Can Hawks make it two straight?

EVERETT – The Everett Hawks might never get a better chance to do something today that has eluded the arenafootball2 team all season.

Win two consecutive games.

The opportunity for Everett (4-9) to triumph in back-to-back contests comes on the road against the Bakersfield Blitz (5-8).

After a promising 4-2 start Bakersfield has fallen on hard times, losing six of its past seven games. The only victory since the Blitz traveled to Spokane and stunned the Shock on May 12 came in a 33-6 home victory over lowly Laredo (1-12) on June 30.

Bakersfield was hammered 47-16 at Boise last Saturday.

Worse, Bakersfield’s two biggest stars, defensive lineman Maurice Troutman and wide receiver Rennard Reynolds are facing felony charges as a result of an incident that occurred several hours after the game. The pair remained in a Boise jail on Friday and are not expected to play today.

Even with Reynolds in the lineup, the Blitz offense has struggled mightily of late. Bakersfield is averaging just 26 points per game in its last five contests.

Despite a passing efficiency rating of 64.14 Dan Riley appears to have wrested the starting quarterback job away from Chad Elliott (94.57).

Eric Mahanke (57 receptions, 537 yards, three TDs) and DeRonn Finley (47 catches, 545, nine TDs) are the team’s leading receivers after Reynolds.

For their part the Hawks are coming off their best game of the season, a 75-49 thrashing of Tennessee Valley last Saturday at the Everett Events Center.

The 75 points – two more than Bakersfield has managed in its past three games combined – set a team record, eclipsing the 68 points Everett scored in a one-point loss at Spokane in last season’s final game.

The Hawks victory over Tennessee Valley was keyed by an opportunistic defense that forced five turnovers.

Interceptions by LaMonte Jones, Phil Goodman and Larue Burley, along with fumble recoveries by Markus Pratt and Raymond Little left the Vipers feeling snake bit.

Everett dominated up front, limiting Tennessee Valley to nine rushing yards and bringing constant quarterback pressure. Pratt, Chuck Jones and Johnny Jackson all recorded sacks. Jackson is now the single-season record holder for Everett with 8.5 sacks on the year.

The Hawks’ offense capitalized on the strong defensive effort.

Quarterback Jason Campbell tied a club record by throwing 10 touchdown passes.

Five of Campbell’s scoring tosses went to wide receiver Josh Richey who leads af2 in touchdowns (38), points (234) and receiving yards (1,582).

Richey can break his own league record, set against Tennessee Valley, if he has a 10th consecutive game with more than 100 yards receiving today.

Everett should be additionally bolstered against the Blitz with LaMonte Jones back at full strength. Jones, who returned to the Hawks’ lineup June 16 after breaking his arm April 30, caught a pair of TD passes against Tennessee Valley, led the Hawks with four tackles and added an interception.

Of note

Pioneers survive scare, remain atop af2: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (13-0) escaped Fort Wayne with a 48-47 victory last Saturday and remained No. 1 in the af2 coaches poll for a record 12th consecutive week. Rio Grande Valley

(12-1) held onto the No. 2 position after a 64-0 rout of Laredo. No. 3 Tulsa (11-2), No. 4 Bossier-Shreveport (10-3) and No. 5 South Georgia (9-4) round out the top-five.

Cloudy American Conference playoff picture unlikely to clear today: While six of the eight playoff berths in the National Conference have already been clinched, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is the only team to have secured a post-season bid in the American Conference. The unbeaten Pioneers have the No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Defending ArenaCup champion Spokane is 9-4 and in first place in the West Division.

The Shock can clinch a playoff spot with a victory over Tri-Cities (8-5) today. Tri-Cities, Central Valley (8-5) and Quad City (8-5) can each earn a playoff berth with wins today, but only if Stockton (6-7) loses at home to Boise (5-8).