The month of July has arrived, Independence Day has come and gone, and the heat of the Arena Football season is turning up as we enter week sixteen. Coming into this week three playoff berths have been clinched and ten of the remaining teams still were mathematically alive. Whos in, whos out, six games to try and clear up the 2013 playoff picture.
*Jacksonville and Iowa each ahd their bye this week, the last two teams to enjoy one.
Scenarios - Jacksonville: a loss by Tampa Bay will clinch a four-straight south title for the Sharks. Iowa: a win be either San Antonio or Chicago would eliminate the Barnstormers
Cleveland Gladiators 71, Pittsburgh Power 58
The AFL's bottom two teams met in Cleveland on Saturday night to write another chapter in this east division rivalry while trying to improve their slim playoff odds. Scenarios: Cleveland: a loss eliminates the Gladiators. Pittsburgh: a loss and an Orlando win eliminates the Power.
The first four-and-half minutes were forgetable for the Gladiators. On the opening drive Chris Dieker led them down the field in six plays to reach Pittsburgh's three-yard line, but on third and goal he fumbled on a designed run. On the next play Steven Sheffield found a wide-open Julian Talley for a 42-yard touchdown that gave the Power an early 7-0 lead. Cleveland's next drive also lasted seven plays, but produced in a much better result when Dieker plungedtwo yards into the end zone. The game turned Cleveland's way when Chris LeFlore fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Cody Pearcy recovered for an instant touchdown. The turnovers began to pile up for Pittsburgh, as a six-play drive that reached Cleveland's three-yard line ended on a second fumble. Chirs Dieker directed a five-play scoring drive that he capped off with a seven-yard pass to Dominick Goodman that built a 20-7 lead midway through the second quarter. The margin stayed at thirteen when Sheffield aired out a 43-yard deep ball that found an open Mike Washington and Carlese Franklin hauled in a six-yard score six plays later. In the final four minutes of the first half both quarterbacks traded twenty-yard touchdown passes. The Power had a final crack to cut the deficit back to one score, but failed on three tries from the four-yard line and had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Julian Rauch. Pittsburgh began the third quarter trailing by twelve, but quickly turned it into a two-point lead when Julian Talley caught a 21-yard touchdown, Alvin Ray Jackson recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Talley caught another 21-yard score. The Gladiators had bad starts to both halves, but responed from both in a big way. Chris Dieker completed six of eight passes and threw a pair of touchdowns on the next two drives, that sandwiched Joe Phinisee's interception to get the lead back to twelve. The game was broke wide open four plays later when Mario Norman intercepted Sheffield and returned it 54 yards for a pick-six that expanded the margin to 57-37 heading into the fourth quarter. Steven Sheffield bounced back with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Tyrone Collins on the first play of the period to get the Power within thirteen, but Dieker and the Glads were just to good on this night. Chris Dieker added two rushing touchdowns in the fourth and Pittsburgh never got closer than thirteen to wrap-up a 71-58 win for Cleveland that saw a season-high 71 points from the Glads, and more importantly keeps them alive in the American Confernce wild card hunt.
Stats Leaders:
Pittsburgh (3-12) Cleveland (3-12)
Steven Sheffield 18-27, 276 yds, 6TD, 3 Int Chris Dieker 27-33, 252 yds, 5TD;
Shane Austin 3-6, 33 yds, 2TD 30 rush yds, 3 TD
Tyrone Collins 9 rec, 122 yds, 2 TD Dominick Goodman 10 rec, 95 yds, 2 TD
Julian Talley 8 rec, 127 yds, 5 TD Carlese Franklin 8 rec, 58 yds, TD
Mike Washington 4 rec, 60 yds, TD Thyron Lewis 6 rec, 76 yds, 2 TD
Sergio Gilliam 8 tackles, FF Marrio Norman Int-ret TD
Alvin Ray Jackson Fumb Rec Brandon Anderson/Joe Phinisee Int each
Philadelphia Soul 58, Chicago Rush 26
The Rush returned to action with a trip to the city of brotherly love to take on the red-hot Soul. Scenarios: Philadelphia: The Soul have already locked up the east, so the only thing at stake is homefield in the American Conference. Chicago: with a win the Rush would own at least a share of first in the central division, eliminate Iowa, and keep their National Conference wild card hopes alive.
Chicago got off to a much needed good start when Carson Coffman completed passes on the opening drive and found Taurus Johnson for a 25-yard score. Dan Raudabaugh answered right back with three straight completions of his own, tying the game with a 32-yard strike to Tiger Jones. Both offenses got into the end zone on their next possessions and 45 seconds into the second quarter Philadelphia held a 14-13 advantage. The Soul defense made the game's first stop when they forced a missed field goal on Chicago's first possession of the second, and at the other end of the field Carlos Martinez connected a 23-yarder that made it 17-13. The margin was stretched a little more on the nest sequence of possessions when Rayshaun Kizer intercepted Coffman in the end zone and two completions later Raudabaugh and Jones connected for a 30-yard touchdown. Each quarterback would toss one more score before the break and the Soul defense made another stop to send its side into halftime with a 31-19 lead. Things were already looking bleak for the Rush and they didn't get any better when Tiger Jones hauled in a 40-yard touchdown to begin the third quarter and Carlos Campbell recovered a bar-ball in the end zone to make it two scores in the first 90 seconds for Philadelphia. Luke Drone took over at quarterback for Chicago and led a nine-play, six-and-half minute drive that resulted in no points when Rayshaun Kizer grabbed his second interception of the night. Dan Raudabaugh directed a nine-play drive of his own that stretched into the fourth quarter and put the game away with his ten-yard pass to Larry Brackins. To add insult to injury, Joe Goosby returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown three plays later that made it 58-19. Reggie Gray scored the night's final point with his six-yard touchdown grab; the only points of the second half for Chicago. The Soul continue their dominance with their fifth straight win, and seventh in their last eight games to earn their tenth win of 2013. Chicago falls to 8-7 and only can make the playoffs by winning the central division.
Stat Leaders:
Chicago (8-7) Philadelphia (10-5)
Carson Coffman 10-17, 124 yds, 3TD, Int Dan Raudabaugh 18-25, 257 yds, 5TD
Luke Drone 7-15, 93 yds, TD, 2 Int Tiger Jones 10 rec, 186 yds, 3 TD
Reggie Gray 8 rec, 75 yds, 2 TD Larry Brackins 2 rec, 14 yds, 2 TD
Taurus Johnson 5 rec, 95 yds, 2 TD Rayshaun Kizer 7 tackles, 2 Int
Vic Hall 9 tackles Joe Goosby Int-ret TD
Brian Birkowski sack Carlos Campbell FR-rec TD
Carlos Martinez 7-8 PAT, 1-1 FG (23)
Arizona Rattlers 84, Orlando Predators 56
The game of the week on CBS Sports Network rekindled the rivalry between Nick Davila and Aaron Garcia. The Rattlers traveled to Orlando trying to avoid consecutive losses, while the Predators didn't want a tenth loss. Scenarios: Arizona: already clinched a playoff berth and with a win would guarantee homefield advantage for the west division champ. Orlando: a win would eliminate Pittsburgh and secure sole possession of the second American Conference wild card, but a loss could put them in a tie with New Orleans.
Out of the gates Arizona set the tone early when Virgil Gray intercepted Aaron Garcia on the opnening drive and Nick Davila fired a 26-yard touchdown to Rod Windsor in the first five minutes. Tyler Glasper made a net recovery on the ensuing kickoff and took it in for a score that made it an early 14-0 margin. Garcia started off the next drive on a better note with a 38-yard completion to T.T. Toliver that set up Mykel Benson's two-yard touchdown run five plays later. Orlando wasn't done climbing back into this one as Dominc Jones came up with an interception on the Rattlers' next series and Prechae Rodriguez brought in a five-yard touchdown to tie the game at fourteen early in the second quarter. Both offenses picked up the pace and traded touchdowns over the next five series that gave Arizona a 35-28 lead with 66 seconds left in the half. The Rattlers were able to get their lead back to fourteen when the defense stood tall on three plays from inside their own ten to get a stop on downs, and Nick Davila threw a four-yard touchdown to Maurice Purify to end the half. Nick Davila began the third quarter with back-to-back completions to Tysson Poots, highlighted by a 26-yard touchdown that gave Arizona its largest lead of the night. Aaron Garcia kept the Preds within distance when he found T.T. Toliver for a 31-yard touchdown three plays later that cut the margin back to fourteen. Davila and Garcia continued to trade scoring drives and touchdown passes as Arizona's lead wavered between 21 and fourteen points for the duration of the third and fourth quarters. Julious Wilson rumbled into the end zone on a fourteen-yard screen pass that pulled the Predators within 70-56 at the seven-minute mark of the fourth, but Arizona recovered the ensuing onside kick and put the game out of reach when Tysson Poots hauled in a seven-yard score. The record-pace scoring shut off when the defenses traded takaways on the next three possessions, which was headlined by a pair of Virgil Gray interceptions that got him the hat trick on the night. Odie Armstrong plunged into the end zone for a four-yard score to cap off a 84-56 shootout victory for the Rattlers that moves them to 13-2 on the season. The loss for Orlando drops them to 5-10 and keeps Pittsburgh alive in the American Conference wild card picture.
Stats Leaders:
Arizona (13-2) Orlando (5-10)
Nick Davila 23-31, 411 yds, 9TD, Int Aaron Garcia 25-40, 387 yds, 5TD, 3 Int
Tysson Poots 9 rec, 150 yds, 3 TD Mykel Benson 7 rush, 30 yds, 2 TD
Maurice Purify 7 rec, 115 yds, 3 TD T.T. Toliver 9 rec, 140 yds, 2 TD
Rod Windsor 5 rec, 100 yds, 4 Total TD Prechae Rodriguez 9 rec, 131 yds, TD
Virgil Gray 3 Int Jason Geathers 4 rec, 49 yds
Jeremy Kellem 6 tackles, FF Dominic Jones Int
Garrett Lindhom 12-12 PAT Mark Lewis 8-8 PAT
Spokane Shock 63, Tampa Bay Storm 49
The Shock and Storm both returned to action in very different positions as the met in Tampa on Saturday night. Scenarios: Spokane: clinch a playoff spot with a win and losses by both Chicago and San Antonio. Tampa Bay: a loss would allow Jacksonville to clinch the south division. *Storm quarterback, Adrian McPherson was inactive for this game*
Tampa Bay needed an early spark and got it when Vance Cuff intercepted Erik Meyer on the opening drive and Randy Hippeard connected with Michael Lindsey for a five-yard score on the next play. Meyer and the Shock bounced back with a nine-play, 44-yard drive that tied that game at seven on his one-yard run. Joe Hills and Brandon Thompkins both had monster games and got their big nights started in the second quarter when they traded touchdown receptions on four consecutive possessions. The Storm got the ball with 1:54 left before halftime and the game was tied at 21. Randy Hippeard led a quick three-play drive that only took 70 seconds at that broke the tie with a fourteen-yard touchdown to Chris Davis. Davis also made an impact on the ensuing kickoff when he made a net recovery at Spokane's one-yard line; that turned into a one-yard run by Hippeard three plays later. Tampa Bay had a fourteen-point lead with 28 seconds left in the half, but that was enough time for Brandon Thompkins to score another touchdown on a ten-yard catch and run that made the halftime margin only seven. Both quarterbacks began the second half by leading scoring drives that resulted in a touchdown pass. The first stop of the third quarter came during Tampa Bay's second possession when a holding penalty and a second-down sack by Beau Bell disrupted the drive and forced a turnover on downs. The Storm nearly got the stop back when Michael Lindsey appeared to make an interception three plays later, but it was erased because of an illegal defense penalty. This mistake turned out to be a costly one as a couple plays later Erik Meyer found Thompkins for a fourteen-yard touchdown that tied the game at 42. The mistakes began to pile up for the Storm, as the next kickoff took a funky bounce and found Kamar Jorden who trotted into the end zone for a net recovery touchdown that gave Spokane its first lead heading into the fourth quarter. Tampa Bay didn't trail for long as on the third play of the fourth Randy Hippeard found Joe Hills for a 25-yard score that retied the game. Meyer marched the Shock 37 yards down the field in five plays and dumped off a screen pass to Chris Pino who took it nineteen yards into the end zone. The Shock defense made a crucial stand as they forced three incompletions in a row from Hippeard on the next drive to give the ball back to the offense with the lead. Erik Meyer would not let the opportunity slip and put the game out of reach on his seven-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Thompkins with 2:15 remaining. Any chance of a miracle comeback ended when Beau Bell recovered a mis-exchange on the Storm's final possession. The win moves Spokane to 11-4 and puts them in prime position to clinch a playoff berth. With the loss Tampa Bay drops to 7-8, suffers its fifth defeat in its last six games, and allows Jacksonville to clinch the south division.
Stat Leaders:
Spokane (11-4) Tampa Bay (7-8)
Erik Meyer 30-42, 303 yds, 7TD, Randy Hippeard 23-37, 249 yds, 7 Total TD
Int; Rush TD Joe Hills 10 rec, 101 yds, 4 TD
Brandon Thompkins 12 rec, 123 yds, 5 TD Chris Davis 8 rec, 110 yds, TD
Kamar Jorden 9 rec, 97 yds Rashad Barksdale 9 tackles
Adron Tennell 7 rec, 59 yds, TD Vance Cuff Int
Terrance Sanders 7 tackles Juan Bongarra 7-7 PAT
Beau Bell Fumb rec, sack
Taylor Rowan 9-9 PAT
New Orleans VooDoo 63, Utah Blaze 49
The VooDoo traveled to Utah knowing they might have a chance to move into a tie for the second American Conference wild card spot. Scenarios: New Orleans: with a win would move into a tie for the second A.C. wild card; a loss would leave them one-game back. Utah: already eliminated.
The VooDoo were presented with a golden opportunity by Utah's western rival and couldn't let it slip. New Orleans got off to a good start by their defense which earned a stop on downs to begin the game that was highlighted by Michael Janac's third-down sack. Chris Dixon earned his first start with New Orleans and started strong with an eleven-yard touchdown to Quorey Payne on his second pass. Jason Boltus responded by leading a quick three-play drive that ended on his six-yard pass to Anthony Jackson. Dixon and Ben Stallings traded touchdown runs on the next possessions that had tied the game at fourteen early in the second quarter. The Blaze defense stepped up to make a goal-line stand that was highlighted by Joe Mortensen's sack on third and goal. Boltus gave Utah its first lead on the next play as he found DeJay Lester for a 33-yard score. David Hyland intercepted Dixon on New Orleans' next possession, but Boltus and company were unable to capitalize on it when they failed on downs at their own fifteen-yard line. Ten seconds prooved to be enough time for Chris Dixon, as he only needed one pass to fire a a fifteen-yard strike to L.J. Castille, who began the year with Utah, that sent the game to halftime tied at 21. New Orleans regained the lead on the opening drive of the third when Chris Dixon completed three passes in a row and finished of the series with a one-yard dive. The VooDoo quickly doubled their lead when Chris Brown returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown four plays later. Jason Boltus settled things down on the next series with three completions to Mario Urrutia and concluded the eight-play drive with a four-yard toss to Chase Deadder. Both quarterbacks took the air out of the ball during an exciting three play sequence where Larry Beavers caught a 34-yard touchdown and DeJay Lester hauled in a 44-yard score; both of these receivers made their respective team debuts in week sixteen. On the last play of the third, Kyle Brotzman successfully execute an onside kick that gave Utah the ball to start the fourth quarter and a chance to tie the game. The opportunity was foiled when James Bryant and Marlon Favorite combined to force and recover a fumble at their own two-yard line. Four plays later, Dixon hit Quorey Payne for a 30-yard touchdown to give the VooDoo a 49-35 lead with 8:33 to play. After a pair of runs by Jason Boltus that moved the ball to Utah's 24-yard line, he undid his own work by throwing a pass that was picked off by Cameron McGlenn. Chris Dixon found Payne on the next play for a 28-yard touchdown that gave New Orleans a 21-point lead that they would not relinquish. The VooDoo played great on both sides of the ball and looked like a playoff team to win a critical road game 63-49. The win moves New Orleans into a tie with Orlando for the second A.C. wild card spot.
Stat Leaders:
New Orleans (5-10) Utah (5-10)
Chris Dixon 16-25, 285 yds, 5TD, Int; Jason Boltus 25-38, 288 yds, 6TD, 2 Int;
26 rush yds, 3 TD 58 rush yds
Courtney Smith 5 rec, 83 yds Chase Deadder 7 rec, 70 yds, 2 TD
L.J. Castille 4 rec, 77 yds, Int DeJay Lester 4 rec, 104 yds, 2 TD
Larry Beavers 4 rec, 56 yds, TD Mario Urrutia 7 rec, 47 yds
Quorey Payne 3 rec, 69 yds, 3 TD David Hyland 4 tackles, Int; 33 rec yds
Chris Brown sack, Int-ret TD Joe Mortensen sack
Cameron McGlenn Int Kyle Brotzman 7-7 PAT
Eddie Maoten 9.5 tackles
Kenny Spencer 9-9 PAT, 0-1 FG
San Jose Sabercats 62, San Antonio Talons 35
The Sabercats played host to the Talons in week sixteen in a battle of two of Arena Football's best defenses. Scenarios: San Jose: with a win the Sabercats clinch a playoff berth and also clinch a berth for Spokane. San Antonio: a win would give the Talons sole possession of first in the central, a loss eliminates the possibility of a wild card for them and Chicago.
San Jose won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, but that didn't stop the 'Cats from trying to open the game with the ball. Nich Pertuit's onside kick attempt failed and with the short field, the Talons scored quickly on Brent Holmes' three-yard touchdown reception. Russ Michna got off to a hot start by completing his first three passes to move the ball to the San Antonio-three. After a pair of tosses to Jabari Fletcher, Michna completed his fourth straight pass for a three-yard touchdown to Huey Whittaker. A matchup featuring two of the League's best defenses looked primed to produce a low-scoring battle, but only one of these elite units decided to show up at H.P. Pavilion. The Sabercats kicked it deep on their second kickoff and it prooved to be a wise decision as their defense earned a stop on downs by takling Brent Holmes three yards shy of the marker. It only took two plays for San Jose to grab its first lead when Michna connected with Fred Williams on a screen pass for a 37-yard score. Rohan Davey led an eight-play drive into the second quarter, but it failed to produce points when his pass across the middle was tipped and intercepted by Jabari Fletcher. Russ Michna and the Sabercat offense continued to click and went on nine-play, 41-yard drive that extended their lead to 20-7 on Jamarko Simmons' three-yard run. The Talon offense just could not get in rhythm and again had a series end on downs on the ensuing possession. A pair of quick completions by Michna resulted in a 20-point lead when he threw a 28-yard strike to Fred Williams with 53 seconds left in the second quarter. Nich Pertuit attempted another onside kick and this time the 'Cats were able to recover it. Despite the extra possession San Jose was unable to add to their lead, but still caried a 27-7 advantage at the break. The Talon defense had a rough night with their only stop of the first 30 minutes coming in part to the end of half. It didn't get any easier for the visitors when Fred Williams took the opening kick of the third quarter and returned it 56 yards to San Antonio's one-yard line, where Jabari Fletcher punched it in for a touchdown on the next play. Things were already bad for the defense, and they also didn't get better for Rohan Davey who misfired on three of his first four passes of the half and had his fifth throw be intercepted by Clevan Thomas who returned it 27 yards for a score; pushing San Jose's lead to 41-7 with 9:38 in the third. Jomo Wilson hauled in a fourteen-yard score to give the Talons their first points since the opening drive, but Michna answered with a four-yard touchdown pass to Huey Whittaker. After the defenses traded stops, something we thought we would see a lot of, Davey fired a 47-yard touchdown to a wide-open Brent Holmes that made it 48-21 with 12:27 remaining in the fourth. The rally was short-lived as the 'Cats recovered the onside kick and scored on the next play on a Michna-Whittaker combination. Rohan Davey found Burl Toler for a 35-yard completion to jump start San Antonio's following possession, but Clevan Thomas put the icing on the cake when he snagged his second interception of the night two plays later and turned it into a nifty 53-yard return for his second pick-six that pushed the lead to 62-21. San Antonio scored fourteen unanswered points in the final eight minutes, but all it did was make the final score look prettier than the actual game. San Jose dominated in their house to win 62-35, moving to 11-4 on the season and clinching a playoff berth; Spokane also clinches a playoff berth. San Antonio falls to 8-7, knocking themselves and Chicago out of the National Conference wild card race and keeping Iowa alive in the central division.
Stats Leaders:
San Antonio (8-7) San Jose (11-4)
Rohan Davey 18-38, 227 yds, 4TD, 3 Int Russ Michna 15-28, 182 yds, 5TD
Burl Toler 6 rec, 89 yds Fred Williams 7 rec, 107 yds, 2 TD
Brent Holmes 4 rec, 60 yds, 2 TD Huey Whittaker 6 rec, 38 yds, 3 TD
Jomo Wilson 4 rec, 38 yds, TD Jason Willis 4 rec, 74 yds
Andre Jone 5.5 tackles Clevan Thomas 2 Int-ret TD
Ken Fontenette 9 tackles
Week 16 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week: Nick Davila, Arizona QB
- Nick Davila showed us why he is one of the AFL's best in week sixteen by completing 23 of 31 passes for 411 yards and nine touchdowns. Davila guided the Rattlers to a season-high 84 points and hopes he can lead them back to Orlando six weeks from now.
Defensive Player of the Week: Clevan Thomas, San Jose DB
- The Sabercat defense showed their teeth in a 62-35 declawing of the Talons. Clevan Thomas provided the highlight material with two pic-sixes that spurred a runaway victory that clinched a second consecutive playoff birth.
Playmaker of the Week: Virgil Gray, Arizona DB
- Gray helped the Rattlers blow out Orlando 84-56 by recording five tackles and three interceptions, the highlight of the night. Arizona is now 13-2 and is in prime position to win another west division title.
For more on any of these six 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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