AFL awards Week 4 Players of the Week

Tuesday April 26, 2016

 Raudabaugh, Sonie, Purify Earn Weekly Honors With Standout Performances

LAS VEGAS (April 26, 2016) – The Arena Football League has announced that Philadelphia’s Dan Raudabaugh, Orlando’s Varmah Sonie, and Arizona’s Maurice Purify have been named as the Under Armour Offensive Player, Riddell Defensive Player and AFL Playmaker of the Week for Week 4, respectively. In addition to these awards, the AFL has awarded Philadelphia’s Darius Reynolds the Cutters Catch of the Week, while the AFL Highlight of the Week was awarded to Cleveland’s Marvin Ross. Those clips can be found by following the AFL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@aflarenaball).

UNDER ARMOUR OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Raudabaugh (6’3, 230, Miami, OH), who was the 2015 AFL MVP, went on to lead the Soul to a 67-50 victory over the Cleveland Gladiators (1-3) and earned AFL Playmaker of the Game honors. The former RedHawk completed 26-of-31 passes for 315 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. Raudabaugh leads the AFL in passing touchdowns (26) and completion percentage (70.4%), while guiding the Soul to a 3-1 start in 2016.

RIDDELL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sonie (5’8, 180, Northern Iowa) sparked the Predators’ defense in their big 43-40 home victory over the Los Angeles KISS (2-2) at Amway Center. The second-year veteran defensive back tallying 4.5 total tackles, a forced fumble and two interceptions on his way to earning Defensive Player of the Game honors. He currently leads Orlando with 29.0 total tackles and four interceptions to help the Predators remain perfect on the season at 4-0.

J. LEWIS SMALL PLAYMAKER OF THE WEEK: Purify (6’4, 220, Nebraska) proved to be a playmaker with his performance in the Arizona Rattlers’ 75-68 overtime victory over the Jacksonville Sharks (1-3) this past weekend. The former All-Arena standout had nine receptions for 151 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winning 8-yard score from Nick Davila. The former Cornhusker has 16 receptions for 196 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, while helping the Rattlers remain undefeated with a 4-0 record.

CUTTERS CATCH OF THE WEEK: Reynolds (6’2, 210, Iowa State) led all receivers in Philadelphia’s 67-50 win over the Cleveland Gladiators for the second time this season. Reynolds caught 10 passes for 114 yards and found the end zone three times. Reynolds’ made a spectacular grab as he was going over the wall to earn this week’s Cutters Catch. He is currently No. 3 in the League in receiving touchdowns with nine.

AFL HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK: Ross (5’11, 180, Florida A&M) recorded 7.5 tackles and one interception in the Gladiators’ 67-50 loss to the Soul at Wells Fargo Center. Ross’ 30-yard interception return for a touchdown was the first of his AFL career. The rookie leads the Gladiators in passes break ups with four.

Under Armour Offensive Player candidates included: Arizona’s Rod Windsor, Jacksonville’s Joe Hills, Orlando’s Randy Hippeard, and Philadelphia’s Darius Reynolds

Riddell Defensive Player candidates included: Arizona’s Allen Chapman, Jacksonville’s LaRoche Jackson, and Philadelphia’s Jake Metz

J. Lewis Small Playmaker candidates included: Arizona’s Rod Windsor and Nick Davila, Orlando’s Brandon Thompkins, and Philadelphia’s Dan Raudabaugh.

PREVIOUS WINNERS:
WEEK 1: Orlando’s Randy Hippeard (Offensive), Arizona’s Damien Borel and Luis Vazquez (Co-Defensive), Philadelphia’s Shaun Kauleinamoku (Playmaker), Los Angeles’ Donovan Morgan (Catch), and Cleveland’s Joe Powell (Highlight).
WEEK 2: Jacksonville’s Joe Hills (Offensive), Cleveland’s Joe Powell (Defensive), Arizona’s Rod Windsor (Playmaker), Tampa Bay’s Philip Barnett (Catch), and Orlando’s Kent Richardson (Highlight).
WEEK 3: Arizona’s Nick Davila (Offensive), Los Angeles’ Rayshaun Kizer (Defensive), Philadelphia’s Teddy Jennings (Playmaker), Cleveland’s Brandon Stephens (Catch), and Orlando’s Brandon Thompkins (Highlight).

ABOUT THE AFL
The Arena Football League enters its 29th Season in 2016. Since its inception in 1987, the Arena Football League has showcased a fast-paced and exciting game to millions of fans in a myriad of markets across the country. The ESPN family of networks and CBS Sports Network nationally broadcast AFL games each week, culminating with the ArenaBowl on ESPN. For all the latest news and discussion on the Arena Football League, follow the AFL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@aflarenaball).