Wichita Stealth game notes

Published on July 13, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (9-5)
At Wichita Stealth (7-6)
Date: Saturday, July 17, 2004
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Kansas Coliseum (9,686)
National Anthem: Misty Coldwell
Coin Toss: Hustler Turf Equipment Dealers, and Michael Monteferran
Officials: Brian Chamberlin (Referee),
Mike Wilmoth (Umpire), Frank Whitmer (Head Linesman), Rick Smith (Line Judge), Craig Helser (Back Judge)
Radio: All Stealth games can be heard live on 107.3 FM "The Road". Jay Sanderson and C.J. will be calling the action all season long for the Stealth.
Series Record: Series Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: WICHITA 70, Oklahoma City 35
Streaks: Wichita L-3, Oklahoma City L-1
Coaches: WIC: Sean Ponder (7-6 in 2004, 11-11-1 overall 2nd season); OKC: Gary Reasons (9-5, 1st season)

TEAM WEBSITES: Stealth: www.wichitastealth.com
Yard Dawgz: www.okcyarddawgz.com

THE STAKES: Wichita is trying to keep pace in the Southwest Division and are battling for a spot in the 2004 af2 playoffs.

THE SERIES: This will be final time that these two teams face one another in the 2004 regular season. The all-time series is tied at one game a piece.

THE Ifs:
If Wichita defeats Oklahoma City, it would ...
· Give Wichita a 2-1 series record with Oklahoma City
· Give Wichita a 6-1 home record in 2004
· Give Sean Ponder an 12-11-1 career record as head coach
· Give Wichita a one game win streak
· Snap a three game losing streak for Wichita
· Clinch the season series for the Stealth over the Yard Dawgz



WICHITA STEALTH (7-6, L-3)
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
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley L 34-49
7/10 @ Tulsa L 35-41
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/17 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 L-2 TIED 1-1
7/24 @ Laredo 7:30 W-1 WIC 2-0
7/31 RIO GRANDE VALLEY 7:00 W-2 TIED 1-1

OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ (9-5, L-1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 @ Tulsa W 70-63
4/10 RIO GRANDE VALLEY W 55-17
4/24 @ Rio Grande Valley L 41-44
5/1 TULSA W 62-60
5/8 LAREDO W 79-48
5/14 @ Green Bay L 53-71
5/22 WICHITA W 53-25
5/29 ARKANSAS W 75-54
6/5 @ Laredo W 66-41
6/12 @ Wichita L 35-70
6/19 LAREDO W 58-39
6/26 @ Columbus L 56-62
7/3 CENTRAL VALLEY W 69-35
7/10 @ Rio Grande Valley L 44-51
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/17 @ Wichita 7:00 L-3 Tied 1-1
7/23 TULSA 7:30 W-7 OKC 2-0
(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.
OKLAHOMA CITY HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Gary Reasons is in his first season in arena football and af2. He played in the National Football League for the New York Giants. During his stint with the Giants, Reasons was a part of one of the greatest linebacker corps in NFL history. He was known for his smart and hard-hitting style of play. Reasons was a fourth round pick by the New York Giants in 1984 and won a Super Bowl in 1987 and 1991. His last NFL season was in 1992 with the Cincinnati Bengals..

THE LAST TIME WE MET (A recap of the last meeting): The last time these two teams met the Stealth dominated the Yard Dawgz from start to finish and cruised to a 70-35 win on June 12th in the Kansas Coliseum. The Stealth were paced by quarterback Jonathan Beasley who finished the night 19-of-25 for 269 yards and seven touchdowns. Offensive Specialist Damon Thompson caught six passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Henry Bryant paced the Stealth pass rush. Bryant was playing in his fourth game with the Stealth and set a new franchise record of four sacks in a single game.
*Statistics for the game appear on page 8

HEY, DON'T I KNOW YOU? (A look at some familiar faces)
Yard Dawgz players Drew Mitchell and Matt Walls both have spent time with the Wichita Stealth. Mitchell played during the 2003 season and Walls was in Wichita in 2001 and 2002.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's match-up who rank among af2's statistical leaders in 2004:
STEALTH
Player Rank Category Stat
David Hurst T-2nd Fumbles Forced 4
Marc Bacote T-4th Fumbles Forced 2
Cliff Holloman T-6th Tackles For Loss 6.5
Henry Bryant T-4th Sacks 6.5
David Hurst T-6th Sacks 5.5
YARD DAWGZ
Player Rank Category Stat
Timon Marshall T-5th Scoring 180 pts
Timon Marshall T-5th Scoring (TDs) 30
Peter Martinez 1st Scoring (Kick) 112 pts
Craig Strickland 2nd Pass Rating 118.5
Craig Strickland 3rd Passing Yards/Game 263.1
Craig Strickland 1st Total Offense 264.1
Peter Martinez 1st PAT Kicking 96-109 (88.1%)
James Landers T-2nd Fumbles Forced 4
James Landers T-4th Fumbles Recovered 3
Drew Mitchell T-4th Fumbles Recovered 3
Al Hunt T-5th Fumbles Recovered 2
Drew Mitchell T-4th Tackles For Loss 7.5
Daryll Richardson T-7th Tackles For Loss 6.0
James Landers T-1st Sacks 8.5
Drew Mitchell T-3rd Sacks 7.0
Daryll Richardson T-5th Sacks 6.0
RyanBell T-6th Sacks 5.5
Johnell Jones T-7th Sacks 5.0
Chuck Little T-9th Sacks 4.0

LOOKING BACK: The Stealth jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead over the division leading Tulsa Talons but were unable to hold the momentum throughout the game, while Tulsa shut down the Wichita offense in the second half and scored the game winning touchdown with 48 seconds left in the game to seal the victory. The Stealth were led by Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game Damon Thompson. Thompson finished the night with six catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. The Stealth fell to 7-6 after the loss and Tulsa improved to 10-3.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how WICHITA and OKLAHOMA CITY stack up:
Statistical STEALTH YARD DAWGZ
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 18th 44.4 1st 58.3
Scoring Defense 5th 42.4 12th 48.6
Total Offense 18th 241.6 2nd 277.7
Total Defense 3rd 224.6 19th 266.6
Pass Offense 13th 230.6 3rd 262.9
Pass Defense 4th 211.8 19th 240.3
Rushing Offense 18th 11.0 16th 14.9
Rushing Defense 3rd 12.8 19th 26.3
Scoring 14th 518 1st 694
Scoring (Kicking) 22nd 59 1st 112
Pass Rating 3rd 113.7 16th 102.3
Pass Def. Rating 9th 102.9 24th 117.9
Kickoff Returns 22nd 15.7 18th 18.1
MFG Returns 13th 16.2 7th 19.4
Turnover Margin T-8th -3 T-5th +6
Field Goals % 20th 2-12 (.167) 9th 5-15 (.333)
PAT Kicking % 16th 53-75 (.707) 2nd 96-109 (.881)
Sacks By 3rd 30 1st 43
Sacks Against 15th 26 T-8th 13
First Downs 14th 198 4th 220
Opp. First Downs 1st 165 16th 214
Penalty Yards 2nd 574 23rd 938
Opp. Penalty Yds 16th 801 9th 736
Red Zone Offense 11th 43-58 (74.1%) 2nd 57-71 (80.3%)
Red Zone Defense 2nd 40-64 (62.5%) 12th 56-76 (73.7%)

WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Cliff Holloman Groin Short Term IR

STEALTH PLAYER MILESTONES THIS SEASON:
· Ty Ardoin and Brian Livingston both have passed Michael Seahorn for most tackles in a career. As of this week, the duo are sitting at 100.5 tackles for their Stealth careers.


· Henry Bryant broke the Stealth single game record for sacks with his four sack performance in week 11 versus the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz.

UPCOMING STEALTH PLAYER MILESTONES:
· Damon Thompson is only six points away from tying Pascal Volz as the Stealth single season scoring leader. Volz scored 156 points in 2001. Thompson is sitting at 150 points so far this season with three games left to play.
· Damon Thompson is only one touchdown away from tying Pascal Volz as the single season touchdown and receiving touchdown leader in Stealth history. Volz had 26 touchdowns in 2001.
· Anthony Griffin is two touchdowns away from becoming the all-time single season rushing touchdown record holder.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: (Notable quotes):
SEAN PONDER, On last week's game at Tulsa: "We have to stay mentally focused for four quarters. We gave Tulsa some opportunities to get back into the game and we couldn't close the game out."

On the upcoming game with Oklahoma City: "Another huge divisional game this week. We played very well the last time we faced this team and they are going to be ready for us, so we need to be at the top of our game and put the last few weeks behind us."

ADVANCE BOOKING: (A look at upcoming Stealth games):
The Stealth will take to the road for the final time of the 2004 regular season next week when they travel to take on the
Laredo Law. The Stealth lead the season series 2-0 over the Law. The Stealth will conclude the 2004 regular season on July
31st when they come home to face the Rio Grande Valley Dorados. The season series is tied 1-1 with the Dorados.

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 5th in scoring defense (only allowing 42.4 points per game), 3rd in total defense (224.6 yards per game), 4th in pass defense (211.8 yards per game), and 9th in pass defense rating (102.9 rating).

TOP GUNS: (A look at players to watch):
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 ten games with the Stealth, Thompson has caught 59 passes for 920 yards and 25 touchdowns.

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. He has been named a game award winner four times this season. The most recent was in week nine versus Laredo when he was named the U.S. Army Ironman of the Game.

SACK MASTER: Stealth offensive/defensive lineman Henry Bryant joined the Stealth on May 24, 2004 and has made an immediate impact on the defensive pass rush of the Stealth. Bryant has already shot to the team lead in sacks with 6.5 with only seven games under his belt.

FIRST DRIVE OF THE GAME: This season the Stealth have taken their first drive of the game and scored seven out of thirteen times. Below is a chart detailing how the Stealth have fared on their first drive in each game thus far this season.

STEALTH FIRST DRIVE OF THE GAME
Date Opponent Result Game Outcome
4/3 Peoria Turnover (Downs) WON
4/10 Laredo TOUCHDOWN WON
4/16 @ Peoria TOUCHDOWN WON
4/24 Green Bay TOUCHDOWN WON
5/8 @ Rio Grande Valley Missed FG WON
5/15 @ Quad City Turnover (Fumble) LOST
5/22 @ Oklahoma City Turnover (Downs) LOST
5/29 Laredo TOUCHDOWN WON
6/5 @ Tulsa Field Goal LOST
6/12 Oklahoma City Turnover (Interception) WON
6/19 Tulsa Turnover (Interception) LOST
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley TOUCHDOWN LOST
7/10 @ Tulsa TOUCHDOWN LOST

PRESSURING THE QUARTERBACK: This season the Stealth have had an even or better sack total than their opponents in all but one of their victories. The chart below details each game and the sack ratio for the Stealth over their opponents.

STEALTH SACK RATIO PER GAME
Date Opponent Sack Ratio Game Outcome
4/3 Peoria +2 WON
4/10 Laredo +6 WON
4/16 @ Peoria +2 WON
4/24 Green Bay -2 WON
5/8 @ Rio Grande Valley Even WON
5/15 @ Quad City +1 LOST
5/22 @ Oklahoma City -6 LOST
5/29 Laredo +2 WON
6/5 @ Tulsa -2 LOST
6/12 Oklahoma City +4 WON
6/19 Tulsa -1 LOST
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley Even LOST
7/10 @ Tulsa -2 LOST

TALE OF TWO HALVES: This season, the Stealth have outscored their opponents 316-272 in the first half and have been outscored by their opponents in the second half 279-261. The chart below details the point differential of the Stealth in each half of every game compared to their opponents.

STEALTH POINT DIFFERENTIAL BY HALF
Date Opponent First Half Second Half Game Outcome
4/3 Peoria +19 +1 WON
4/10 Laredo +24 -2 WON
4/16 @ Peoria +1 +20 WON
4/24 Green Bay +8 +7 WON
5/8 @ Rio Grande Valley -1 +8 WON
5/15 @ Quad City -27 -7 LOST
5/22 @ Oklahoma City -11 -17 LOST
5/29 Laredo +5 +25 WON
6/5 @ Tulsa -10 -3 LOST
6/12 Oklahoma City +28 +7 WON
6/19 Tulsa -13 -15 LOST
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley +14 -29 LOST
7/10 @ Tulsa +7 -13 LOST

RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS: The 2004 af2 season has been a highly contested race for the playoffs from the beginning of the season. As of this week, only four teams have been eliminated from the playoff race and only two have clinched spots in the playoffs. With three weeks left in the regular season below is a look at the National Conference playoff standings to date. The top six teams in each conference will advance to the playoffs with the top two teams receiving a first round bye.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE

1. Tulsa (10-3) – Current Southwest Division Leader
2. Bakersfield (9-4) – Current West Division Leader
3. Louisville (8-5) – Current Midwest Division Leader
4. Oklahoma City (9-5)
5. Quad City (8-6)
6. Wichita (7-6) – Currently holds Strength of Schedule over Peoria and Hawaii
7. Peoria (7-6) – Currently holds better win % over common opponents with Hawaii
8. Hawaii (7-6)
9. San Diego (6-7)

STEALTH FLIGHT PLAN: (A look at the Stealth schedule this week)
Wednesday: 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Thursday: 7:00 am – 9:00 am PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Friday: 8:15 pm PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Saturday: 7:00 p.m. KICKOFF!!! (Kansas Coliseum)



RECENT STEALTH ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
7/8 ASSIGNED Larry Randle
7/8 ACTIVATED FROM LONG TERM IR Jeff Macrea
7/8 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR Cliff Holloman
7/8 PLACED ON RE-CALLABLE RE-ASSIGNMENT Markevius Woods
7/1 ACTIVATED FROM LONG TERM IR Christopher Highshaw
7/1 PLACED ON RE-ASSIGNMENT Carl Richardson

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
12 Tulsa Bob Bees-Tulsa
14 @ Rio Abel Gonzalez-Rio Grande Valley
15 @ Tulsa Damon Thompson-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
12 Tulsa ShanJordan-Tulsa
14 @ Rio Ronshay Jenkins-Rio Grande Valley
15 @ Tulsa Corky Martin-Tulsa

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
12 Tulsa Anton Ceaser-Tulsa
14 @ Rio Norman Mason-Wichita
15 @ Tulsa Ty Ardoin-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
14 Kevin Williams-Arkansas Eddie Moten-Rio Grande Valley Michael Duncan-Tulsa
15 Troy Bergeron-Columbus Brandon Campbell-Peoria Eric Mahanke-Bakersfield

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