Amarillo Dusters game notes
April 6, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Amarillo Venom News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Amarillo Dusters (0-0) at Arkansas Twisters (1-0)
Date: Saturday, April 8th, 2006
Kickoff: 7:00 pm CST
Site: ALLTEL Arena
Officials:
Referee: Ken Antee
Umpire: Chris Hughes
Head Linesman: Abdullah Salaam
Line Judge: Andy Britton
Back Judge: Tony Ross
Radio: KPUR 1440 AM & internet broadcast at
www.dustersfootball.com
Donny Hooper Play by Play
Warren McCarty Color Commentary
Ray Boring Sideline Reporter
Tyler Hooper Field Mic
Series Record: 2nd Meeting (Arkansas leads 1-0)
Streaks: Dusters 1st game of 2006, Twisters W1
Coaches: John Gregory, Arkansas Twisters
Steve Perdue, Amarillo Dusters
THE STAKES: The Dusters had a bye last weekend. They open their 2nd season in af2, and third season overall this weekend in Little Rock. The Twisters are coming off an impressive 68-58 road victory over the Quad City Steamwheelers in week one.
COACH PERDUE'S THOUGHTS ON ARKANSAS:
"Arkansas played very well against Quad Cities on the road last week, and they are definitely better up front than the team we faced at the end of last season. Walt Church is an AFL quarterback, and they protected him very well. Walt has been in Coach Gregory's system before, so he already has a comfort level. We are going to be forced to get pressure on him early, and not allow him to get comfortable in the pocket. We have a lot of young players, especially at the skill positions, so it's imperative that we make some plays early to gain some confidence. It's their home opener, and we expect the crowd to be large and loud. "
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW:
Of the 28 players currently on the Dusters' 2006 roster, only 6 have previous af2 game experience. The Dusters returned only 5 players from last season's team. The drastic changes were part of an overhaul of the entire organization.
KEY MATCHUP: QUARTERBACK PLAY
A likely key to Saturday night's matchup will be the play of the quarterbacks. Veteran Quarterback Walt Church will lead the Twisters against Dusters' Canadian Quarterback Steve Panella. Church has played in both the af2 and in the AFL with the Dallas Desparados and New York Dragons. Panella will be making his 3rd career af2 start. Church earned af2 Offensive Player of the Week honors in week 1 based on his performance against the Quad City Steamwheelers. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 277 yards with 8 touchdowns and 1 interception in leading the Twisters to a 68-58 upset road win. After two seasons as the backup, Panella looks to make his mark as the starting quarterback in Amarillo.
DUSTERS INJURY REPORT & ROSTER MOVES
Short-Term Injured Reserve Sione Ohuafi (knee)
Short-Term Injured Reserve Aubrey Lacy (hamstring)
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