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Austin Wranglers game notes

May 19, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Austin Wranglers News Release


AUSTIN WRANGLERS (8-6) vs. GEORGIA FORCE (5-9)
SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2004, 2 P.M. CENTRAL, THE ARENA AT GWINNETT CENTER

WRANGLERS RADIO

All Austin Wranglers football games can be heard on Z102, 102.3 FM, with veteran sports radio announcer Bill Schoening calling the play-by-play and Wranglers assistant general manager and NFL veteran Glyn Milburn handling the color announcing.

Head Coach Skip Foster will analyze Sunday's game and take phone calls on The Zone 1300 AM with Bucky Godbolt Monday night, 7-8 p.m.

HEAD COACHES
Skip Foster
Austin Wranglers
Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator

Skip Foster is making his AFL head coaching debut with the Austin Wranglers this season. Foster, deemed the second most winning coach in arenafootball2 history, will also act as the Wranglers offensive coordinator.

Prior to joining the Wranglers, Foster served as the head coach for the 2003 af2 Champion Tulsa Talons. Foster lead the team to a 13-3 regular season record while accumulating 3,995 yards in total offense, 3,679 yards passing and 316 yards rushing. This offensive effort also concluded with Tulsa outscoring their opponents 823-690 in regular season play. The Talons totaled 745 yards in offense and outscored their postseason opponents 179-130 on their way to winning the 2003 ArenaCup. During his three years with Tulsa, Foster made history when he led his team to the National Conference Central Division Championship for two straight seasons and won the ArenaCup in 2003. Foster was the only af2 coach to go undefeated at home over three consecutive regular seasons.

Foster compiled a record of 82-39-2 at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas before moving to the Talons. Foster played for six Conference Championships during his 12 seasons as the head coach of the Red Ravens. In 1990, Foster led Coffeyville to a National Championship and an undefeated season. He was selected as Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Coach of the Year in both 1990 and 1991.

After serving as an assistant to his father, Dick Foster, for four seasons at Coffeyville, Skip took over the head coaching duties where Dick won a National Championship in 1983. They are the only father/son pair in the National Junior College Athletic Association to win a national championship at the same school. Skip played football for his father from 1979-1980 at Coffeyville. A graduate of Missouri Western State College, Foster earned a Bachelor of Science in Education.

Bob Kronenberg
Georgia Force
Interim Head Coach

Named Interim Head Coach on April 19th, Bob Kronenberg takes over the position after Marty Lowe was relieved of his duties. Born on November 3, 1971, he is currently the second youngest Head Coach in the Arena Football League. Currently in his fourth season in the AFL coaching ranks, Kronenberg has the longest tenure with the Force coaching staff serving as the Assistant Head Coach for the last three seasons. Over that time, his primary focus has been coaching the club's offensive and defensive lines. Prior to joining the Force's staff, he served as an Assistant Coach with the Nashville Kats during the 2001 season.

A veteran lineman himself, Kronenberg spent two years as an offensive/defensive lineman with the Kats during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. As a member of the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe from 1995-98, Kronenberg captured a World Bowl title in 1998. His playing experience includes the Las Vegas Posse and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Kronenberg also signed contacts with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins.

Kronenberg earned a degree in education from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, were he was an All-North Central Conference lineman. He is a native of Menomee Falls, Wisconsin.

LAST WEEK

Austin, TX—Revenge never tasted so sweet. After a heartbreaking loss the day before Valentine's Day to the Austin Wranglers by one point, the Orlando Predators won 43-26 in convincing fashion and in front of a record crowd of 13,831 at the Frank Erwin Center. The win spoiled the Wranglers final home game and leaves them in need of a win in order to reach the playoffs.

Offensive player of the game and Predator quarterback Joe Hamilton ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more, as the sensational rookie led his team to a must-win. Even losing the turnover battle did not matter, as the Predators stifling front four had four sacks on the day and were continuously nagging Wrangler quarterback John Kaleo. During the middle of the second quarter, Hamilton found WR/DB Bret Cooper for a two score advantage. They did not look back the rest of the way. The scoring was not excessive as each defense played well, however early in the fourth quarter the game was put out of reach. WR/DB Charlie Davidson was rocked on a kickoff return and the ball squirted in the end zone resulting in a safety. Orlando regained possession and scored once again, solidifying the win and improving its playoff chances. Orlando hosts New York next weekend while Austin travels to Georgia to take on the 5-9 Force whom are out of post season contention.

Box Score 1 2 3 4 Final
Austin 3 10 6 7 26
Orlando 10 14 7 12 43

2004 STATISTICAL COMPARISON

AUS ORL
First Downs 296 246
Total Yards Gained 3,879 3,658
Average per Game 277.1 261.3
Net Rushing Yards 342 438
Average per Game 24.4 31.1
Net Passing Yards 3,537 3,220
Average per Game 252.6 230.0
Kickoff Returns 78 68
Average Yards per Return 16.1 16.3
Time of Possession 31:59 27:56
Touchdowns 99 83
Points Scored 709 589

THE WRANGLERS ARE...
Record
5-3 At home
3-3 On the road

3-0 Against Eastern Division
2-2 Against Central Division
3-3 Against Southern Division
0-1 Against Western Division

5-3 With a spread of seven or more points
3-3 With a spread of six or fewer points

8-4 When Kaleo throws one or fewer INTs
0-2 When Kaleo throws two or more INTs

WRANGLERS DEFENSIVE STOPS

Stops on 4th down 9
Stops in Red Zone 13
Interceptions 5
Fumble recoveries 18
Field Goals 10
MFG 7
End of Half Stops 8
Total Stops on the Season 70
Average Stops/Game 5.4

WRANGLERS SCORING

Touchdowns No. # of players
Total Touchdowns 99 18
Receiving touchdowns 75 11
Rushing touchdowns 21 8
Return touchdowns 3 3

Miscellaneous scoring________________________
Field Goals 8/18 1
K-PATs 79/91 1
Two-point Attempts 6/9 4

WRANGLERS TO WATCH

OL/DL TONY BOWICK – In his twelfth AFL season, this father figure is an incredible leader on the team. Known affectionately as "Old Man," this defender is a role model and motivator for the Wranglers. In Week 14, he made two solo tackles and one sack for a loss of two yards. On the season he has recorded 9.5 total tackles, seven solo, one fumble recovery, one quarterback hurry and one sack. This player has established himself as one a consistent and reliable player in the AFL and continues to perform for the Wranglers. Younger players look to him for inspiration and leadership, which is just as important to a team as racking up tackles.

DS BRENT BROWNER – In only his second AFL season, this young player has come a long way this season. In only seven games played, this defender has accumulated 24.5 total tackles, 22 solo. He is a proven threat in the backfield, Week 14 was an another breakout game for him as he posted three solo tackles, one assist and one forced fumble, despite leaving the game early in the second half. On average, Browner has been making 3.2 tackles per game. The Wranglers know this is a sign of what is to come.

WR/LB DARRYL HAMMOND – After recovering from an injury earlier in the season, this two-way player has put-out a lights-out performance in Week 14. Tying his 2004 single-game high of four solo tackles in a game, the next few weeks look promising for the 13-year AFL veteran. In Week 14, he had three catches for 33 yards making his 2004 offensive total 44 catches for 390 yards, which puts him in the top 50 in the league for leaders in receptions. Defensively in Week Fourteen, he led the Wranglers in tackles with 4.5 total, four solo, and had one fumble recovery. On the season he now has 21 total tackles, 17 solo, and he is tied for the number five spot in the league for most fumble recoveries with four.

FORCE TO WATCH

WR/LB DIALLEO BURKS – As the Force's second best receiver and second-leading scorer, this two-way player is one to watch. In his third AFL season, first with the Force, he has become key to the team's offense. In Week 14 he led the team in receptions with six catches for 102 yards and one touchdown. On defense in Week 14, he snagged the only Force interception of the game. He is now ranked in the top 20 in the league for receiving yardage leaders and most yards from scrimmage for accumulating 68 catches for 943 yards and 15 touchdowns.

DS KEVIN GAINES – Now in his seventh season with the AFL, he continues to bring strength and consistency to the Force defense. In Week 14 he led the team defensively with 7.5 total tackles, seven solo, and 0.5 tackles for loss. On the season he leads the Force defense with a total of 67 tackles, 59 solo, and seven passes defensed. With these numbers he is ranked in the top 15 in the league for both leaders in solo tackles and leaders in combined tackles. Gaines has also nabbed three interceptions this season for a total of 51 yards in returns.

OS MARKEITH COOPER – They always say it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. As one of the smallest players in the AFL, this dog has a lot of fight. In Week 14, despite leaving the game early with a rib injury, Cooper caught three passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns. He also made two returns for 64 yards, and led the Force with 104 all-purpose yards. On the season he has made 75 receptions for 987 yards and 20 touchdowns, as well as two touchdowns rushing on returns. He ranks in the top 20 in the league for several categories including leading scorers, nonkickers, leaders in receptions, receiving yardage leaders and most yards from scrimmage. Most impressive is his ranking at number five in the league for all-purpose yards with 2,054 total yards. The Force are hopeful for the return of Cooper in Week 15.

ATTAINABLE MILESTONES
* Denotes Rookie


OL/DL TOM BRIGGS
· 5 sacks from 40 total career
· 1.5 tackles from 165 total career

WR/LB DARRIN CHIAVERINI*
· 5 receptions from 55 career receptions
· 45 yards from 500 career receiving yards
· 3 touchdowns from 15 career touchdowns
· 5.0 tackles from 25 career tackles

WR/DB CHARLIE DAVIDSON
· 4 receiving touchdowns from 100 career receiving touchdowns
· 3 receptions from 85 receptions on the season
· 4 touchdowns from 20 touchdowns on the season
· 1.0 tackles from 310 career tackles
· 5 interception from 25 career interceptions
· 3.5 tackles from 35 tackles on the season

WR/DB TACOMA FONTAINE*
· 4 touchdowns from 25 career receiving touchdowns
· 48 yards from 1,100 career receiving yards
· 3 catches from 75 career receptions

QB JOHN KALEO
· 70 passing yards from 25,750 career yards
· 20 completions from 2,150 career completions
· 3 touchdown passes from 425 career touchdowns
· 2 touchdowns from 75 touchdown passes this season
· 41 completions from 350 completions on the season
· 196 yards from 3,750 passing yards this season

DS CEDRIC WALKER
· 3 tackles from 535 career tackles
· 2 pass breakups from 80 career breakups
· 1 tackles from 65 tackles on the season


WRANGLERS ROSTER NOTES


NOT SO LONG AGO—The Austin Wranglers hosted the Georgia Force at the Frank Erwin Center in a 42-26 Week 10 victory over their National Southern Division rival. The Wranglers defense locked-down, limiting Georgia to only 26 points, holding the Force scoreless in the first and fourth quarters, and stopped their offense six times, a Wranglers season-high.

STIFF COMPETITION—Georgia lost to the New Orleans VooDoo last Sunday in a close game that came down to the final play. Behind by only four points, Force QB Leon Murray had WR/LB Dialleo Burks at the VooDoo's 1-yard line and after launching the ball with only 10 seconds left on the clock, VooDoo DS Calvin Coleman intercepted the pass and saved the victory for New Orleans.

NEW LEADERSHIP—Georgia is hungry for their first home win with Interim Head Coach Bob Kronenberg at the helm. Coach Krnonenberg took over the head coaching duties for the Force in Week 12 before the team fell to San Jose at home. After a bye week, Georgia hit the road, splitting their tour with a win in Columbus and loss in New Orleans. Georgia currently holds a 1-5 record at the Gwinnett Center. The Wranglers are .500 on the road with a 3-3 record for away games.

LINE ‘EM UP—TE/DE Aaron Humphrey became the fourth Wrangler lineman to catch a pass this season. Humphrey gained 11 yards on the screen for a Wranglers first down. The Wranglers third-ranked offensive unit will look to improve against the pass rush in their final two games of the regular season. QB John Kaleo was sacked four times in the Wranglers contest against Orlando last Sunday which ties a season-high established at Orlando in Austin's inaugural performance.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE—Led by several key veterans, the Wranglers 12th-ranked overall defense has made a big impact in recent games. Veteran leadership in every aspect of the defense has helped players new to the AFL develop into threats on the defensive side of the ball.

· Led by nine-year AFL veteran DS Cedric Walker, the secondary boasts two of the AFL's leading tacklers. Walker is 14th in the AFL in solo and combined tackles with 55 and 62, respectively. The Wranglers second-best tackler, AFL rookie DS DeRon Jenkins, is following closely behind picking up 50 solo tackles (17th in the AFL) for 59 combined (18th in the AFL).

· 2003 Lineman of the Year Tom Briggs is currently second in the AFL in sacks with 7.5 and is tied for sixth in the AFL in forced fumbles with three. Briggs' leadership has helped in the development of rookie TE/DE Aaron Humphrey who has picked up two sacks on the season and has forced a league-best four fumbles, rookie lineman Ramon Richardson who has notched a sack and two forced fumbles and rookie FB/LB Dane Krager also made aggressive plays on defense, forcing two fumbles and hurrying the quarterback.

RED HOT ZONE—The Wranglers are currently ranked first in the AFL in red zone offense, scoring a touchdown 86.9 percent of the time they get beyond the 10-yard line. On 61 possessions in the red zone, the Wranglers have scored 376 points, 53 touchdowns and two field goals. Defending the red zone has also been a strength for Austin. The defensive unit is ranked as the league's fifth-best, holding their opponents out of the endzone 28.1 percent of the time.

AUSTIN WRANGLERS SINGLE-GAME
AND SEASON TICKETS

The Austin Wranglers have released single-game tickets for the team's 2004 inaugural season. Tickets are available for as little as $8 through Texas Box Office by calling 477.6060, logging on to www.texasboxoffice.com, visiting the Frank Erwin Center's Red River box office Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., or visiting any HEB grocery store.

Season tickets and group tickets are still available through the Wranglers ticket office by calling 233.7800. All fans that purchased a season ticket package after that date can pick their tickets up at the Erwin Center Red River box office with photo identification.

2004 AUSTIN WRANGLERS SCHEDULE

Week Date Opponent Time/Results
1 BYE
2 Friday, February 13 @ Orlando Predators W 49-48
3 Sunday, February 22 TAMPA BAY STORM W 56-48
4 Friday, February 27 @ Colorado Crush L 37-35
5 Sunday, March 7 CAROLINA COBRAS W 56-55
6 Sunday, March 14 INDIANA FIREBIRDS L 64-41
7 Thursday, March 18 @ Detroit Fury W 70-58
8 Sunday, March 28 PHILADELPHIA SOUL W 65-60
9 Saturday, April 3 @ Los Angeles Avengers L 81-70
10 Sunday, April 11 GEORGIA FORCE W 42-26
11 Sunday, April 18 @ Tampa Bay Storm L 58-52
12 Sunday, April 25 NEW ORLEANS VOODOO L 63-59
13 Saturday, May 1 @ Grand Rapids Rampage W 40-27
14 Sunday, May 9 DALLAS DESPERADOS W 48-36
15 Sunday, May 16 ORLANDO PREDATORS L 43-26
16 Sunday, May 23 @ Georgia Force 2:00 p.m.
17 Sunday, May 30 @ New Orleans Voodoo 3:00 p.m.

GAMES IN ALL CAPS ARE HOME GAMES PLAYED
AT THE FRANK ERWIN CENTER
All game times and locations are subject to change



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 19, 2004


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