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Game Preview (week 16): Stockton Lightning Vs. Central Valley Coyotes

July 11, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Stockton Lightning (4-9)

vs. Central Valley Coyotes (3-10)

Date: July 11, 2009

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. PT

Site: Stockton Arena (9,919)

Internet: www.NiFTyTV.com/af2 (Mike Benton, J.J. Stokes, Steve McElroy)

Officials: Referee - Dave Cutaia; Umpire - Matt Jordan; Head Linesman - Ed Walker; Line Judge - Jim Wharrie; Back Judge - Ken Sarna

Public Address: Scott Moak

National Anthem: Ralph Cooper

Color Guard: Police Department, City of Stockton

Coin Toss: "Lucas" (97.7/98.3 KWIN)

Series Record: Stockton leads, 4-3

Coaches: Chad Carlson (Stockton - 13-25 overall, 2nd season)

Fred Biletnikoff Jr. (Central Valley - 45-40; 6th Season)

THE STAKES: It's all about the playoffs with three weeks to go in the regular season. Despite a three game losing streak, at stake for the Stockton Lightning is redemption by the form of possibly clinching their first wild card berth in franchise history with a win. Entering Saturday's contest against the Central Valley Coyotes, the Lightning stand a game ahead of their opponent and two games ahead of Tri-Cities and Corpus Christi, who must win to stay alive in the playoff race. The Lightning can clinch the season series (3-1) against Central Valley with a victory. The Lightning also aim to avenge a 65-58 loss in Stockton on April 18 when Central Valley scored 14 points in the final minute.

If Stockton defeats Central Valley it would ...

- Give the Lightning a 3-1 regular season record vs. Central Valley

- Help the Lightning clinch at least a tie for a National Conference wild card berth (STK win plus TRI, CC losses clinches Lightning postseason berth outright)

ARENAFOOTBALL2 PLAYOFF RACE

For the third straight season the af2 playoffs will feature a format where 16 teams have the opportunity to claim the league's ultimate prize. The four-week race for the 2009 ArenaCup title begins with eight first round affairs on the weekend of July 31-August 2.

The eight qualifying teams in each conference consist of the three division champions and five Wild Cards, determined by best overall record. Seeding in each conference is based on overall record, with the top three seeds in each conference reserved for the division champions, regardless of record.

In the First Round (July 31-August 2), the first three seeds in each conference are the three division winners. The next five teams are seeded by next best five overall records. Teams ranked 1-4 earn home playoff games with 1 hosting 8, 2 hosting 7, 3 hosting 6 and 4 hosting 5.

In the Second Round (August 7-9), the winner of the 1-8 game plays the winner of the 4-5 game. The winner of the 2-7 game plays the winner of the 3-6 game. The home team is decided by the team with the higher seed.

The winners of the Second Round will meet for the Conference Championships on the weekend of August 14-16. The winners of the Conference Championships face off in the 2009 ArenaCup on the weekend of August 21-23 in Las Vegas at Orleans Arena.

2009 af2 PLAYOFF STANDINGS (as of 7-5-09)

American Conference Standings 1. W-B/Scranton (11-2) - xy - East Division Champion

2. Tennessee Valley (10-3) - y - Current South Division Leader

3. Iowa (9-4) - y - Current Midwest Division Leader

4. Green Bay (8-5) - Owns better win % against common games over KEN & SGW (PEO, QCS, TVV)

5. Kentucky (8-5) - Owns point differential advantage in HTH meetings over SGW (28-6)

6. South Georgia (8-5)

7. Florida (6-7) - Owns HTH advantage over ALB & MAN (2-0)

8. Albany (6-7) - Owns HTH advantage over MAN

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9. Manchester (6-7)

10. Milwaukee (5-8)

11. Peoria (4-9)

12. Quad City (4-10)

13. Mahoning Valley (1-12)

NATIONAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS 1. Spokane (12-1) - y - Current West Division Leader

2. Tulsa (11-2) - xy - Central Division Champion

3. Arkansas (9-4) - y - Current Southwest Division Leader

4. Boise (11-2) - y

5. Bossier-Shreveport (8-5) - y

6. Rio Grande Valley (7-6) - y

7. Oklahoma City (7-7) - y

8. Stockton (4-9)

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9. Central Valley (3-10)

10. Tri-Cities (2-11) - Owns SOS advantage over CCS (.598/.505)

11. Corpus Christi (2-11)

12. Amarillo (2-12)

NOTE: Stockton can clinch a postseason berth on Saturday if:

* Stockton wins AND

* Tri-Cities AND Corpus Christi lose

x - clinched division; y - clinched playoff spot

*Teams in bold currently lead their respective division; HTH = Head-to-head; SOS = Strength of schedule

HEAD COACH PROFILES:

Chad Carlson - Stockton: Chad Carlson is the third Head Coach in Lightning history, named to the team's top post on an interim basis on May 27, 2008, succeeding Doug Murray. Carlson was appointed to the position on a full-time basis on August 13, 2008.

The 36-yead old enters his third af2 head coaching venture after serving as General Manager/Head Coach for the Hawaiian Islanders (2002) and Head Coach of the Bossier City Battle Wings (2003), compiling an overall record of 6-12 before moving on to serve as a Volunteer Coach for the Arena Football League's Colorado Crush for the remainder of the 2003 season.

Carlson, who guided Hawaii to a 4-1 finish in the 2002 season after inheriting the team in the middle of the season, helped the Islanders finish second in the league for red zone offense (83.1 percent), tied for 10th in total offense (4,126 yards) and rank as the af2's leader in rushing offense (852 yards).

After Carlson inherited the Islanders offense that averaged 38 points per game through five contests, his offense went on to score an average of 50.4 points per game and finish 13th in af2 scoring offense.

Following two separate stints in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Eskimos (1994) and Ottawa Rough Riders (1996), the Portland, Oregon native spent the 1997 season with the AFL's Portland Forest Dragons as a wide receiver/defensive back and quarterback and was slated to sign with the Los Angeles Avengers of the AFL in 2000, but had his career cut short with a career-ending knee injury that he sustained during an indoor football campaign in 1999.

Converted from the quarterback position, Carlson finished his college career as a standout receiver at Lewis & Clark College (NCAA) and was named an NAIA All-American as a 1993 senior, leading the nation in yards per catch while creating accolades that still shine in Pioneer lore. Carlson's 209 receiving yards amassed in a game against Central Washington was the second-best single game output in program history at the time of his exit and he ranked 13th on Lewis and Clark's all-time list for receptions at the time of his exit.

A key member of an athletic family, Chad's wife, Monica, was a contestant winner in 2008 on the television show "American Gladiators" and plays the role of "Jet" on the current season. Chad and Monica reside in Portland during the offseason with two twin daughters, Ellee Jo (8) and Emma Ray (8).

Fred Biletnikoff Jr. - Central Valley: Coyote Head Coach Fred Biletnikoff Jr. enters his seventh season in the arenafootball2 league and sixth with the Coyotes.

Biletnikoff Jr. joined the Coyotes coaching staff in 2004 as assistant head coach before becoming interim head coach midway through the season. After five games as interim-head coach, Biletnikoff earned the title of head coach, winning his final two games of the season. His first arena coaching assignment was in 2002 when he coached wide receivers for the Fresno Frenzy.

In 2005, his first full season as a head coach, the Pleasanton, Calif., native led the Coyotes to an 8-8 record and broke 32 franchise records. In 2005 Biletnikoff Jr. guided a Coyote offense that led the league in Total Offense (293.4 yards per game), scored 54.5 points a game and led the league with a 89.9 Red Zone Scoring Percentage. In 2006, Biletnikoff led Central Valley to an ArenaCup playoff berth with a 12-4 record, their best regular season finish in franchise history.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING (courtesy of The Record)

"It doesn't get any better than being at home," Maurice Holmes said. "I push myself anyway, but to be on the field and look up and see your mom or your dad or your nephew or your friends, man, it's exciting."

- Lightning DB Maurice Holmes, a Stockton Stagg (Calif.) HS graduate, on his return to the area

"We're fighting in every game, and there's no doubt that we're a better team than our record indicates," Carlson said. "It's fairly obvious what we have to do. We have to play four quarters."

- Head Coach Chad Carlson on the Lightning record heading into the playoff stretch

LIKE A BROKEN RECORD:

CHAD CAVENDER (QB): Chad Cavender threw for 10 touchdown passes against the Rio Grande Valley Dorados in Week 8, shattering the Lightning single-game record which finished two off the af2's all-time mark (Brett Dietz of Louisville in 2006).

ANDY COLLINS (QB): Collins set a Lightning record in a Week 4 loss to Central Valley, rushing for four touchdowns against the Coyotes. Through 3 games, Collins leads the af2 in rushing touchdowns (9) and actually broke his own franchise record he originally set, with 3 rushing touchdowns in a Week 1 victory at Central Valley.

JUSTIN TAPLIN (WR): Taplin's assault on the Lightning record books continued with a 7-touchdown catch effort against Rio Grande Valley in Week 8, one off the af2 single-game record, following a Lightning single-game record with 216 receiving yards in Week 5 against the Spokane Shock, additionally hauling in three touchdown receptions and 14 catches, which was one off the Lightning record (Phil Goodman, 2006).

STEPHEN IRVINE (K): In just his second game this season and his first returning from non-active status, Australian-bred Stephen Irvine connected on 11-of-12 point-after kicks against Rio Grande Valley on 5/16, setting a new Lightning single-game record. Irvine's feat finished two successful kicks shy of the af2 all-time record, held by Rich Ehmke (San Diego, 2004).

RARE COMPANY: The Lightning lost 57-54 to the Boise Burn but took the loss with a moral victory. Against what was the 4th best defense in the af2 (Boise allowed 39.2 points per game), the Lightning put up 54 points at Qwest Arena, including a 19-0 run in the fourth quarter. The Lightning became the second team, joining the Spokane Shock (twice), to score 50 points or more against the Burn this year.

TRIPLE-DIGIT HEAT: QB Chad Cavender threw a 107.32 pass rating four weeks ago against the Tri-Cities Fever, marking the fifth straight game the rookie signal-caller has breached the triple-digit, pass efficiency mark since the first start of his af2 career. Cavender threw no interceptions, completed 19-of-35 passes for five touchdowns and threw for 204 yards in a convincing 53-37 win against Tri-Cities.

HANGING (AROUND) CHAD:

Once a backup to begin the af2 season, Chad Cavender has been thrust into the af2 spotlight with the injury of Andy Collins and has taken the reigns at full grip. Cavender, a product of the University of Sioux Falls, threw five touchdowns in his Lightning debut against the Spokane Shock on April 25 - tied for the third best output in a Lightning QB debut:

MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES - LIGHTNING DEBUT

Evan Gray (vs. Spokane, 4/28) 7

Chad Elliott (at Tri-Cities, 3/28) 6

Chad Cavender (vs. Spokane, 4/25) 5

Derrick Crudup (at Spokane 5/31) 5

Andy Collins (at Spokane, 5/31) 4

COLLINS HAULS IN THE WEEK 1 HONORS:

Lightning QB Andy Collins was named Russell Athletic af2 Offensive Player of the Week for Week 1. Collins (6-2, 215, Occidental College) led the Lightning to a 68-54 Week 1 road victory at West Division rival Central Valley. The 25-year old signal caller completed 24-of-28 passes (85.7 percent) in the contest for 287 yards and six touchdowns with just one interception. He also scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns to lead the Lightning to their biggest offensive output to open a season in team history. This is the first af2 weekly award of Collins' career.

DYNAMIC DUO TAKE WEEK 8 HONORS:

The offensive pair of QB Chad Cavender and WR Justin Taplin were named Russell Athletic af2 Co-Offensive Players of the Week for Week 8, becoming the first duo to share the award in seven years (Russell Copeland and Tim Lester, Memphis - Week 3 of 2002). Cavender, in his first af2 campaign and Taplin, in his third af2 season, both had career nights in Stockton's 83-56 upset win at home in Week 8 against Rio Grande Valley. The 6-foot, 190-pound Cavender, in his third career start, set a team record with 10 touchdown passes and Taplin set a Lightning single-game record with seven touchdown catches. He finished the night with nine receptions for a game-high 172 yards.

TALE OF THE TAPE:

(A look at the Lightning vs. Coyotes 2009)

Statistical LIGHTNING Coyotes

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring Offense 17 48.5 20 44.7

Scoring Defense 21 58.1 19 57.5

Total Offense 10 289.3 16 268.1

Total Defense 21 299.7 1 245.9

Pass Offense 10 262.8 11 259.5

Pass Defense 23 289.8 1 221.8

Rushing Offense 9 26.5 23 8.6

Rushing Defense 1 9.9 16 24.2

Pass Rating 20 95.8 15 99.4

Pass Def. Rating 18 112.1 19 112.7

Kickoff Returns 18 17.9 16 18.2

Turnover Margin 18 -0.62 21 -1.00

Field Goals T-20 .250 2 .667

PAT Kicking 17 0.761 25 0.694

Sacks By 23 14 T-14 17

Sacks Against 23 32 22 31

First Downs T-11 259 14 256

Opp. First Downs T-17 257 T-15 254

Penalties 17 67.4 19 69.3

Opp. Penalties 21 41.5 15 58.3

Onside kick success 5 40.0 T-16 16.7

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from the Lightning and Coyotes who rank among the af2's statistical leaders:

Lightning

Player Rank Category Stat

Cavendar, Chad 9 Total Offense 249.3

Taplin, Justin 6 Scoring 17.4

Cavendar, Chad 8 Pass Attempts 238.1

Taplin, Justin 4 Interceptions/Game 9.00

Taplin, Justin 3 Receiving Yds/G 120.3

Taplin, Justin 10 Reception Yards 120.3

Kenion, Nathan T-9 Interception Returns 1

Hunt, Jason T-9 Interception Returns 1

DROPBACK: QB Colin Drafts' 30-yard touchdown bomb to WR Brandon Copeland ignited a 10-0 run for the Tri-Cities Fever, who avoided elimination from postseason contention with a 42-35 upset of the Stockton Lightning (4-9) before a crowd of 3,139 at Gesa Field at Toyota Center on Saturday, in Week 14 of arenafootball2 play.

The Lightning lost their third straight game and their second of the year to Tri-Cities - both Fever wins this season have come at the expense of the Lightning. Yet the Lightning maintained a 0.5 game lead over Central Valley for the final wild card berth in the National Conference.

WR Brandon Copeland caught a career-high 14 passes for 135 yards and four touchdown receptions to nab Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game honors. The Lightning succumbed to nine penalties (85 yards) in the game, including four interceptions.

Both teams were engaged in a 7-7 tie after one quarter as the Lightning struck first on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Chad Cavender to WR Troy McBroom at the left corner of the end zone with four minutes gone in the game. Brandon Copeland leveled the score on a three-yard lob from QB Colin Drafts with 6:54 remaining in the quarter.

Two interceptions thrown by Lightning QB Chad Cavender helped give the Fever a 24-20 edge after the first half, beginning on Drafts' second TD pass to Copeland with 14:41 to go in the second quarter on an eight-yard lob. The Lightning tied the score at 14-14 on Cavender's seven-yard heave to WR Brandon Horace for the rookie's seventh TD reception of the year with 10:34 left.

Copeland caught his third TD pass of the game with 5:34 to play to put the Fever up 21-14 and the Lightning came back again on a critical fourth-and-goal play when Cavender found WR Etu Molden on a six-yard bullet with 56.3 seconds remaining, trailing by a point after Stephen Irvine's missed PAT.

An Emery Beckles fumble gave the ball back to the Lightning in the red zone but a Cavender pass was picked off by DaVon Walker and the Fever capitalized with Michael Braunstein's 20-yard field goal as time expired in the half to lift the lead to 24-20.

Tri-Cities embarked on an 11-0 run with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Finas Rabb on a screen play with 13:56 left in the third quarter and followed up with a Curtis Terry safety on Cavender to put the Fever ahead 32-20. The Lightning cut the deficit to six points on Cavender's fourth and goal play on a 14-yard TD bullet to McBroom with 1:13 left in the third quarter.

Brandon Horace's acrobatic five-yard touchdown catch, where he flew over the wall with 11:49 to play, gave the lead back to Stockton at 33-32. But a 10-0 blitz by the Fever produced the final game-winning stretch on a 30-yard bomb from Drafts to Copeland at the left sideline, followed by Braunstein's 26-yard field goal.

A Lightning safety by Manase Hopoi ended the scoring as the buzzer sounded.

Brandon Horace was the leading Lightning receiver with nine catches and 128 receiving yards while adding a touchdown catch.

FORWARD MOTION: The Lightning have three games remaining in the regular season schedule and must make the effort to clinch their first ever playoff berth with slate consisting of teams with a losing record. The Lightning have two games at home remaining (Central Valley, Peoria) and one on the road (Amarillo). Their opponent record weighs in with a paltry combined record of 9-31.

LIGHTNING VS. COYOTES - SERIES NOTES: This week's matchup between the Lightning and Coyotes is the 14th in the all-time series and the Lightning are looking to finish 3-1 vs. Central Valley in this year's head-to-head matchup. The last time both teams met, the Lightning used a stingy defensive effort in the last six minutes of play to hold off a Coyote rally in a 57-56 win at Selland Arena on May 30. In a series that is slowly changing its complexion, the Lightning have now three of their last four games against the Coyotes after losing eight of their first nine games against the rivals from Fresno. In the all-time series, Central Valley owns a 9-4 lifetime record and a 6-1 record at Stockton Arena in the series. In the last meeting between both teams in Stockton, the Coyotes defeated the Lightning, 65-58 on April 18.

The Lightning have a history with walk-off field goals in a season or home opener of any kind with Central Valley. Stockton opened up its home schedule at Stockton Arena in Week 2 against the Coyotes in 2007 and Walls was in the spotlight again, hitting a 39-yard walk-off field goal in a 50-47 victory over Central Valley on April 14.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Central Valley leads, 9-4

All-time Stockton vs. Central Valley series

Score Date Site

Coyotes 63, Lightning 61 5/13/06 Stockton Arena

Coyotes 58, Lightning 46 7/8/06 Selland Arena

Coyotes 62, Lightning 49 7/29/06 Stockton Arena

Lightning 50, Coyotes 47 4/14/07 Stockton Arena

Coyotes 76, Lightning 55 5/19/07 Stockton Arena

Coyotes 82, Lightning 63 7/7/07 Selland Arena

Coyotes 62, Lightning 27 4/19/08 Stockton Arena

Coyotes 58, Lightning 45 5/10/08 Selland Arena

Coyotes 51, Lightning 29 6/14/08 Stockton Arena

Lightning 50, Coyotes 48 7/5/08 Selland Arena

Lightning 68, Coyotes 54 3/28/09 Selland Arena

Coyotes 65, Lightning 58 4/18/09 Stockton Arena

Lightning 57, Coyotes 56 5/30/09 Selland Arena

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

CHAD CAVENDER (QB) - Stepping in for injured QB Andy Collins 10 weeks ago in his first taste of af2 action, Chad Cavender has winged 52 touchdown passes in eight games, connecting for 10, a Lightning record, against Rio Grande Valley on May 16 en route to earning Russell Athletic af2 Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. Even though he did not play the full game, Cavender's pass rating of 144.52 in his debut vs. Spokane shattered the Lightning single-game best, previously held by Evan Gray in 2007 (129.69 vs. Everett). Cavender's last outing against Boise produced five touchdown passes, a 20-for-37 effort and 273 passing yards on May 23.

Cavender was named the Offensive Player of the Game against Tri-Cities in a Week 7 loss, throwing for a 27-for-40 rate along with a career-best 318 passing yards and five touchdown tosses.

TROY McBROOM (WR) - Back for his second season in a Lightning uniform, the Manteca, Calif. native McBroom ranks second among Lightning receivers in touchdown receptions (19), receiving yards (1141) and receptions (90). McBroom erupted for a career-high 159 yards on eight catches against Rio Grande Valley on May 16, helping the Lightning upset the Dorados 83-56. Stepping in place of Justin Taplin in Week 13, McBroom tallied a career-high 12 catches in a 57-54 loss vs. Boise.



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