af2 Saturday Night Matchups

Published on April 1, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

CHICAGO - While four teams had an advance start to the season last weekend, the full show gets underway this Saturday night with six more games on tap. Among the exciting matchups scheduled is the Rio Grande Valley Dorados home opener, in which a better than full house is expected. Other highlights on the Week 1 schedule include the defending ArenaCup Champion Tulsa Talons facing the expansion Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, coaching legend Mouse Davis taking his Riptide squad to face the Arkansas Twisters and a re-vamped Peoria Pirates crew looking to recapture the magic of 2002 teeing it up against the Wichita Stealth.

SAN DIEGO RIPTIDE (0-0) AT ARKANSAS TWISTERS (0-0)
SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2004 - ALLTEL ARENA (16,058) 8:00 P.M. ET

The Arkansas Twisters open the 2004 season looking to build on their 2003 season. Though they fell one game short of the ArenaCup last season, it was their most successful in team history. Returning for Arkansas with 74 career touchdown receptions and 20 career interceptions is four-year veteran and af2 standout LENNIE JOHNSON. Arkansas' second leading receiver TED ALFORD and second leading rusher DARNELL SMALL also return. But 2003 af2 ADT Defensive Player of the Year KAHIL CARTER and all-time Twisters passing leader RICKY HEBERT do not. San Diego goes into the 2004 season under the helm of new head coach and football legend MOUSE DAVIS. There are many new faces for the Riptide but two key 2003 members return. Quarterback KANE CLAUNCH returns to lead the Riptide offense and will look to throw to MARTY GRAHAM who also returns. After splitting the two meetings last season this game will be the only meeting between the Riptide and the Twisters this season.

PEORIA PIRATES (0-0) AT WICHITA STEALTH (0-0)
SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2004 - KANSAS COLISEUM (9,686) 8:00 P.M. ET

After winning the ArenaCup in 2002, the Peoria Pirates' 2003 season proved to be a major disappointment. The 5-11 record was their worst in team history, but things look different for 2004. Bruce Cowdrey returns for his third year as Pirates' head coach and is looking to regain the Pirates' 2002 form. The Pirates have an NFL flavor to them with former NFL player LOUIE AGUIAR kicking for the Pirates and CASEY URLACHER, brother of NFL linebacker Brian Urlacher, playing FB/LB. After losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Hawaiian Islanders in 2003, the Wichita Stealth want to start out the 2004 season strong. Offensive threat MICHAEL DRITLEIN returns in 2004 but starts the season on the short term injured list and will miss the game. Quarterback and af2 veteran AARON SPARROW will likely start under center for the Stealth. The Pirates and Stealth met once in 2003 with the Stealth winning a close game 52-49 in Peoria on May 24th. The Stealth will make a trip to Peoria to face the Pirates in a rematch on April 16.

MANCHESTER WOLVES (0-0) AT QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (0-0)
SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2004 - THE MARK OF THE QUAD CITIES (9,437) 8:30 P.M. ET

After a disappointing loss to the Arkansas Twisters in the ArenaCup playoffs to end their 2003 season, the Steamwheelers return in 2004 with sights again set on a championship. Despite Ira Gooch leaving for the AFL, the Steamwheelers' receiving corpse remains strong. JEFF HEWITT and his 31 touchdown catches last year and TIM DODGE and his 22 touchdown receptions last year, both return. After spending last season as the back-up, quarterback RONNIE GORDON looks to step into the starting job. The 2004 season will be the first in Manchester, New Hampshire for the Wolves after spending the last two as the Mohegan Wolves playing in Connecticut. Wolves quarterback CHRIS SANDERS returns to the af2 to start for the Wolves after spending the 2003 season in the AFL. Head coach Rik Richards comes to Manchester with considerable af2 experience from Charleston where he was their head coach last season. The meeting will be the first of two games in two weeks between the teams as the Steamwheelers will travel to Manchester next week, April 10, for the Wolves first-ever game in Manchester.

LAREDO LAW (0-0) AT RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS (0-0)
SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2004 - DODGE ARENA (5,500) 8:30 P.M. ET

Arena Football hits southern Texas as both the Laredo Law and the Rio Grande Valley Dorados begin their inaugural seasons looking for their first victory in team history. While both teams are new to the af2, the cities are very familiar with each other as rivalry already exists between the two in hockey. As divisional rivals, the Law and Dorados will play three times this season and this game will no doubt be the first of a spirited rivalry. The play of af2 veteran quarterback WILL BURCH will largely determine how well the Dorados' offense performs. For the Law, offensive specialist MARTINO THEUS and his 3,048 career receiving yards look to spark the Laredo offense. Scot Maynard, son of NFL Hall of Famer Don Maynard, is the head coach of the Law while long time AFL player and assistant coach Gary Gussman leads the Dorados.

BAKERSFIELD BLITZ (0-0) AT TENNESSEE VALLEY VIPERS (0-0)
SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2004 - VON BRAUN CIVIC CENTER (6,642) 8:30 P.M. ET

After starting the 2003 season with 14 straight wins the Tennessee Valley Vipers know how to start a season strong. It is just ending it strong that proved difficult last season. After being the favorite to win the ArenaCup through out the entire 2003 season the Vipers were upset by Macon in the Conference Championships. Vipers' head coach Kevin Guy looks to change this by bringing back quarterback BRYAN SNYDER. Snyder was the starter for the Vipers in 2000 when the Vipers advanced to the ArenaCup only to lose to the Steamwheelers. The Bakersfield Blitz make the long trip to Huntsville, Alabama for their first game in team history. The af2 leader in tacklers with 97.5 last season, KENNY HASLIP joins the Blitz after playing last season with the Riptide. Quarterback CHAD ELLIOT and his 3,154 passing yards last season also join the Blitz. This will be the only meeting between the Vipers and Blitz this season.

OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ (0-0) AT TULSA TALONS (0-0)
SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2004 - TULSA CONVENTION CENTER (7,111) 8:30 P.M. ET

The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz go on the road to play their first game in team history against the reigning ArenaCup champion Tulsa Talons. Many of the Yard Dawgz are no strangers to the city of Tulsa, as JOHNIE BALOUS, SEAN LOVE, KEONTA GOLSEN, BILL CLAPER, and 2003 ArenaCup MVP quarterback CRAIG STRICKLAND are all former Talons turned Yard Dawgz. Head coach and former NFL linebacker Gary Reasons leads the Yard Dawgz looking to make it an unhappy opener for the Talons. The Talons do bring back some familiar faces. Returning is the all-time af2 scoring leader and two-way threat MITCH ALLNER, FB/LB CORKY MARTIN, and back up quarterback MICHAEL WALL. Tulsa's head coach last season, Skip Foster is now the head coach of the AFL Austin Wranglers. Former AFL assistant coach Ken Matous now takes over the position. The Talons will need to find an offensive replacement for Tacoma Fontaine who followed Skip Foster to the AFL. The game will be the first of three meetings between the divisional rivals.

KICKOFF WEEKEND RESULTS
BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT 63, Birmingham 41
Hawaii 68, CENTRAL VALLEY 35

WEEK 2 SCHEDULE
Friday, April 9, 2004
Arkansas at Peoria 8:00 p.m.
Green Bay at San Diego 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 10, 2004
Columbus at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Quad City at Manchester 7:30 p.m.
Albany at Cape Fear 7:30 p.m.
Bossier-Shreveport at Florida 7:30 p.m.
Hawaii at Louisville 7:30 p.m.
Tulsa at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Laredo at Wichita 8:00 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Oklahoma City 8:30 p.m.
Memphis at Birmingham 8:30 p.m.
Bakersfield at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Tennessee Valley Bye

arenafootball2 Stories from April 1, 2004

• Dorados Promotion Lets Fans Call the Plays - Rio Grande Valley Dorados
• Laredo Assigned Two More Linemen - Laredo Law
• af2 Saturday Night Matchups - af2

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