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Week 16: Quick Hitters

July 10, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


SHOCK MAINTAIN TOP SPOT IN WEEK 16 COACHES POLL: The Spokane Shock have maintained the No. 1 ranking in the Week 16 Coaches Poll, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced on Wednesday. The Shock (12-1) collected 438 of a possible 448 points and 21-of-29 first place votes in securing the top position for the second consecutive week. Spokane clinched its third West Division title in as many seasons with a thrilling, 56-54, home win against rival Central Valley in Week 14. The Shock, who currently boast the league's best record, secured their third consecutive postseason berth with a win in Week 12. After a week off during the recent July 4th weekend, the team returns to action on Saturday at Stockton. The rest of the Top-5 remained unchanged this week as well as No. 2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, No. 3 Tulsa, No. 4 South Georgia and No. 5 Arkansas all had byes in Week 15. The Pioneers (11-2, 419 points, 5 first place votes), who have won 18 straight games at Wachovia Arena dating back to 2006, host Peoria this Saturday. Tulsa (11-2, 389 points, 3 first place votes) hosts Arkansas on Saturday in one of the most intriguing matchups of the week. The Talons, who are two games ahead of the Twisters (9-4, 337 points) in the Central Division standings, have won 13 games in a row at the Tulsa Convention Center. The streak includes the first seven games of 2008 and the last six in 2007. With the Talons set to move to the BOK Center next year, this week's game will be their last scheduled regular season game at the Convention Center Arena. Arkansas owns the league's longest current win streak at six games and counting. The South Georgia Wildcats (9-4, 342 points) host Oklahoma City on Saturday.

ROAD WARRIORS: The No. 1-ranked Spokane Shock (12-1) are 5-1 at home and a perfect 7-0 on the road this season. The Shock have a chance to finish 8-0 on the road this Saturday as the team travels to Stockton, Calif. to play the Lightning, their West Division rivals. If Spokane comes out victorious this week, the Shock would join the 2007 Rio Grande Valley Dorados, the 2001 Tennessee Valley Vipers and the 2000 Quad City Steamwheelers as the only teams in league history to ever finish a season with an undefeated road record.

POSTSEASON APPEARANCES: The Green Bay Blizzard, Spokane Shock, Tulsa Talons and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers have already clinched four of the 16 spots available for the 2008 af2 playoffs. The Talons earned their ninth straight postseason appearance, the most of any active team. Tulsa, one of three original af2 member teams, has qualified for the playoffs every season of the team's existence. The Pioneers rank tied for third in all-time playoff appearance with five in eight af2 seasons. The Blizzard (4) and Shock (3) have also recently booked trips to the postseason.

MOST PLAYOFF APPEARANCES, ALL-TIME

TEAM APPEARANCES

TULSA 9

FLORIDA 6

QUAD CITY 6

TENNESSEE VALLEY 5

W-B/SCRANTON 5

DUSTERS TO HONOR SLAIN TEAMMATE: The Amarillo Dusters will be wearing a "2" decal on their helmets in honor of recently deceased teammate DONTE NEWSOME. Newsome was shot and killed outside a nightclub over the Fourth of July weekend in West Virginia. Newsome, who was in his first year with the Dusters, wore jersey No. 2. The Dusters will place the decal on their helmets for Monday's game against the Tri-Cities Fever in Kennewick, Wash. The team also plans to hang Newsome's jersey in the locker room at all remaining games.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS FOR WEEK 16: This week as many as five new teams can qualify for the 2008 af2 playoffs. Here's how:

American Conference

Florida can clinch a playoff spot with a win at BOI

Green Bay can clinch the Midwest Division with a win at LEX and losses by LOU and QCS

Lexington can clinch a playoff spot with a win vs. GBB

South Georgia can clinch a playoff spot with a win vs. OKC

Tennessee Valley can clinch a playoff spot with a win vs. DBT and a loss by MAN

National Conference

Arkansas can clinch a playoff spot with a win vs. TUL

Tulsa can clinch the Central Division with a win at ARK

SCHULE, MARTIN, CAMPBELL AND BENTON EARN WEEK 15 HONORS: Bossier-Shreveport fullback/linebacker JASON SCHULE, Central Valley wide receiver TONAE MARTIN and Florida defensive back CARLOS CAMPBELL have been named the JLS Ironman, Schutt Offensive Player and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 15 of the 2008 season. In addition to these three awards, the Cutters Catch of the Week Award for Week 15 goes to Florida wide receiver MAGIC BENTON.

Schule (6-0, 245, Louisiana Monroe) had a strong all-around effort for Bossier-Shreveport in the team's Week 15 home contest against the Rio Grande Valley Dorados. The second-year player from Louisiana Monroe did all he could individually to help the BattleWings, but the squad lost on a last-second field goal to their Southwest Division rivals, 46-44. Schule had one rushing touchdown and caught one pass for 21 yards on offense. He also had two total tackles (1 solo, 2 asst) and one fumble recovery on the defensive side. This is the first Ironman of the Week honor of Schule's career. He leads Bossier-Shreveport in rushing yards (253 - 6th in af2) and rushing TDs (15 - T2nd in af2). He's also contributed 24.5 total tackles on defense. Martin (6-3, 210, West Texas A&M), in his second af2 season, had his best performance of the season for Central Valley in the team's Week 15 West Division battle against Stockton. Despite the Coyotes' 50-48 last-second home loss to the Lightning, Martin proved to be the best offensive player on the field. The West Texas A&M alum caught 10 passes for a season-high 130 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. This is the first weekly league honor of Martin's career. In 10 games played, Martin leads Central Valley in scoring (189 points - 7th in af2), total touchdowns (31) and receiving touchdowns (25) and ranks third in the af2 in points per game (18.9). He is also second on the squad in rushing TDs (6) and third in receptions (67) and receiving yards (763). Campbell (5-11, 195, Notre Dame) was a difference maker on defense to help Florida claw its way past division rival Daytona Beach, 41-35. The victory put the Firecats back in first place in the South Division at 9-4. Florida is tied with South Georgia overall but owns the tiebreaker based on a 2-1 advantage in head-to-head meetings. Campbell, a second-year defensive back from Notre Dame, had an outstanding individual showing with 5.5 total tackles (3 solo, 5 asst), including a half a tackle for loss, one pass breakup and a career-high three interceptions (63 INT return yards). All three of his interceptions came at key moments in the contest. His first, which came off the cross bar in the end zone, kept the ThunderBirds from taking a two-score second quarter lead. His second came at the goal line and was returned 45 yards to set up Florida's go-ahead score late in the first half. With just over five minutes to play in the game, Campbell recorded his third pick of the night off Daytona Beach QB Steven Moffett at the ThunderBirds' own 20-yard line. He returned the interception 19 yards to the Daytona Beach 1-yard line to set up James Gibson's short TD run that gave the Firecats a two-score lead, 41-28. This is the first weekly af2 award of Campbell's career. He currently leads Florida in interceptions with six and ranks fourth in total tackles with 33.5. Benton (6-0, 200, Miami) is the Week 15 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. Benton's catch was a 30-yard touchdown grab with 7:05 to play in the fourth quarter of Florida's 41-35 road win against South rival Daytona Beach. The veteran playmaker, now in his eighth af2 season, raced past the ThunderBirds secondary and stretched out to catch Chris Wallace's pass nearly in stride. Benton finished the night with eight catches for 91 yards. In just two games this year, the Miami alum has 22 catches for 279 yards and five touchdowns. He is the af2's all-time leader in receptions (606), receiving yards (8,068) and receiving touchdowns (170). He also ranks second all-time in points (1,050) and total touchdowns (172).

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 15), five international players saw action around the league. Two players who stood out from the af2's international talent pool from Week 15 were Florida WR JAMES PANUI (UK) and Daytona Beach FB/LB ADEBIYI OJUTIKU (Nigeria). Panui helped the Firecats earn a 41-35 road win against the ThunderBirds with six catches for 28 yards and two kick returns for 37 yards on offense. He also contributed 1.5 tackles on defense. Ojutiku recorded 5.5 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup.

GILLIAM TIES af2 INTERCEPTION RECORD: Spokane rookie DB SERGIO GILLIAM (6-2, 195, Clemson) tied the af2 record for most interceptions in a season with his 15th in the Shock's Week 14 home win against division rival Central Valley. The rookie from Clemson is now just one interception shy of surpassing former Tennessee Valley Viper standout KELLY SNELL and making the record all his own. Snell, who set the current league standard for most interceptions in a season (15) in 2003, is still involved in the game as the defensive coordinator for the Arkansas Twisters.

SIX ACTIVE COACHES AMONG ALL-TIME BEST: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Head Coach RICH INGOLD added another victory to his resume in Week 14. Already the league's all-time leader in career coaching wins, Ingold earned his 71st victory in 100 games (71-29 overall; .710) with the Pioneers' 59-56 win at Florida in Week 14. Ingold and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton have already clinched the team's second straight East Division title and fifth straight playoff berth. KEVIN BOUIS, in his fourth season as head coach of the Florida Firecats, is currently one win away from 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 49 career victories. Arkansas' CHRIS SIEGFRIED (66) and Austin's BEN BENNETT (63) rank second and third, respectively, on the all-time win list. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in career af2 coaching wins.

TOP ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES

NAME WINS

1. Rich Ingold* 71

2. Chris Siegfried* 66

3. Ben Bennett* 63

4. Danton Barto* 55

5. Tommy Johnson* 54

6. Kevin Guy 52

7. Bobby Humphrey 51

8. Kevin Bouis* 49

* denotes active coaches

af2's ALL-TIME INTERCEPTION LEADER SETS NEW PERSONAL STANDARD: 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 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 13th interception in Week 14 at Mahoning Valley and now has an all-time league high 46 for his career. Forbes' 2008 total also ranks tied for second overall among the af2 leaders.

MACPHERSON, FLOYD AND RUE NAMED AFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF ROUND PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Grand Rapids Rampage QB JAMES MACPHERSON, San Jose SaberCats DB MARQUIS FLOYD and Cleveland Gladiators FB/LB JOSHUA RUE have been named Offensive Player, ADT Defensive Player, and Ironman of the Week, respectively, for the Divisional Round of the 2008 playoffs. All three began their Arena Football playing careers in the af2.

MacPherson (6-2, 200, Wake Forest) completed 33-of-39 passes for 326 yards and accounted for seven touchdowns (6 - passing, 1 - rushing) and set an AFL postseason record for completion percentage (84.6) as the Grand Rapids Rampage (8-10) defeated the Chicago Rush (11-6), 58-41, on Sunday. MacPherson led the Rampage's offense on scoring drives on nine of the teams 10 possessions while posting a passer rating of 129.2. Grand Rapids travels to HP Pavilion to face the San Jose SaberCats (12-5) in the American Conference Championship Game on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Saturday, July 12 at 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN HD, ESPN360.com, SIRIUS Radio - Channel 127). Before getting his AFL opportunity, MacPherson helped guide the Green Bay Blizzard to a runner-up finish in the 2006 ArenaCup in his only af2 season. He threw for 2,241 yards with 36 touchdown passes and four rushing touchdowns in 10 regular season games played. MacPherson stepped up his play in the postseason, completing 61-of-78 passes (78.2 percent) for 861 yards with 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also rushed for one touchdown.

Floyd (6-2, 192, West Georgia) registered six tackles, one pass defensed and one interception returned for a touchdown as the San Jose SaberCats (12-5) defeated the Colorado Crush (7-11), 64-51, on Saturday. On third-and-five on the SaberCats seven-yard line during Colorado's second possession of the game, Floyd's pass defensed forced fourth-down and resulted in a field goal that allowed the SaberCats to keep a three-point lead. On Colorado's second possession of the fourth quarter, Floyd intercepted Crush QB JOHN DUTTON on the SaberCats three-yard line and returned the interception for a postseason-best 47 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory. Before getting his AFL career started in 2006, Floyd was a standout at the af2 level. In 2005 he was named af2 Cutters Gloves Ironman of the Year. That season, his second in the af2, he led Rio Grande Valley with 101 passes for 1,452 yards and 29 touchdowns during the regular season. He caught a touchdown pass in all 16 games and also recorded four rushing touchdowns for the season. Floyd also finished the season tied for fourth in the league in interceptions with nine, returning them for 145 total yards. He registered 47.0 tackles (42UA-10AT), 11 pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He even threw a 23-yard touchdown pass against South Georgia.

Rue (6-2, 245, Duquesne) tied a Divisional Round high with two rushing touchdowns on five carries for 16 yards and one tackle on defense as the Cleveland Gladiators (11-7) defeated the Georgia Force (10-7), 73-70, on Monday. Rue registered rushing touchdowns of two and 10 yards, with the second giving the Gladiators their first lead of the game. Rue's 10-yard touchdown run marked the first score of the second-half as Cleveland outscored Georgia 33-28. The Gladiators travel to the Wachovia Center to face the Philadelphia Soul (14-3) in the National Conference Championship game on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Saturday, July 12 at 1 p.m. ET (ESPN HD, ESPN360.com, SIRIUS Radio - Channel 127). Rue played in 11 games with the af2's Memphis Xplorers in 2006. That season he had three rushing touchdowns on offense and 17.5 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on defense.

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. With the Talons set to move to the BOK Center next year, this Saturday's home game against the Arkansas Twisters will be their last scheduled regular season game at the Convention Center Arena.

As impressive as Tulsa's current home streak is, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has been even better at Wachovia Arena, winning 18 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 Saturday when the Pioneers host Peoria. 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

18 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 1 game in 2006, 11 games in 2007, 6 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

ROBINSON NAMED ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: This week Chicago Rush DB DENNISON ROBINSON, a former af2 standout with Quad City (2001), was named the 2008 ADT Defensive Player of the Year as voted by AFL head coaches, players, fans, and the AFL Writers Association. Robinson (6-0, 195, West Georgia), who also earned All-Arena First Team honors two weeks ago, led the AFL in interceptions and became the fourth player in AFL history to record 13 in a single season. Robinson also tied for the team lead in tackles (92.5), forced fumbles (3) and ranked third in passes defensed (9) for the League's top-ranked scoring defense (47.8 ppg). Robinson, a six-year AFL veteran, began his Arena Football experience in 2001 with the Steamwheelers, helping the team to its second straight ArenaCup title. That season he recorded 49 tackles, eight interceptions and 20 pass breakups.

HUNT HITS 1,000-POINT PLATEAU: Oklahoma City WR/DB AL HUNT had five touchdowns (2 - receiving, 3 - rushing) and 32 total points scored in Week 14 to become just the third player in af2 history to reach 1,000 points for his career. Hunt currently ranks third on the league's all-time scoring list with 1,018 points. WR GEORGE WILLIAMS, who earlier this season played with the Boise Burn, is the af2's all-time scoring leader with 1,084 career points. Florida WR MAGIC BENTON ranks second overall with 1,050 points. Iowa WR/LB KEVIN WILLIAMS (958 points) and JARRAIL JACKSON (914 points) round out the Top-5 on the all-time scoring chart. 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

1,050 Magic Benton 2001-2007

1,018 Al Hunt* 2003-present

958 Kevin Williams 2001-present

914 Jarrail Jackson* 2000-01, 2005-present

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

858 J.R. Thomas* 2004-present

* Active in 2008

WILLIAMS OWNS ALL-TIME TD RECORD: In addition to being the league's all-time leading scorer, WR GEORGE WILLIAMS is also the af2's all-time leader in total touchdowns with 179. Florida WR MAGIC BENTON ranks second with 172 career touchdowns. Benton is the career leader in receiving touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards.

Most Touchdowns, Career

179 George Williams

172 Magic Benton*

168 Al Hunt*

157 Kevin Williams

151 Jarrail Jackson*

* Active in 2008

Most Receiving Touchdowns, Career

170 Magic Benton*

144 George Williams

144 Al Hunt*

137 Jack Walker Jr.*

136 J.R. Thomas*

* Active in 2008

Most Receiving Yards, Career

8068 Magic Benton*

6588 George Williams

6412 Al Hunt*

6362 J.R. Thomas*

6279 Tim Dodge*

6013 Jarrail Jackson*

* Active in 2008

Most Pass Receptions, Career

606 Magic Benton*

500 Jack Walker, Jr.*

476 George Williams

475 Jarrail Jackson*

472 J.R. Thomas*

462 Al Hunt*

457 Tim Dodge*

* 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 in two all-time passing categories: 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 21,379. This week (Week 16) Wallace has a chance to overtake Strickland in career completions. He needs just one completion to tie and two to take the all-time lead. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in each category.

Most Touchdown Passes, Career

481 Craig Strickland

471 Chris Wallace*

377 Ryan Vena*

360 Matt Sauk

334 Chad Elliott

299 Josh Kellett

* Active in 2008

Most Passes Completed, Career

1736 Craig Strickland

1735 Chris Wallace*

1625 Chad Elliott

1546 Ryan Vena*

1494 Matt Sauk

1262 Josh Kellett

* Active in 2008

Most Passing Yards, Career

22688 Craig Strickland

21379 Chris Wallace*

18711 Ryan Vena*

18415 Chad Elliott

15262 Josh Kellett

* Active in 2008

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY - 2008 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 (11-2) - xy - East Division Champion

2. Green Bay (9-4) - y - Current Midwest Division Leader - Owns better win % in common games over FLA (MAN, PEP, SGW, TVV)

3. Florida (9-4) - Current South Division Leader - Owns HTH advantage over SGW

4. South Georgia (9-4)

5. Tennessee Valley (8-5) - Owns HTH advantage over LEX

6. Lexington (8-5)

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

8. Louisville (7-6)

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

9. Manchester (6-7)

10. Peoria (4-9) - Owns better win % in common games over ALB and IAB (LEX)

11. Albany (4-9) - Owns better win % in common games over IAB (LEX, PEP)

12. Iowa (4-9)

13. Mahoning Valley (3-10)

14. Daytona Beach (2-12)

NATIONAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. Spokane (12-1) - xy - West Division Champion

2. Tulsa (11-2) - y - Current Central Division Leader

3. Austin (7-6) - Current Southwest Division Leader

4. Arkansas (9-4)

5. Lubbock (8-5)

6. Central Valley (7-6) - Owns HTH advantage over BOI

7. Boise (7-6)

8. Bossier-Shreveport (7-7)

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9. Amarillo (6-7) - Owns better win % in common games over CCS (ARK, AUS, BSB, OKC, RGV)

10. Corpus Christi (6-7)

11. Rio Grande Valley (5-8)

12. Oklahoma City (4-9) - Owns better win % in common games over TRI (ARK, BOI, BSB)

13. Tri-Cities (4-9)

14. Stockton (4-10)

15. Texas (2-11)

x - clinched division; y - clinched playoff spot

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

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