
Week Nine: Friday Night Matchups
Published on May 21, 2009 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
MAHONING VALLEY THUNDER (1-6) AT MANCHESTER WOLVES (3-4)
FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2009 - Verizon Wireless Arena (9,650) 7:30 P.M. ET
Week 9 kicks off Friday night with an East Division matchup as the Mahoning Valley Thunder visit the Manchester Wolves in their first of two meetings this season. The Thunder have struggled so far this season, losing six straight games after a Week 1 home win against Albany. Mahoning Valley will be well rested this week after enjoying a bye in Week 8. The Thunder's most recent result was a 73-37 home loss to division leader Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Thunder QB Blake Powers fumbled and threw an interception on the first two Mahoning Valley plays from scrimmage allowing the Pioneers to jump out to a 14-0 lead they would never relinquish. The Thunder struggled offensively converting on just 1-of-7 third downs and failed to score in the third quarter. Powers finished 12-for-24 for 114 yards with two touchdowns and two turnovers. He was replaced in the fourth quarter by Davon Vinson who threw for scores on his only two passes of the evening. C.J. Brewer caught six passes, two of which were scores. As a team, Mahoning Valley is only averaging 38.4 points per game, third lowest in the league, while giving up 63, the second most. Some of the Thunder's troubles this year can be linked to their inconsistency under center. Neither Powers nor Vinson have been able to provide stable, secure play on a regular basis. WR QUOREY PAYNE has been the club's top receiver. The veteran is averaging 97.3 receiving yards per game and 12.9 points. The Thunder are also having trouble in the turnover department. They currently own the worst margin in the league at minus-13 (gained 11, lost 24). The Manchester Wolves are hoping to rebound this week from a recent slide that has seen the club lose its three straight games. Their three losses, however, have come by a combined seven points. In their last game in Week 8, the Wolves lost at Albany, 53-51. Manchester, despite squandering a 38-14 halftime lead, still had an opportunity to win the game with a late 37-yard field goal. The attempt was missed, however, after deflecting off a low-hanging speaker at the Times Union Center. QB JAMES PINKNEY completed 16-for-27 passes for the Wolves with no interceptions and six touchdowns. WR STEVEN SAVOY caught nine passes for 142 yards and five touchdowns. FB PAUL JEFFERSON also rushed for a touchdown. Pinkney is averaging 253.9 passing yards per game. He is also completing 61.3 percent of his passes with just five interceptions, one of the lowest totals in the league. Savoy leads the Wolves in receiving with 44 grabs for 548 yards and 15 TDs. On the defensive side, veteran DB ROB GREEN leads the club in interceptions with four while fellow DB AL PHILLIPS is the team leader in tackles (45.5) and pass breakups (15). Both teams are anxious for their next win. Manchester looks to be the better team on paper, but the Wolves will need to play for a full 60 minutes if they want to keep the Thunder quiet and get back to .500.
RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS (5-2) AT BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT BATTLEWINGS (3-4)
FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2009 - CenturyTel Center (12,500) 8:30 P.M. ET
Friday's action continues with the Rio Grande Valley Dorados taking to the road for a Southwest Division showdown at Bossier-Shreveport. These two teams have met 11 times overall with the Dorados holding a slim edge in the all-time series, 6-5. This is also the second of three head-to-head meetings between the two clubs this season. The Dorados won the first matchup at home in Week 4 (58-49). Rio Grande Valley, currently ranked No. 7 in the latest league coaches poll, has had a strong first half overall. The Dorados won five of their first six games before suffering a humbling 83-56 road loss last week at Stockton. The 83 points was the most surrendered by Rio Grande Valley in 2009. The Dorados defense, however, has had some trouble this season creating stops. The team currently ranks near the bottom of the league standings in scoring defense as they allow opponents nearly 56 points per game (55.7). This week Rio Grande Valley's defense took another hit after losing veteran LB TRAVIS MCALPINE, who was placed on injured reserve. The Dorados' defensive deficiencies, however, have been more than offset by the club's high-octane offense. Rio Grande Valley currently ranks fourth in the af2 in scoring at 62.1 points per game. The leader of the offensive unit is rookie QB NICK HILL. Hill has been completing 67.3% of his passes so far and is leading the league in average passing yards per game with 302.9. Last week against Stockton, Hill completed 23-for-42 passes for 372 yards and eight touchdowns (1 INT). His favorite target thus far has been fellow first-year player ROD WINDSOR. Windsor had a game-high 12 receptions for 169 yards and four touchdowns at Stockton. He currently leads the af2 in receiving yards (1,104) and receiving yards per game (157.7) and ranks second in receptions (92), receiving touchdowns (26) and scoring (162 points). WR/DB CRAIG TURNER has made a splash as well. Turner, who leads the team in tackles (49.5) and pass breakups (12), has also become a dangerous kick returner. He currently leads the af2 in kickoff return average at 27.7 yards per return. The No. 15 BattleWings return home to the CenturyTel Center this week in good spirits after the team's top offensive performance last Saturday at Kentucky. Bossier-Shreveport scored a season-high 78 points in a 78-64 win. The victory pushed the team to just one game under .500. Veteran QB ANDRICO HINES regained his starting spot and showed the coaching staff they made the right decision. Hines completed 20-of-27 passes for 214 yards and a team-record nine touchdowns against just one interception. WR BUCHIE IBEH led the BattleWings receiving corps with four touchdowns on six catches for 98 yards. Bossier-Shreveport boasts the league's top fullback in JASON SCHULE. Schule, who is just 72 rushing yards shy of 1,000 for his career, leads the league in rushing with 196 yards. The four-year veteran set a team single-game record with 73 rushing yards against the Horsemen. He also had two rushing touchdowns. It's a well-known fact that these two teams don't like each other very much. Expect another tense yet high-scoring and highly-entertaining affair this week.
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