Shock remain on top in week 16 coaches poll

Wednesday July 9, 2008

CHICAGO – The Spokane Shock have maintained the No. 1 ranking in the Week 16 Coaches Poll, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced today. The Shock (12-1) collected 438 of a possible 448 points and 21-of-29 first place votes in securing the top position for the second consecutive week. Spokane clinched its third West Division title in as many seasons with a thrilling, 56-54, home win against rival Central Valley in Week 14. The Shock, who currently boast the league’s best record, secured their third consecutive postseason berth with a win in Week 12. After a week off during the recent July 4th weekend, the team returns to action on Saturday at Stockton. 
 
The rest of the Top-5 remained unchanged this week as well as No. 2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, No. 3 Tulsa, No. 4 South Georgia and No. 5 Arkansas all had byes in Week 15. The Pioneers (11-2, 419 points, 5 first place votes), who have won 18 straight games at Wachovia Arena dating back to 2006, host Peoria this Saturday. Tulsa (11-2, 389 points, 3 first place votes) hosts Arkansas on Saturday in one of the most intriguing matchups of the week. The Talons, who are two games ahead of the Twisters (9-4, 337 points) in the Central Division standings, have won 13 games in a row at the Tulsa Convention Center. The streak includes the first seven games of 2008 and the last six in 2007. With the Talons set to move to the BOK Center next year, this week’s game will be their last scheduled regular season game at the Convention Center Arena. Arkansas owns the league’s longest current win streak at six games and counting. The South Georgia Wildcats (9-4, 342 points) host Oklahoma City on Saturday. The complete Top 16 is listed below. The number in parentheses indicates the number of first place votes the team received.

WEEK 16 TOP 16

RANK	TEAM	PTS
1	Spokane	438 (21)
2	W-B/Scranton	419 (5)
3	Tulsa	389 (3)
4	South Georgia	342
5	Arkansas	337
6	Green Bay	311
6	Florida	311
8	Tennessee Valley	238
9	Lubbock	213
10	Lexington	192
11	Austin	170
12	Central Valley	136
13	Louisville	124
14	Bossier-Shreveport	89
15	Boise	86
16	Quad City	85

Each week during the season af2 coaches will vote for the Top 16 teams in the league by ranking them one through 16 on a ballot. Teams ranked first receive 16 points with the point value decreasing by one for each place below first, meaning a team ranked 16th would receive one point. Total points will determine the Top 16 list. In the event of a tie in total points, the team with the greater number of first-place votes will be ranked higher. The af2 Coaches Poll will be announced every Wednesday during the regular season. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team and the poll results have no bearing on postseason qualification.
 
About af2
In Week 16 of its ninth season with a 29-team membership, af2 serves as a vehicle to bring Arena Football to small-to-midsize cities and as a developmental league with an unmatched history of sending players, coaches and officials to major professional football leagues each year. af2 operates under the same Mission Statement and Fans’ Bill of Rights as the Arena Football League, which is the midst of its 22nd season. Log on to www.af2.com for more information.