Sharks Acquire WR Reggie Gray

(photo credit: onthefieldreport.com)

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville Sharks announced that WR Reggie "Big Play" Gray was assigned to the team. Per usual policy, contract terms were not discussed.

Gray (5'11", 180 lbs), who had a stellar career with the San Jose Sabercats, including winning Arena Bowl MVP honors last year, comes to Jacksonville with a wealth of indoor experience at only 32 years old, suiting up for the team he beat in ArenaBowl XXVIII.

A Chicago native, Gray showed he was a star at Morgan Park High School, where he was awarded All-State honors at quarterback, side receiver, and defensive back, and led Morgan Park to the 2001 City Championship.

After playing for Western Illinois, where he became the team's all-time leader in catches (155) and receiving yards (2,454), Gray signed with the Bloomington Extreme, then of United Indoor Football, and played for two seasons before going to the Chicago Rush in 2008. He was with the team in the off season, but did not make the final roster.

Gray took advantage of the AFL shutdown in 2009 and joined several teammates with the CIFL Chicago Slaughter. He led the league in all-purpose yards with 1,318, and led the Slaughter to an undefeated season and a league title. In the 58-48 win over Fort Wayne, he had a 46-yard kick return for a touchdown.

Gray came back to the Rush in 2011, and immediately made an impact with 130 catches for 1,969 yards and 49 touchdowns. He added four more via kick return, and his record-breaking efforts netted him second-team All-Arena, All-Ironman, and J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Year honors.

After a second appearance on the second All-Arena team in 2013 thanks to 174.7 all-purpose yards per game, Gray went to San Jose, where he continued the conversation about being an all-time great receiver. In just 14 games, Gray still managed 86 receptions for 1,054 yards and 29 touchdowns, on top of totaling 564 kickoff return yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with a 2015 season that saw him win the receiving title with 162 catches and 44 touchdowns with 1,698 yards. Adding 1,282 kick return yards and three touchdowns, he finished second with 165.6 all-purpose yards per game.

Five Takeaways From the First Half of the 2016 AFL Season

1. Nick Davila has established himself as one of the best players in AFL history

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The Arizona Rattlers quarterback became the youngest quarterback in AFL history to have passed for 30,000 yards. The three-time Arena Bowl champion has 59 touchdowns this season, which leads the AFL. Davila now has put himself amongst some of the best players in AFL history, such as Aaron Garcia. Teams still can't figure out Davila, as he continues to tear defenses to pieces. Davila is only 31, so he has a chance to break more records, and win more ArenaBowl's.

2. The Cleveland Gladiators aren't here to fool around

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The Gladiators started the season at a less than impressive 1-4, but things turned around real quick. They have now won four straight games, which includes wins against the Jacksonville Sharks and the Philadelphia Soul. In the Jacksonville game, they came back from down 19 to win the game. Cleveland is now second in the National Conference, one game behind the Arizona Rattlers. Cleveland will play just one more home game this year, but as they've shown, they aren't here to play around.                                

3. There are no clear favorites to win the Arena Bowl                                  

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Through nine weeks of the AFL season, there are no undefeated teams left in the AFL. Early favorites, the Arizona Rattlers, have lost three of their last four. The Orlando Predators have lost two straight, and the Philadelphia Soul lost their second game of the season last week. The San Jose SaberCats were clear favorites last year, but this year, there is no team in mind that could be crowned champions. With those three teams, plus squads such as the Gladiators and the Sharks, the second half of the season should be entertaining.

4. The LA KISS are much better than in the past

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After struggling for the first three years of the franchises existence, the KISS are finally becoming a formidable contender. They've already beaten Jacksonville, they took the Predators down to the wire, and they only lost by 13 to the Rattlers, even after losing starting quarterback Nathan Stanley. The KISS have been getting it done on defense, with Fredrick Obi ranking fourth in tackles, and sixth in interceptions. The KISS have also gotten big production from Josh Victorian. LA is looking like a force to be reckoned with, for the first time ever.

5. Portland Steel and Tampa Bay Storm struggling mightily throughout the first nine weeks-            

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Both the Steel and Storm have combined for a 1-15 record through nine weeks. After Tampa finally got its first win on Sunday, Portland is the last team to hold the dubious distinction of being winless. Every other team has at least four wins this season, which means both of these teams have a lot of work to do. Both the Storm and Steel are last in their conferences, and despite the fact they will both make the playoffs, they have a lot of work to do, in order to be competitive.

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Arena Football Power Rankings: Week 9

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Portland Steel: In a night where turnovers killed them, the Steel prove how much they have completely fallen apart this season. They are easily the worst team. 

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Tampa Bay Storm: the Storm won their first game yesterday against the Arizona Rattlers, but they have not been able to pull out victories. They have committed many turnovers when it counted and have not been able to move the ball on offense in crunch time.

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Jacksonville Sharks: the Sharks knocked off the Orlando Predators, but this is still a team that lost a 33-14 lead in a loss and let the Storm and Steel compete with them. 

(photo credit: examiner.com)

Los Angeles KISS: the KISS are without their star quarterback Nathan Stanley, but they have still stayed consistent this season, finding ways to win games on both offense and defense. 

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Arizona Rattlers: Arizona is falling and falling fast. After a 5-0 start, they lost two games in a row, then struggled against a KISS team that lost their star quarterback. To make matters worse, they (lost to the Storm.

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Cleveland Gladiators: the Gladiators have proven to be the hottest team in the AFL over the past four weeks. They have won four games in a row and just knocked off the red hot Philadelphia Soul. 

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Orlando Predators: the Predators have now lost two games in a row after a 7-0 start. Still, their hot start keeps them as the #2 team on our list.

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Philadelphia Soul: the Soul may have lost to the Gladiators, but they have still been very dominant throughout the season. When they win, they win big, and they've been doing that all season.

Storm Beat Rattlers For First Win of Season

(photo credit: Tampa Bay Storm/Twitter)

The Tampa Bay Storm hosted the Arizona Rattlers at the Amelie Arena in Tampa Sunday afternoon. The Rattlers were looking for their second straight win after losing two games in a row. The Storm were still looking for their first win of the season.

The Rattlers scored the first touchdown on the first play of the game when quarterback Nick Davila found wide receiver Rod Windsor in the end zone. The Storm would answer back when quarterback Jason Boltus ran it into the end zone himself to tie the game up at seven.

After the Rattlers retook the lead, Boltus found wide receiver Julius Gregory at the end of the first quarter.  

Gerald Young, who the Storm had activated off of injured reserve just hours before the game, returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the Storm to tie the game at 21.

The Rattlers had a 35-21 lead nearing the end of the first half when the Storm scored to make the halftime score 35-28. The Storm tied it up to begin the second half as Boltus found wide receiver Phillip Barnett who ran past the defense for a touchdown.

The Rattlers took a 48-35 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Storm quickly came around and took at 49-48 lead with 9:26 left in the game.

The Rattlers would tie the game at 56 with just 21 seconds left when Davila found 

As time expired however, Boltus threw the ball in the end zone and T.T. Toliver came down with it to give the Storm their first win of the season by a final score of 63-56. 

The Storm will host the winless Steel next week while the Rattlers will travel to Cleveland to take on the Gladiators.

Lawrence Samuels Taking Storm Season Harder Than Anyone

(photo credit: tampabaystorm.com)

The Tampa Bay Storm, despite playing better football over the past few weeks, still sit at an 0-7 record this season. No one is taking this season harder in Tampa than head coach Lawrence Samuels.

"These guys know I take it hard. Harder than any of them," Samuels told the Tampa Bay Times, "Any time you lose, it hurts. It doesn't matter if it's (by) one point or 30 points. It hurts.

"There are no moral victories for me," Samuels went on, "I've always been a competitor, and I don't accept losing. But it's not what we do in the beginning; it's how we end. And I think we're starting to come around.

Before becoming a coach, Samuels was a player himself. He finished third all-time with 1,087 reception. He also won three Arena Bowls as a member of the Storm and was named to the AFL All-Ironman Team four times.

The 0-7 start for the Storm is the worst start in franchise history. They will look to win their first game of the season at home against the Arizona Rattlers today at 2 p.m.

KISS Beat Steel 54-42

(photo credit: Los Angeles KISS/Twitter)

After being dealt a crushing blow to their promising season last week, the Los Angeles KISS were in need of a bounce back win. LA debuted a new look roster, after starting quarterback Nathan Stanley was placed on IR. The KISS struggled early, but they regained their form late as LA bounced back to win in front of a crowd of 7,150 at the Honda Center.

Los Angeles faced off against the Portland Steel, for the second time in three weeks. Portland won the coin toss, and they elected to defer to the second half. Pete Thomas, who is starting over the injured Stanley, got the KISS on the board real quick. Thomas found Justin Wilson and he reached the promise land, as Wilson got his first score of the year, and LA had the quick 7-0 lead.

The Steel had a response, as Shane Austin found Tyrone Goard for a 31 yard touchdown, and the Steel tied the game at seven apiece. A couple minutes later, Thomas and Captain Morgan connected on a 16 yard pass that resulted in a touchdown. Los Angeles had the 14-7 lead, and they kept that lead throughout the rest of the first quarter. On the Steel’s next possession, Austin took care of all matters himself, as he ran in for a three yard touchdown, and the Steel quickly tied the game at 14.

Thomas and Morgan connected on another 16 yard touchdown pass, as LA regained the lead. However, Joey Cejudo, LA’s third kicker this year, missed the extra point, so the KISS had to settle with a 20-14 lead. Goard and Austin connected twice in the Steel’s next two possessions, as the Steel quickly had the 28-20 lead. Morgan caught another touchdown from Thomas, which cut the lead to 28-26. Then, newly acquired quarterback Danny Southwick was able to convert on a two point try, which tied the game at the halftime.

Once again, Shane Austin was able to find Tyrone Goard in the end zone. Fresh out the halftime break, the two connected yet again, which gave Portland the 35-28 lead. On LA’s first possession of the fourth quarter, Thomas found Morgan again, this time from 25 yards out, and the KISS tied the game at 35. Portland had a response to LA once again, this time Austin found Tom Gilson on a 21 yard touchdown pass, which gave Portland the 42-35 edge.

Rory Nixon had his own response to the Steel taking another lead. The bruising fullback rammed his way into the end zone for another KISS touchdown, but another missed extra point prevented this game from being tied. Portland held a 42-41 lead with seven minutes left in the game. After Portland played a near perfect game on offense, the LA KISS defense finally got to the Steel.

Shane Austin fumbled the ball, which Jamil Merrell recovered, and he took it all the way back to give the KISS a 48-42 lead. Nixon also contributed through the air, as he caught a 14 yard touchdown pass, to give LA the 54-42 lead. That would end up being the final score, as the KISS bounced back after losing to Arizona last week. Pete Thomas went 16-26 for 223 yards and six touchdowns in his first career AFL start. Captain Morgan helped make that happen, as he caught seven balls for 100 yards and four touchdowns. For Portland, Shane Austin matched the play of Thomas.

Austin went 23-42 with 223 yards and five touchdowns. Tyrone Goard had nine catches for 103 yards and four touchdowns. Tom Gilson added 12 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Portland had 18 first downs, while LA nearly matched with 15 first downs. Los Angeles committed 13 penalties which cost them 108 yards, and Portland had eight penalties, which cost them 59 yards. LA (4-4) will play the Orlando Predators at the Honda Center next week, while the Steel are still in search of their first win, as they will take on the also winless Tampa Bay Storm next week.

Storm Activate WR/KR Gerald Young From IR

(photo credit: Tampa Bay Storm/Twitter)

The Storm have announced that they have activated Gerald Young off of injured reserve Sunday. After starting three games for the Storm in 2016, Young went down with injury. In the three games he did play in, he caught nine passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Not only is Young a star with the receiving core, but he is also dangerous with the return team.

As a kick returner, Young returned 11 kicks for 212 yards. This includes a performance in Week 2 against the Cleveland Gladiators where he recorded a total of 103 return yards.

"Gerald is a big part of our offense and special teams," Storm vice president of football operations Jeff Gooch said, " He can take over a game at any time and we value his ability to do so."

The third-year veteran began his career with the Orlando Predators in 2015. In 2015, Young was picked up by the Las Vegas Outlaws. In a game against the Arizona Rattlers, Young set an Arena Football League single-game record with two missed field goal returns for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He has three career missed field goal returns, all of which he returned for touchdowns.

Gladiators Win Fourth Straight, Beat Soul 63-49

(photo credit: Cleveland Gladiators/Twitter)

Cleveland needed to prove they were worthy to be the #2 team out "west" in the National Conference and tonight they showed why they are one of the hottest teams in the league. The Gladiators looked solid against a Soul team that many thought was the team to beat for the moment, and Cleveland passed the test with a impressive 63-49 win in front of 11,278 fans, only adding to the excitement of a city hungry for a title.

Arvell Nelson, who had been known to struggle in tight games, appeared as if he might be growing up in his own back yard. Nelson, a native to Cleveland, hit career highs in passing yards and passing touchdowns going 22/36 for 307 yards and 7 scores. Quentin Sims also joined the party with 114 yards and 3 scores receiving, all 3 scores in the first half and the team high for the game.  It was a big breakout game for him, while the leader of the team from the start of the season Collin Taylor almost seemed quiet with such a balanced attack. The six year vet still pulled in 5 catches for 78 yards and 2 scores, adding to his own franchise record which now stands at 25 straight games with at least one touchdown. Taylor, as he has done in the past, even came in for a couple plays on defense when Joe Powell needed a breather.

It was truly a balanced team effort all around. Even the "overtime closer" Marvin Ross added the nail in the Soul's coffin when he read the eyes of Raudabaugh perfectly and took it 19 yards for the "pick 6" as the cool kids call it, with 90 seconds to go in the game. It marked Ross' fourth interception of his rookie season.

Next week the Gladiators get another shot to prove just how good they really are when they face the Rattlers at the Q in their very last home game of the season before playing six ... yes six games on the road.  But the league wide bye week for the 4th of July will give them a break in the middle.  If they keep winning it might not be the last time the Gladiators have a home game this year though. Game time is set for 7 PM ET and can be seen on Fox Sports Ohio and ESPN3.

2016 Week 9 Preview: Storm vs Rattlers

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After ending a rare two game losing streak, the Arizona Rattlers look to win their second straight game as they visit the Tampa Bay Storm.

The Storm are coming two straight heartbreaking losses, but have shown improvement following an 0-5 start in which they couldn't even score 30. They are coming off a 70-63 overtime loss to Cleveland last week.  

The Rattlers used their defense again last week to defeat the LA KISS last week 47-34. The Rattlers are going to also need their offense in order to pick up another win this week.

Kickoff is 2 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

LA KISS Assigned Defensive Lineman Dontay Moch

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The Los Angeles KISS have been assigned defensive lineman Dontay Moch, according to an LA KISS press release. Moch was recently on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad, before he was let go by the NFL franchise.

 “We are really excited for the opportunity to work with Moch, as this is his first experience in the AFL, LA KISS Head Coach Omarr Smith said. He is a highly explosive player, which led him to being selected with the second pick of the third round in the 2011 NFL Draft. We are eager to see what he can do in the AFL with the LA KISS.” 

Moch spent four seasons in the National Football League, but as he couldn’t find his footing in the league, he will now try his luck in the AFL. Moch was selected with the 66^th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Moch was inactive for all of the 2011 season, but he saw action in one game with the Bengals in 2012. 

In 2013, Moch totaled three tackles and one sack with the Arizona Cardinals. In his last NFL season, Moch was a member of the Tennessee Titans. Moch recorded two tackles and one pass deflection in four games with the team. 

Moch went to college at Nevada, where he was a four year starter. Moch totaled 62 tackles for loss and 9 forced fumbles during his collegiate career, which set Western Athletic Conference records. Moch also had 121 tackles and 30 sacks during his successful career as a member of the Wolf Pack.

 Moch earned second team All-WAC honors and 2008, and he was awarded with first team All-WAC honors in 2009. As well, Moch was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. 

Sharks Shock Predators 59-56

(photo credit: Jacksonville Sharks/Twitter)

The Jacksonville Sharks defeated the Orlando Predators 59-56 on Friday night at the Amway Center in Orlando.

With 10,651 in attendance the host Predators (7-2) lost their second consecutive game after starting the season undefeated. The Sharks (4-4) looked impressive and despite a late surge were able to leave with a much needed win.

Leading the way for Jacksonville was receiver Joe Hills who had a game-high 173 receiving yards and eight touchdowns; The only Shark receiver to score. Hills became the third player in AFL history to score at least 48 points in a game. Also, Hillis becomes the first receiver this season to reach the 1,000-yard mark, with 83 receptions, 1,079 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Quarterback Tommy Grady completed 26 of 38 passes for 280 yards and eight touchdowns. All touchdowns passes were caught by Hillis.

Fullback Derrick Ross added one rushing touchdown.

After a strong start to the year winning the first seven games of the season. Orlando has now dropped two consecutive games to conference opponents. Despite the loss Orlando is still ranked second overall in the American Conference and have plenty of the season remaining.

Quarterback Randy Hippeard completed 26 of 37 passes for 274 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.

Receiver Brandon Thompkins recorded 131 yards for two touchdowns and 205 kick return yards.

Next week Jacksonville will host the Philadelphia Soul on June 4 at 7 p.m. Orlando will travel to play the Los Angeles KISS on June 5 at 6 p.m. Both teams will meet again on June 18 in Jacksonville.

2016 Week 9 Preview: Gladiators vs Soul

(photo credit: cleveland.com)

The Philadelphia Soul and Cleveland Gladiators will meet for the third time this season and the second time at the Q Arena in Cleveland on Saturday night.

In the first meeting in Cleveland in Week 1, the Soul jumped out to a 42-7 lead in the second quarter.  While they did give in a bit, they did not give up. They will walked out of Ohio with a 69-41 opening win. 

In their second meeting in Week 4, the Gladiators kept it closer, but still fell in Philadelphia 67-50. 

Since then, the Gladiators have been playing slightly better football, winning their last three games. Unfortunately, they have not been pretty games. They did come back from 19 down to beat the Jacksonville Sharks, but then lost a 20-point lead to the Portland Steel and beat them and the Tampa Bay Storm, the two winless teams in the league, in overtime.

The Soul have shown their dominance, taking down the Arizona Rattlers and Orlando Predators in consecutive weeks. They even jumped out to big leads against each team.

This game looks like it will be more like the Week 1 matchup than the Week 4 matchup, as it looks like the Soul will dominate early and stick to that.

KISS Place QB Nathan Stanley on IR, Activate Danny Southwick

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The Los Angeles KISS were dealt a big blow in the franchise’s best season to date, as they got the news that starting quarterback Nathan Stanley would be placed on the IR.

Stanley suffered an undisclosed injury, after taking a hard hit against the boards in a game last week against the Arizona Rattlers.  Stanley, the former San Jose Sabercat, has been a key cog in LA’s 3-4 start, and LA will take a big hit without their starting quarterback. Stanley had 142 completions this year, and he totaled 1,548 yards and 29 touchdowns this season.

Stanley has made an incalculable impact on the KISS, as he had them looking like contenders. As a result of the move, the team was assigned quarterback Danny Southwick.

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Southwick is a well-traveled quarterback, as through his six years in the AFL, He has been on eight teams. Southwick was on the Portland Steel this year, before being placed on reassignment on April 25. Southwick was on the KISS in 2015, when he was traded to LA by the Spokane Shock.

Over his career, Southwick has 523 completions, 6,281 yards, and 113 touchdowns. Also, he has 40 interceptions, and he has a quarterback rating of 94.41. Other than Southwick, the KISS also have quarterback Pete Thomas on their roster. Thomas replaced Stanley in last week’s game, he went 13-27 for 214 yards and three touchdowns.

It is uncertain who will become the starter now that Stanley is out, but the KISS do know they have two quarterbacks that have played this season. The new look LA KISS will take the field again on Saturday when they take on Southwick’s former team, the Portland Steel at the Honda Center.

2016 Week 9 Preview: Predators vs Sharks

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The 3-4 Jacksonville Sharks haven't had a lot to celebrate this season, which makes the short week after a blowout win against the 0-7 Portland Steel a bit of a blessing in disguise. However, while the fans will still be ecstatic to pack the bus to the Jungle to face the 7-1 Orlando Predators, the players - and possibly the coaches - are feeling something completely different.

These two teams met at Sea Best Field in Week 3, where the Predators came away with a 63-56 win, and yes, the two will meet again in Jacksonville in Week 12, but for now, this is the game that means the most to both teams.

These two are almost exactly the same two teams not only from last season, but from that same meeting. Orlando was able to pounce on every mistake that the Sharks made, and actually came from behind in the last three minutes to get that win. Jacksonville, for their trouble, played up to the level of competition that night. However, that's been the problem.

When great teams like Philadelphia, Orlando, and Arizona come calling, Jacksonville plays like a team that can beat just about anyone (they are 1-2 in those three games, but Orlando and Arizona, both undefeated at the time, won by a mere touchdown, with the Rattlers needing overtime).

But when teams like LA and Cleveland are on the other sidelines, things tend to snowball. A loss to a mediocre KISS team that's just now coming on, a 19-point blown lead to a Gladiators team struggling to even keep a healthy quarterback, and not one, but two winless teams hanging tough for long stretches of the game.

Jacksonville is the same team from last year in that regard. At this time of the season, there were calls for Les Moss to be fired after an 0-4 start as a league favorite. This year, the rumblings are starting all over again after a team stumbling out of the gate yet again (the Sharks are only one game ahead of last year's pace after seven games, as they were 2-5). Those rumblings could get much, much louder if the Predators leave with another victory on Friday night.

However, to avoid the doom and gloom, there is indeed a legitimate bright light at the end of the tunnel. Randy Hippeard is indeed human, as his performances post-Arizona have been weak. Tampa Bay got to Hip twice, and so did Philadelphia. The Storm held the ball for long stretches of time to slow the tempo down, and the Soul used a strong run game and a stiff defense to build a cushion.

Jacksonville has shown they can do both. If they give Derrick Ross a bit of room, he can take off and take pressure off Tommy Grady to throw the ball down the field. Their defense made Shane Austin miserable and snatched four of his passes, if they can get just one or two from Hippeard, that alone could turn the game around.

Basically, they have to combine what they did against Portland and in the first few weeks of the season and play a near perfect game against a near perfect team. Difficult, but not impossible. London Crawford came back just in time to create the best receiving trio in the league, and Jacksonville keeps making moves to bolster a strong defensive front to maintain pressure.

The only thing to watch out for is the mental toughness. Orlando is now a strong, tough, physical team, and the Sharks can't afford to crumble when a pass is dropped, or a ball sails wide, or there's a fumble or close pass or whatever else can go wrong. It will happen. It always happens. Jacksonville has to get over it and know they can complete the next play.

If they can, this sets up a string of meaningful games for both the team and the rest of the league. If there's going to be a race for the rest of the regular season, the Sharks have to be in it. Otherwise, they'll be left in the dust.

2016 Week 9 Preview: KISS vs Steel

(photo credit: Los Angeles KISS/Twitter)

This Saturday, the Portland Steel (0-7) travel to Anaheim for the second time in less than three weeks to take on the Los Angeles KISS (3-4) at the Honda Center.

In the first matchup between the two teams, Los Angeles dominated from start to finish en route to a 66-27 rout of Portland. That game was originally scheduled for Portland’s Moda Center, but a scheduling conflict with the postseason schedule of the Portland Trailblazers forced the move to the Honda Center. It was also the only game action of the season for Steel quarterback Darron Thomas, who showed why he wasn’t hotly pursued earlier in the season by throwing for five interceptions.

In their two games since, with veteran Shane Austin at the helm, Portland managed a hard-fought, overtime loss at the Cleveland Gladiators, and followed that with a convincing losing effort against the Jacksonville Sharks.

The KISS have managed a respectable season to this point. In addition to their victory over Portland they have also defeated Jacksonville and the Cleveland Gladiators. Of their 4 losses, two were against the 6-2 Arizona Rattlers, and another to the 7-1 Philadelphia Soul.

Quarterback Nathan Stanley’s 1,560 yards and 30 touchdowns both rank fifth in the league, but his 12 interceptions are four more than the next closest passer in the league. They possess a trio of receiving threats in Donovan “Captain” Morgan, DJ Stephens, and Brandon Collins. All three have at least 500 yards, and Morgan ranks sixth in the league with 17 touchdown receptions.

Portland is hoping to earn their first victory of the season and leave the Tampa Bay Storm as the lone winless team in the league. A win for Los Angeles moves them into a tie with Cleveland for second in the Western Division, just two games behind division-leading Arizona.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on Saturday night.

Sharks Sign K Lindsey Wolfe, Make Mark on AFL Awards

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In a case of good news and possibly some better news, the Jacksonville Sharks snagged two weekly awards and a new kicker ahead of Friday's game against the Orlando Predators.

Following Marco Capozzoli's retirement and a subpar performance from Jon Striefsky leading to his release, Jacksonville signed kicker Lindsey Wolfe on Wednesday. Per usual team policy, contract terms were not discussed.

Wolfe (5'11", 200 lbs) graduated from Fort Valley State University, and spent time with the Columbus Lions of the Professional Indoor Football League. Friday's game will be his first start in the Arena Football League, and should provide a boost to a struggling special teams unit looking to improve for the remainder of 2016.

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For the poor performance of Striefsky against the Portland Steel, there were several bright spots to counter. Quarterback Tommy Grady and defensive back Greg Reid both won weekly awards for their performances in Week 8. Grady was named Under Armour Offensive Player of the Week, while Reid was named Riddell Defensive Player of the Week.

At 31, Grady is no stranger to great games, as he threw a League-record 142 touchdown passes with the Utah Blaze in 2012. He tapped into that well against the Steel, putting on one of his most efficient performances. Grady completed 22 of 27 attempts for 288 yards, eight touchdowns, and no interceptions. Three receivers (London Crawford, Joe Hills, and Tiger Jones) all caught at least two touchdown passes in the process.

Through the first eight weeks of the season, Grady is completing 68% of his passes, throwing for 40 touchdowns against a mere three interceptions. Going into Week 9, he leads the AFL in passer rating (125.8) and passing yards per game (295.9)

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Not to be forgotten on defense, Greg Reid highlighted a monster night on defense with his performance at safety. Reid broke up five passes and intercepted two more while recording 7.5 total tackles. He nearly added another touchdown to the stat book, but he was pushed into the wall at the Portland one-yard line.

In only his second season, Reid, 25, looks to add to his own trophy case after garnering Rookie of the Year honors in 2015. Reid leads the AFL in total tackles (52), ranks second in pass breakups (17), and is tied for fourth in interceptions (4). In just 19 career regular-season games, he now has 13 interceptions to his name.

This brings the total number of weekly awards to three, as Joe Hills was named Under Armour Offensive Player of the Week for Week 2.