August 1, 2022
By Evan Lepler
Throughout the 2022 season, the AUDL’s weekly honor roll will be revealed each Monday, honoring seven players whose individual exploits merit recognition. The players are listed alphabetically by last name.
Matthew Armour, Austin Sol
In a must-win game, Armour produced four blocks and five assists, both career-highs, as the Sol steamrolled the Tampa Bay Cannons 30-10 to officially lock up the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2018. Among players who registered at least 200 D-points played during the 2022 season, only two threw more scores than Armour, who’s been a critical anchor for the Sol’s break conversations all summer long.
JP Burns, Atlanta Hustle
The 61-game Hustle veteran enjoyed one of his greatest performances on Saturday against the AlleyCats, dealing a career-best five assists while piloting the Atlanta D-line. Burns went an exhilarating 6-for-6 on his hucks, while the rest of his team went 5-for-9, and he also tallied two blocks, his 11th career multi-block game, as the Hustle finished the season at 8-4.
Quinn Finer, Colorado Summit
Overshadowed for much of the season by the more established AUDL stars on Colorado’s O-line, Finer capped his spectacular campaign with a flawless 24-for-24 throwing display that included eight assists, two blocks, and over 600 total yards against the Nitro on Saturday night. In fact, he was the only player in the AUDL this past weekend to record at least 300 yards passing and 300 yards receiving in a victory. He finished the regular season ranked second in the league in receiving yards, fourth in plus/minus, and fifth in scores, numbers that only partially illustrate the on-field excellence of his remarkable rookie season.
Danny Landesman, Colorado Summit
Assuming center handler duties with Jonathan Nethercutt unavailable, the 21-year-old Landesman completed all 37 of his throws for a season-high 367 throwing yards, along with five assists and two goals, as the Summit throttled the Nitro on Saturday in Denver. His aerial assault began on the game’s very first throw, when he launched a 63-yard missile to Finer, which became a hockey assist when Finer tossed the opening score to Matt Jackson. After serving more frequently as a cutter in his two seasons with the Aviators, Landesman has primarily punished opponents with his throws this season on the Summit, averaging 30 completions and less than one throwaway per game. He enters the playoffs having thrown 13 assists and 127 completions in his past three contests.
Rowan McDonnell, DC Breeze
McDonnell concluded his regular season campaign with a four-goal, four-assist, one-block effort against Ottawa, as the Breeze prevailed 24-17 to finish 10-2 for the second straight year. The team’s record might have been the same, but McDonnell’s 2022 barely compared to his 2021 experience, when he played through a nagging hamstring injury all season and only registered five goals and 28 assists. This year, his numbers were back to normal Rowan standards, with 29 goals and 43 assists. He was one of just five players in the league to collect over 5,000 total yards and also complete at least 95 percent of his throws, along with New York’s Ryan Osgar, Colorado’s Quinn Finer, San Diego’s Paul Lally, and Boston’s Ben Sadok.
Jordan Rhyne, Philadelphia Phoenix
All season long, the Phoenix have been a very different team depending on whether or not Rhyne has been in the lineup. For the most basic juxtaposition, Philly’s 6-3 with three one-goal losses when he’s played and 0-3 when he’s been absent. He was present on Saturday against Ottawa, when he threw five scores, caught four others, and accumulated over 700 total yards in a 25-19 win. Overall, he’s averaged 53 completions and 436 throwing yards per game, both of which are top in the top five in the league amongst players with at least two games played.
Jack Shanahan, Chicago Union (Pictured)
The top individual stat line in the league for Week 14 unquestionably belongs to Shanahan. Nine goals, eight assists, one block, 53 completions, no throwaways, 560 receiving yards, 358 throwing yards, and most importantly, two wins. He finished plus-8 on Friday and plus-9 on Saturday, making them the two best games of his career from a plus/minus perspective. Also, thanks to Chicago’s six-goal win in Madison and 15-goal rout of Detroit, the Union also surged above Carolina in the race for Championship Weekend seeding, meaning that Chicago will avoid a potential matchup against undefeated New York until the finals, if they both can get that far.
