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Wichita Stealth game notes

July 27, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Rio Grande Valley Dorados (5-10)
At Wichita Stealth (8-7)
Date: Saturday, July 31, 2004
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Kansas Coliseum (9,686)
National Anthem: Misty Coldwell
Coin Toss: Jason Duda, Wichita Thunder
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 is tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Wichita 34, RIO GRANDE 49
Streaks: Wichita W-1, Rio Grande Valley L-2
Coaches: WIC: Sean Ponder (8-7 in 2004, 12-12-1 overall 2nd season); RGV: Gary Gussman (5-10, 1st season

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

THE STAKES: Wichita needs a win to stay in contention for 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 and season series is tied at one game.

THE Ifs:
If Wichita defeats Rio Grande Valley, it would ...
· Give Wichita a 2-1 series record with Rio Grande Valley
· Give Wichita a 6-2 home record in 2004
· Give Sean Ponder an 13-12-1 career record as head coach
· Give Wichita a two game win streak
· Give Wichita the season series victory over the Dorados
· Give Wichita a .500 divisional record at 6-6 for 2004

WICHITA STEALTH (8-7, W-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
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley L 34-49
7/10 @ Tulsa L 35-41
7/17 OKLAHOMA CITY L 42-62
7/24 @ Laredo W 49-34
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/31 RIO GRANDE VALLEY 7:00 L-2 TIED 1-1

RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS (5-10, L-2)
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
7/3 WICHITA W 49-34
7/10 OKLAHOMA CITY W 51-44
7/17 @ Tulsa L 60-66
7/24 ARKANSAS L 28-42
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/31 @ Wichita 7:00 W-1 TIED 1-1
(All times 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 last time these two teams met the Stealth came into the second half up by 14 points only to see the Dorados reel off 28 consecutive points to defeat the Stealth 49-34 in Hidalgo, Texas.

HEY, DON'T I KNOW YOU? (A look at some familiar faces)
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 match-up who rank among af2's statistical leaders in 2004:
STEALTH
Player Rank Category Stat
David Hurst T-2nd Fumbles Forced 4
Ty Ardoin T-3rd Fumbles Forced 3
David Hurst T-7th Tackles For Loss 7.0
Daren Williams T-8th Tackles For Loss 6.5
Cliff Holloman T-8th Tackles For Loss 6.5
David Hurst T-2nd Sacks 8.0
Henry Bryant T-4th Sacks 6.5
DORADOS
Player Rank Category Stat
Eric Houle 5th Scoring (Kick) 93 pts
Eddie Moten T-3rd Interceptions 7
Eric Houle T-3rd Field Goals 3
Eric Houle 9th PAT Kicking 66-79
Spencer Conley T-2nd Fumbles Forced 4
Karleton Thomas T-4th Fumbles Forced 2
Spencer Conley T-5th Tackles For Loss 8.0
Karleton Thomas T-7th Tackles For Loss 7.0
Nicholas Davis T-7th Passes Defended 22
Eddie Moten T-7th Passes Defended 22
Spencer Conley T-1st Sacks 8.5
Karleton Thomas T-6th Sacks 5.5
McKinley Bowie T-10th Sacks 3.5
Tim Cook T-10th Sacks 3.5

LOOKING BACK: The Stealth defense stepped up and made some big plays on the way to a 49-34 victory over the Laredo Law. The Stealth defense caused nine Laredo turnovers on the night. Norman Mason led the Stealth defense with three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. The Stealth improved to 8-7 with the win and kept their playoff hopes alive.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how WICHITA and RIO GRANDE VALLEY stack up:
Statistical STEALTH DORADOS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 17th 44.5 19th 42.2
Scoring Defense 7th 43.1 9th 44.4
Total Offense 15th 241.1 T-23rd 222.7
Total Defense 5th 230.9 7th 234.3
Pass Offense 14th 226.4 21st 204.1
Pass Defense 7th 216.5 8th 218.5
Rushing Offense 20th 14.7 15th 18.5
Rushing Defense 4th 14.3 9th 15.7
Scoring 15th 596 19th 540
Scoring (Kicking) 18th 72 9th 93
Pass Rating 20th 98.3 19th 99.8
Pass Def. Rating 7th 101.4 9th 102.5
Kickoff Returns 18th 17.3 3rd 21.4
MFG Returns 10th 19.7 18th 13.8
Turnover Margin 8th 0 12th -6
Field Goals % 16th 3-15 (.200) 15th 9-39 (.231)
PAT Kicking % 14th 63-85 (.741) 4th 66-79 (.835)
Sacks By 2nd 37 3rd 35
Sacks Against 18th 28 21st 39
First Downs 11th 229 18th 206
Opp. First Downs 1st 189 8th 213
Penalty Yards 2nd 643 14th 862
Opp. Penalty Yds 18th 928 1st 667
Red Zone Offense T-12th 73.6% T-12th 73.6%
Red Zone Defense 4th 64.9% 6th 69.9%

WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Tim Conley 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, Ardoin has 105.5 tackles and Livingston has 100.5.

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

· Damon Thompson broke the Stealth single season scoring record in the game versus Oklahoma City on July 17th.

· Damon Thompson broke the Stealth single season touchdown and receiving touchdown record in week #16 versus Oklahoma City.

· Anthony Griffin broke the Stealth single season rushing touchdown record last week in the victory over Laredo. Griffin has ten rushing touchdowns going into the season finale this weekend.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: (Notable quotes):
SEAN PONDER, On last week's game at Laredo:"The defense played extremely well and helped our offense out a tremendous amount."

On the upcoming game with Rio Grande Valley: "This is a crucial game for us. We have to go out and win to have a shot at the playoffs."

ADVANCE BOOKING: (A look at upcoming Stealth games):
Up next is the 2004 af2 playoffs. The Stealth are looking to get into the playoffs for the third consecutive 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 7th in scoring defense (only allowing 43.1 points per game), 5th in total defense (230.9 yards per game), 7th in pass defense (216.5 yards per game), and 7th in pass defense rating (101.4 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 eleven games with the Stealth, Thompson has caught 65 passes for 1,033 yards and 27 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 second on the team in interceptions. He has been named a game award winner five times this season. The most recent was last weekend versus Laredo when he was named both the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game and the U.S. Army Ironman of the Game.

SACK MASTERS: 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 second on the team in sacks with 6.5 with only eight games under his belt.

Stealth lineman David Hurst has also shown the presence of a pass rusher this season and has taken over the team lead in sacks. Hurst had 1.5 sacks last weekend against the Laredo and has 8.0 sacks on the season.

FIRST DRIVE OF THE GAME: This season the Stealth have taken their first drive of the game and scored nine out of fifteen 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
7/17 Oklahoma City TOUCHDOWN LOST
7/24 @ Laredo TOUCHDOWN WON

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
7/17 Oklahoma City +1 LOST
7/24 @ Laredo +4 WON

TALE OF TWO HALVES: This season, the Stealth have outscored their opponents 354-321 in the first half and have been outscored by their opponents in the second half 314-326. 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
7/17 Oklahoma City -11 -9 LOST
7/24 @ Laredo 0 +15 WON

RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS: The 2004 af2 season has been a highly contested race for the playoffs from the beginning of the season. With one week left in the regular season below is a look at the 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 (12-3) – Current Southwest Division Leader
2. Bakersfield (10-5) – Current West Division Leader
3. Peoria (9-6) – Current Midwest Division Leader
4. Oklahoma City (10-6)
5. Louisville (9-6)
6. Quad City (9-6)
7. Wichita (8-7)


AMERICAN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF STANDINGS
*All Teams have clinched a spot in the playoffs*

1. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (12-3) – Current Northeast Division Leader
2. Tennesse Valley (11-4) – Current Mid-South Division Leader
3. Florida (9-5) – Current South Division Leader
4. Cape Fear (12-3)
5. Birmingham (9-6)
6. Memphis Xplorers (9-6)

STEALTH FLIGHT PLAN: (A look at the Stealth schedule this week)
Wednesday: 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. PRACTICE (The Sports Zone)
Thursday: 7:30 am – 9:30 am PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Friday: 8:30 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
16 OKC Joe Phears-Oklahoma City
17 @ Laredo Brian Livingston-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
16 OKC Al Hunt-Oklahoma City
17 @ Laredo Brian Livingston-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
12 Tulsa Anton Ceaser-Tulsa
14 @ Rio Norman Mason-Wichita
15 @ Tulsa Ty Ardoin-Wichita
16 OKC Daron Franklin-Oklahoma City
17 @ Laredo Norman Mason-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
16 Shawn Withy-Allen-Hawaii Robert Carey-Manchester Steve Gorrie-Florida
17 Kenyatte Morgan-Central Valley Traco Rachal-Laredo Rocco Forgione-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton



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