Dorados Weekly Notes
April 25, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rio Grande Valley Dorados News Release
DORADOS RETURN HOME WITH FIRST VICTORY ON THE SEASON FOR 1-0 DIVISION START
GAME #4 MONDAY (5/2) CHASE FIELD AT DODGE ARENA 7:00 PM VS BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT BATTLE WINGS (0-4)
BROADCASTS: RADIO: ESPN RADIO 1240 AM WEBCAST VIDEO: af2TV.com
The Rio Grande Valley Dorados look for their first home win of the year and look to extend their winning streak to two games Monday night, as they play host to the winless (0-4) Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings. One negative streak will end in the contest, as the Dorados look for their first win in franchise history against a non-division opponent (0-5) and the Battle Wings seek their first win of the season. Ironically enough for Bossier-Shreveport, they have lost eight consecutive games dating back to last season and their last win was on 6/18/04 against the Rio Grande Valley Dorados. Their last road win was on 6/11/04 in Laredo against the Laredo Law. The Dorados are in a three-way tie for third place in the National Conferences West Division and could possibly climb into a tie for first this weekend (If Central Valley and Tulsa lose and the Dorados win). Two former Dorados dawn the black and silver of the Battle Wings this season. Quarterback Caleb Slover, who owns six Dorados offensive records, is with the Battle Wings, but is currently on the injured reserve list and will not be playing in the game. McKinley Bowie, a two-way player, played last season with the Dorados and currently has 40 receiving yards and three tackles in four games with the Wings.
DORADOS DROP BACK
The play by the Rio Grande Valley Dorados was short and sweet and so was the end result, as the Dorados collected their first win of the season to improve to 1-2 and opened division play with a 40-32 road victory over the Bakersfield Blitz in front of 3,680 fans at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield Friday night.
Dorados quarterback Josh Kellett, who earned Baby Ruth Real Deal Player of the Game honors, completed 18 of 28 passes for 144 yards, averaging 8 yards per pass. 74 of the 144 yards was to rookie offensive specialist Dwight Counter, who caught one of Kellett's three touchdown passes.
Bakersfield picked up a couple of key first quarter plays to build a 14-0 advantage through the opening quarter. On Bakersfield's opening drive, Blitz starting quarterback Chad Elliott was pressured and heaved up a prayer that was answered by a diving Eric Mahanke for a 23 yard touchdown. They scored on their second drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Munson after the Dorados turned the ball over on a fumble to end their opening possession.
Chris Robinson single handedly got the Dorados back in the contest on the opening play of the second quarter by sacking Elliott in the endzone after the Dorados couldn't convert on a fourth and goal situation to end the first quarter. The safety by Robinson was the Dorados first safety in franchise history. Counter returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to the Blitz 12 yard line to start the drive and Robinson registered a 12-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 14-10. The kickers closed out the first half with a series of field goals. Houle, who set the single-game franchise record with 3 field goals, nailed a 23 and 44-yard field goal for the Dorados, while Bakersfield's Dan Burnett converted a career-high 49-yard attempt as time expired to give the Blitz a 24-16 halftime lead.
Rio Grande Valley took over in the third quarter, out scoring the Blitz 17-0 in the quarter with touchdown strikes to Marquis Floyd (19 yards) and Dwight Counter (7 yards) by Kellett and a 24 yard field goal by Houle. The Dorados were able to shutout the Blitz in the quarter by defensive pressure on Jason Thomas, who entered the game as the Blitz QB in the second quarter, and an interception by Floyd. Floyd collected two interceptions in the game to claim the ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors.
An eight-yard touchdown pass from Kellett to Travis McAlpine built the Dorados lead to 40-24 before the Blitz were able to stop the Dorados 24-0 run with a 24 yard touchdown pass to Rennard Reynolds with just over five minutes remaining to cut the Dorados lead to 40-32. The Blitz had a chance to tie the game after an interception by Alex Wallace in the closing moments, but a great goal line defensive stand prevented Bakersfield's comeback bid.
Ben McCombs was an animal in his Bakerfield return. The former member of the Blitz registered 3 tackles (1 solo), a half-sack, and two pass deflections. The US Army Ironman of the Game was issued to Robinson. He led the Dorados in tackles with 3.5 and registered two sacks on the defensive side of the ball, while rushing for a Dorados franchise single-game high 45 yards off 8 carries.
WINGS REPORT (a look at the opponents previous game) Courtesy of Bossier-Shreveport
Defense may win championships, but a high-octane offense still can win a ballgame.
Quarterback Julian Reese led his Amarillo Dusters to an 86-66 victory over the host Bossier/Shreveport Battle Wings, earning the expansion franchise a victory in its first-ever af2 road trip and establishing a new league single-game record with 474 yards of total offense. Reese, the game's offensive MVP, threw for 424 yards and nine TD's, completing 27-of-34 without an interception.
Reese's surgical dissection of the Battle Wings defense offset a night in which the Duster's defense was shredded to the tune of 66 points - five more than their league-low allowance of 61 points per game. The rookie quarterback out of Indiana State hooked up 14 times with Chavis McCollister for 193 yards and four touchdowns and found D.J. Humphries seven more times for 145 yards, doing most of the damage with those two receivers.
Tim Hicks, making his first start with the 'Wings since his trade to Bossier earlier in the week, completed 18-of-32 passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns, including eight for 91 yards and three TD's to Bo Smith. Added to the big quarterback's totals was a rumbling 29-yard TD run that brought Bossier within 27-23 with only 36 seconds remaining in the first half.
Amarillo took advantage of a Battle Wing fumble on the game's first drive to take a 6-0 lead, and after Bossier tied the game with a 27-yard TD strike to Smith, never trailed again. Amarillo went up 13-6 on a seven-yard Reese-to-Humphries hookup, then traded scores through the end of the first half for a 41-30 lead.
The Dusters drew first blood to start the second half and kept right on rolling, not once being stopped by the Bossier defense. Amarillo's defense came up with two second-half interceptions, the first of which stopped a streak of touchdowns on seven straight possession by the Battle Wings. Jimmy Gaston hauled in the second as time expired on the 'Wings.
The 152 points scored by both teams is the fourth-highest total ever in an af2 game, missing by just 13 the league record. The old record for total offense by a team was 461 yards, established in the af2's inaugural season by Tallahasee in an 86-74 loss to Birmingham (6/2/00). The 86 points scored by the Dusters also matched the eighth-highest total ever scored in a game.
Reese's 424 passing yards is the second-highest single-game performance ever, 33 yards shy of the 459 passing yards piled up by Tallahassee's Shane Stafford in that offensive slugfest with the Steel Dogs.
RECORD THIS
The following team records were set in the Dorados win in Bakersfield:
Individual
Most Carries (Rushing) in a game: Chris Robinson (8)
Most Net Yards Rushing in a game: Chris Robinson (45)
Most Points Kicking in a game: Eric Houle (12)
Most Field Goals Made in a game: Eric Houle (3)
Most Consecutive Field Goals Made: Eric Houle (3-ties his own mark and it extends into the next game)
Most Field Goals Attempted in a game: Eric Houle (4 - tied for the seventh time)
Highest Average Gain per kick return in a game (min 3 returns): Dwight Counter (26.5)
Most Interception Return Yards in a game: Marquis Floyd (44)
Team
Most Rushing Attempts in a game: 17
Most Rushing Yards in a game: 57
Most Field Goals Made in a game: 3
THE E-WATCH
Former Dorados defensive specialist Eddie Moten is the first and only player to advance his playing career from the Dorados to the higher level and is currently the youngest member of the Arena Football League s (AFL) Philadelphia Soul. Moten, who was a rookie last season for the Dorados out of Texas A&M-Kingsville, co-led the af2 last season in interceptions with 10 and led the af2 in interception return yards with 124 yards. Each week we will keep tabs on his progress in AFL action:
Sun. April 24th at New York Dragons
The Philadelphia Soul had their sights on a road win taken away by the New York Dragons, as the Dragons surged past the soul 51-37. The game was once tied 31-31 in the fourth quarter and the loss places the Soul with a 5-8 record and two wins out of first place in the Eastern Division. Moten had 4 tackles in the contest to lead the Soul defense. His game totals place him with 58.0 tackles (52-solo, 12-assisted) on the year (ranks 13th in the league and leads the team).
Next for Moten: The Soul (5-8) will definitely need a win this week to keep their post season hopes alive, as they host the Orlando Predators (9-4) this Sunday. The contest is scheduled to air on NBC with a noon kickoff. (NBC determines which games are televised in each of their markets and KVEO Channel 23 could air the Soul contest or the Las Vegas at Chicago tilt).
af2 WEEK 4 REVIEW
Friday, April 22
Louisville 58, W-B/SCRANTON 50 (4,360)
Rio Grande Val. 40, BAKERSFIELD 32 (3,680)
Saturday, April 23
Manchester 56, ALBANY 49 (4,555)
FLORIDA 42, South Georgia 37 (6,139)
GREEN BAY 28, Macon 18 (4,237)
Amarillo 86, BOS.-SHREVEPORT 66 (2,127)
Memphis 60, BIRMINGHAM 24 (4,995)
Quad City 61, OKLAHOMA CITY 43 (8,544)
Tulsa 55, SAN DIEGO 37 (5,011)
CENTRAL VALLEY 71, Arkansas 41 (1,854)
Home team in CAPS
af2 WEEK 5 PREVIEW
Friday, April 29
Manchester at Macon 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 30
Green Bay at W-B/Scranton 6:30 p.m.
Albany at South Georgia 6:30 p.m.
Birmingham at Louisville 6:30 p.m.
Florida at Arkansas 7:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Tulsa 7:00 p.m.
Memphis at Quad City 7:30 p.m.
Amarillo at San Diego 9:00 p.m.
Bakersfield at Central Valley 9:30 p.m.
Monday, May 2
Bos.-Shr. at Rio Grande Valley 7:00 p.m.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE / WEST DIVISION STANDINGS
Team W L Pct. PF PA Div. Home Away Streak
Tulsa 2 1 .667 171 150 1-0 0-0 2-1 Won 2
Central Valley 2 1 .667 145 109 1-0 1-0 1-1 Won 1
Bakersfield 1 2 .333 109 103 1-2 1-2 0-0 Lost 1
San Diego 1 2 .333 125 169 0-2 0-1 1-1 Lost 2
Rio Grande Valley 1 2 .333 112 150 1-0 0-1 1-1 Won 1
ON THE MENU
At each home game, the Rio Grande Valley Dorados will have tailgating outside the Dodge Arena sponsored by Budweiser, Clear Channel, and Dodge beginning at 4PM on game-days. Each tailgate event will feature live musical acts and will feature a marquee food item for grillers and tailgaters to cook. Judges will give out prizes for the best of the selected food item prepared by fans. For Monday, fans are encouraged to prepare their best hot wings for judging.
NEXT HOME GAME
The Dorados next home game will be May 2nd, as the Dorados host the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings for some Monday night football at Chase Field inside the Dodge Arena. Individual tickets for the game and all other home games are already on sale. Season ticket packages and advertising opportunities are still available by contacting the Dorados offices at 956-843-7825. Additional info can also be found by visiting the Dorados online at www.doradosfootball.com.
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