As the month of June closes the AFL is gearing up for the strech run that will determine this year's playoff field, but before we can head there we have five games from week fifteen to discuss. This past week only provided us with five games because Arizona, Chicago, Spokane, and Tampa Bay all had their bye. This week saw the first division clinched, as well as our first team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention.
New Orleans VooDoo 59, Pittsburgh Power 54
Who would have ever thought that a game between a pair of 3-10 teams would hold significant playoff value. Well, in part to the weakness of the American Conference that's what this matchup between the Power and VooDoo brought to the table in week fifteen. Scenarios: New Orleans: A win would at least keep them within two games of the final wild card spot, with an Orlando loss they would be only one game out. Pittsburgh: Same exact scenario as New Orleans; the VooDoo own the head-to-head tiebreak over Orlando, Pittsburgh does not have the head-to-head tiebreak over Orlando.
In such a crucial game it's important to get off to a good start, and each team did that in a high-scoring first half that went back and forth. Kurt Rocco started the scoring with a 26-yard strike to Quorey Payne on his second pass of the game. Steven Sheffield was quick to respond, completing all four of his opening-drive passes that resulted in a tied game on Mike Washington's 23-yard touchdown catch. The Power defense made the first rift in the action when Sergio Gilliam intercepted Rocco at his own 15-yard line. Sheffield and the offense took advantage of the early opportunity four plays later when Julian Talley hauled-in a 21-yard score. It didn't take long for Kurt Rocco to bounce back after throwing a pick, as L.J. Castille turned a three-yard screen pass into a 45-yard touchdown that gave New Orleans a 14-13 lead. Pittsburgh regained the lead on the first play of the second quarter when Mike Washington was the recipient of an eighteen-yard touchdown from Sheffield on a fourth-and-eleven. Rocco completed four straight passes on the following possession, highlighted by Quorey Payne's four-yard touchdown; and Chris LeFlore created an instant spark by returning the ensuing kickoff 56 yards for a touchdown to keep Pittsburgh up by five. Over the next couple of series the VooDoo would create some space. A fifteen-yard touchdown by L.J. Castille gave the laed right back to New Orleans, but it was on the Power's ensuing possession that the game had its first bit of space when Julian Rauch's 40-yard field goal went wide right and was fielded and returned 51 yards by Quorey Payne for a touchdown to push the lead to nine. Each quarterback tossed one more touchdown before halftime, but the biggest play was made by Courtney Smith who saved what would've been a pick-six by LeFlore on the final play of the first half, preserving a nine-point lead for the VooDoo. Pittsburgh was set to begin the second half with the ball and desperately needed some points on this possession; an area that we have seen the Power a lot in this season. Steven Sheffield directed a ten-play, seven-and-half minute drive that concluded on a six-yard touchdown by Mike Washington. New Orleans responded with a six-play, four-minute drive of their own that resulted in a 46-yard field goal by Kenny Spencer, who was making his New Orleans debut. The Power reclaimed the lead when Sheffield and Washington hooked up for another fourth-down touchdown to begin the fourth quarter. Quorey Payne returned the ensuing kickoff to Pittsburgh's 24-yard line, but the energy from that play left the VooDoo benched when on the next play Kurt Rocco was hit as he was throwing and appeared to suffer a shoulder injury that ended his night early. Chirs Dixon was called upon to try and lead the road comeback by using both his arm and his legs. Dixon only needed two plays to make his first contribution on a five-yard touchdown scamper. Steven Sheffield led an eight-play, six-minute drive that resulted in a fifteen-yard touchdown my Julian Talley. The VooDoo didn't take long to reclaim the lead, As the second of back-to-back completions by Dixon resulted in a 29-yard touchdown to Payne that gave his side a 59-54 lead with 4:28 left to play. Sheffield completed three staight passes to get the Power to New Orleans' seventeen-yard line at the one minute warning. All signs pointed the Power being able to pull this one out, but on the first play inside of the warning Eddie Moten read and jumped an out-route to make the game-saving interception. Chris Dixon had a couple of positive runs to run out the clock, sending New Orleans home 59-54 winners.
Stat Leaders:
New Orleans (4-10) Pittsburgh (3-11)
Kurt Rocco 15-22, 201 yds, 5TD, 2 Int Steven Sheffield 32-47, 338 yds, 7TD, Int
Chris Dixon 2-3, 45 yds, TD; 20 rush yds, TD Mike Washington 9 rec, 139 yds, 5 TD
L.J. Castille 7 rec, 123 yds, 3 TD Julian Talley 15 rec, 135 yds, 2 TD
Quorey Payne 3 rec, 59 yds, 3 TD; Chris LeFlore Int, Kick-ret TD
Missed FG-return TD Sergio Gilliam Int
Dwight McClean 14 tackles
VooDoo Defense 5 sacks
Eddie Moten Int
Kenny Spencer 1-1 FG (46), 8-8 PAT
Philadelphia Soul 66, Cleveland Gladiators 57
These eastern division foes looked to square off for the second time in 2013, with each team having something at stake. Scenarios: Philadelphia: with a win the Soul would clinch their second straight east division title, guaranteeing a top-two seed in the American Conference. Cleveland: the Gladiators needed a win in order to keep their playoff hopes realistic, regardless of the outcome they are still mathematically alive. Would Philadelphia really get swept by Cleveland, or could the Soul keep up their road dominance?
The Soul were hungry for a division title and Dan Raudabaugh came out on fire. On the opening drive he completed all three of his passes, which setup a three-yard touchdown run by Derrick Ross. Cleveland quickly matched when Chris Dieker found Carlese Franklin on his first pass for a 42-yard score. Philadelphia created some space over the late part of the first quarter when Raudabaugh completed six-of-six passes for 73 yards and a pair of touchdown passes, and the defense forced a three-and-out in-between the scores. The Gladiators got right back in the game when Chris Dieker used his legs to create a 21-yard touchdown run on a third-and-two and Lenny Wicks forced a fumble on the next play that led to another touchdown run by Dieker. The Soul responded on their next possession with a five-play, 45-yard drive that ended on Tiger Jones' nine-yard touchdown. Dieker kept up his pace on an aired deep ball that found the arms of Dominick Goodman for a 35-yard score. Dan Raudabaugh completed a 38-yard touchdown to Andrae Thurman and LaRico Stevenson made an end-zone interception in a four-play span which setup the Soul's final drive of the half. Raudabaugh continued his fine accuracy by completing four of five passes, finding Ryan McDaniel for a 13-yard score with thirteen seconds left. Despite the lack of time, Chris Dieker had three quick completions that setup Aaron Pettrey's 35-yard field goal to make it 42-30 at the break. The Gladiators capitalized on their opening possession of the third quarter with an elevan-play, 45-yard, eight-minute drive that concluded on a six-yard touchdown grab by Carlese Franklin. Philadelphia answered in a blink of an eye when Andrae Thurman returned the enusing kickoof 55 yards for a touchdown. Cleveland would put together another lengthy drive but Chris Dieker was fumbled on third-and-goal when he was sacked by Clavin Fance. Dan Raudabaugh engineered a nine-play, six-minute drive that he capped of with a 24-yard field goal by Carlos Martinez that pushed the lead 52-37 with 10:41 to play. Being down by two possessions meant that either the Gladiator defense needed to make a stop, or an onside kick recovery but neither of those happened. Dan Raudabaugh threw a 19-yard touchdown to Thurman and Larry Brackins returned an onside kick to secure a 66-57 win for the Soul, clinching a second consecutive east division title. Dan Raudabaugh completed 89.3% (25 of 28) of his passes which finished as the sixth-best completion percentage in a game with 20+ attempts in AFL history.
Stat Leaders:
Philadelphia (9-5) Cleveland (2-12)
Dan Raudabaugh 25-28, 285 yds, 6TD Chris Dieker 27-41, 339 yds, 5TD, Int;
Derrick Ross 8 rush, 37 yds, TD 29 rush yds, 3TD
Andrae Thurman 7 rec, 113 yds, 3 TD Carlese Franklin 9 rec, 155 yds, 2 TD
Kick-ret TD Dominick Goodman 11 rec, 113 yds, TD
Tiger Jones 9 rec, 99 yds, TD LaRocher Jackson 11 tackles
Ryan McDaniel 7 rec, 71 yds, 2 TD
LaRico Stevenson 9 tackles, Int
Carlos Martinez 1-1 FG (24), 9-9 PAT
Jacksonville Sharks 62, Orlando Predators 55
Week fifteen's game on CBS Sports Network featured a pair of in-state rivals. The red-hot Predators travled to the Shark Tank to do battle with the Sharks. This matchup had a unique twist to it at the quarterback position. Aaron Garcia is the starting quarterback for Orlando, but he was the man at the helm when Jacksonville won their lone ArenaBowl title. Kyle Rowley did not start, but played most of the second half for Jacksonville, he was the starter for Orlando during their first five games of this season. Scenarios: Jacksonville: since the Sharks have already clinched a playoff berth, the only thing attainable would be keeping the best record in the American Conference with a win. Orlando: with a win would close within one-game of Tampa Bay for the top wild card spot and strengthen their own lead in the wild card race.
R.J. Archer got the start for the Sharks and began the night with four straight completions that were highlighted by a two-yard touchdown grab by London Crawford. The Preds didn't even have to run a play for their first points of the game as Dominic Jones had a 56-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. The Predators got a fortunate bounce on the next kickoff when Mark Lewis' kick bounced of the rebound net and was recovered by Lewis, himself. Despite the good fortune and short field the Aaron Garcia misfired on all three of his passes to squander the early opportunity. Archer kept up his fast start by guiding Jacksonville down the field in a seven-play drive that ended the first quarter on Mat Marcorelle's two-yard touchdown run. Garcia continued to struggle early on as his next pass was intercepted by Tracy Belton, setting up an eight-yard touchdown by London Crawford. Aaron Garcia finally got things going on Orlando's third possession by completing a pair of fourth down passes that featured an eight-yard strike to Prechae Rodriguez to cap off the ten-play series. Jeron Harvey caught a 40-yard touchdown two plays later to give the Sharks a 27-14 lead with 1:41 before halftime. Orlando's offense was mostly dormit in the first 29 minutes of the first half, but in the last 59 seconds it came to life. The Preds used two onside kick recoveries to generate 14 quick points, tying the game at 27 with 38 seconds left. Despite the little time, Jacksonville's last drive of the first half was very eventful. Three plays into the series R.J. Archer was injured and would leave the game; did not return. Kyle Rowley came in and found Jeron Harvey for a five-yard touchdown on the last play of the half to give Jacksonville a 34-27 lead at the break. Teams traded rushing touchdowns in the first part of the third quarter before Orlando tied the game at 41 on Prechae Rodriguez's fourteen-yard touchdown catch with 3:42 left in the period. Kyle Rowley led an elevan-play, seven-and-half minute drive that he completed by throwing a 25-yard touchdown to London Crawford. The game quickly turned over to Jacksonville when two plays later Terrance Smith intercepted Aaron Garcia at his own six-yard line, which setup another one-yard run by Rowley. Down by fourteen in the middle of the fourth quarter, the game looked like it might get away from Orlando but Aaron Garcia had other ideas. He found T.T. Toliver for back-to-back completions which was highlighted by a 24-yard touchdown that made it 55-48 with 6:14 remaining. The Sharks recovered the ensuing onside kick and Kyle Rowley found Markee White for an eight-yard touchdown to supply an answer. Time was still against the Preds, but Garcia continued to pull out some magic with a quick 38-yard strike to Jason Geathers with one minute left to play. Jacksonville recovered the onside kick, but three incompletions by Rowley and a missed field goal by Marco Capozzoli gave the Predators a chance to steal this game at the end. Garcia completed three passes in a row to move the ball to Jacksonville's thirteen-yard line with eight seconds left. The man for the dramatics ended up being Terrance Smith who intercepted Aaron Garcia in the back of the end zone on what would be the final play of the night as he ran out the clock on the return. The win pushes Jacksonville to a 10-5 record and gives them a comfy 2.5 game lead in the south, while the Preds fall to 5-9 and only have a one-game lead in the race for the final playoff spot.
Stat Leaders:
Orlando (5-9) Jacksonville (10-5)
Aaron Garcia 19-33, 234 yds, 5TD, 3 Int R.J. Archer 16-20, 187 yds, 3TD
T.T. Toliver 6 rec, 79 yds, TD Kyle Rowley 13-24, 130 yds, 3TD, 2 Rush TD
Jason Geathers 4 rec, 71 yds, TD Markee White 10 rec, 112 yds, TD
Prechae Rodriguez 5 rec, 43 yds, 3 TD London Crawford 12 rec, 107 yds, 3 TD
Dominic Jones 10 tackles, kick-ret TD Jeron Harvey 7 rec, 98 yds, 2 TD
Terrance Smith 2 int
Tracy Belton 6 tackles, Int
San Antonio Talons 35, Iowa Barnstormers 34
The Barnstormers played hosts to the San Antonio Talons in a must-win meeting with their central division foes. Scenarios: San Antonio: a win keeps their chance for a National Conference wild card realistic, but most importantly moves them into a first-place tie in the central. Iowa: a win would have all three teams in the central within 1.5 games of each other.
The Barnstormers needed an early spark in such a crucial game and got it on the opening kickoff when Ross Gornall's kick took two friendly hopes and Darius Reynolds scooped it up for a touchdown for a gift-wrapped 7-0 lead. San Antonio responded with a seven-play opening drive that finished on Rohan Davey's three-yard touchdown to Jomo Wilson that tied the game. J.J. Raterink only completed two of his first five passes, but both were 20-yarders to Marco Thomas with the second of the two going for a touchdown. On the first play of the second quarter Mike Lewis ended an eight-play drive by San Antonio when he forced a fumble while sacking Davey. Raterink heated up, completing four of five passes and going back to Thomas for an elevan-yard touchdown. The Talons were in desperate need of a score an answered back with another eight-play, that concluded on Chad Cook's two-yard run that came fourth and goal. San Antonio's defense started making their prescence felt in the last four minutes of the half. Andre Jones intercepted Raterink in the Talons end zone and on the last possession of the half the defense made a goal-line stand. A 21-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Moqut Ruffins that was sandwiched between these stops gave the Talons a 21-20 lead at the break. Iowa quickly regained the lead on the opening possession of the third quarter wwhen Marco Thomas scored his third touchdown of the game on a 23-yard catch. Rohan Davey completed two passes in a row that gave the lead back to the Talons on an 18-yard touchdown grab by Brent Holmes. After the defenses traded stops J.J. Raterink and Marco Thomas hooked up for the fourth time on a three-yard score to give Iowa a 34-28 lead heading the fourth. Rohan Davey answered by leading an elevan-play, 49-yard, seven-minute drive that gave the Talons a 35-34 lead on Xavier Lee's nine-yard reception. The Talon defense forced three straight incompletions to earn a turnover on downs, but De'Mon Glanton intercepted Davey two plays later to give Iowa the ball with 4:21 left. Marco Thomas caught two passes for 34 yards and added an eight-yard run to move the ball to San Antonio's six-yard line with 70 seconds remaining. On first and goal J.J. Raterink had a rush for no gain to take the clock down to the final minute. Marco Thomas was stopped for no gain and Raterink was forced to scramble outside the pocket and throw away his third down pass to setup a fourth and goal. Trailing by one the 'Stormers elected to try for the field goal, but the decision proved costly as Tim McGill broke through the protection to block the kick. Xavier Lee had a two-yard run that expired the clock to send the Talons home with an 8-6 record. Another close loss for Iowa may have finally done them in, a missed extra point and field goal have dug the 'Stormers into a huge hole.
Stat Leaders:
San Antonio (8-6) Iowa (6-9)
Rohan Davey 21-37, 234 yds, 4TD, Int J.J. Raterink 21-41, 256 yds, 4TD, Int
Chad Cook 8 rush, 36 yds, TD Marco Thomas 11 rec, 167 yds, 4 TD; 11 rush yds
Brent Holmes 6 rec, 96 yds, TD Marcus Harris 6 rec, 44 yds
Jomo Wilson 6 rec, 44 yds, TD Mike Lewis sack
Xavier Lee 5 rec, 61 yds, TD De'Mon Glanton Int
Tim McGill sack, blocked-FG
Andre Jones Int
San Jose Sabercats 57, Utah Blaze 49
The Sabercats traveled to Utah to face the Blaze in this wild western duel. Scenarios: San Jose: with a win the 'Cats keep alive a chance to win the west, while moving into a tie with Spokane. Utah: need to win in order to stay mathematically alive.
The Sabercats got off to a red-hot start as Russ Michna completed three of his first four passes that was highlighted by a 17-yard score to Huey Whittaker. After each defense earned a stop on downs, Jason Boltus led a seven-play drive that finished on Mario Urrutia's six-yard touchdown. Antwan Marsh intercepted Michna on the final play of the first quarter and Boltus found Urrutia for a 27-yard score two plays later to give the Blaze a 14-6 lead early in the second. A big kick return by Fred Williams setup a one-yard touchdown run by Jabari Fletcher on the next drive. Over the next ten minutes Jason Boltus and Russ Michna each threw two touchdown passes to keep Utah's lead at one with 42 seconds before the intermission. The game took a quick turn when San Jose recovered Nich Pertuit's onside kick and Jason Willis hauled in a ten-yard touchdown grab to give the 'Cats a 34-28 lead. The second half began with a series of defensive stops that ended up keeping San Jose in the lead for good. Russ Michna connected with Amarri Jackson for a fourteen-yard touchown to push the lead to thirteen with 1:42 left in the third. Jason Boltus led a quick five-play drive that got Utah its first points of the half on Anthony Jackson's 19-yard touchdown. Each offense traded touchdown drive that kept the margin at six midway in the fourth. Russ Michna led an eight-play, five-and-half minute drive that pushed the lead to nine on Nich Pertuit's 24-yard field goal. Utah needed to get two quick scores and did so when Boltus found Anthony Jackson for a 12-yard score to cut the deficit to two with 56 seconds remaining. San Jose recovered the ensuing onside kick and cashed it in two plays later on a 12-yard catch by Jason Willis; the extra point was blocked which kept it a one-score game. The Blaze started their final drive at their own five with 43 seconds left. Jason Boltus completed back-to-back passes to move the ball to San Jose's 24-yard line with 26 seconds to play. A fifteen-yard scramble by Boltus and a pass interference moved the ball to the four-yard line. It looked like Utah might be able to pull off the comeback, but a pair of botched quarterback-center exchanges ended any of that hope. The loss makes Utah the first team to be officially eliminated from the postseason picture.
Stat Leaders:
San Jose (10-4) Utah (5-9)
Russ Michna 26-40, 269 yds, 6TD, 2 Int; Jason Boltus 25-39, 306 yds, 7TD; 44 rush yds
12 rush yds, TD Mario Urrutia 10 rec, 116 yds, 3 TD
Jason Willis 7 rec, 80 yds, 3 TD Anthony Jackson 7 rec, 99 yds, 3 TD
Huey Whittaker 5 rec, 74 yds, 2 TD Chase Deadder 8 rec, 91 yds, TD
Amarri Jackson 6 rec, 68 yds, TD Antwan Marsh 2 Int
Clevan Thomas 9 tackles
Terrance Carter sack
Week 15 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week: Dan Raudabaugh, Philadelphia QB
- Dan Raudabaugh put together his best performance of 2013 in Week 15. He completed 25 of 28 passes for 285 yards and six touchdowns in the Soul's 66-57 win over Cleveland. The win clinched Philadelphia's second consecutive east division crown, while earning a season split with the Gladiators.
Defensive Player of the Week: Tim McGill, San
Antonio DL
- McGill only had three tackles, but his impact was felt in a big fashion. He recorded a key fourth quarter sack and blocked what would have been the game-winning field goal in the Talons 35-34 win over Iowa. San Antonio heads into week 16 tied with Chicago for first in the central division.
Playmaker of the Week: Andrae Thurman, Philadelphia
WR
- Just like his quarterback, Andrae Thurman had his best game of the season in week 15. He caught seven passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns, while also taking a kick back 55 yards for a touchdown to help guide the Soul to their fourth straight victory and the 2013 east division title.
For more on any of these
five games, or the Arena Football League go to: http://www.arenafootball.com/sports/a-footbl/sched/afl-a-footbl-sched.html
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