Florida Sports Wires

JACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville Sharks look for a second straight win as the team will open up its 2016 home slate against the in-state rival Orlando Predators on Monday, April 18. Kickoff for “Redneck Night” at Sea Best Field is set for 7 p.m. Monday’s game will be the first of three meetings between Jacksonville (1-1) and Orlando (2-0) this season. The Predators took two of the three regular-season matchups a year ago, but the Sharks won when it mattered most, defeating Orlando by a 55-33 count in the opening round of the playoffs. Last week, the Sharks fired on all cylinders, never trailing en route to a 59-41 victory over the Philadelphia Soul. The game remained close into the third quarter before Jacksonville broke it open by scoring 24 consecutive points. QB Tommy Grady  21 completions for 326 yards and seven touchdowns with no turnovers. With his dominant performance, Grady became the league leader in passing yards with 605 total yards in two games.  Grady’s ch...

LAS VEGAS – The Tampa Bay Storm will host the Orlando Predators at Amalie Arena in Tampa for the Arena Football League’s 3,000th game to kick off the League’s 29th Season on April 1 at 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN3/Watch ESPN.  The Storm-Predators rivalry dates back to 1991. “The longevity and perseverance of the Arena Football League is a testament to the high-quality, action-packed and authentic nature of the sport,” said AFL Commissioner Scott C. Butera.  “It also recognizes the quality of our athletes, coaches and operational professionals.  Having Tampa Bay and Orlando involved in our 3,000th game could not be more appropriate.  The rich history of both teams is symbolic of our great game.  The combined total of 17 Hall of Famers between the two speaks volumes to what this rivalry has meant to our history.” A rivalry that has been brewing almost since the inception of the League, the “War on I-4” officially began on June 1, 1991, in Tampa Bay. ...

JACKSONVILLE – The Arena Football League and the CBS Sports Network have announced the schedule of the 2016 nationally televised games that will air on CBS Sports Network during this upcoming season. CBS Sports will broadcast 17 Arena Football games during the regular season and the 2015 American Conference Champion Jacksonville Sharks will appear in four of them. The Sharks first 2016 appearance on CBS Sports will take place on Monday, April 11th at the Philadelphia Soul. CBS Sports will broadcast at Sea Best Field June 4th at 7 p.m. as the Sharks take on the Soul again. The Sharks vs. rival Orlando Predators at Sea Best Field Saturday, June 18th will also be nationally televised by CBS Sports.  The Sharks last CBS Sports broadcast game of the regular season will be on the road against the Arizona Rattlers Saturday, July 9th at 9:30 p.m. The partnership with CBS Sports continues to allow our fans from around the nation the ability to follow the Sharks during the 2016 season...

JACKSONVILLE – The Arena Football League’s 2015 American Conference Champions Jacksonville Sharks announced the team’s 2016 schedule on Thursday.  This year marks the 29th season of the AFL and the 7th season for the Sharks since they joined the league in 2010. The 2016 schedule fits an April to August window allowing fans to experience football year-round with a new post season format that will result in 4 teams hosting an additional home game.  The Sharks will begin the 2016 season on the road against the Los Angeles KISS Saturday, April 2nd, with the Sharks’ home opener set for Friday, April 15th against in-state rival, the Orlando Predators. The Sharks last appearance against Orlando ended with the Sharks defeating the Predators 55-33 to advance to the American Conference Championship. The season opener against Los Angeles is part of a two-game road trip that will also involve the Philadelphia Soul before the Sharks reach the highly anticipated home match-up against...

By MIKE BONTS The Jacksonville Sharks announced that fullback Derrick Ross will return to the team, as Ross has been assigned to the Jacksonville roster on a two-year contract. “Our offensive line play was excellent, and nobody can replace 30-plus rushing touchdowns in an Arena Football League season,” Sharks head coach Les Moss said. “Derrick has set the standard of excellence at the fullback position, and we look forward to winning a championship with him. Now we just need to get our offensive line set.” Ross continued to stake his claim as the top rusher in AFL history in 2015, his first season with the Sharks. Starting all 18 regular season games,  Ross led the League with 586 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns on his 147 rushing attempts. Ross scored a touchdown in 15 of the Sharks’ 18 regular season games, and put together 11 multi-score performances. Wide receivers Joe Hills and Tiger Jones will also be back. Hills earned Second Team All-Arena honors during the 201...

The Jacksonville Sharks and Arena Football League announced Thursday that Jacksonville will be assigned six players via the Offseason Assignment Process.  The team will add wide receivers Shay Hodge, LaDon Hudson, Roger Jackson and A.C. Leonard, defensive lineman Mark Weivoda, and quarterback Sean Brackett. Leonard is currently on the AFL’s Other League Exempt list, as he had been assigned to the New Orleans VooDoo before signing with the Canadian Football League’s B.C. Lions.   A native of Palatka, Florida, Leonard attended University Christian School in Jacksonville before finishing his collegiate career at Tennessee State.   Hudson has caught 17 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns during his first season in the CFL. Jackson put together a strong rookie season with the New Orleans VooDoo in 2015. Starting all 11 games in which he played, Jackson racked up 74 receptions for 924 yards and 16 touchdowns, ranking second on his team in all three categories. Brac...

BY STAFF FLORIDA SPORTS WIRE  STOCKTON, CA  – The Jacksonville Sharks led by six points at halftime in ArenaBowl XXVIII, but opened the third quarter with back-to-back turnovers on offense.  The miscues allowed the San Jose SaberCats to take the lead for good, as the Sharks fell by a 67-48 count at Stockton Arena on Saturday night. Jacksonville (12-9) led by a 33-27 score coming out of the locker room for the start of the third quarter before San Jose (20-1) quarterback Erik Meyer engineered a touchdown drive on the opening possession of the second half.  Meyer’s 26-yard pass to D.J. Stephens allowed San Jose to take its first lead of the game, as the SaberCats seized a 34-33 advantage. In the loss, Tommy Grady completed 22 of his 36 pass attempts for 310 yards and seven touchdowns against one interception. Fullback Derrick Ross was limited to 13 rushing yards on his seven carries.  At receiver, Hills paced the Jacksonville offense with nine receptions...

The field for the 2015 Arena Football League Playoffs is set, with eight teams heading into postseason play. The No. 1 seed in the National Conference belongs to the Pacific Division champion San Jose SaberCats (17-1), who tied the 2014 Cleveland Gladiators’ record for the most regular season wins in AFL history this year.  San Jose will play host to the No. 4-seeded Portland Thunder (5-13), a franchise heading to the playoffs for the second time in as many years.  San Jose leads the overall series 6-0; however, this will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams in postseason play. Kickoff for the matchup is set for 11:00 p.m. ET Friday night on ESPN2. On the other side of the bracket, the East Division champion Philadelphia Soul (15-3), fresh off from tying their best regular season record in franchise history, are set for a rematch with their opponents in Week 20, the Cleveland Gladiators (8-10).  This will be the second consecutive season the Soul and ...

LAS VEGAS – The three-time defending ArenaBowl champions are within striking distance of the top spot in the AFL Media Poll, as the Arizona Rattlers (9-2) leapfrogged the Philadelphia Soul (10-2) to move up to No. 2 in this week’s voting. The Rattlers picked up three first place votes after manhandling the Portland Thunder (3-8), 69-42, on the road for their fifth straight win in Week 12. J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Week, AJ Cruz, stole the show, scoring touchdowns as a runner, receiver, and return man, in addition to starting at Jack linebacker. Arizona hosts the South Division-leading Orlando Predators (7-5) – who came in at No. 4 in this week’s Media Poll – Saturday night on CBS Sports Network. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The San Jose SaberCats (11-1) maintained the No. 1 spot in the AFL Media Poll for the fifth consecutive week, despite suffering a shocking overtime defeat at the hands of the LA KISS (2-9) in Week 12. The SaberCats will look to get back on track and o...

LAS VEGAS – Jacksonville Sharks wide receiver Joe Hills has been awarded Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week, while LA KISS defensive back Rayshaun Kizer has been awarded Riddell Defensive Player of the Week, and Arizona Rattlers Jack linebacker AJ Cruz has been awarded J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Week for Week 12 of the 2015 Arena Football League season. In addition to these awards, the AFL is also awarding the Cutters Catch of the Week and AFL Highlight of the Week. The Cutters Catch of the Week has been awarded to Tampa Bay Storm wide receiver Julius Gregory, while the AFL Highlight of the Week has been awarded to LA KISS wide receiver DeMarco Sampson. RUSSELL ATHLETIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Hills (6-5, 215, Tennessee State) tied the Jacksonville Sharks’ franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a game with six in the team’s 56-63 loss to the Tampa Bay Storm in Week 12. He has caught a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games, the longest active streak in ...

CHICAGO – The Jacksonville Sharks (6-5) jumped up two spots to No. 4 in the latest AFL Power Rankings, the League office announced on Monday. Jacksonville defeated the Orlando Predators (6-5), 66-51, to take the head-to-head point differential tiebreaker for the lead in the American Conference South Division in Week 11. Joe Sykes, who earned Riddell Defensive Player of the Game honors, set the single-season franchise record for sacks by recording his 14th of the season in the contest.  Sykes is now just two sacks shy of his own AFL single-season record of 16, which he set in 2012. Sykes, who has gotten to the quarterback in 10 consecutive games, will have the opportunity to make history in front of a national audience again in Week 12, as the Sharks travel to Tampa Bay on Friday night for a matchup with the 4-6 Storm. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The San Jose SaberCats (11-0) remain atop the latest AFL Power Rankings after securing their second consecutive Pacifi...

CLEVELAND -- Facing the defending American Conference champions on Saturday night, the Jacksonville Sharks ( 2-5  OVERALL, 1-4   CONFERENCE)  forced four turnovers, built a three-score lead in the third quarter and withstood a late rally en route to a 46-43 victory over the Cleveland Gladiators at Quicken Loans Arena. On offense, QB Tommy Grady completed 20 of his 31 pass attempts, throwing for a total of 191 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Ross set season highs with 13 carries for 54 yards, and in the process became the first player in AFL history to notch 2,500 career rushing yards.  At receiver, Rodriguez caught eight passes for 75 yards and two scores, Joe Hills led the team with 10 receptions for 92 yards and added a touchdown, while Jones totaled two reception for 24 yards and a score. Defensively, Smith led all players with 10 total tackles, while Xavier Brewer notched four solo tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble. ...

TAMPA, Fla. - Jacksonville gave up three touchdowns in the final 2:02 of the first half on Saturday night, and could not recover from that Tampa Bay Storm surge, as the Sharks fell by a 63-28 count at Amalie Arena. The complexion of the game turned in the final minutes of the second quarter, following a touchdown pass from Tommy Grady to Joe Hills that put Jacksonville (1-5) ahead, 14-7.  On the second play of the ensuing Tampa Bay (3-3) drive, T.T. Toliver got behind the Jacksonville defense, pulling in a 38-yard pass from Jason Boltus to tie the game at 14 with just over two minutes remaining in the half.  The Sharks were unable to handle the ensuing kickoff, as the Storm’s Rick-J Hill recovered the loose ball in the end zone, giving Tampa Bay a 21-14 lead. At that point, the Sharks still had a chance to stay in the game, as the offense had nearly a minute to work with before halftime and was set to get the ball to open the third quarter.  But with 30 second...

JACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville Sharks broke the game open with 35 consecutive points on Friday and never looked back, shutting down the Las Vegas Outlaws to the tune of a 60-28 victory in front of 9,682 on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Jacksonville (1-4) trailed 14-7 early in the second quarter before changing the complexion of the game with a series of defensive stops and quick scores. After Tommy Grady hit Tiger Jones on a Scooter Berry stripped the ball from Las Vegas (2-2) fullback Joe Mortensen, forcing a fumble that Alvin Ray Jackson recovered. On the ensuing drive, Grady again found Jones in the end zone, as the second of their three touchdown connections gave the Sharks their first lead, 21-14, with 50 seconds remaining in the first half. Jacksonville then gained an extra possession on special teams, as Julian Rauch executed a slow-roll onside kick that Jimmy Gordon came away with following an extended scramble for the ball. Five plays later,...

A touchdown pass from Tommy Grady to Joe Hills pulled the Jacksonville Sharks to within three points with 12 minutes remaining on Friday night, but an ensuing kickoff return touchdown and “bar-ball” recovery proved costly as the Sharks fell to the San Jose SaberCats, 68-48, on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. In a game in which the Sharks trailed by four points at halftime, Jacksonville (0-4) held serve into the fourth quarter, as Grady fired an 11-yard strike to Joe Hills to bring the Sharks to within a 41-38 margin. But the Sharks did not get a chance to make a defensive stop, as San Jose (4-0) kick returner brought back the ensuing kickoff the length of the field for a touchdown. After the two sides again traded scores – on a pass from Grady to Harvey followed by a 39-yard bomb from Erik Meyer to D.J. Stephens, Nich Pertuit sent the ensuing kickoff careening off the iron. Jacksonville returner Terrance Smith was unable to secure the carom, and San Jose...

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Sharks and the Arena Football League announced Tuesday that Jacksonville wide receiver Tiger Jones has been named the League’s Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3 of the 2015 AFL season.  Jones receives this honor for his record-breaking performance in Jacksonville’s loss to the Philadelphia Soul on Sunday. Facing the team for which he played from 2012 through 2014, Jones established a new franchise record with 239 receiving yards, breaking the old mark of 210 set by Jeff Hughley during the 2011 season.  Jones totaled 13 receptions in the game, scoring five touchdowns for the second consecutive week. He opened the game with a 36-yard touchdown on a fourth-down pass during the game’s opening drive, then went on to score two more touchdowns in the first half and another two in the second half.  It is worth noting that Jones now hold both the record for most receiving yards by a Shark in a single game, as well as ...

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Sharks will head to the City of Brotherly Love this week for a matchup with the Philadelphia Soul on Sunday, April 12.  Kickoff from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia is set for 4:00 p.m. ET, as the game will be broadcast live online via ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app. Jacksonville (0-2) heads into this week in search of its first win of 2015, having lost by a single point in each of the first two weeks of the season. Most recently, the Sharks were unable to get a defensive stop in the final minute of last Friday’s home opener against the Orlando Predators, as Orlando ran out the clock to seal the game. As is the case with any close game, a few plays in either direction could have easily changed the result. Against Orlando, the Sharks’ offense came up empty on one third-quarter possession, the defense had an interception called back due to a penalty, and the kicking operation was unable to convert on three extra points – one miss, one block,...

FLORIDA SPORTS WIRE JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --   The Orlando Predators ran for seven touchdowns, an Arena Football League record, and overcame a rash of injuries to defeat the host Jacksonville Sharks 55-54 on Friday night at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. "This is one of the proudest victories I have ever been a part of,'' Orlando coach Rob Keefe said. Preds QB Bernard Morris rushed for four scores and was forced to play defensive back after Keefe said Arnez Ikner broke his collarbone on the first play of the game. The Preds (1-1) were thin at wide receiver after Larry Brackins was taken to the hospital with an injured finger, and Greg Carr missed a few series after Keefe said he was leg-whipped on a kickoff. Carr returned to the game. "We were willing to do whatever it took to win,'' Keefe said. Austin Brown blocked Fabriz Scaccia's extra-point attempt with 1 minute, 23 seconds to go, preserving Orlando's one-point lead. The Preds ran out ...