The Philadelphia Soul (1-5) will be flying in to Iowa to battle the Barnstormers (2-4) at the Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, April 30 at 8:05 p.m. (EST). The Soul will be looking to snap their five-game losing streak while the Barnstormers will be hoping to stop a three-game skid of their own in this first-ever meeting between the two teams.
After six games into the season, both teams have fallen victim to late-game heroics by their respective opponents. The Soul have lost their last four by an average of 4.75 points per game, and have lost three of those by giving up the lead in the waning moments of each game. The Barnstormers are coming off of three consecutive losses to division rivals, with the previous two games being decided on last-second field goals by their opponents, resulting in a one-point loss both weeks.
"We are facing a team that is very talented and has been snake-bitten, like we have, with last-second-losses while being able to get close, but not finishing with a win,” said Soul Head Coach Mike Hohensee. “It’s always tough playing in Iowa, I’ve brought great teams into there, but came out on the losing end. I’m hoping our experience in these recent close games will give us an advantage.”
All eyes will be on Soul defensive back Tanner Varner, who played for the Barnstormers from 2008-10, and attended the University of Northern Iowa and Ottumwa High School. Varner had his best season last year when he led the league with 129.5 total tackles, 113 solo tackles, and eight interceptions, earning him First-Team All-Arena and team Defensive MVP honors. He has continued to perform at a high level this season in the Soul secondary, leading the team with 37.0 total tackles and four interceptions.
“I’m excited to head back to Iowa to play in front of my friends and family again,” said Varner. “I know their receivers pretty well, so hopefully I can pickup on their tendencies early in the game and will get a few chances to come down with some balls.”
The Barnstormers new leader in the defensive backfield is Cameron McGlenn. The rookie defender is tied for No. 1 in the league with six interceptions and tied for No. 3 with nine pass break ups, and leads his team with 38.5 total tackles. Secondary partner Chris Felder has also contributed with 36.5 total tackles, three interceptions, three pass break ups, and a team leading three forced fumbles.
Soul quarterback Ryan Vena will also be making his return to Iowa. The 2010 Barnstormer play-caller threw for 3,924 yards and 78 touchdowns, and added 272 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground last season. This year, Vena has thrown for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns, and rushed for 77 yards and nine touchdowns, tied for No. 3 in the league, while taking over duties from teammate Justin Allgood.
After facing an experienced quarterback in Mark Grieb of the San Jose SaberCats (5-2) last week, the Soul will look to slow the production of Barnstormers’ rookie quarterback Brad Banks. In his first AFL season, he currently ranks No. 3 in the league in passing touchdowns (40) and passing yards per game (302.5), and No. 4 in passing yards (1,815) and yards per completion (12.7).
Two of Arena Football’s most explosive athletes at the wide receiver position will be looking to make an impact for their respective clubs. Donovan Morgan of the Soul leads the league in receiving yards (824) and receiving yards per game (137.3), while Jesse Schmidt of the Barnstormers leads the league in receiving touchdowns (20).
Both teams will want to erase their recent misfortunes with a win to gain ground in their respective divisions in this inter-conference match-up.
-Courtesy of the Philadelphia Soul
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