Wichita Stealth game notes

Published on June 29, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Wichita Stealth (7-4)
At Rio Grande Valley Dorados (3-8)
Date: Saturday, July 3, 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Dodge Arena (5,500)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss: David Malone
Officials: David Malone (Referee),
Al Granado (Umpire), Bradford Edwards (Head Linesman), Wayne Winkler (Line Judge), Frank LeBlanc (Back Judge)
Radio: All Stealth games can be heard live on 107.3 KKRD FM. Jay Sanderson and C.J. will be calling the action all season long for the Stealth.
Series Record: Wichita Leads the Series 1-0
Last Meeting: Wichita 35, RIO GRANDE VALLEY 28
Streaks: Wichita L-1, Rio Grande Valley L-7
Coaches: WIC: Sean Ponder (7-4 in 2004, 11-9-1 overall 2nd season); RGV: Gary Gussman (3-8, 1st season)

TEAM WEBSITES: Stealth: www.wichitastealth.com
Dorados: www.doradosfootball.com

THE STAKES: Wichita is trying to win their first road game since May 8, 2004 when they defeated the Rio Grande Valley Dorados 35-28 in Hidalgo, Texas. The Stealth are also trying to keep pace with the Tulsa Talons in the Southwest Division.

THE SERIES: This will be the second of three times that these two teams face each other this season, they will face each other again in the regular season finale on July 31st in Wichita.

THE Ifs:
If Wichita defeats Rio Grande Valley, it would ...
· Give Wichita a 2-0 series record with Rio Grande Valley
· Give Wichita a 3-3 road record in 2004
· Give Sean Ponder an 12-9-1 career record as head coach
· Give Wichita a one game win streak



WICHITA STEALTH (7-4, L-1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 PEORIA W 33-13
4/10 LAREDO W 44-22
4/16 @ Peoria W 47-26
4/24 GREEN BAY W 68-53
5/8 @ Rio Grande W 35-28
5/15 @ Quad City L 39-73
5/22 @ Oklahoma City L 25-53
5/29 LAREDO W 64-34
6/5 @ Tulsa L 49-62
6/12 OKLAHOMA CITY W 70-35
6/19 TULSA L 34-62
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley 7:30 L-7 WIC 1-0
7/10 @ Tulsa 7:30 W-5 TUL 7-1
7/17 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 L-1 TIED 1-1
7/24 @ Laredo 7:30 L-4 WIC 2-0
7/31 RIO GRANDE VALLEY 7:00 -- --

RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS (3-8, L-7)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 LAREDO W 37-6
4/10 @ Oklahoma City L 17-55
4/24 OKLAHOMA CITY W 44-41
5/1 @ Laredo W 58-38
5/8 WICHITA L 28-35
5/15 @ Central Valley L 31-42
5/22 LAREDO L 40-42
5/28 @ Tulsa L 38-51
6/12 TULSA L 35-45
6/18 @ Bossier City L 59-66 (OT)
6/26 @ Birmingham L 58-59
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/3 WICHITA 7:30 L-1 WIC 1-0
7/10 OKLAHOMA CITY 6:30 L-1 Tied 1-1
7/17 @ Tulsa 7:30 W-5 TUL 2-0
7/24 ARKANSAS 7:30 L-10 First Meeting
7/31 @ Wichita 6:30 -- --
(All times are Central)











STEALTH HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Sean Ponder begins his second season in arena football. He took over the Stealth last season after seven games. Ponder led the Stealth to their second consecutive playoff berth in af2. He brings over five years of college coaching experience to Wichita. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at Orange Coast Community College in California. At Orange Coast, he helped turn around a program that had not won over two games the past three seasons into a junior college powerhouse.
RIO GRANDE VALLEY HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Dorados head coach Gary Gussman is originally from Miami, Florida and begins his first season as an af2 head coach after spending six seasons as an assistant coach within the Arena Football League (AFL). Gussman began his career as a Special Teams Coordinator with the Connecticut Coyotes in 1995, then spent four seasons (1998-01) with the Houston Thunderbears as the Special Teams Coordinator/Player Personnel. He most recently served as the Special Teams Coordinator with the Orlando Predators during the 2002 AFL season.

THE LAST TIME WE MET (A recap of the last meeting): The Stealth came into the last meeting with the Dorados holding teams to 28.5 points per game and that standard held true as they defeated the Dorados in a defensive battle 35-28 to improve to 5-0 on the season. The Stealth started the game with an eleven minute drive, but was unable to put any points on the board as both teams would go scoreless in the first quarter.
The Dorados would get the first score of the night on an 18-yard pass from Will Burch to Bowie McKinley giving them a 7-0 lead. The Stealth would answer back with an 11-yard pass from Aaron Sparrow to Brian Livingston to even things up at 7. The Dorados and Stealth would trade one more score each before the half. The only difference would be that the Stealth would miss their extra point attempt and enter halftime down 14-13.
The second half would belong to the Stealth as they would reel off three consecutive scores to take a 35-21 lead with 4:18 left in the game. The Dorados would add one more score to bring the final score to 35-28.
Brian Livingston was named Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game for his performance on the night. Livingston would end the night with seven catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

HEY, DON'T I KNOW YOU? (A look at some familiar faces)
Dorados wide receiver/linebacker Donte Wells was in training camp with the Stealth in 2003...Stealth defensive specialist Ty Ardoin played at Texas Tech with the Dorados defensive specialist Anthony Terrell...Ardoin also played with the Houston Thunderbears when Dorados head coach Gary Gussman was on the Thunderbears staff...Stealth assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Troy Biladeau coached Dorados lineman Spencer Conley in Cape Fear during the 2002 playoffs.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders in 2004:
STEALTH
Player Rank Category Stat
David Hurst T-2nd Fumbles Forced 4
Cliff Holloman T-6th Tackles For Loss 5.0
Henry Bryant T-5th Sacks 5.5
David Hurst T-5th Sacks 5.5
Marc Bacote T-10th Sacks 3.0
Cliff Holloman T-10th Sacks 3.0
Markevius Woods T-10th Sacks 3.0
DORADOS
Player Rank Category Stat
Eric Houle T-7th Scoring (Kicking) 73 pts
Eric Houle T-2nd Field Goals 9
Eric Houle 10th PAT Kicking 46 pts
Spencer Conley T-3rd Fumbles Forced 3
Eddie Moten T-4th Fumbles Forced 2
Nick Davis T-4th Fumbles Recovered 2
Spencer Conley T-3rd Tackles For Loss 7.5
Karletoon Thomas T-5th Tackles For Loss 6.0
Spencer Conley T-1st Sacks 8.0
Karleton Thomas T-7th Sacks 4.5
Tim Cook T-9th Sacks 3.5

LOOKING BACK: The Stealth lost their first home game of the season two weeks ago to the Tulsa Talons by a score of 62-34. The Talons jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter and the Stealth could not close that gap.
The Stealth were led by offensive specialist Damon Thompson who finished the night with five catches for 109 yards and three touchdowns. Stealth quarterback Jonathan Beasley was 16-of-44 for 223 yards and four touchdowns in the losing effort. The Stealth fell to 7-4 on the season and 5-1 in the friendly confines of the Kansas Colisseum.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how WICHITA and RIO GRANDE VALLEY stack up:
Statistical STEALTH DORADOS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 16th 46.2 20th 40.5
Scoring Defense 6th 41.9 7th 43.6
Total Offense 18th 245.5 22nd 218.3
Total Defense 4th 226.5 3rd 226.2
Pass Offense 15th 233.0 22nd 199.4
Pass Defense 5th 213.6 8th 218.5
Rushing Offense 21st 12.5 13th 18.9
Rushing Defense 2nd 12.8 1st 7.6
Scoring 18th 456 22nd 372
Scoring (Kicking) 23rd 52 11th 73
Pass Rating 15th 107.3 21st 99.1
Pass Def. Rating 8th 103.9 14th 106.7
Kickoff Returns 24th 16.8 7th 20.5
MFG Returns 18th 12.9 19th 12.0
Turnover Margin 12th +0 20th -6
Field Goals % 20th 2-7 (.286) 18th 9-31 (.290)
PAT Kicking % 18th 46-65 (.708) 3rd 46-53 (.868)
Sacks By 3rd 27 2nd 28
Sacks Against 20th 21 24th 27
First Downs 19th 168 22nd 156
Opp. First Downs 1st 140 2nd 154
Penalty Yards 2nd 464 11th 625
Opp. Penalty Yds 17th 707 1st 470
Red Zone Offense 11th 76% 18th 71%
Red Zone Defense 2nd 60% 11th 71.6%

WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Rico Ochoa Ankle Sprain Short Term IR

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: (Notable quotes):
SEAN PONDER, On the upcoming game with Rio Grande Valley: "Rio is a good football team and they have lost some close ball games. We need to go in and take care of business."

ADVANCE BOOKING: (A look at upcoming Stealth games):
The Stealth will conclude their two-game road trip next weekend when they travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take on the Tulsa Talons. The Stealth will return home on July 17th to face the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz for the final time in the regular season.

FLY-BY's: (A look at team trends and tidbits):
STEALTH RETURNERS: The Stealth return eight members from a team that recorded the franchise record for wins last season. They return defensive specialist Ty Ardoin, offensive/defensive lineman Dustin Fish, offensive/defensive lineman Cliff Holloman, wide receiver/defensive back Brian Livingston, fullback/linebacker Jeff Macrea, fullback/linebacker Daren Williams, offensive/defensive lineman Markevius Woods, and offensive specialist Michael Dritlein. Fish and Dritlein have both been placed on long term injured reserve.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: After finishing the 2003 season ranked near the middle of the af2 in almost every defensive category, the Stealth have turned it around completely in 2004. Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Troy Biladeau has his defense near the top of every defensive category. The Stealth rank 6th in scoring defense (only allowing 41.9 points per game), 4th in total defense (226.5 yards per game), 5th in pass defense (213.6 yards per game), and 8th in pass defense rating (103.9 rating).

DEFENSIVE BATTLE: These two teams enter this week's contest as the 3rd and 4th ranked defensive units in af2. The Stealth enter the game 4th giving up 226.5 yards per game, while the Dorados enter the game ranked 3rd giving up 226.2 yards per game. The last time these two teams met they were nearly identical in total offense on the night. The Stealth tallied 222 yards and the Dorados totaled 223 yards on the night.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Stealth return to the site of their last road win when they travel to Hidalgo, Texas this weekend. The Stealth are 2-3 on the road this season and a combined 8-21 all-time.

ON THE GROUND: Coming into this week's game, the Stealth and Dorados are ranked #1 and #2 in rushing defense. The Stealth allow 12.8 yards per game, while the Dorados only allow 7.6 yards per game on the ground.

SACK HAPPY: This week's match-up features two of the top three ranked teams in sacks. Both teams average roughly 2.5 sacks per game. The Stealth have 27 sacks on the season, while the Dorados have 28. Both teams trail the league leaders in sacks, the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz who have tallied 38 sacks.

TOP GUNS: (A look at players to watch):
NOW UNDER CENTER: Stealth quarterback Jonathan Beasley has made four starts for the Stealth since the departure of Aaron Sparrow. In those four games, Beasley has gone 59-of-119 for 878 yards and 23 touchdowns. Under his leadership, the Stealth offense is averaging 54.3 points per game compared to 41.6 in their first seven games. Beasley played college football at Kansas State University.

INSTANT OFFENSE: The Stealth offense was strengthened the week of the Green Bay game when they were assigned offensive specialist Damon Thompson. Thompson played last season with the Richmond Speed and finished the season fourth in the af2 in receiving yardage with 1,569 yards and 27 touchdowns. In eight games with the Stealth, Thompson has caught 50 passes for 767 yards and 22 touchdowns. At his current pace, if Thompson had been with the Stealth since the first game he would have 30 touchdowns by now and would be in third place in the af2 scoring race.

RETURNING ON A MISSION: Stealth wide receiver/defensive back Brian Livingston returns to Wichita for his second straight year and in pursuit of an af2 championship. Last year, Livingston led the Stealth in tackles, interceptions, and forced fumbles. This season he is second on the team in tackles and is tied for the team lead in interceptions. Earlier this season versus Rio Grande Valley, he was named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game and last week versus Laredo, he was named the U.S. Army Ironman of the Game.

MATCH-UPS TO WATCH:
QUARTERBACK CHALLENGE: Both teams come into this game with different signal callers then the first meeting between the teams. The Stealth now start Jonathan Beasley and the Dorados start af2 veteran Caleb Slover. Slover has played in four games with Rio Grande Valley and has gone 61-of-115 for 683 yards and 15 touchdowns.

LINE PLAY: With two of the top two teams in sacks goin at it this week, the offensive lines on both teams look to be the crucial match-up in the game. The team who can better protect their quarterback and get to the other team's looks to take on a huge advantage in this game.

STEALTH FLIGHT PLAN: (A look at the Stealth schedule this week)
Wednesday: 6:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Thursday: 6:30 am – 8:30 am PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Friday: 5:00 pm PRACTICE (Dodge Arena – Hidalgo, Texas)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m. KICKOFF!!! (Dodge Arena)

RECENT STEALTH ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
6/29 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR Rico Ochoa
6/29 ACTIVATED FROM LONG TERM IR Tim Conley
6/28 PLACED ON RECALLABLE RE-ASSIGNMENT Larry Randle
6/28 ASSIGNED Artavious Williams

GAME AWARD WINNERS
BABY RUTH REAL DEAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Peoria Aaron Sparrow-Wichita
2 Laredo Anthony Griffin-Wichita
3 @ Peoria Michael Dritlein-Wichita
4 Green Bay Damon Thompson-Wichita
6 @ Rio Brian Livingston-Wichita
7 @ Quad Ronnie Gordon-Quad City
8 @ OKC Craig Strickland-Oklahoma City
9 Laredo Damon Thompson-Wichita
10 @ Tulsa Robert Reed-Tulsa
11 OKC Jonathan Beasley-Wichita

ARMY IRONMAN AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Peoria Daren Williams-Wichita
2 Laredo Marc Bacote-Wichita
3 @ Peoria Brian Livingston-Wichita
4 Green Bay Brian Livingston-Wichita
6 @ Rio Manwell Talbert-Rio Grande
7 @ Quad Bear Brown-Quad City
8 @ OKC Al Hunt-Oklahoma City
9 Laredo Brian Livingston-Wichita
10 @ Tulsa Bjorn Barre-Tulsa
11 OKC Marc Bacote-Wichita

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Peoria Cliff Holloman-Wichita
2 Laredo Cliff Holloman-Wichita
3 @ Peoria Marc Bacote-Wichita
4 Green Bay Ty Ardoin-Wichita
6 @ Rio Marc Bacote-Wichita
7 @ Quad Jamaal Cherry-Quad City
8 @ OKC James Landers-Oklahoma City
9 Laredo Christopher Highshaw-Wichita
10 @ Tulsa Ty Ardoin-Wichita
11 OKC Henry Bryant-Wichita

af2 WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Week Offensive Defensive Ironman
1 Jeff Hewitt-Quad City Karleton Thomas-Rio Grande Valley Jerrian James-Tennessee Valley
2 Randall Lane-Green Bay Jerry Turner-Birmingham Al Hunt-Oklahoma City
3 Matt Burstein-Cape Fear Justin Thomas-Louisville Leroy McFadden-Wilkes-Barre
4 Aaron Sparrow-Wichita Demetrius Forney-Louisville Bjorn Barre-Tulsa
5 Chris Sanders-Manchester Matt Forbes-Quad City Steve Gorrie-Florida
6 Bo Smith-Bossier Takuya Furutani-Louisville Anthony Jordan-Birmingham
7 Chris Greisen-Green Bay Deronn Finley-Green Bay Ricky Leung-Wai-Central Valley
8 Brian Jones-Memphis Terence Samuel-Columbus Joshua Robinson-Hawaii
9 Anthony Payton-Louisville Nakoa McElrath-San Diego Lawrence Matthews-Peoria
10 Sherard Poteete-Bossier-Shreveport Robert Garth-Green Bay Mitch Galloway-Cape Fear
11 Tony Locke-Albany Henry Bryant-Wichita Travis McAlpine-Tennessee Valley
12 Bob Bees-Tulsa Jaime Hatley-Wilkes-Barre Carlos McNeary-Birmingham
13 Troy Bergeron-Columbus Marcus Bradley-Macon Adrian Cockfield-Columbus

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