Manchester Wolves Down Albany Conquest 50- 33

The Manchester Wolves kept their arena football league2

playoff hopes alive on Friday night when they downed American

Conference East Division rival Albany 50-33 in front of a home crowd of

6,540 at the Verizon Wireless Arena and improved their record to 6-7.   

  The Wolves defense was the story of the night as they disrupted

Albany quarterback Dan Cole and took top wide receiver Antwun Williams,

normally the big playmaker against Manchester every time these two

teams tangle, out of the game. Cole was held to 21 completions of 41

attempts for 222 yards and four touchdowns while Williams, who scored a

record-high seven touchdowns against the Wolves in their last meeting,

caught just six passes for 89 yards and only one touchdown.   

  Both teams traded scores and turnovers through three quarters of

sloppy play marred by fumbles, interceptions, and penalties and they

entered the final stanza tied 27-27. On Manchester’s first possession

of the fourth quarter, quarterback James Pinkney drove the Wolves down

the field and hit wide receiver Bradly Chavez, who earned both the

Schutt Offensive Player of the Game and the JLS ironman of the Game

honors, with a 23-yard scoring strike to take the 34-27 lead.   

 Cole then misfired on four straight incompletions on the ensuing

series and the Wolves took over on downs with a first-and goal from the

Conquest 5-yard line From that point, the game was essentially over

when Pinkney and Emery Sammons connected on a two-yard play to put the

Wolves up 41-27 with 5:46 left on the clock. Cole fumbled on the first

play of the Conquest’s next series at his own five-yard line and the

Wolves recovered the ball in the end zone for the safety and went up

43-27.   

  After that, the teams traded touchdowns in a contest that had already

been decided. Pinkney finished his night with 17 of 25 completions for

177 yards with four touchdowns but also served up two interceptions.   

  Most of the af2 takes next weekend off and the Woplves have a bye,

but then they will return to Brady Sullivan Field on Saturday, July

12th for a rematch with the Mahoning Valley Thunder, another division

foe.   

SCORING 1 2 3 4 FINAL Record   

Manchester 13 7 7 23 50 6-7   

Albany 6 14 7 6 33   4-9   

PASSING:   

Pinkney (Man): 17-25-177-4 TD-2 INT   

Cole (Alb) 21-41-222-4 TD   

RECEIVING:   

Savoy (MAN): 6 receptions 44 yards 2 TD   

Jones (ALB) 7 receptions 58 yards 0 TD   

Schutt Offensive Player of the Game: Bradly Chavez (MAN)   

ADT Defensive Player of the Game: Joe Crear (MAN)   

JLS Ironman of the Game: Bradly Chavez (MAN)   

Cutters Catch of the Game: Clarence Curry (ALB)