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Week four Friday night matchups

April 22, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


MEMPHIS XPLORERS (1-1) AT BOSSIER SHREVEPORT BATTLE WINGS (1-2)

FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2004 - CENTURYTEL CENTER (12,500) 7:30 P.M. ET

The Bossier Shreveport Battle Wings return home after a disappointing loss last week in Hawaii to face the Memphis Xplorers in a divisional contest. Memphis is coming off a 54-51 victory in their home opener last week over the Firecats. The Battle Wings use the run game more than most af2 teams. They lead the league in rushing attempts with 33, rank second in rushing yards with 108 yards, and are tied for the lead in rushing touchdowns with seven. Battle Wings quarterback and the af2's all time lead rusher SHERARD POTEETE leads the Battle Wings' rushing attack. Poteete has 19 rushing attempts on the season and has scored four of the Battle Wings' seven rushing touchdowns. The Xplorers' are lead by former Toledo Rocket quarterback and af2 rookie BRIAN JONES. Jones picked up his first af2 victory last week as he threw for three touchdowns, rushed for two, and threw zero interceptions in Memphis' victory of Florida. While the Xplorers' defense did give up 51 points to Florida, they allowed only 153 passing yards to the Firecats. The Battle Wings feature an opportunistic defense. In only three games the Battle Wings' defense has forced eight fumbles, recovering seven of them. SHADRICK MCAFEE has caused four of these eight forced fumbles. WILLIE SHEPPARD of the Battle Wings ranks third in the af2 in tackles with 16.5. Last season, Memphis swept the season series from the Battle Wings winning both games by more than 20 points. The Battle Wings will face the Xplorers again on June 5 in Memphis.

COLUMBUS WARDOGS (1-1) AT BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS (2-1)

FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2004 - BJCC (16,000) 8:00 P.M. ET

It is going to be a dogfight in Birmingham as the Steeldogs return home after a convincing 56-40 victory last week in Arkansas to face the Columbus Wardogs. The Wardogs are coming off a big victory of their own last week over Cape Fear, 62-52. Unlike Week 2 when the Wardogs squandered a lead in the fourth quarter to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, last week against Cape Fear the Wardogs held on to their late lead with touchdown passes from KYLE ROWLEY to REGGIE JONES and ADRIAN COCKFIELD. Rowley has stepped in for CHRIS WINDSOR who was the projected starter, until he was injured before the season started. Cockfield has 23 catches on the season and ranks second in the af2 in receptions. To combat Cockfield the Steeldogs will look to pressure Rowley with the rush of linemen MARLON BUSH and JERRY TURNER. Turner has three sacks on the season; Bush has 1.5 sacks on the season. Birmingham has their own offensive threat in DETRONN HARRIS. Harris leads the af2 in reception yards with 349 and has 19 receptions on the season. Two-way standout ANTHONY JORDAN, who led Birmingham in interceptions last season, has started 2004 strong again with two interceptions. The Wardogs' TERENCE SAMUEL is tied for the af2 lead in interceptions with three. Both teams are ranked on the af2 Coaches' Poll this week after being unranked the previous week. Birmingham comes in at No. 10, and Columbus holds the final spot of the poll, at No. 12. Columbus and Birmingham will play once more in 2004, on June 5 in Columbus.

TENNESSEE VALLEY VIPERS (1-1) AT LAREDO LAW (0-2)

FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2004 - LAREDO ENTERTAINMENT CENTER (8,000) 8:30 P.M. ET

What a way to enter the af2. The Laredo Law host their first home game in team history against one of the marquee clubs in af2, the Tennessee Valley Vipers. Not only do the Law have to face the Vipers, they have to face an angry Vipers team that lost to the rival Steamwheelers last week 47-29. Like many expansion teams Laredo's offense has been slow to start, scoring only 28 points on the season. But there are reasons to be optimistic for the Law. Laredo has a solid receiving corps in P.J. WINTSON, MELVIN PHILLIPS, and MARTINO THEUS. These three receivers have 29 of Laredo's 35 catches on the season. TRACO RACHAL has laid down the law on defense for Laredo, leading the team with nine tackles and two interceptions. After last week's loss, the Vipers fell from the second spot in the af2 Coaches' Poll to the fourth spot. Despite the loss, Tennessee Valley is solid all around. The Vipers have a veteran quarterback in BRYAN SNYDER and a solid group of receivers including JERRIAN JAMES, and RONNEY DANIELS. Those two have 15 of the Vipers' 37 receptions on the season and six of the Vipers' eleven touchdown receptions on the season. Ronney Daniels leads the Vipers in average yards per catch with 21.0. To top this off, both James and Daniels have an interception on the season. This will be the only meeting between the Vipers and Law this season.

CENTRAL VALLEY COYOTES (0-2) AT SAN DIEGO RIPTIDE (0-3)

FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2004 - SAN DIEGO SPORTS ARENA (12,920) 10:00 P.M. ET

One thing is certain this week, after this game either the Central Valley Coyotes or the San Diego Riptide will have their first victory on the season. But there is another storyline dominating this game, and that is the return of former Riptide head coach Cree Morris to San Diego as the head coach of the Coyotes. In his two years in San Diego, Morris took the Riptide to the playoffs once, beating Central Valley, when they were the Bakersfield Blitz, in a playoff game in 2002. Now Morris comes in as the enemy but he has some talent on his side. The Coyotes feature the af2's third leading rusher, MARSHALL BLOUNT, who has totaled 58 total yards and three rushing touchdowns in only two games. KENYATTE MORGAN has thirteen catches and four touchdown receptions for the Coyotes. San Diego has three sold receivers of their own in DWIGHT CARTER, RYAN SMITH, and JESUS REYES. They account for seventeen of the Riptide's twenty touchdowns and are a threat to score at anytime. The Riptide need to reduce their giveaways, they lead the league with twelve turnovers. On defense, the Riptide can bring a substantial a pass rush. They have totaled seven sacks on the season by five different players. The Riptide and Coyotes will get to know each other well because as division rivals they will play four times this season. The next meeting is June 5 in Fresno.



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