Week two af2 game recaps

Published on April 10, 2006 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

FRIDAY, APRIL 7
Green Bay Blizzard 48, MANCHESTER WOLVES 34 (Attendance: 7,531)
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Green Bay QB James MacPherson threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns and the Blizzard (1-1) took advantage of four Manchester miscues en route to a 48-34 road win over the defending East Division Champion Wolves. MacPherson earned Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors for his effort. WR/LB Robert Garth (7 catches, 76 yards, 2 TDs) and OS Randall Lane (7 catches, 76 yards, 1 TD) were the main playmakers for a solid Green Bay offense. The Blizzard also had scored three rushing touchdowns. DS Ronnie Kaymore was a difference maker on defense, recording four tackles, two pass break ups, one interception, and one fumble recovery which he returned for a 45-yard touchdown. His fumble recovery and run came early in the fourth quarter with the Blizzard ahead, 27-7, but with the Wolves threatening. His score essentially put the game out of reach, upping Green Bay's lead to 34-7. Kaymore earned ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors. The Wolves offense struggled to get going until the late moments, caused mainly by a combination of nerves and strong Blizzard pressure and downfield coverage. OS Jamaal Perry led Manchester with 10 catches for 99 yards and one touchdown. WR/DB Steve Gonzalez also played well in his debut with the Wolves, scoring on three of his nine receptions. New QB D. Bryant started slow, but finished with 241 yards passing and five touchdowns with no interceptions. William "Roc" Haith led the Manchester defense with 6.5 total tackles, one interception and three pass breakups. Green Bay's win over the Wolves (0-1) was the team's first in four all-time meetings.

SATURDAY, APRIL 8
Albany Conquest 54, MACON 25 (Attendance: 2,614)
MACON, Ga. - The Albany Conquest moved to 2-0 on the season with a convincing 54-25 win on the road against Macon, spoiling the Knights' season opener. Albany's Jim Jones was named the Schutt Offensive Player of the Game with seven catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns. The Conquest defense was the difference, however, pressuring Macon into four sacks and forcing QB Chad Elliott into four interceptions. After being ahead 27-25 at the half, Albany didn't allow another point scored by the Knights. Conquest FB/LB Melvin Parris led his team with seven tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery to earn ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors. Shawn Murray and Pete McBride each recorded two interceptions. WR/LB Jamaal Garman was one of the lone bright spots for Macon. The Knights veteran earned US Army Ironman of the Game honors for his strong two-way play, which included four catches for 41 yards and one touchdown on offense, and three tackles and one interception on defense.

Tennessee Valley Vipers 58, SOUTH GEORGIA WILDCATS 50 (Attendance: 6,273)
ALBANY, Ga. - The Tennessee Valley Vipers (1-1) won their first game since their return to af2 play on Saturday night at South Georgia, 58-50. The Vipers defensive unit, which forced South Georgia into six turnovers (3 fumbles, 3 INTs), spoiled the Wildcats home opener. OL/DL Rashad Gibbs (4.5 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 safeties) and DS Joey Robinson (2 INTs, 1 INT return TD) were the main forces behind the Vipers defensive attack. Gibbs, an af2 rookie, was named the ADT Defensive Player of the Game. Tennessee Valley QB Roger Linn earned Offensive Player of the Game honors with a solid offensive showing, completing 23-of-32 passes for 237 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Viper OS Wayne Thomas caught a game-high 10 passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns. South Georgia didn't just give in, however. Trailing by 28 points (42-14) midway through the third quarter, the Wildcats showed great heart by battling back to tie the game at 42-42 with just under six minutes left in the game. After a Vipers score on their next possession, DS Joey Robinson iced the game for Tennessee Valley with 23 seconds to play on a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown. Wildcats WR/LB Chris McKinney was one of the few bright spots for South Georgia. The veteran had a solid two-way effort to win the US Army Ironman of the Game, catching five passes and scoring two touchdowns overall (1 receiving, 1 rushing) on offense. McKinney also registered two tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

ARKANSAS TWISTERS 58, Amarillo Dusters 20 (Attendance: 5,953)
N. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Twisters used a stifling defense to throttle a young Amarillo squad, 58-20, Saturday night in their home opener. With the win, Arkansas has gotten off to a 2-0 start for the first time in team history. The Twisters defense shut out the Dusters in the second half and was responsible for four sacks, two forced fumbles and 12 pass break ups. ADT Defensive Player of the Game Delenell Reid, playing in his first game of the year, paced the Arkansas attack with three tackles and six pass break ups. Veteran WR/DB Lennie Johnson earned Ironman of the Game honors with a strong overall effort which included three touchdown receptions on offense and a game-high nine tackles on defense. The Twisters also got another great performance out of QB Walter Church, who threw eight touchdown passes for the second straight week to earn Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors. Amarillo OS Josh Richey led the Dusters with eight catches for 106 yards and one touchdown.

BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS 41, Everett Hawks 36 (Attendance: 6,210)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Steeldogs (1-0) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit at home to defeat the expansion Everett Hawks, 41-36. Birmingham was led by the rookie tandom of QB Ryan Hawk and OS Kerry Wright. Hawk finished 21-for-37 for 242 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. Three of Hawk's scoring tosses went to Wright, who caught nine passes in all for 118 yards. Wright also had 118 kick return yards, including a 50-yard return for a touchdown. Trailing 34-36 with 6:50 to play, Hawk hooked up with Lawrence Story on a 20-yard scoring strike to put the Steeldogs ahead, 41-36. Clinging to a lead, Birmingham's defense held firm against the dangerous Hawks on their ensuing drive. Four downs was all Everett had, allowing the Steeldogs the opportunity to run out the clock after gaining possession with just over a minute to play. Everett's top-flight QB Julian Reese was grounded most of the night, scoring two rushing touchdowns and throwing for just three scores in 36 passing attempts. He also threw two interceptions. A.J. Street led all Hawks receivers with nine catches for 114 yards and one touchdown. With the loss, Everett falls to 0-2 on the young season.

Central Valley Coyotes 63, BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT BATTLE WINGS 34 (Attendance: 1,633)
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Central Valley QB Scott Rislov has been in a zone to start this season, and this past Saturday he continued his hot streak in Louisiana against the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings. The rookie signal caller connected on 30-of-41 passes for 365 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions to lead the Coyotos to their second win in as many games, clipping the Battle Wings, 63-34. Rislov earned Schutt Player of the Game honors for his efforts. It's his second straight game with seven scoring tosses with no interceptions. His main target was LaMonte Jones, who scored three touchdowns and had eight catches in all for 117 yards. Coyotes DS Daniel Jones, who picked off two passes to go along with 2.5 tackles, was recognized as the ADT Defensive Player of the Game. Central Valley's defensive line also played great, pressuring Bossier-Shreveport QB J.J. Raterink into five sacks. Three of those sacks came courtesy of Doug Langenfeld. US Army Ironman of the Game honors went to WR/LB Wes Borba, who caught seven passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns on offense, and recorded three tackles on defense. The Battle Wings struggled a bit on both sides of the ball. Dante Johnson led the team with six catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Jonathan Bell paced the Bossier-Shreveport defense with three tackles, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ 60, Stockton Lightning 50 (9,216)
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Yard Dawgz won their season opener Saturday night at home in front of the af2's largest crowd this season, defeating the expansion Stockton Lightning, 60-50. Oklahoma City's veteran QB Craig Strickland was his ever-efficient self, completing 18-of-25 passes for 257 yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions. Strickland's performance also put him past Matt Sauk as the af2's all-time leader in career completions. He currently has 1,439, seven more than Sauk had during his four-year af2 career. Al Hunt was Strickland's prime target, scoring on four of his eight catches. Hunt had a tremendous overall outing, recording 174 receiving yards and 3.5 tackles and three passes defended on defense. Their combined efforts were enough to keep a game Stockton squad at bay, despite af2 season highs by Lightning QB Josh Blankenship (386 yards passing) and WR/DB George Williams (202 receiving yards, five TDs). Oklahoma City's defense was able to slow the Lightning down enough to force stops on four possessions and that was the difference. Stockton (0-2) joins Everett as the only two new teams yet to record a win in af2 play.

MEMPHIS XPLORERS 78, Florida Firecats 46 (2,163)
SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - Memphis QB Brian Jones threw for 279 yards and seven touchdowns to help the Xplorers out-score the Firecats 41-14 in the second half and win going away, 78-46, Saturday night in their 2006 home opener. Jones also scored two rushing touchdowns and earned Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors. The victory moved Memphis to 2-0 on the year. The Xplorers' convincing win over a very talented Florida team reaffirmed the squad's stand as the top team in the league. After a tightly contested first half that ended with Memphis up five, 37-32, the Xplorers finally opened the game up with three key defensive stops to start the second half. Xplorers OS Kenny Higgins had another strong showing, catching 10 passes for 136 yards and three scores. Memphis WR/DB Terrance Quattlebaum, who had five catches for 65 yards and a touchdown in addition to an onside kick return for a touchdown in the second half, earned US Army Ironman of the Game honors. Florida (0-1) was led by QB Chris Wallace, who threw for 251 yards and seven touchdown passes. OS Magic Benton matched Higgins had an impressive 2006 debut in defeat as well, recording 10 receptions for 137 yards and four touchdowns.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS 75, Tulsa Talons 40 (4,870)
HILDALGO, Texas - Rio Grande Valley (1-1) set a franchise record for points on the way tot cruising past the Tulsa Talons, 75-40, Saturday night at Dodge Arena. Dorados QB Josh Kellett rebounded from a sup-par performance in Week 1 in a big way, throwing eight touchdown passes with no interceptions. He also scored a rushing touchdown as well, earning Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors in the process. Four of Kellett's scoring strikes went to import WR/LB Mel Long, who had nine catches in all for 112 yards. Travis McAlpine caught three more touchdowns for Rio Grande Valley. Defensively, the Dorados recorded stops on four out of five Tulsa possessions in the second half and limited the team to just six points. Lineman Curtis Jeter (1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery) earned ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors while WR/DB Pierre Thomas (2 rushing TDs, 1 INT) was awarded the US Army Ironman of the Game. Tulsa (0-1) QB Mark Radlinski (261 yards passing, 6 TDs, I INT) and OS Ricky Ross (4 catches, 74 yards, 3 TDs) paced the Talons in defeat.

SUNDAY, APRIL 9
Spokane Shock 49, BAKERSFIELD BLITZ 45 (2,400)
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Spokane proved again that no Arena Football game is truly out of reach, rallying from a nine-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to post a shocking 49-45 victory over the Bakersfield Blitz. The Shock improved to 2-0 on the season with the win, while Bakersfield fell to 1-1. After Bakersfield took what seemed like a commanding 45-36 lead on a Michael Wall touchdown pass to WR/LB Eric Mahanke with 4:23 remaining, Spokane WR/DB Charles Frederick returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to the Bakersfield 5-yard line. Two plays later, Anthony Griffin found the end zone after taking a handoff from Shock QB Alex Neist. A blocked PAT left the Blitz with a 45-42 lead with just over one minute left in the game.
That set up John Koker's subsequent on-side kick that took an enormous bounce and appeared to settle in the hands of a Bakersfield player, but Griffin shook the ball loose with a well timed hit. The ball took a fortuitous bounce towards the middle of the field where Shock WR/LB Nian Taylor gathered it in stride and weaved through several defenders for the go-ahead touchdown. For the second straight week, the Shock defense preserved a late lead with a fourth down stop in the closing seconds. Spokane QB Alex Neist struggled under constant pressure from the Bakersfield pass rush, completing just 16-of-32 passes for 189 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Bakersfield's DeRonn Finley performed well in defeat, catching six passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, the US Army Ironman of the Game award winner also had a 56-yard kick return for a touchdown, four tackles, two forced fumbles and one interception.

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