFORD and KEVIN WILLIAMS. Kilow leads the team in receptions (66) and receiving yards (811). Alford leads the team in receiving touchdowns with 14, while Williams has 51 catches for 627 yards and 13 touchdowns. Kilow is also a threat on kickoff returns as he has returned 31 kickoffs for 797 yards (25.7 average) and three touchdowns. On defense, in just five games C.J. MCCLAIN had made a name for himself. He has recorded 4.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for a loss and has forced and recovered two fumbles. He will look to make the life of Macon quarterback LIONEL HAYES difficult on Saturday night.

KNIGHTS TWISTERS SERIES LEADER Macon leads series 3-0
LAST MEETING Macon won 67-45 vs. Arkansas on 5/28/05
LAST FIVE GAMES 3-2 2-3
LAST GAME Won at Birmingham 68-51 Lost at Florida 50-41
2005 STATISTICS KNIGHTS TWISTERS PASSING Hayes: 430-258-15; 3159; 52 TDs Motley: 249-123-13; 1492; 28 TDs
RECEIVING Johnson: 88-1191; 19 TDs Kilow: 66-811; 10 TDs
RUSHING Lloyd: 33-77; 7 TDs Small: 28-123; 7 TDs
TACKLES Laney: 86.5 Mitchell-Hughey: 40.0
SACKS Myers: 3.0 McLain: 4.5
INTERCEPTIONS Jackson: 8 Mitchell-Hughey: 3
KICKING Holmes: 29-44 PAT; 3-12 FG 38 Pts Nance: 29-33 PAT; 3-9 FG 38 Pts
TEAM OFFENSE 46.5 PPG (14th); 252.1 YPG (13th) 43.2 PPG (19th); 235.2 YPG (19th)
TEAM DEFENSE 46.9 PPG (7th); 262.8 YPG (10th) 53.7 PPG (15th); 242.0 YPG (3rd)


MANCHESTER WOLVES (11-2) AT MEMPHIS XPLORERS (10-3)

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2005 - DESOTO CENTER (8,444) 8:00 P.M. ET

It is a possible ArenaCup preview when the National Conference Manchester Wolves face the American Conference Memphis Xplorers. Both teams can clinch their respective division with a win. Both franchises have never won a division championship so it is a big night for both teams. Memphis is currently in the midst of a two game losing streak, their longest this season. Their longest losing streak last season was two games as well. Manchester has lost only two games all season and held a ten game winning streak after losing their season opener. They are ranked number one on the af2 Coaches Poll and earned every first place vote possible. The Wolves' offense starts with quarterback JAKE EATON. He is the model of consistence as he is on track to break the record for completion percentage in a season. Eaton avoids making mistakes and gets the ball to the Wolves' playmakers, primarily J.J. MCKELVEY. McKelvey is on track to break the record for touchdown receptions in a season and currently leads the league in receptions with 112. He is one of only two receivers with 100 receptions on the season so far. Memphis' main receiver is KEVIN PRENTISS. Whether he is returning kicks or catching touchdowns he is always exciting to watch. Like McKelvey to the Wolves, Prentiss is a crucial cog in the Xplorers' offense. He has seven games this season with three receiving touchdowns or more, including a six touchdown catch game against Amarillo in Week 2. But last week Prentiss didn't catch a single touchdown pass for the first time all season. Manchester's WILLIAM HAITH, who is on track to break the record for tackles in a season, will want to keep Prentiss out of the endzone for the second week in a row. Memphis DS DAHNEL SINGFIELD will be in charge of slowing down McKelvey, chances are the game will come down to which team's secondary performs better.


WOLVES XPLORERS SERIES LEADER Memphis leads series 1-0
LAST MEETING Memphis won 55-54 at Manchester on 6/18/04
LAST FIVE GAMES 4-1 3-2
LAST GAME Won vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 63-36 Lost vs. Tulsa 44-41
2005 STATISTICS WOLVES XPLORERS PASSING Eaton: 429-308-7; 3318; 71 TDs Jones: 319-199-6; 2736; 55 TDs
RECEIVING McKelvey: 112-1212; 39 TDs Prentiss: 85-1302; 32 TDs
RUSHING Kimener: 65-175; 5 TDs Jones: 63-217; 19 TDs
TACKLES Haith: 104.0 Singfield: 55.5
SACKS Fuller: 3.0 Smith: 14.0
INTERCEPTIONS Sebastian: 6 Singfield: 9
KICKING Ohlige: 38-63 PAT; 1-9 FG 41 Pts Azar: 34-44 PAT; 8-14 FG 58 Pts
TEAM OFFENSE 51.8 PPG (7th); 275.0 YPG (7th) 53.3 PPG (5th); 252.1 YPG (13th)
TEAM DEFENSE 38.1 PPG (2nd); 264.5 YPG (12th) 37.8 PPG (1st); 235.8 YPG (2nd)

AMARILLO DUSTERS (8-5) AT QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (7-6)

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2005 - THE MARK OF THE QUAD CITIES (9,437) 8:30 P.M. ET

The hot Quad City Steamwheelers host the Amarillo Dusters in Quad City's season finale. Things can change very quickly in arenafootball2. After Week 9 the Steamwheelers were sitting at 3-5 thinking they had to come close to winning out down the stretch to make the playoffs. Now it is Week 16 and the 'Wheelers have gone 4-1, are at 7-6 and currently in the final playoff spot. Amarillo, a team who beat them earlier in the season, comes to town and with a win could have the identical 8-6 record to Amarillo and move closer to a home playoff game at The Mark. Amarillo lost last week to Oklahoma City in their last game at home this season. The Dusters have yet to lose more than one game in a row this season. JULIAN REESE is currently three shy of the record of rushing touchdowns in a season. He could tie, perhaps break, the record on Saturday as Reese has six games of three or more rushing touchdowns in a game this season. Another rookie, CHAVIS MCCOLLISTER, has come on strong for the Dusters. His 1,394 receiving yards leads the league. The stat is even more impressive considering he played only 11 games this season. It will be up to MATT FORBES, FRED BARR and the rest of the 'Wheelers defense to stop Reese and McCollister. Forbes is one of the league leaders in interceptions with eight. He has taken three of his interceptions back for touchdowns. Barr has four sacks, seven hits on the quarterback and two forced fumbles. TIM DODGE got his first two interceptions of the season last week. A few more big plays on defense and Dodge may move into contention for his second U.S. Army Ironman of the Year Award. The hierarchy of the National Conference will get a little clearer after Saturday night.


DUSTERS STEAMWHEELERS SERIES LEADER Amarillo leads series 1-0
LAST MEETING Amarillo won 58-48 vs. Quad City on 5/7/05
LAST FIVE GAMES 3-2 4-1
LAST GAME Lost vs. Oklahoma City 77-52 Won vs. Green Bay 40-37
2005 STATISTICS DUSTERS STEAMWHEELERS PASSING Reese: 366-234-8; 3004; 57 TDs Clemons: 476-311-9; 3311; 60 TDs
RECEIVING McCollister: 91-1394; 29 TDs Dodge: 86-968; 12 TDs
RUSHING Reese: 75-154; 25 TDs Clemons: 41-78; 8 TDs
TACKLES Gaston: 60.5 Forbes: 76.5
SACKS Massey: 4.0 Barr: 4.0
INTERCEPTIONS Davis: 4 Forbes: 8
KICKING Hershey: 64-90 PAT; 1-8 FG 67 POts Gatto: 67-82 PAT; 6-25 FG 85 Pts
TEAM OFFENSE 59.4 PPG (1st); 291.2 YPG (2nd) 47.3 PPG (12th); 274.8 YPG (8th)
TEAM DEFENSE 57.5 PPG (18th); 287.3 YPG (18th) 49.2 PPG (9th); 284.2 YPG (17th)

LOUISVILLE FIRE (8-5) AT OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ (8-5)

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2005 - FORD CENTER (17,884) 8:30 P.M. ET

Two teams with identical records take to the turf in downtown Oklahoma City as the Yard Dawgz face the Louisville Fire in the first ever matchup between the two franchises. The contest features a little bit of history as the two players who have passed for the most yards in af2 history face each other. Oklahoma City's CRAIG STRICKLAND has thrown for 17,871 yards and Louisville's MATT SAUK has passed for 16,338 yards all-time. With this in mind, look for it to be a high scoring affair. The Yard Dawgz are coming off of an impressive 77-52 victory at Amarillo. The Yard Dawgz recovered three onside kicks in the first half to put them in position to win. JARRIAL JACKSON is second in the league in receptions with 104. He also leads the league in kickoff return average at 25.9 yards per return. U.S. Army Ironaman of the Year candidate B.J. BARRE leads the team in rushing with 60 yards, has 13 touchdown receptions and leads the team in interceptions with five. Barre also has 422 kick return yards. The Louisville offense has been without rookie ROB MAGER for the last two weeks. CESARE MANNING has stepped up his game, catching 17 passes for 244 yards and nine touchdowns the last two games. Louisville's main two-way player is LAWRENCE MATTHEWS. On offense the veteran has 38 catches for 366 yards and seven touchdowns. Four of his seven touchdown receptions have come in the last two weeks. His three interceptions ties him for the team lead. After missing two games, ROB GREEN returned last week breaking up three passes and intercepting a pass late in the game 24 yards for a touchdown.

FIRE YARD DAWGZ SERIES LEADER First meeting
LAST MEETING NA
LAST FIVE GAMES 3-2 4-1
LAST GAME Won vs. San Diego 62-40 Won at Amarillo 77-52
2005 STATISTICS FIRE YARD DAWGZ PASSING Sauk: 492-332-14; 3685; 77 TDs Strickland: 460-266-9; 3456; 70 TDs
RECEIVING Mager: 92-1103; 29 TDs Jackson: 104-1324; 26 TDs
RUSHING Forney: 25-68; 7 TDs Barre: 13-60; 2 TDs
TACKLES Green: 47.5 Davis: 54.5
SACKS Forney: 2.5 Holloman/Landers: 2.5
INTERCEPTIONS Green/Matthews: 3 Barre: 5
KICKING Kight: 73-92 PAT; 8-19 FG 97 Pts Ball: 38-46 PAT; 5-12 FG 53 Pts
TEAM OFFENSE 53.5 PPG (3rd); 294.2 YPG (1st) 53.5 PPG (3rd); 285.1 YPG (4th)
TEAM DEFENSE 51.1 PPG (12th); 288.5 YPG (19th) 47.7 PPG (8th); 259.5 YPG (8th)


CENTRAL VALLEY COYOTES (7-6) AT SAN DIEGO RIPTIDE (4-9)

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2005 - ipayOne Center (12,920) 10:00 P.M. ET

Coming off a win last week the Central Valley Coyotes want to stay in the thick of the playoff race as they travel to San Diego to battle the Riptide. Coyotes' quarterback JUSTON WOOD is third in the league in passing yards with 3,452. His 68 touchdown passes ranks sixth in the league. He also leads the team in rushing with 138 yards and ten touchdowns. Former UCLA Bruin ASI FAOA will be chasing Wood for most of the night. Faoa is second in the league in sacks with 10.0 and sixth on the team in tackles with 23.0 (15UA-16AT). Faoa has also blocked a kick and recorded a safety this season. Wood's main receiver has been GEORGE WILLIAMS. His 1,280 receiving yards ranks fifth best in af2. WESTON BORBA is one of the Coyotes' more versatile players. He has six receiving touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and even one passing touchdown. He is second on the team in tackles (34.0), has forced four fumbles and recorded 3.5 tackles for loss. For the Riptride, STEVE GONZALEZ has come on strong over the last few games. He has caught 14 touchdown passes in his last five games. Gonzalez has also proven himself to be one of the league's best kick returners. His 1,212-kick return yards ranks second in the league. He has returned a kickoff back for a touchdown in the Riptide's last three games. Gonzalez and NIAN TAYLOR make a danger duo of receivers for quarterback KANE CLAUNCH to throw to. The Riptide and Coyotes have split the season series so far with San Diego winning the last meeting 79-38 in Fresno. Claunch threw nine touchdowns in this game. These two clubs play once more this season, at Central Valley in the final game of the regular season.

COYOTES RIPIDE SERIES LEADER San Diego leads series 8-5
LAST MEETING San Diego won 79-38 at Central Valley on 6/11/05
LAST FIVE GAMES 2-3 2-3
LAST GAME Won vs. Bakersfield 50-43 Lost at Louisville 60-42
2005 STATISTICS COYOTES RIPTIDE PASSING Wood: 483-286-14; 3452; 68 TDs Claunch: 280-157-8; 2135; 49 TDs
RECEIVING Williams: 87-1280; 28 TDs Taylor: 80-871; 24 TDs
RUSHING Wood: 30-138; 10 TDs Griffin: 16-60; 3 TDs
TACKLES Robinson: 58.5 Waller: 37.5
SACKS Bhatti: 4.5 Faoa: 10.0
INTERCEPTIONS Robinson: 6 Smith: 5
KICKING Gockman: 65-78 PAT; 10-18 FG 95 Pts Naehu: 59-74 PAT; 8-19 FG 83 Pts
TEAM OFFENSE 52.1 PPG (6th); 286.1 YPG (3rd) 51.2 PPG (9th); 253.0 YPG (12th)
TEAM DEFENSE 50.1 PPG (11th); 262.7 YPG (9th) 56.2 PPG (17th); 259.2 YPG (7th)

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