AROUND THE AF2 League news and notes

ArenaCup returns to Bossier-Shreveport: The ArenaCup, the championship game of af2, will have a Cajun flavor to it again this summer. ArenaCup8, presented by Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, will be held at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, La., on Aug. 25, the af2 league office announced. The Shreveport-Bossier City area will be the backdrop for the league's season-ending, showcase event for the second time in the last three seasons. The 2005 ArenaCup was held in Bossier City as well. This will be the third straight season the af2 has held a neutral-site ArenaCup championship game. The 2006 ArenaCup was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. Prior to 2005, the af2 championship game was held at the venue of the participating team with the best overall record.
Featured games: af2 has established a new, extensive online network to provide the league's passionate fan base an opportunity to view a vast number of games through the Internet. Thanks to a new league partnership with industry leader B2 Networks, fans across the globe are now be able to bring all the action of af2 football to their home computer or laptop. To tune into the action, fans can log on to www.af2.com and click on the special advertisement located at the top right-hand corner of the page. Viewers looking to enjoy the games via B2 will only need a high-speed internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 or higher. Games will be available for the normal B2 rate of just 6. This week there are eight (8) af2 games available though B2.
Florida maintains top spot: The Florida Firecats have received the No. 1 ranking in the Weekly Coaches Poll for the fourth consecutive week. Florida collected 458 of a possible 464 points and 23-of-30 first place votes in securing the top position. The Firecats scored an impressive, 61-34, road win this past Saturday at Tennessee Valley to improve to 3-0. The Quad City Steamwheelers (3-0, 410 points, 5 first place votes) held firm at the No. 2 position on the strength of a 65-38 home win Friday against Boise. Tulsa (2-0, 376 points, 1 first place vote) also stayed strong at No. 3 with a 77-44 home win in Week 3 against Amarillo. New additions to the Top 5 this week are Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at No. 4 (2-0, 343 points, 1 first place vote) and Bossier-Shreveport at No. 5 (2-0, 330 points). South Georgia (2-1) and Central Valley (1-1) both slipped out of the Top 5 after Week 3 defeats. One notable omission from the latest Coaches Poll is Spokane (1-2). The Shock felt defeat for the second time this season on Sunday at Fort Wayne, 63-56. This is the first time Spokane has not been included since the preseason poll in 2006, before the team played its first-ever af2 game. The Shock's run of inclusion in the Coaches Poll was a stretch of 20 consecutive weeks.
Week 3 honors: Florida wide receiver/linebacker Chris McKinney, Oklahoma City quarterback Stan Hill and Bossier-Shreveport defensive end Elex Reed were named the U.S. Army Ironman, Schutt Offensive Player and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 3 of the 2007 season. In addition to these three awards, the af2 is also highlighting the player who makes the best catch of the week. The Cutters Catch of the Week Award for Week 3 went to Lubbock wide receiver Alvance Robinson. McKinney (6-2, 215, Guilford College), in his fourth af2 season, showcased his all-around talents for the Firecats in their convincing, 61-34, road win against South Division rival Tennessee Valley. The veteran playmaker scored on offense, defense and special teams to take the venom out of the Vipers. He recorded three catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns on offense, had a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown on defense, and also had a 57-yard kick return for a touchdown. This is McKinney's second af2 weekly award of his career. He earned the Cutters Catch of the Week for Week 10 of 2006. Last season he earned the special teams spot on the American Conference All-af2 Second Team. Hill (6-3, 215, Marshall) helped lead Oklahoma City to an impressive, 76-42, Week 3 road win against Corpus Christi. The former Marshall standout, now in his second af2 season, was near perfect against the expansion Sharks, completing 27-of-33 passes for 402 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception. His 10 TD passes tied for the third highest single-game total in af2 history, while his 402 yards passing was the sixth best single-game total in league history. Both were af2 season highs. This is the first league award of Hill's career. Reed (6-5, 295, Mary Hardin-Baylor), in his second af2 season, was a major force on defense in Week 3 for Bossier-Shreveport as the Battle Wings (2-0) blanked the expansion Texas Copperheads, 52-0, recording just the second shutout in league history. Reed registered 9.0 total tackles and 6.0 sacks in the contest, a new af2 single-game record. Asa Francis of Quad City set the previous league-high mark of 5.0 sacks in a single game at Hawaii on June 28, 2003. This the first weekly af2 award of Reed's career. He is also the second Bossier-Shreveport player to earn the Defensive Player of the Week Award in as many weeks, following up Kendrick "Boss" Walker for Week 2. Robinson (5-9, 170, Alabama State), who is in his rookie season in the af2, earned the Cutters Catch of the Week Award on an impressive one-handed 33-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter of the Renegades' 51-48 home-opening loss to Arkansas. Robinson finished the night with a team-high seven catches for 75 yards and a game-high two touchdowns.
Strong start: The first-year Fort Wayne Fusion have gotten off to an strong 2-1 start to their inaugural season. What may be even more impressive, however, is that both of their wins came against teams that played in last year's ArenaCup -- Spokane and Green Bay. Fort Wayne defeated the defending American Conference Champion Blizzard at home in Week 1, 36-28, and outlasted the defending ArenaCup Champion Shock last week at home, 63-56. Their top player thus far has been QB Cody Hodges. Hodges, a rookie from Texas Tech, leads the af2 in rushing yards (104) and rushing touchdowns (7). He has also passed for 608 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Sack attack: Bossier-Shreveport DE Elex Reed was a menace on defense in Week 3 for Bossier-Shreveport in the Battle Wings' home win with Texas, recording 6.0 sacks in the contest to set an af2 single-game record. Asa Francis of Quad City set the previous league-high mark of 5.0 sacks in a single game at Hawaii on June 28, 2003. Reed's single-game sack total was also twice the amount of Michael Moncrief's team record of 3.0 sacks in one game, a mark he set in 2001. The Battle Wings as a team also tied an af2 single-game record with 11 sacks against the Copperheads, equaling a mark set in 2001 by the Richmond Speed.
Second shutout: The Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings blanked the expansion Texas Copperheads in Week 3, 52-0, recording just the second shutout in league history. The only other shutout in af2 annals was on March 29, 2001 as the Peoria Pirates lost to the Quad City Steamwheelers, 41-0, at the Mark of the Quad Cities.
Wings soar: The fans of Bossier-Shreveport have got to be excited about their home team's early season success. For the first time in the team history (six seasons prior to 2007), the Battle Wings have started a season 2-0. Currently ranked at an all-time high of No. 5 on the Weekly Coaches Poll, Bossier-Shreveport has a real test ahead in Week 4 as the team travels to Rio Grande Valley to take on the undefeated Dorados (2-0, No. 7 in latest Coaches Poll).
Wallace closing on 300: Florida QB Chris Wallace, an af2 veteran in his sixth season, is closing in on 300 touchdown passes for his career. He currently has 295, a mark that places him third all-time in af2 history. Former Tulsa/Oklahoma City standout Craig Strickland is the league's leader in career touchdown passes with 481. Louisville QB Matt Sauk ranks second with 356. Wallace will look to hit the 300-mark this Saturday night when the Firecats host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers. He is currently tied for the af2 lead in touchdown passes with 20 so far in 2007.
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