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Week Ten Recaps

Published on June 1, 2009 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


FRIDAY, MAY 29

GREEN BAY BLIZZARD 52, Quad City Steamwheelers 49 (Attendance: 5,714)

GREEN BAY, Wisc. - In a game that saw a crazy final minute of regulation and numerous close calls, the Green Bay Blizzard defeated Quad City in overtime, 52-49, Friday night at the Resch Center. After Quad City DL Jermaine Petty returned a Blizzard fumble for a touchdown to put the Steamwheelers ahead, 49-42, Green Bay QB Gino Guidulgi hit WR/DB Terry Love for a six-yard touchdown pass off the net with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation. In overtime, K Bob Forstrom nailed a 22-yard field goal to seal the win for the Blizzard. Guidulgi led the way with 21 completions on 40 attempts for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Green Bay was led in the receiving category by Nate Forse, who hauled in a game-high nine receptions for 185 yards, along with one touchdown. On defense, DB Larry Williams led the way with 5.5 tackles and one tackle for loss. Quad City QB J.J. Raterink turned in a solid performance with 24 completions in 36 pass attempts for 282 yards and five touchdowns. On the receiving end, WR Jesse Schmidt extended his streak of games with 100 or more yards receiving to seven with an 8-catch, 156-yard outing. Schmidt also came up big on defense, as he recorded 3.0 tackles and one pass defended in relief of the injured DeMarcus Robinson. On defense, DB Daron Brooker led the ‘Wheelers with 7.5 tackles on the night. DB Andre Goines added 4 solo tackles in the game, along with a key first quarter interception. The Steamwheelers fell to 4-5 on the season, while the Blizzard improved to 5-4.

SATURDAY, MAY 30

Milwaukee Iron 66, ALBANY FIREBIRDS 63 (Attendance: 4,557)

ALBANY, N.Y. - Firebirds QB Stephen Wasil took the field at his own 5-yard line with 40.6 seconds to play, down by three points, but Albany's final drive came up short as the Milwaukee Iron earned a 66-63 decision Saturday night at the Times Union Center. With under one minute to play in the game Firebirds WR Alvin Ray Jackson caught his third touchdown of the night to give his team a 63-59 lead, but Milwaukee WR Bryan Pray quickly responded with his fifth touchdown of the night for what turned out to be the game's deciding tally. After a 79-point first half, the third quarter saw just one touchdown as the visitors took a 44-42 lead. The shootout resumed in the fourth quarter with a touchdown pass to Jon Leible for the big tight end's first of the season. Milwaukee made it 51-49 on a pass to WR Antoine Burns. Albany's Christian Wise nearly returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but the ball was knocked loose by Iron K Alex Walls and rolled out of the back of the end zone for a devastating Albany turnover. Milwaukee QB Todd Hammel, in his first professional game in four years, took over after the touchback eyeing a two-possession lead, but the Firebirds defense came up with a forced fumble to stay within striking distance. With 3:18 to play Wise collected his third touchdown of the night, but Hammel quickly responded with a touchdown to Burns. Hammel was the difference maker for the Iron. The 15-year AFL veteran showed no signs of rust in his return to the game with 273 yards on 23-of-32 passing with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Pray (8-143-5 TDs) and Burns (9-87-2 TDs, 289 all-purpose yards, 57-yard KO return TD) paced the Milwaukee receivers. DB Brandon Payne led the Iron defensive effort with 10 solo tackles, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. Wasil (26-of-38 passing, 304 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT) and Wise (9-163-3 TDs, 285 all-purpose yards) were Albany's top offensive performers. Jackson (7.5 tackles, 8-84-3 TDs) and DL Reggie Paramoure (2 sacks) paced the Firebirds defense. Both clubs are now 3-6 on the season.

Kentucky Horsemen 61, MAHONING VALLEY THUNDER 39 (Attendance: 2,398)

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Kentucky QB Jared Lorenzen had a hand in seven touchdowns as the Horsemen spoiled Thunder Head Coach Chris MacKeown's Mahoning Valley debut, 61-39. After winning the season opener, Mahoning Valley has dropped eight straight games. With the win Kentucky improves to 5-4 while the Thunder fell to 1-8. Both teams combined to score 40 first quarter points starting with the Horsemen's first offensive play when Lorenzen had a 15-yard TD run. The Thunder answered when WR Quorey Payne took the ensuing kickoff back 58 yards for a score. Less than three minutes later Lorenzen found FB Demetrius Forney for a 10-yard scoring strike that gave Kentucky a 13-7 lead the team would not relinquish. Lorenzen finished with 195 yards passing, four touchdowns and three rushing scores. Backup QB Justin Rascati also saw action and had one TD pass and one TD run. WR John Cooper did most of the damage for the receiving corps with eight catches for 88 yards and a score. DB William Mulder (4.5 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) and DL Jamus Martin (2.5 tackles, 2 FRs, 1 FF, 1 sack) led the Horsemen defense. Payne paced the Thunder with 11 catches for 143 yards, both game-highs. QB Blake Powers completed 23-of-42 passes for 259 yards and three TDs but was intercepted twice. Powers added two rushing scores.

FLORIDA FIRECATS 69, Manchester Wolves 53 (Attendance: 3,037)

ESTERO, Fla. - The Florida Firecats ended a three game skid at home with a 69-53 victory against the Manchester Wolves. Florida got a pair of defensive stops in the first half while building a 33-20 lead heading into the break. The defense was spurred on by the return of DL Terrance Chapman, who had one sack, and DB James McCoy, who had an interception in his first game with the Firecats this season. The teams traded touchdowns in the second half with each team finding the end zone five times in the game's final 30 minutes. Florida QB Chris Wallace, who finished the night tying a personal best with nine touchdown passes, spread the ball around allowing five different receivers to get into the end zone. WR/DB Brent Burnside collected a team-high four touchdowns through the air. Magic Benton led the Firecats with seven catches for 102 yards (2 TDs). Emery Sammons and Deyon Willams kept the Wolves in the game with 11 receptions each with Sammons scoring four touchdowns. Manchester QB James Pinkney completed 29-of-49 passes for 316 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. The Wolves ran 58 plays for 330 yards but also had 15 penalties for 92 yards as well. With the win Florida improved to 4-6 while Manchester dropped to 4-5.

SOUTH GEORGIA WILDCATS 63, Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings 56 (Attendance: 5,006)

ALBANY, Ga. - South Georgia FB Victor Mann's 9-yard touchdown run with 3:43 left gave the Wildcats the lead over Bossier-Shreveport and the defense of the Wildcats answered the call as they stopped the BattleWings on fourth down and goal to seal the 63-56 win Saturday night at the Albany Civic Center. The two teams combined to score 91 points in the first on half on just 40 total offensive plays. South Georgia would start and the finish the half with exclamation points when DB/KR Ivory McCann returned the opening kickoff 56 yards to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead and WR Antwone Savage made a spectacular 40-yard catch against the boards in the end zone with no time left in the first half to send the Wildcats to the locker room with a 49-42 advantage. After a LeVance Richmond interception in the end zone of BattleWings QB Andrico Hines to start the third quarter it appeared that the Wildcats were on the verge of breaking the game open but Bossier-Shreveport's defense did not fold halting South Georgia's offense on fourth down. Bossier-Shreveport's defense was not through either as they held the Wildcats scoreless in the third quarter. Hines found receivers P.J. Berry and Chavis McCollister for touchdowns and the BattleWings took a 56-49 lead into the final frame. South Georgia tied the game at 56 with 9:28 left following QB Darnell Kennedy's 17-yard TD pass to WR Alvance Robinson and then it was time for the Wildcats' defense to make its statement. With the BattleWings driving for the go ahead score, Richmond, for the second time in the half, stepped in front of a Hines pass in the end zone for the interception which led to the Wildcats go-ahead score and eventual victory. Kennedy finished with 254 yards passing and five touchdowns. Hines had 245 yards passing and six touchdowns but threw two interceptions. McCollister led all receivers with seven receptions for 108 yards and four TDs. Savage paced the Wildcats with five receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, South Georgia Wildcats improved to 8-2. Bossier-Shreveport slipped to 4-5.

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PIONEEERS 48, Tennessee Valley Vipers 34 (Attendance: 5,472)

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers won their 23rd straight regular season home game with a 48-34 triumph over the defending ArenaCup Champion Tennessee Valley Vipers at Wachovia Arena. With the Pioneers ahead 28-26 at the half, QB Ryan Vena took a 4th-and-7 play from the 10-yard line and bullied his way into the end zone for his second rushing score of the night. That was the only score for either side in the quarter. Vena and his offense started the fourth quarter with a 12-yard touchdown pass to WR Larry Kendrick. After a strong outing by the Pioneers' defense, Vena led the offense down the field again and ended by connecting with Kendrick for the 8-yard TD pass. Two consecutive penalties by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defense would move the Tennessee Valley offense closer to the end zone on the Vipers' next possession. QB Kevin Eakin once again hooked up with WR Jeremy Grier (8-89) for his fourth touchdown of the night with just over a minute left in the game. Tennessee Valley's two-point attempt was successful as well to cut the Pioneers lead to 14 points. The Vipers on-side kick turned into an illegal touching penalty and the Pioneers were set up first and goal with a minute left to play. The Pioneers would run the ball twice and allow time to run out. Vena led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 216 yards passing on 24-of-33 attempts. He also had four TD passes and two TD runs. J.J. Outlaw (10-104-1 TD) and Kendrick (5-46-2 TDs) were the top two receivers for the Pioneers. DL Justin Parrish (2 sacks) and DB Micheaux Robinson (4.5 tackles, 4 PBUs) paced the defense. Eakin completed just 19-of-45 passes for the Vipers with 177 yards and five total touchdowns (4 passing, 1 rushing). Wilkes-Barre/Scranton improved to 8-1 overall with the win while Tennessee Valley slipped to 6-3.

Arkansas Twisters 82, CORPUS CHRISTI SHARKS 59 (Attendance: 3,842)

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Five days after the Sharks posted an impressive win over the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz with a flawless offensive performance, Corpus Christi (2-7) committed five turnovers en route to an 82-59 home loss to the Arkansas Twisters (7-2). Sharks QB Gary Cooper threw four first half interceptions coupled with the defense's inability to come up with an answer to the potent combination of Twisters QB Kyle Rowley and WR Rod Harper put the Sharks in a hole they couldn't crawl out from. Rowley had a huge night going 24-of-30 passing for 407 yards and 10 touchdowns (1 INT). He also had one rushing TD. Harper had 14 catches for a team-record 275 yards and seven TDs. DB James Todd led Arkansas' defensive effort with a career-high three interceptions. The turnovers and defensive struggles overshadowed a record night by Corpus Christi WR Anthony Clark. Clark set a team record for scoring in a game by catching six passes for 115 yards and six touchdowns. The 36 points scored by Clark eclipsed the old mark of 30 set by teammate Brandon Hussey against Bossier Shreveport on June 28, 2008. Clark has played in two games for the Sharks this year and has nine catches for 168 yards and nine touchdowns. With the loss, the Sharks are now 0-4 all time against the Twisters.

IOWA BARNSTORMERS 77, Peoria Pirates 40 (Attendance: 9,072)

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa Barnstormers used a balanced attack to overpower the visiting Peoria Pirates, 77-40, Saturday night on Wellmark Field at Wells Fargo Arena. With the victory, the Barnstormers improved to 6-3 on the season, while Peoria fell to 2-7. The 77 points scored by Iowa are a season-high. Peoria actually led after one quarter 20-13 before the Barnstormers outscored the Pirates 23-7 in the second quarter to take a 36-27 halftime lead. The second half was all Iowa as for the second week in a row as the Barnstormers outscored Peoria 41-13 over the final 30 minutes of play. WR/KR Tim Dodge returned the second half's opening kickoff for a score. Dodge led Iowa with four total touchdowns (7-102-3 TDs, 56-yard KO return TD). Errick McCown contributed six catches for 102 yards and two TDs. Starting QB Brian Villanueva completed 13-of-18 passes for 189 yards with five touchdowns along with one touchdown run. Defensive linemen Brent Curvey (2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR) and Charles Johnson (1.5 sacks) along with DB Jordan Davis (2 second-half INTs) stood out for the Barnstormers on defense. Peoria was paced in defeat by QB Luke Drone (17-of-28 passing, 140 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 2 rush TDs) and WR Kevin Sanford (6-69-2 TDs).

Tulsa Talons 73, OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ 46 (Attendance: 5,952)

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Tulsa traveled to Oklahoma City to take on Central Division foe Oklahoma City. The game was supposed to be a hotly contested matchup between the in-state archrivals, but the Talons were too much for the Yard Dawgz, pulling away early in a 73-46 victory. Tulsa outscored Oklahoma City 37-17 in the first half and never looked back. Oklahoma City took the first possession of the second half, but Tulsa deflated any momentum the Yard Dawgz may have had as DL James McClinton sacked Oklahoma City QB Robert Kent in the end zone for a safety. WR Jeff Hughley's 4-yard scoring catch on the Talons ensuing possession caused a 9-point swing that was too much for Oklahoma City to overcome as Tulsa stretched its lead to 46-17. Hughley had four receiving touchdowns in the final two quarters and a team-record seven for the game. McClinton also tied a Talons record with his game-high 4.0 sacks. Oklahoma City was led by WR Al Hunt. Hunt had one touchdown run, two touchdown receptions and also threw one touchdown pass in the loss.

BOISE BURN 51, Amarillo Dusters 40 (Attendance: 3,781)

BOISE, Idaho - On a night in which the offense couldn't find their groove, the Boise defense and special teams picked up the slack in the Burn's 51-40 victory over the Amarillo Dusters at Qwest Arena. The defense set the tone on the Dusters' first drive. With Amarillo deep in Boise territory, DB Terrance Sanders picked off Matt Basseuner to set up the Burn's first offensive score of the game. QB Taylor Tharp found WR Jomo Wilson for a 3-yard score and the early 7-0 lead. The Dusters answered three minutes later. Basseuner hit WR Brent Craft in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard score tying the game up at 7. On the ensuing drive, Boise WR Nichiren Flowers recorded his 19th receiving TD of the year from 17 yards to give the Burn a 14-7 lead after one. Following an Xavier Hair 27-yard TD tying the game at 14, Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards for the score to put Boise back on top, 21-14. Amarillo cut the lead to one on Carlos Downey's 5-yard TD run. Up 21-20, Jerard Rabb snared a Tharp pass off the wall, hauling it in for the score and the 28-20 lead. Ahead 28-26 at halftime, Sanders got back in the scoring column by returning the opening kickoff in the second half 56 yards for the score. Boise's lead increased to 15 (41-26) after DB Nygel Rogers scored on a 53-yard interception return. Sanders earned dual player of the game honors (Aaron's Defensive/JLS Ironman) with 4.0 tackles, one interception, two pass breakups and two kickoff return TDs. The Burn defensive front also recorded a season high 4.0 sacks in the win. David Stanton led the way with 2.0. Boise improved to 7-2 on the season while Amarillo slipped to 1-8.

Stockton Lightning 57, CENTRAL VALLEY COYOTES 56 (Attendance: 1,839)

FRESNO, Calif. - The Stockton Lightning used a 22-6 run in the final two quarters to rally from a 15-point deficit and upend West Division rival Central Valley, 57-56, Saturday night at Selland Arena. The Lightning, who tied the Coyotes for third place in the West Division, won their third straight game at Selland Arena and have now won three of the last four matchups after the Coyotes won the first 8-of-9 in the head-to-head series. QB Chad Cavender spearheaded the Stockton attack with five touchdown passes and 258 passing yards on a 28-for-43 effort. WR Etu Molden led the Lightning receivers with eight catches and 66 yards, along with two touchdown receptions. Kyle Hooper's 22-yard field goal extended the Central Valley lead to 36-27 as time expired in the second quarter. The Coyotes pushed the run to 37-7 on John Roberson's four-yard rushing TD to begin the third quarter. The Lightning put a stop to the Central Valley rally on Cavender's 10-yard TD pass to Molden with 7:41 left in the third, cutting the deficit to 43-35 on a two-point conversion. Following LaMonte Jones' 13-yard touchdown reception with 3:19 to play, giving the Coyotes a a 50-35 lead, the Lightning ignited the late rally starting with Cavender's six-yard keeper as time expired in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 50-43 after a two-point conversion toss from Cavender to FB Peter Tuialuuluu. Phil Goodman's dazzling one-handed catch on a 13-yard touchdown strike put the Coyotes ahead, 56-43, but the Lightning kept their pace and responded after Kyle Hooper's missed point-after kick. Cavender found Taplin on a seven-yard heave to the right corner of the end zone with 10:10 left, closing the gap to 56-50. Cavender then followed with the game-winning scamper, another six-yarder off the right tackle, with 6:51 to play to lift the Lightning to a 57-56 lead that would not be relinquished. Central Valley had one final response which went awry, when Carl Walker intercepted O'Hara's desperate floater over the middle on a third-and-goal play, enabling the Lightning to burn the clock. Roberson led the Coyotes with 10 catches for 191 yards and four touchdowns. O'Hara completed 20-of-35 passes for six touchdowns and 285 yards with two interceptions. Both clubs are 3-6 on the season.

Spokane Shock 61, TRI-CITIES FEVER 20 (Attendance: 3,906)

KENNEWICK, Wash. - In a game that saw two turnovers in the first two possessions and seven turnovers overall, the Tri-Cities Fever turned the ball over five times as the Spokane Shock pulled away for a 61-20 road win. Fever starting QB Ryan Porter (5-of-12 passing, 41 yards, 1 TD) and WR Tremayne Kirkland (8-137-3 TDs) connected for 31 yards to kick off Tri-Cities' scoring for the night. But after struggling to move the ball, Head Coach Pat O'Hara turned to backup QB Tomotsuna Inoue (14-of-26 passing, 182 yards, 2 TDs) for the rest of the game. Even with the quarterback change, Spokane's long offensive drives and relentless defense continued to force turnovers and kept the Fever offense off the field for all but three possessions in the second half. The Fever did put some solid drives together, including one drive that took 11:34 off the clock, but were later denied in the red zone. Spokane's defense held Tri-Cities scoreless for the final two quarters of play. Shock QB accounted for five total touchdowns, three passing (19-of-25 passing) and two rushing. Raul Vijil led the Spokane receiving corps with eight catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. DB Sergio Gilliam paced the defense with 2.0 tackles, one interception, one pass breakup and a 44-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Tri-Cities was led on defense by DB Devon Walker with 9.0 tackles (9.0 solo; 2.0 tackles-for loss; one fumble recovery). Overall the defense played tough and recorded 7.0 tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one sack and one breakup. Spokane remained perfect in 2009 at 9-0 while the Fever fell to 1-8.

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