Wolves weekly

Published on July 25, 2005 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Manchester Wolves News Release


The Wolves have three days of practice this week as they prepare for their Friday night regular season finale against East Division foe Albany (4-11). A Manchester win gives the team its first-ever East Division title.

Game 16 Preview - Wolves vs. Albany Conquest - 7:30 PM (Verizon Wireless Arena)

The Albany Conquest enter Friday's game with a 4-11 record and a fifth place standing in the American Conference, East Division. Albany's season has been disappointing for sure, but the Conquest are much better than their record indicates. Six of their 11 losses have come by eight points or less. Two weeks ago Albany's offensive potency showed though as the team defeated the playoff-bound Green Bay Blizzard in the highest-scoring game in af2 history, 88-82. The Conquest are led by veteran QB D. Bryant. Bryant has quietly put together quite a personal campaign this year, ranking among the league's best in total offensive touchdowns (1st - 94), total offense (2nd - 4,195 yards), passing yards (3rd - 4,019), passing TDs (6th - 80) and rushing TDs (T-3rd - 14). He has a dangerous duo of deep threats in Jeremiah Pope (119 catches, 1,322 yards, 31 TDs) and Manwel Talbert (87 catches, 1,245 yards, 26 TDs), who are both among the league leaders in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Collectively, the offense is sixth in the league in scoring, averaging 52.6 points per game. On defense, Travis Coleman is the main playmaker for the squad with a team-best 57.5 tackles. The veteran DS also has four interceptions and 13 pass breakups. Rookie Oby Arah leads the Conquest with four sacks and seven QB hurries. Albany's defense ranks 18th in the league in scoring defense at 56.3 points per game allowed. The Wolves (11-4) will look to counter with the top-flight duo of QB Jake Eaton and WR/LB J.J. McKelvey on offense. Eaton has struggled a bit of late, but overall has been solid all season, connecting on a league-leading 70.2 percent of his passes. The former Maine signal caller is also the league's second-best QB in passer rating (121.8). McKelvey has been Eaton's favorite target. He leads the league with 128 receptions and also ranks among the league's best in scoring (2nd - 274 points). As a group, the Wolves offense ranks eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 50.7 ppg. On defense, William "Roc" Haith and Allistair Sebastien are impact players in the secondary. Haith leads the league in tackles (112) and is among the top-5 in passes defended (31). Sebastien is among the af2 elite in interceptions with six. The Wolves defense ranks fourth in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 43.7 ppg. Over the team's last two games, however, Manchester's strong defense has been paper thin due to injuries, allowing 78 points to Louisville (July 23) and 83 points to Memphis (July 16). The Conquest lead the all-time series with the Wolves, 6-5. In their two head-to-head matchups this season in Albany, the Wolves prevailed both times in close encounters (56-49 on April 23, 48-47 on May 14).

Game 15 Wrap-up - Wolves Get Burnt By Fire, 78-61; Miss Another Opportunity To Clinch East

The Manchester Wolves missed out on another chance to clinch the East Division title Saturday night as a sizzling Louisville offense torched Manchester, 78-61, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY. The Wolves (11-4) have now lost three of their last four games after a 10-1 start. The Wolves offense was led by QB Jake Eaton, who tossed a team-record nine touchdown passes. He also threw a season-high three interceptions, however, and was sacked a season-worst five times thanks to an underrated Louisville defense. WR/LB Marc Bacote caught a season-best four TDs (7 catches, 84 yards) in the loss. Louisville improved to 10-5 and also has a chance to claim the East if they win again and the Wolves falter next week.

After a see-saw offensive battle in the first half that saw the two teams combine for 73 points, (Louisville 41, Wolves 32), the second half proved to be a different story. The Wolves endured a nightmarish third quarter due to a struggling offense and an opportunistic Louisville defense that forced two turnovers that resulted in touchdowns. Manchester had four possessions in the quarter and scored just once on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Eaton to Jamaal Perry. When the fourth quarter began, the game was essentially over, as the Fire held a commanding 65-40 lead. Louisville swept the individual game awards with QB Matt Sauk (25-of-36, 237 yards passing, 7 TDs) earning Offensive Player of the Game, Lawrence Matthews (I rush TD, fumble recovery TD) receiving US Army Ironman of the Game, and Andrew Tippins ( 3.5 sacks, one INT) collecting ADT Defensive Player of the Game.

Next Home Game - Friday, July 29 vs. Albany Conquest - "Fan Appreciation Night"

Fans, come join us this Friday, July 29 for our 2005 regular season finale, "Fan Appreciation Night." It promises to be our most special event of the season with great giveaways all night. The 168 Magazine pre-game concert series starts things off at 6:00 p.m. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. To get in on the fun, purchase your tickets today at the Verizon Wireless Arena box office or through Ticketmaster at 603-868-7300, at Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Adult seats start as low as $14.25 in the upper bowl while youth (12-and-under) and senior (65-and-over) tickets start at just $9.75.

This Week's Community Events Calendar

On Tuesday, July 26th, Manchester Wolves player Lamar "Turtle" Bryant and owner Don Winterton will visit Griffin Free Public Library in Auburn, NH. Bryant and Winterton will be reading to local children beginning at 10:30 AM.

On Wednesday, July 27th, two Manchester Wolves players will be holding a two-hour "meet and greet" between 11-1 PM at Stoneyfield Farms in Londonderry, NH.

On Thursday, July 28th , the Manchester Wolves dance team will be holding a special Dance Camp for kids. The event will held from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM at Rising Stars in Bedford, NH. Forty girls will have the opportunity to be taught by New Hampshire's best dance team! The campers will also take part in a special halftime show alongside their counselors at the Wolves regular season finale on Friday, July 29.

On Sunday, July 31th, the entire Manchester Wolves football team, coaching staff, and six Wolves dance team members will be at Steven Singer's house for a BBQ/Pool Party for charity. The gala will be in Dunbarton, NH from 12 - 4 PM.

Also on Sunday, July 31th, members of the Manchester Wolves Dance Team will be performing during the annual "Miss Hampton Beach" contest. The contest starts at 2:00 PM on the boardwalk in Hampton, NH.

Playoff Picture In Focus

In 2005, six teams from each the American and National Conference qualify for the playoffs. The six qualifying teams in each conference consist of the two division champions and four Wild Cards, determined by best overall record. Seeding in each conference is based on overall record, with the top two seeds in each conference reserved for the division champions, regardless of record. In the First Round (August 5-7), the two division winners in each conference receive a bye. The top-seeded Wild Card team hosts the lowest-seeded Wild Card team, while the No. 2 seeded Wild Card team hosts the No. 3 seeded Wild Card team. In the Second Round (August 12-14), the division winners who had byes in the First Round host the winners from the First Round. The top seeded division champion plays the lowest seeded team advancing from the First Round, while the second-seeded division winner plays the other winner from the First Round. The winners of the Second Round will meet for the Conference Championships on the weekend of August 19-21. For this round seeding no longer matters, meaning the team with the better overall record hosts the Conference Championship game. The winners of the Conference Championships face off in the 2005 ArenaCup on August 27 at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, Louisiana televised on FOX Sports Net. Going into the final week of the season, the 12 playoff teams are set. Final seeding, however, is still up for grabs.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE
1. Florida (13-2) - x
2. Manchester (11-4) - y
3. Louisville (10-5) - y
4. Green Bay (8-7) - y - Holds HTH advantage over MAC, WBS
5. Macon (8-7) - y - Holds HTH advantage over WBS
6. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (8-7) - y

First Round games would be: WBS @ LOU; MAC @ GBB; FLO, MAN receive bye

NATIONAL CONFERENCE
1. Memphis (12-3) - x
2. Tulsa (11-4) - x
3. Quad City (9-6) - y - Holds better win % over common opponents (LOU, BOS, WBS) than OKC, RGV
4. Oklahoma City (9-6) - y - Holds HTH tiebreaker over RGV
5. Rio Grande Valley (9-6) - y
6. Amarillo (8-7) - y - Holds HTH tiebreaker over CEN

First Round games would be: AMR @ QUA; RGV @ OKC; MEM, TUL receive bye

x - clinched division championship and first round bye, y - clinched playoff spot
HTH = Head-to-head

J.J. Is Dyno-mite!
Manchester Wolves WR/LB J.J. McKelvey is finishing up an all-star caliber season. After a solid rookie campaign last season in which he played just six games, the former Clemson standout has blossomed into a big-time Arena Football player in 2005. This season McKelvey has broken nine Wolves franchise records. Below is a detailed look at where J.J. stands tall in the team's record book to date:

Wolves All-Time Record Holders

CAREER
Scoring: 294 points - J.J. McKelvey, 2004-2005 (210, Mel Long, 2003-2004)
Receiving TDs: 44 - J.J. McKelvey, 2004-2005 (34, Mel Long, 2003-2004)
Receptions: 152 - J.J. McKelvey, 2004-2005 (106, Brandon Burnside, 2002)
Receiving Yards: 1,637 - J.J. McKelvey, 2004-05 (1,567 - Brandon Burnside, 2002; 1,558 - Mel Long, 2003-2004)
SINGLE SEASON
Scoring: 274 points - J.J. McKelvey, 2005 (202 - Brandon Burnside, 2002)
Receiving TDs: 41 - J.J . McKelvey, 2005 (30 - Brandon Burnside, 2002)
Receptions: 128 - J.J. McKelvey, 2005 (106 - Brandon Burnside, 2002)
Receiving Yards: 1,567 - Brandon Burnside, 2002 (1,371 - J.J. McKelvey, 2005; 1,277 - Mel Long, 2003)
SINGLE GAME
Scoring: 38 points - J.J. McKelvey, 6/11/05 @ GBB (30 points - Brandon Burnside, 5/17/02 vs. ROC)
Receiving TDs: 6 - J.J. McKelvey, 6/4/05 vs. MAC (5 - Brandon Burnside, 5/17/02 vs. ROC)

Doctor's Notes
The Wolves game at Louisville was double trouble, as the team not only lost in convincing fashion, but also saw a few of its players banged up with injuries, namely OL/DL Jojo Oliphant and FB/LB Kelvin Fuller. Fuller re-aggravated a calf sprain injury and Oliphant suffered a minor knee injury that may require extra time to heal. Both players are currently listed as questionable for this week's game vs. Albany.

Wolves players currently on the injured list are as follows:
Short Term: William Ferguson (WR/DB) - Knee; Mike Wells (OL/DL) - Foot

Wolves Among League Leaders
As a Team: Individually:
4th in scoring defense - 43.7 pts per game 1st in pass completion pct - 70.2 - Jake Eaton
1st in pass rating - 121.6 2nd in pass rating - 121.8 - Jake Eaton
4th in pass completions - 362 1st in tackles - 112.0 - William Haith
1st in pass completion percentage - 70.0 1st in receptions - 128 - J.J. McKelvey
2nd in turnover margin - +11 2nd in scoring - 274 pts - J.J. McKelvey
4th in first downs - 297 2nd in touchdown receptions - 41 - J.J. McKelvey
T-5th in first downs passing - 212 T-3rd in passes defended - 31 - William Haith
2nd in third down conversions - 53.8 pct 5th in rushing - 189 yards - Mark Kimener
4th in red zone defense - 73.1 pct T-3rd in passing TDs - 83 - Jake Eaton

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