Wolves Bite Back Conquest 66-62
Published on May 23, 2008 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
ALBANY, NY - Albany wide receiver Antwun Williams broke a franchise single-game record with seven touchdown receptions, but the Conquest lost to the Manchester Wolves 66-62 Friday night at the Times Union Center.
Albany and Manchester traded blows in the first quarter as the Conquest grabbed an early 14-13 lead. Wolves QB James Pinkney went deep twice and connected for touchdown passes of 37 yards and 30 yards, but Albany QB Dan Cole answered with a pair of 14-yard strikes to Antwun Williams. Manchester pulled ahead in the second quarter, out-scoring Albany 26-6, as they cashed in on three Pinkney touchdown passes, one defensive safety and a stunning 53-yard field goal from rookie kicker Chris Koepplin. The Conquest's lone score in the quarter was a one-yard pass from Cole to Williams, as Albany trailed at halftime 39-20.
There was not anything between the two teams in the third quarter as both squads posted 13 points on the board. Cole again found Williams for two more touchdown passes, while Pinkney showed his athleticism with a dazzling 40-yard scramble for a touchdown; he also linked up with Bradley Chavez to put the Wolves ahead 52-33 going into the final quarter. The Conquest mounted a charge in the final 15 minutes, out-scoring Manchester 29-14, at one time closing the gap to three points, but their comeback would fall just short. Pinkney threw for his seventh TD pass and added an eight-yard run for his second rushing touchdown of the game giving Manchester just enough points to snap a six-game losing streak. Newly assigned Albany fullback Agean Robinson scored on a one-yard run, Cole ran for a seven-yard touchdown and Williams caught two more touchdowns for the Conquest, including a record-setting score.
With 26 seconds remaining in the game Williams pulled away from a Manchester defensive back and ran under a long bomb from Cole for a 33-yard touchdown reception. The catch was his seventh touchdown reception of the game and it broke an Albany single-game franchise record, which was previously held by Thomas Anthony, who had six receiving touchdowns on June 10th, 2006 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers.
Manchester QB James Pinkney completed 14-of-26 passes for 260 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception; he also added 64 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on five carries. Albany QB Dan Cole was 26-for-43 passing for 320 yards and seven touchdowns, while rushing four times for six yards and one TD. Manchester WR Steven Savoy led the Wolves with five catches for 94 yards and three touchdown receptions, while WR Emery Sammons had a team-high 110 receiving yards and three touchdowns on three catches. Albany WR Antwun Williams led the way with a game-high 11 receptions for 130 yards and seven touchdowns (a new franchise single game record). Conquest WR Chris Bocage led the team in all-purpose yards for the fifth consecutive week, posting 277 yards (5 rushing, 102 receiving and 170 kickoff return).
Schutt Offensive Player of the Game: Manchester QB James Pinkney
ADT Defensive Player of the Game: Manchester LB Chad Wengert
U.S. ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME: Manchester WR/DB Bradley Chavez
CUTTERS CATCH OF THE GAME: Manchester WR Emery Sammons
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