Entering Week 7 of this Arena Football season the Jacksonville Sharks stood as the only undefeated team, while their in-state rivals the Orlando Predators entered as the only team yet to enjoy victory in 2013. Another full week, all fourteen teams in-action for seven crucial games.
Iowa Barnstormers 48, San Antonio Talons 36
A huge matchup of central division foes was set to begin the week's action. Iowa entered the alamo on a four-game losing streak that has sent them from first to last in the central. The Talons were trying to make it three wins in four tries, but would do so without Nick Hill who was held out because of injury.
In a lathargic first quarter it was the Talons who struck the only points of the period. The San Antonio defense made the biggest impact in the quarter, holding J.J. Raterink to completing just two of nine passes en route to a pair of stops. Zach Frazer looked poised in his first action, directing a nine-play, 40-yard drive that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown reception by Burl Toler. San Antonio extended the lead to 14-0 when Chad Cook scored on a one-yard touchdown run to cap off a seven-play, 45-yard drive. Iowa finally got on the board when Raterink threw a 30-yard touchdown to Marco Thomas on their first play of the second quarter. In the next five plays, Chad Cook scored his second rushing touchdown on a 17-yard run and Marcus Harris hauled in a 35-yard touchdown to keep it a seven-point game. The trading of touchdowns turned into a trade of stops which started when Matangi Tonga blocked Stefan Demos' 25-yard field goal, Marco Thomas made the recovery at the Iowa-4, and was completed when the ensuing snap was fumbled in the end zone that resulted in a safety for San Antonio. Zach Frazer led a five-play, 46-yard drive that resulted in a 34-yard touchdown catch by Jomo Wilson; giving the Talons a 29-14 lead at the half. San Antonio was in a great position to take complete control by receiving the opening possession of second half, but failed to do so when Frazer mis-fired on his third and fourth down passes and Raterink found Marcus Harris for a 14-yard touchdown three plays later. The third quarter became a Barnstormer domination when Ter'Ran Benton intercepted Frazer on the next series and the offense cashed in again on Jesse Schmidt's seven-yard touchdown reception to end a six-play drive. Things in the second half didn't brighten up for the black and blue as Zach Frazer began the fourth quarter with three straight incompletions and J.J. Raterink threw his third touchdown of the half on the next play to give Iowa a 34-29 lead 12:36 left. The lead was short-lived as the Talon offense finally got things back on track on took just three plays to retake the lead on Jomo Wilson's elevan-yard touchdown. Iowa responded with an eight-play, six-and-half minute drive that concluded on Jesse Schmidt's 14-yard touchdown catch to take the lead right back with 2:31 left to play. Ter'Ran Benton made his second interception of the night on Frazer's next pass attempt and Schmidt caught his third touchdown with 47 seconds to ice the win for the 'Stormers. Mike Williams intercepted Frazer's final pass to officially secure a season-saving road win for Iowa.
Stat Leaders:
Iowa (3-4) San Antonio (2-4)
J.J. Raterink 17-33, 222 yds, 7TD Zach Frazer 19-40, 225 yds, 3TD, 3 Int
Marco Thomas 7 rec, 104 yds, TD Chad Cook 8 rush, 30 yds, 2 TD
Marcus Harris 6 rec, 90 yds, 3 TD Dwayne Eley Jr. 7 rec, 97 yds
Jesse Schmidt 4 rec, 28 yds, 3 TD Jomo Wilson 4 rec, 74 yds, 2 TD
Ter'Ran Benton 2 Int
Mike Williams Int
De'Mon Glanton 10 tackles
Orlando Predators 52, Pittsburgh Power 38
Entering week seven both the Predators and Power were trying to taste a first victory, but a different kind. The Power were looking for their first home win in 2013, while the Preds were looking for their first win overall. Aaron Garcia made his Predator debut and Shamar Graves was active for the first time this year for the Power.
Both offenses have struggled through the first five games, but didn't waste time scoring in this one. Jordan Jefferson took the opening possession and directed a five-play drive that he finished with a one-yard touchdown run. Aaron Garcia took command of the Predator offense by leading a four-play drive that ended with Marlon Moye-Moore's two-yard touchdown run to give the Preds a one-point lead midway through the first. Jefferson continued his hot start, but the Power failed to net points on their second possession when Mike Washington was stopped one-yard shy of the end zone on fourth and goal. Garcia continued the revival of the Predator offense with a nine-play, 49-yard drive which resulted in Prechae Rodriguez's 12-yard touchdown catch. A four-and-out followed by a five-play scoring drive, 12-yard touchdown by Jason Geathers, put Orlando up 21-6 midway through the second. The Power ended their scoring draught on Shamar Graves' four-yard touchdown reception, but the Predators matched it on Rodriguez's second score of the night. Despite having 92 seconds the Power were unable to score the final points of the half and trailed 28-13 at the break. Just when it looked Orlando might run away with this one, Willie McGinnis had other ideas. McGinnis put an end to the opening possession of the second half when he punched the ball out of Garcia's throwing hand to force a fumble that was recovered by Gary Butler. Pittsburgh capitalized with a six-play drive that led to Shamar Graves' second touchdown catch. McGinnis continued to be a one-man wrecking crew when three plays later he defelcted Garcia's pass into the arms of Alvin Ray Jackson who returned it 44 yards for the "pick-six." Aaron Garcia was unphased and responded with a four-yard touchdown pass to Prechae Rodriguez to end a five-play drive. The momentum created by Pittsburgh in the third quarter quickly left the building in the fourth when P.J. Berry was injured on the first play of the period and Alvin Ray Jackson's 19-yard reception on fourth down was still three yards shy of the first down marker. Mark Lewis extended the Orlando lead to twelve on his 23-yard field goal with 10:37 remaining. The teams traded touchdowns and with 5:17 remaining the Power faced 13-point deficit and a predicament at receiver. P.J. Berry and Graves both suffered minor injuries during the game that forced them out of the lineup and Christian Wise, who starts in the secondary while also being the usual fill-in receiver, did not dress with an ankle injury. This forced Alvin Ray Jackson to step in as the third receiver, he made two catches for 57 yards but also was called offside three times. This unusual combination at receiver forced the Power to take a lot of time off the clock on the ensuing possesion but didn't stop them from scoring, a one-yard touchdown run by Kirby Griffin made it a seven-point game at the one-minute warning. Orlando receoverd the onside kick and Garcia hit T.T. Toliver for an elevan-yard touchdown to get the lead back to fourteen with 50 seconds to play. Any chance the Power had at a comeback ended when Perry Baker dropped a spot-on pass from Jefferson in the end zone, allowing Marlon Moye-Moore to dive forward for two yards to run out the clock. Aaron Garcia played his best game of the year in his first game as a Predator while giving Orlando what they asked for by fixing the offense, and earning the first victory in 2013.
Stat Leaders:
Orlando (1-5) Pittsburgh (1-5)
Aaron Garcia 27-36, 278 yds, 6TD, Int Jordan Jefferson 20-38, 252 yds, 3TD,
Marlon Moye-Moore 6 rush, 17 yds, TD 23 yds TD rushing
T.T. Toliver 15 rec, 146 yds, 2 TD Shamar Graves 7 rec, 81 yds, 2 TD
Prechae Rodriguez 7 rec, 89 yds, 3 TD Mike Washington 9 rec, 70 yds, TD
Levy Brown 13 tackles Alvin Ray Jackson 9 tackles, Int-ret TD
Predator Defense 3 sacks
Mark Lewis 1-1 (23) 7-7 PAT
Arizona Rattlers 58, Jacksonville Sharks 48
The Sharks welcomed the defending champs into the Shark Tank sporting a perfect record, but by the end of the night the good bye couldn't have been said any quicker.
This high profile matchup began with Nick Davila marching the Rattlers to Jacksonville's eight-yard in four plays, but the pressure of the Sharks' d-line flipped things by drawing a holding call, forcing two incompletions, and Rashaad Duncan's sack to set up a fourth down and goal from the Arizona-23. Duncan made his second big play of the opening drive when he blocked Garrett Lindholm's 42-yard field goal, which led to Jeron Harvey's one-yard touchdown catch two plays later. Davila and the Arizona offense bounced back on their next series with a six-play that ended on Davila's one-yard touchdown run. After completing his first two passes Bernard Morris hit a dry spell of seven straight incompletions which coupled with a pair of Nick Davila to Rod Windsor touchdowns to put Arizona up 20-7 early in the second quarter. Morris refound his touch and completed all three of his passes on the ensuing drive that led to Harvey's second touchdown catch; bringing the game back within one possession. The Rattlers didn't take much time to balloon the lead up to three scores when Nick Davila fired a 30-yard bomb to Trandon Harvey, Marcus Pittman made a strip-sack of Morris, and Rod Windsor caught his third touchdown of the half. Just as quick as the margin was bumped up to 21 it was cut it down to eight when the Sharks scored the last points of the first half and the first points of the second half; maximizing their opportunity. Arizona responded on their first possession of the third with a six-play drive that resulted in Odie Armstrong's four-yard touchdown. The Sharks were looking to answer until Jarvis Williams fumbled while running after he made a five-yard catch; Nick Davila threw his fifth touchdown of the game on the last play of the quarter to extend the lead to 48-26. Jacksonville kept the game competitive with a twelve-play, six-and-half minute drive that concluded on Renderick Taylor's one-yard touchdown run. Arizona recovered the onside kick and put the game out of reach two plays later when Davila found Rod Windsor for an eight-yard touchdown. The Sharks added a late touchdown to make a three-score game only be decided by ten points, which was their first loss of 2013. Arizona has won three straight games in dominating fashion and move to the consensus team to beat with a 6-1 record.
Stat Leaders:
Arizona (6-1) Jacksonville (6-1)
Nick Davila 21-30, 251 yds, 7 Total TD Bernard Morris 27-41, 255 yds, 6TD, 10 rush yds
Rod Windsor 14 rec, 145 yds, 4 TD Jeron Harvey 16 rec, 143 yds, 3 TD
Trandon Harvey 2 rec, 45 yds, TD Rendrick Taylor 24 total yds, 2 Total TD's
Marquis Floyd 9 tackles Jarvis Williams 6 rec, 60 yds, TD
Anttron Dillon/Marcus Pittman sack Rashaad Duncan sack, blocked field goal
Philadelphia Soul 72, Chicago Rush 41
The Rush tried to extend their winning streak to five when they played host to the Philadelphia Soul in week seven who entered Chicago on a two-game losing streak. The exact opposite took place as Philadelphia was the team that looked like they were on a hot streak.
The Soul got off to a fast start, taking six plays to score on the opening when Dan Raudabaugh found Ryan McDaniel for a 16-yard touchdown and Andrae Thurman made a net recovery on the ensuing kickoff to get the ball right back. Derrick Ross turned a ten-yard run into a touchdown on the next play to give Philadelphia a 14-0 lead five minutes into the game. Carson Coffman completed his first pass to Reggie Gray for an eighteen-yard touchdown and the teams traded touchdowns until Chicago's second possession of the second quarter when Coffman was unable to find his receiver on either third and fourth down; resulting in a turnover on downs. Raudabaugh led the Soul on a six-play drive that ended when he again went to Ryan McDaniel for a two-yard touchdown on the final play of the first half, to give the Soul a lead 38-21 at the break. Coffman directed a five-play, 38-yard drive which resulted in an eight-yard touchdown catch by Jared Jenkins to begin the third quarter. Philadelphia answered right back with a three-play drive that led to Larry Brackins' 14-yard touchdown catch to get the lead up to eighteen. Rayshaun Kizer intercepted Coffman's next pass and nine plays later it resulted in a two-yard touchdown run by Tiger Jones to break the game open midway through the third. LaRico Stevenson would intercept Carson Coffman's first pass of the fourth quarter and Ryan McDaniel caught another 16-yard touchdown three plays later to set the tone for a dominant closing period. The Soul scored 20 points in the fourth, which matched the Rush's total for the second half. Philadelphia looked dominant once again en route to their third win of the season, while Chicago's four-game win streak comes to a crashing end.
Stat Leaders:
Philadelphia (3-3) Chicago (4-3)
Dan Raudabaugh 22-34, 240 yds, 6TD Carson Coffman 14-22, 174 yds, 5TD, 2 Int
Derrick Ross 8 rush, 44 yds, 2 TD Jared Jenkins 8 rec, 121 yds, 4 TD
Tiger Jones 13 rec, 135 yds, 3 Total TD Reggie Gray 7 rec, 79 yds, 2 TD
Ryan McDaniel 6 rec, 67 yds, 4 TD Joe Phinisee 10 tackles
Soul Defense: 3 sacks, 3 turnovers
Carlos Martinez 1-1 (28) FG, 9-10 PAT
Tampa Bay Storm 63, New Orleans VooDoo 32
South division rivals, the Storm and VooDoo, squared off in week seven's CBS Sports Network game of the week.
No Joe Hills, no problem for Adrian McPherson and company. McPherson scored the first points of the game on a one-yard touchdown run to cap-off a five-play, 38-yard opening drive. Bill Stull began his first start for New Orleans on a good note by completing six of his first seven passes, including a nine-yard touchdown pass to Courtney Smith that matched Tampa Bay's opening drive touchdown. Tampa Bay turned the game around on the next two possesions when Chris Davis caught a 17-yard touchdown and the Storm defense forced three straight incompletions from Stull at the beginning of the second quarter. McPherson led and concluded the following four-play drive with another one-yard touchdown run, Pernell Phillips' fourth-down sack of Stull forced a turnover on downs on the following New Orleans possession, and four plays later McPherson threw a 26-yard touchdown to Greg Ellingson to blow the game wide open. Bill Stull's hot start had already been cooled, but it turned to ice when Vance Cuff intercepted one of his passes in the final minute of the half and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to cap-off a stretch of 28 unanwsered points by the Storm. Stull scored on a one-yard touchdown run on the final play of the half, but Tampa Bay still held a very comfortable 35-13 lead. New Orleans received the opening kick of the third quarter and had a great chance to cut the gap to two touchdowns, but it was all for not when De'Audra Dix made the second interception of Stull. Adrian McPherson scored his third rushing touchdown of the night on a nine-yard scamper to extend the lead to 42-13 at the twelve minute mark. Any chance the VooDoo had at a wild road comeback ended when their ensuing drive resulted in nothing and McPherson went deep and connected with Michael Lindsey for a 37-yard touchdown. The bright spot for New Orleans in the second half was the next drive, thirteen plays and nearly nine minutes, that resulted in a three-yard touchdown by Courtney Smith. Both offenses traded touchdowns two more times before this blow-out went final, a very impressive 63-32 win for the Storm. Crazy fact: Bill Stull completed 27 passes, while Tampa Bay ran a TOTAL of 26 offensive plays.
Stat Leaders:
New Orleans (1-5) Tampa Bay (5-2)
Bill Stull 27-47, 265 yds, 5 Total TD, 2 Int Adrian McPherson 13-16, 197 yds, 4TD,
Quorey Payne 10 rec, 102 yds 6 rush, 29 yds, 4 TD
Chris Duvalt 7 rec, 77 yds Chris Davis 6 rec, 68 yds, TD
Courtney Smith 6 rec, 38 yds, 2 TD Michael Lindsey 4 rec, 66 yds, TD
Greg Ellingson 3 rec, 63 yds, 2 TD
Craig Camay 9-9 PAT
Vance Cuff Int-ret TD
Storm Defense 4 sacks, 2 Int
San Jose Sabercats 56, Cleveland Gladiators 36
The Russ Michna era in San Jose got off to a good start in week six, and the good times continued in week seven when the Sabercats hosted the Cleveland Gladiators.
San Jose got off to a fast start when Russ Michna threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Jason Willis, ending a seven-play drive to open the game, and the Sabercat defense forced a four-and-out that was highlighted by Terrence Carter's sack on fourth down. Michna found Jamarko Simmons for a one-yard touchdown four plays later to build the lead up to two possessions. Brian Zbydniewski got things going on the second possession, a nine-play, 45-yard drive that concluded on his one-yard touchdown run to get Cleveland its first points of the night. Fred Williams took care of San Jose's answer by returning the ensuing kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown. The 'Cat defense forced another turnover on downs, which led to Simmons' one-yard touchdown run that allowed San Jose to enjoy a 28-6 lead with three minutes left in the half. Zbydniewski responded by efficently moving the Glads down the field to setup a one-yard touchdown run by Dominic Goodman to close the gap. The Gladiators were relying on their defense to come up with a big stop at the end of the half to keep it close, but the defense never got its chance as Fred Williams returned his second kickoff for a touchdown in the quarter to build the lead back to three scores. Once again, Brian Zbydniewski was able to efficently move the offense into scoring position and Aaron Pettrey nailed a 42-yard field goal to cut the margin to twenty at the break. The Gladiators cut the defecit to thirteen when Zbydniewski found Dominic Goodman for a 17-yard touchdown to conclude an eight-play, 47-yard drive to open the second half. Things got even more interesting when Lenny Wicks recovered the ensuing kickoff off the net and ran it in the end zone for a touchdown to pull Cleveland within six midway through the third. San Jose stopped the bleeding with a six-play drive that ended when Russ Michna fired a 18-yard touchdown to Jason Willis. Cleveland appeared to be ready to pull back withing a possession, until Jason Stewart intercepted Zbydniewski's pass at the Sabercat-17. Jamarko Simmons scored his second rushing touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend the lead back to twenty. The Sabercat defense made one final stop to preserve a twenty-point win, their second straight win with Russ Michna at quarterback.
Stat Leaders:
Cleveland (1-5) San Jose (4-2)
Brian Zbydniewski 24-47, 231 yds, 2 TD, Russ Michna 18-25, 197 yds, 4TD
Int, 13 yds, TD rushing Jamarko Simmons 3 rec, 45 yds, 2 Total TD
Dominic Goodman 10 rec, 74 yds, 2 Total TD Jason Willis 8 rec, 85 yds, 3 TD
Jamar Howard 6 rec, 89 yds, TD Jason Stewart sack, Int
LaRoche Jackson 8 tackles Fred Williams 2 Kick-ret TD
Utah Blaze 52, Spokane Shock 48
To end week seven, we saw a battle of the wild west between the Shock and Blaze. Utah entered looking for their first home win of the year, while Spokane tried to avoid back-to-back losses.
The Shock received the opening kick and were on the move to score until Erik Meyer got sacked in the pocket by Caesar Rayford and fumbled. Tommy Grady cashed in two plays later when he connected with Mario Urritia for a seven-yard touchdown. Meyer regrouped on the next series and led a five-play drive that concluded with an eight-yard touchdown reception by Duane Brooks. Aaron LeSue caught a 30-yard touchdown to put Utah back in the lead and then things got crazy. The ensuing kickoff took two wild bounces of the rebound net and Pat Stoudamire made an amzing play to field the ball on its second hop and return it 30 yards for a Shock touchdown. If that wasn't enough, the next kickoff took its own wild bounce of the rebound net and Aaron LeSue made an alert play of picking it up and turning it into his own 54-yard kick-return touchdown. An offense finally got the ball, but it was the Blaze defense who won the next possession by forcing Erik Meyer to throw four straight incompletions at their own elevan-yard line. After a high-scoring first quarter, the second quarter was the opposite. Both sides traded stops and Tommy Grady gave the Blaze a thirteen-point lead when he hit Aaron LeSue for a ten-yard touchdown with 8:10 in the quarter. It looked like the Blaze would be able to build on their lead when Kamar Jorden fumbled after making a 20-yard catch, but a nine-play drive stalled at midfield to give the ball back to Spokane without damage. Erik Meyer seized the opportunity by leading a five-play drive that ended on Adron Tennell's 14-yard touchdown catch to end the first half. Utah began the third quarter with a 27-21 lead and doubled it when Tommy Grady went deep on the first play of the half to find L.J. Castille for a 46-yard touchdown. Spokane responded with a seven-play, 47-yard drive that resulted in Arvell Nelson's three-yard touchdown run. Tommy Grady fumbled a mis-exchanged snap to give the Shock a chance at the lead, but an elevan-play drive ended in no points when Antwan Marsh knocked away Meyer's pass on fourth-and-goal. Utah carried a five-point lead into the fourth, but it vanished on the first play of the quarter when Cameron McGlenn intercepted Grady and returned it seventeen yards for a touchdown, giving the Shock their first lead of the game. Utah didn't trail for long as Grady connected with Mario Urritia for a 13-yard touchdown five plays later to retake the lead. Kyle Brotzman's ensuing kickoff took a favorable bounce off the net and was recovered by David Hyland. The Blaze had an opportunity to build the lead back up to two scores, but missed the chance when Tommy Grady's first down pass was jumped by Paul Stephens who returned it 53 yards for Spokane's second "pick-six" of the quarter, giving the Shock a 41-40 lead. Both offenses caught fire and traded scores which cultivated on Mario Urritia's seven-yard touchdown catch to end a seven-play drive and give Utah a 52-48 lead with 90 seconds remaining. Spokane recoverd Brotzman's onside kick and had 59 seconds to score from Utah's elevan-yard line. The Shock ran the ball three straight plays and bled the clock down to fourteen seconds, setting up a critical fourth down and four from the five. Erik Meyer's fourth down pass was intended for Adron Tennell who appeared to be wide-open in the right corner of the end zone, but David Hyland made an amazing recovery to knock the pass to the ground. Tommy Grady took a couple of dives forward to run out the clock and earn the Blaze their first home win of the season.
Stat Leaders:
Spokane (5-2) Utah (3-3)
Erik Meyer 26-39, 276 yds, 3 TD Tommy Grady 26-39, 329 yds, 7TD, 2 Int
Kamar Jorden 10 rec, 112 yds Ben Stallings 4 rush, 32 yds
Duane Brooks 9 rec, 88 yds, TD Mario Urrutia 11 rec, 122 yds, 3 TD
Adron Tennell 7 rec, 76 yds, 2 TD Aaron LeSue 9 rec, 117 yds, 2 TD, Kick-ret TD
Paul Stephens/Cameron McGlenn Int-ret TD L.J. Castile 5 rec, 85 yds, 2 TD
Beau Bell/Terrance Taylor 0.5 sack David Hyland 8 tackles, FF, 2 FR
Pat Stoudamire Kick-ret TD
Week 7 Players of
the Week
Offensive Player of the Week: Rod Windsor, Arizona WR
- Rod Windsor had a dominating performance verse the previosuly unbeaten Sharks, catching 14 passes for 145 yards and four touchdowns. Windsor has gotten in an elite groove and in the abscence of Maurice Purify has emerged as Nick Davila's favorite target on the top team in the AFL.
Defensive Player of the Week: David Hyland, Utah
DB
- David Hyland was a huge deciding factor in the Blaze's win over division-foe Spokane. Hyland made eight tackles while forcing one and recovering two fumbles, but his biggest play came on Spokane's final snap when he quickly closed on Tennell to knock away the would've-been game winning touchdown to preserve the win for Utah.
Playmaker of the Week: Fred Williams, San Jose WR
- Fred Williams caught just four passes for 35 yards, but made his impact in the return game. Williams returned two kickoffs (57 and 55 yards) for touchdown against Cleveland in the second quarter of the Sabercats 56-36 win, moving them to 2-0 with Russ Michna and 4-2 on the season.
For more on any of these seven 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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