Soul, Rattlers Face In Possible ArenaBowl Preview On ESPN2

Sharks, Predators in American Conference Battle on CBS Sports Network
June 15,2016

LAS VEGAS (June 15, 2016) - The Philadelphia Soul (9-2) were able to break the spell back in Week 7, but how will they do on the road in the re-match with the National Conference-leading Arizona Rattlers (8-3), this Friday, June 17 at 10 p.m. ET at Talking Stick Resort Arena on ESPN2. The Soul notched their first-ever victory (65-58) over the Rattlers in their last matchup on May 14, but this will be the ultimate QB duel with the spotlight focused on Philadelphia QB Dan Raudabaugh (69.9 Comp. %, 2,806 passing yards and 65 TDs) as he will look to outshine Arizona QB Nick Davila (68.1 Comp. %, 2,979 passing yards and 76 TDs). Rattlers WR Rod Windsor (107 catches for 1,253 yards and 33 TDs) will put up his All-Arena credentials against Soul WR Darius Reynolds (83 catches for 1,037 yards and 26 TDs).
Elsewhere, it's an American Conference battle in Florida between the Orlando Predators (9-2) and the Jacksonville Sharks (5-5) at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday, June 18 at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. The tandem of WR Joe Hills (103 receptions, 1,310 yards and 36 TDs) and WR Tiger Jones (13,954 career receiving yards) have been the focus of QB Tommy Grady (2,847 passing yards and 58 TDs) and the Shark offense. On the other side, Predators QB Randy Hippeard (2,787 passing yards, 61 TDs and 7 rushing TDs) is having another career year, while WR Brandon Thompkins (2,535 all-purpose yards, 34 TDs and 206 points) continues his climb up the record books.


Also, WR Donovan Morgan and the Los Angeles KISS (4-6) travel cross-country to take on WR T.T. Toliver and the Tampa Bay Storm (1-9) at Amalie Arena on Saturday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET on WatchESPN. A couple of young quarterbacks look to show their wares as KISS QB Pete Thomas (955 passing yards, 21 TDs and just 2 INTs in 3 starts) battles Storm QB Jason Boltus (1,736 passing yards and 29 TDs). Toliver sets his sights on another all-time record as he needs just five more catches to surpass AFL Hall of Famer Damian Harrell (1,164 career receptions) for most in a career. The 13-year veteran broke the all-time receiving yards mark last week and currently sits at 15,232 career (also previously held by Harrell).
The final game of the weekend, Portland QB Shane Austin (59.5 Completion %, 1,309 yards and 26 passing TDs in five starts) and the Portland Steel (1-9) host QB Arvell Nelson (57.9 Comp. %, 1,983 yards and 43 TDs), and the Cleveland Gladiators (5-6) at Moda Center on Saturday, June 18 at 10 p.m. ET on WatchESPN. WR Tom Gilson (98 receptions for 993 yards and 14 TDs) and WR Jared Perry (46 receptions for 597 yards and 9 TDs) are the tandem to spark the offense, while Cleveland WR Collin Taylor (74 catches for 943 yards and 23 TDs) and new-comer WR Quentin Sims (56 catches for 635 yards and 18 TDs) get the Gladiators' engine going on offense.
For complete official statistics, game notes and media guides, go to: www.afldigital.com.
WEEK 12 MATCHUPS
Philadelphia Soul (9-2) AT Arizona Rattlers (8-3)
Friday, June 17 at 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2) Play-by-play: Ari Wolfe; Color: Sherdrick Bonner; Sideline: Tina Cervasio

	PHILADELPHIA	ARIZONA
REG. SEASON SERIES LEADER	Arizona leads 4-1
STREAKS	W2
LAST WEEK	W 73-37 vs. KISS	W 76-49 vs. Steel
LAST REG SEASON MEETING	5/14/16 Soul 65 vs. Rattlers 58
TOTAL OFFENSE (RANK)	284.8 (3)	300.5 (2)
TOTAL DEFENSE (RANK)	260.7 (2)	292.5 (6)
POINTS SCORED (RANK)	59.5 (2)	65.9 (1)
POINTS ALLOWED (RANK)	44.2 (1)	47.5 (2)
TURNOVER MARGIN (RANK)	+5 (4)	+9 (t-2)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The 2014 and 2015 AFL MVPs go head-to-head for the second time this season. Philadelphia QB Dan Raudabaugh was 14-of-23 passes for 223 yards, six TDs and zero INT against Arizona in Week 7, while his counterpart Arizona QB Nick Davila completed 26-of-42 passes for 316 yards, eight TDs and zero INTs in the game. Both quarterbacks enter Friday's game with a two-consecutive game streak of zero INTs... SOUL: Raudabaugh continues to be one of the top quarterbacks in the League... The 2015 AFL MVP has completed 230-of-328 passes for 2,806 yards, 65 TDs and eight INTs on the season...Raudabaugh has thrown zero INTs in six games this season... WR Darius Reynolds leads the Soul receiving corps with 83 receptions for 1,037 yards and 26 TDs... The former Cyclone hauled in eight catches for 126 yards and 3 TDs against Arizona in Week 7... FB Jeramie Richardson is the Soul's go-to man in the run game...Richardson has 66 rushes for 193 yards and 14 TDs in 2016...The four-year veteran is tied for No. 1 in the League in rushing TDs (14)... Philadelphia's defense is led by DB Tracy Belton... Belton leads the team with 52.5 total tackles, five INTs for 123 yards and three TD returns, 16 pass break-ups, and 21 passes defended... RATTLERS: QB Nick Davila showcases every week why he remains a top quarterback in the League... The 2014 AFL MVP has completed 245-of-360 passes for 2,979 yards, 76 TDs and five INTs this season... Davila has thrown zero INTs in seven games...WR Rod Windsor is Arizona's go-to receiver, leading the team with 107 receptions for 1,253 yards and 33 TDs... The 2010 Rookie of the Year is No. 2 in the League in reception yards (1,235) and reception TDs (33)... FB Mykel Benson has 54 rushes for 146 yards and 14 TDs through 11 games... Benson is tied for No. 1 in the AFL in rushing TDs (14)... DB Arkeith Brown leads the Arizona defense with 35.0 total tackles, three INTs for 43 yards, 22 pass break-ups, and 25 passes defended... Arizona leads the League with 20 sacks and Philadelphia is No. 2 in the League only al­lowing five sacks... Since 2012, the Rattlers are 43-4 at home (including the postseason). In that time, the Snake Pit has been the most difficult place to play for other teams, only able to win there just over 9% of the time.
Orlando Predators (9-2) AT Jacksonville Sharks (5-5)
Saturday, June 18 at 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network) Play-by-play: Dave Ryan; Color: Pat O'Hara; Sideline: Cassie McKinney

	ORLANDO	JACKSONVILLE
REG. SEASON SERIES LEADER	Jacksonville leads 9-7
STREAKS	W2	W1
LAST WEEK	W 59-56 vs. Gladiators	W 67-34 at Storm
LAST REG SEASON MEETING	5/27/16 Sharks 59 at Predators 56
TOTAL OFFENSE (RANK)	283.0 (4)	308.8 (1)
TOTAL DEFENSE (RANK)	268.0 (4)	306.3 (8)
POINTS SCORED (RANK)	58.4 (3)	53.4 (4)
POINTS ALLOWED (RANK)	49.5 (5)	49.1 (4)
TURNOVER MARGIN (RANK)	+9 (t-2)	+10 (1)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: PREDATORS: QB Randy Hippeard continues to lead his team under center.... Hippeard has completed 218-of-330 passes for 2,787 yards, 61 TDs and seven INTs through 11 games... This season against Sharks, the three-year veteran is 52-of-74 passes for 570 yards, 11 TDs, and four INTs... WR Brandon Thompkins proves to be an all-purpose threat on receiving and returns...Thompkins has hauled in 87 receptions for 1,081 yards and 27 TDs...The All-Arena performer leads the League in all-purpose yards with 2,535 (1,081 receiving, 54 field goal return, 1,397 kickoff return yards, and 3 rushing).... Another favorite target for Hippeard is WR Greg Carr...Carr has caught 66 passes for 915 yards and 19 TDs...The receiving duo of Thompkins and Carr combined for 35 receptions, 393 yards, and seven TDs versus the Sharks in the two earlier meetings this season... Orlando is led on defense by DB Varmah Sonie...Sone leads the team with 67.0 total tackles, six INTs, 15 pass break-ups, 21 passes defended and one forced fumble...DB Kent Richardson also plays a major role on defense for the Predators... The former Mountaineer has tallied 52.0 total tackles, three INTs, ten pass break-ups, and 13 passes defended in 11 games... SHARKS: QB Tommy Grady is looking to help keep Jacksonville's winning momentum going... Through the first 10 games, the 2012 AFL MVP has completed 245-of-364 passes for 2,847 yards, 58 TDs, and four INTs... In the previous two meetings this season, Grady went 55-of-78 passes completed for 469 yards, 12 TDs, and zero INTs... Grady has two key targets in his receiving corps.... WR Joe Hills has hauled in 103 receptions for 1,310 yards and 36 TDs this season... Hills carries a streak of 62 consecutive regular-season appearances with at least one touchdown catch... WR Anthony “Tiger” Jones has caught 69 passes for 834 yards and 11 TDs through 10 games... Jones is No. 4 in the all-time receptions in AFL history with 1,006 receptions and is in range of passing Tampa Bay Head Coach Lawrence Samuels (1,035) for No. 3... The Sharks are led on defense by 2015 Rookie of the Year DB Greg Reid... Reid continues to make an impact on the Sharks' defensive line this season with 67.0 total tackles, a League-leading eight INTs, 17 pass break-ups, 25 passes defended, and one forced fumble.
LOS ANGELES KISS (4-6) AT Tampa Bay Storm (1-9)
Saturday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET (WatchESPN)

	LOS ANGELES	TAMPA BAY
REG. SEASON SERIES LEADER	Tampa Bay leads 1-0
STREAKS	L2	L2
LAST WEEK	L 73-37 at Soul	L 67-34 vs. Sharks
LAST REG SEASON MEETING	8/1/15 Storm 38 vs. KISS 34
TOTAL OFFENSE (RANK)	250.4 (8)	259.8 (7)
TOTAL DEFENSE (RANK)	268.3 (5)	254.8 (1)
POINTS SCORED (RANK)	44.4 (6)	36.0 (8)
POINTS ALLOWED (RANK)	48.1 (3)	56.0 (6)
TURNOVER MARGIN (RANK)	-1 (5)	-12 (7)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: KISS: DB Clevan Thomas became the second player in league history to tally 80 INTs in Week 8. He needs 18 INTs to become the AFL's all-time INT leader... QB Pete Thomas is just 45 yards shy of reaching 1,000 passing yards. The rookie has averaged 136.4 yards per game over the first seven games of his AFL career... WR DJ Stephens is ranked No. 4 in yards per kick return (15.5) and No. 5 in the AFL with 114.0 all-purpose yards per game... WR Donovan Morgan leads the league in TDs per receptions (.43) and in is No. 4 in the AFL with 18.0 points scored per game and is No. 8 in yards per catch (12.6)... Morgan has a streak of seven straight games with multiple TD receptions... FB Rory Nixon is tied for No. 7 in the AFL with five rushing TDs. He also boasts the No. 9 highest rushing yards per game (2.4)... DB Fredrick Obi is No. 2 in tackles per game (6.2) and No. 6 in passed defended per game (1.60). Additionally, he is sixth in INTs (4) and is No. 5 in INT return yards... DB Josh Victorian has recovered two fumbles, which is the Yed for third in the AFL. Additionally, is tied for No. 6 with 2 INT return TDs and is just outside the No. 17 in tackles per game (4.1)... LA KISS Defense leads the AFL in Red Zone defensive efficiency. Opponents have only score on 72.3% of red zone possessions... STORM: Toliver became the Arena Football League's all-time leader for career receiving yards (15,232) with his second TD catch in the second quarter. Toliver's 13-yard TD reception with 4:23 to go in the first half was enough to push Toliver to the top of the leaderboard... Through the first nine games, the Storm has allowed just five sacks (No. 3 in AFL), making it one of the best offensive lines in the game. To put this in perspective, last season the team allowed 15 sacks through the first nine games... Storm DB Nick Addison was a standout at Spoto H.S. (Riverview, FL) where he was quarterback. He made the transistion to DB when he attended Bethune-Cookman University. Addison began his professional career with the Houston Texans in 2014... Offensively the Storm have scored 60 or more points in 102 games and have an overall record of 87-15 in those games (including playoffs)... WR Mike Washington enters his fourth game in his career against the KISS... Last time out against the KISS, he caught 13 passes for 129 yards and four TDs... Emerging star, WR Phillip Barnett enters his second season with the Storm and is currently No. 2 on the team with 55 catches for 539 yards and 11 TDs.
Cleveland Gladiators (5-5) AT PORTLAND STEEL (1-9)
Saturday, June 18 at 10 p.m. ET (WatchESPN)

	CLEVELAND	PORTLAND
REG. SEASON SERIES LEADER	Cleveland leads 2-0
STREAKS	L2	L2
LAST WEEK	L 59-56 at Predators	L 59-56 at Predators
LAST REG SEASON MEETING	5/16/16 Gladiators 55 vs. Steel 48
TOTAL OFFENSE (RANK)	261.4 (6)	261.4 (6)
TOTAL DEFENSE (RANK)	302.1 (7)	302.1 (7)
POINTS SCORED (RANK)	52.5 (5)	52.5 (5)
POINTS ALLOWED (RANK)	56.7 (7)	56.7 (7)
TURNOVER MARGIN (RANK)	-7 (6)	-7 (6)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: GLADIATORS: QB Arvell Nelson, who earned AFL Playmaker of the Game, is coming off a solid performance where he completed 22 of his 31 passes for 296 yards, eight TDs, and one INT in last Saturday's 59-56 loss to the Orlando Predators... Since taking over as the starting quarterback on April 29th, Nelson has completed 151-of 261 passes for 1,983 yards, 43 TDs, and eight INTs, while also rushing for 121 yards and seven more scores... Last week against Orlando, WR Collin Taylor caught four more passes for 59 yards and a TD in the loss last weekend, the touchdown catch extends his consecutive regular-season games streak with a touchdown to 26... ‘CT' has continued his ascent in 2016 to being one of the elite wide receivers in the AFL. To date, Taylor has hauled in 76 passes for 943 yards and 23 TDs... In this past weekend's game against the Predators, Sims reeled in another eight passes for 102 yards and a team-leading four TDs... To date, Sims has now made 56 receptions for 635 yards and 18 TDs since becoming a starter... STEEL: In that last meeting with Cleveland, QB Shane Austin set Portland team records for pass completions (36), passing attempts (56) and passing yards (363), his first start ever with the Steel... In five games with the Steel in 2016, Shane Austin has thrown for two games over 300 yards. The two games give him two Top 5 performances for passing yardage by an AFL QB this season (363 yards against Cleveland on May 16 and 351 against Cleveland on June 11)... WR Tom Gilson also had himself quite a game as he set a team record with 16 receptions for 160 yards and two TDs... In all, the Steel offense set record after record in their first game against the Gladiators in their first meeting this season; total offense (401), total plays (64) and first downs (31)... Former AFL Rookie of the Year Jared Perry had a breakout game against the Arizona Rattlers in Week 11, making seven catches for 122 yards and one TD, the fifth-year WR from Missouri has caught 46 passes for 597 yards and nine TDs in 2016. For his career in 54 games, he has caught 348 passes for 4,766 yards and 90 TD's... The stout Steel defensive front is really making it hard for opposing quarterbacks as of late, as they have wrangled opposing quarterbacks for a total of 6.0 sacks in the last five weeks. Dexter Davis Jr. (2.0), Brandon Sesay (2.0), Robert Hayes (1.5) and Reggie Wilson (0.5) have all been able to get to the QB in the last four games... The Steel defense has garnered 12.0 sacks total in 2016 good for No. 3 in the AFL.
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