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Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings game notes

July 3, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Arkansas Twisters (9-3)

At Bossier - Shreveport Battle Wings (9-3)

Date: July 7, 2007

Kickoff: 7:05pm

Site: CenturyTel Center

National Anthem: Shana Dorsey

Coin Toss: Ken Antee

OFFICIALS:

Referee: Ken Antee

Umpire: Rico Orsot

Head Linesman: Britt Choate

Line Judge: Mark Bailey

Back Judge: Christopher Cockrell

Radio: KWKH 1130AM - Darrell Rebouche

Net: www.kwkhonline.com

TV: None

Series Record: Twisters, 9-2

Last Meeting: Arkansas 64, Bossier-Shreveport 50

On May 12, 2007

Streaks: Battlewings L1, Twisters W3

Coaches: Jon Norris (9-3, First season), 19-10 as an af2 head coach.

John Gregory (19-13 with the Twisters)

THE STAKES:

The BattleWings certainly have plenty to prove in this game. They lost on the road last week to a 2-9 team. It was their second road loss of the season, the other to the Twisters. With a win, the Wings will secure the franchise's best-ever regular season record. More importantly, they need to get back on a winning track as they make a playoff push.

THE SERIES: These are old foes by af2 standards. If the Battlewings have a rival, it's the Twisters. "Nemesis" might be a better word to describe Arkansas' traditional dominance of the Battlewings. Eight straight games dating back to 2002, Arkansas has won, including an overtime thriller on July 2, 2004. The two victories by Bossier-Shreveport in this series have come by a combined six points (47-43 in 2001 and 56-54 in 2002).

THE IFs:

If The Battle Wings defeat Arkansas, it would ...

- Snap an 8-game losing streak to the Twisters.

- Mean the BattleWings will have the best regular season record in franchise history.

- Give Jon Norris his 20th victory as an af2 head coach.

- Give the BattleWings a 6-1 record at home in 2007.

LAST TIME THEY MET:

The Battlewings came into North Little Rock on May 12, 2007 undefeated through five games. Four turnovers plagued the Wings and they lost for the first time this season and for the eighth time in a row against Arkansas. Bossier-Shreveport fell behind 14-0 but scored 17 unanswered points to capture the lead. The game was tied at 17 at halftime. The Wings led in the 3rd quarter, 24-23, but the Twisters grabbed the advantage at 30-24 and would not trail again. Two Bossier-Shreveport fumbles led directly to Arkansas touchdowns. Two interceptions thrown by Quincy Carter led to a touchdown and a field goal.

It was an off night for the BattleWings defensive backfield, playing for the first time without "Boss" walker, who had been injured in the previous game.

SERIES NOTABLES:

Robert Kilow of the Twisters is the man to watch. He led the Twisters to victory in May, catching 14 passes, including six for touchdowns. In 2006, Kilow feasted on the Bossier-Shreveport secondary, catching 19 passes and scoring six touchdowns in two games.

FB Jason Schule scored twice against Arkansas. WR Jamaal Perry missed last week's game. He should be ready to roll this week.

FAMILIAR FACES:

Former Northwestern State QB Davon Vinson has been playing well for Arkansas in place of the injured Brian Villanueva. Villanueva is back and will probably start against the BattleWings.

HEAD COACHES:

Jon Norris, Bossier - Shreveport: (First season)

Jon Norris came to the BattleWings from the Austin Wranglers of the AFL where he served as the Defensive Coordinator and Line Coach. He made a demonstrative difference in Austin where in 2005, the offensive line gave up only 4 sacks which led the AFL. Norris spent 3 seasons with the Dallas Desperados in the AFL where he served as line coach and special teams coach. His line racked up some impressive stats, both offensively and defensively. Under Norris' leadership, Will Pettis led AFL with 88 kickoff returns for 1750 yards and 4 TD's. Norris moved to Dallas after a stint as assistant head coach and offensive and defensive line coach for the Oklahoma Wranglers. His Oklahoma defense finished 3rd in AFL with 21 sacks.

Norris served as head coach for the Tulsa Talons (af2) and led them to the playoffs in their inaugural season with an offense that averaged 52.7 points per game and a defense that led the league with 33 interceptions

Norris spent time in the NFL with the New England Patriots in 1984 and 1985. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1987 and 1988. Norris is married with two sons.

John Gregory - Head Coach

Arkansas Twisters

John Gregory is known as a quarterback coach. He took over the Twisters in mid-season 2005. He's widely considered to be responsible for bringing Kurt Warner to the AFL and Iowa Barnstormers. The Twisters were 0-5 when he took over in 2005. They finished 5-11. From 1995-2000, Gregory coached the Iowa Barnstormers to division championships 5 of six seasons and played twice in The Arena Bowl. He won two Grey Cups in Canada as a coach and coordinator.

He cemented his reputation as a winner by turning the Twisters around to a 10-6 season in 2006.

THE SCHEDULES:

ARKANSAS (4-1)

Date Opponent Result Score

3/31 At S. Georgia 7:00 L 31-47

4/154 At Lubbock 7:00 W 51-48

4/20 At Amarillo 7:00 W 63-55

4/28 CORPUS CHRISTI 7:00 W 93-19

5/5 At Laredo 7:00 W 59-33

5/12 BATTLEWINGS 7:00 W 64-50

5/20 S. GEORGIA 7:30 L 37-40

5/26 At Tulsa 7:00 W 36-19

6/2 LUBBOCK 7:00 L 49-51

6/16 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 W 51-39

6/23 At Everett 9:30 W 64-60

6/30 TULSA 7:00 W-O 45-39

Date Opponent Time Streak Series

7/7 At BATTLEWINGS 7:00

7/14 LAREDO 7:00

7/21 At Oklahoma City 7:00

7/28 AMARILLO 7:00

Bossier - Shreveport (9-3, Lost 1 )

Date Opponent Result Score

4/7 FT. WAYNE 7:00 W 67-52

4/14 TEXAS 7:00 W 52-0

4/21 At Rio Grande 7:30 W 52-48

4/27 LAREDO 7:30 W 64-45

5/5 At Corpus Christi 7:00 W 62-27

5/12 At Arkansas 7:00 L 50-62

5/18 MANCHESTER 7:30 W 62-52

5/26 SOUTH GEORGIA 7:00 L 46-60

6/2 At Texas 7:00 W 64-21

6/8 At Alabama 7:00 W 49-32

6/16 CORPUS CHRISTI 7:00 W 81-35

6/29 At Amarillo 7:30 L 48-51

Date Opponent Time Streak Series

7/7 ARKANSAS 7:00 L8 2-9

7/14 RIO GRANDE 7:00 W1 3-3

7/21 At WB/Scranton 6:00 None 0-0

7/28 At Laredo 7:00 W1 1-0

RECENT ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):

Date Action Player

6/12 Activated Quincy Carter

6/12 Recallable reassignment Frank Henson

6/6 Assigned Frank Henson

6/6 Reassignment Dane King

5/31 Activate Tramissian Davis

5/31 Activate Kendrick Bournes

5/29 Injured reserve Brent Withers

5/29 Injured reserve Anthony Chambers

5/24 Assigned Dane King

5/24 Injured reserve Kendrick Walker

5/17 Team Suspension Quincy Carter

5/3 Activated from refused to report Reggie Hargrove

5/3 Assigned Frank Henson

4/23 Team suspension Charlie Myles

4/21 Injured Reserve Kendrick Bournes

4/12 Activated Charlie Myles

4/12 Activated Greg Hodges

4/12 Reassignment Marcus Harris

4/12 Team Suspension Victor Carter

3/30 Team Suspension Greg Hodges

3/29 Recallable Assignment Adrian Burnette

3/29 Recallable Assignment Edmundo Martinez

3/29 Reassignment Ederrick Coleman

3/29 Reassignment Chris Highshaw

3/29 Reassignment Booker Jenkins

3/29 Reassignment Damian Huren

3/27 Assigned Terrence Jefferson

3/27 Assigned Tramissian Davis

3/18 Reassignment Patrick Craig

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Jon Norris, on the Twisters:

"We made a lot of mistakes when we played them at their place earlier this season, but I don't want to discount what an outstanding team they are. They have defeated Tulsa twice this season, and they're the only team to beat the Talons."

"They are very talented and very well coached. I can't discount history, either. The Twisters have beaten the BattleWings eight straight times. As I said before we played them in May; that means something. It's something

We would like to change."

DIVISION STANDINGS:

Southwest

Rio Grande Valley Dorados 11-1 .917 6-1 .857

Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings 9-3 .750 6-0 1.000

Texas Copperheads 2-10 .167 2-5 .286

Corpus Christi Sharks 2-10 .167 2-6 .250

Laredo Lobos 1-11 .083 1-5 .167

LEAGUE TOP 10s: BattleWings players who rank among af2's statistical leaders:

BATTLEWINGS

Player Rank Category Stat

Jason Schule 1 Rushing avg. 23.5

2 Rushing TD's 15

5 Yards/ rush 4.3

1 Rushing yards 282

Quincy Carter 5 Passing avg. 273.8

3 Pass rating 119.8

2 Yards/ play 8.6

2 Yards/ comp 14.4

PJ Winston 4 Yds per catch 16.5

Kendrick Walker 8 MFG ret yards 106

T5 MFG returns 5

T1 MFG ret. TD's 1

Brian Hazelwood 3 Scoring (kick) 107

4 Field Goals 10 of 18

3 FG pct. 55.6

2 PAT kicking 77 of 95

Kenneth Williams 6 Tackles 75.0

Elex Reed 1 Sacks 15.5

1 Tack for loss 20.5

Phillip Geiggar T10 Int. ret. TD's 1

7 Int. ret. yds. 100

Reggie Hargrove T4 Fum. Forced 4

LEAGUE TOP 10 (Continued):

TWISTERS

Player Rank Category Stat

Brian Villanueva 5 Yards/ play 7.8

Brian Villanueva T3 Yards/ completion 13.3

Terrance Freeney 3 Rushing yards 248

Terrance Freeney 2 Yards/ rush 5.4

Pierre Thomas 4 Tackles 81.5

T3 Interceptions 8

3 Int. ret. yds. 140

Robert Kilow 8 Kick ret. avg. 21.3

8 All purp yds. 151.7 ypg

2 MFG ret. yds 179

T1 MFG ret. TD's 1

T1 Kick ret. TD's 3

Tanner Varner 7 Passes def. 24

Jason Simpson 2 Tackles 95.5

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

The BattleWings have been beset by minor to moderate injuries. OL Greg Hodges has missed a couple of games with a wrist injury. Jamaal Perry sat out against Amarillo with a knee bruise. NT Quincy Myles returned to the line-up against the Dusters after missing several games with a hamstring injury.

Defensive Backs Kendrick Walker and Brent Withers have suffered major injuries, as has WR Anthony Chambers. Withers and Chambers will not return in 2007. Walker was expected to be in uniform against the Twisters, but that now seems unlikely as he continue to recover from a broken wrist.

BATTLEWINGS INJURY REPORT:

Pos. Name Injury Status

WR Anthony Chambers Shoulder IR

DB Brent Withers Knee IR

DB Kendrick Walker Wrist IR

WR Jamaal Perry Knee Probable

OL/DL Nick Codutti Elbow Probable

WR Terrance Jefferson Groin IR

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the BattleWings and the Twisters match up statistically:

Statistical TWISTERS BATTLEWINGS

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring offense 7 53.6 3 58.1

Scoring defense 6 41.7 4 40.6

Pass offense 17 236.0 9 256.8

Pass defense 26 259.5 15 236.6

Kickoff ret.average 11 18.1 9 18.5

Turnover margin 4 +18 7 +10

Rushing offense 5 31.4 6 29.3

Rushing defense 14 18.2 12 17.8

Total offense 16 267.4 6 286.1

Total defense 25 277.8 14 254.4

Pass rating 13 102.4 5 115.7

Pass def. rating 2 75.5 6 86.3

First downs 19 211 21 202

Opp. first downs 22 224 14 213

Sacks by 16 17 2 32

Penalties 14 56.4 ypg 15 57.0 ypg

Opponent Penalties 18 57.4 ypg 28 43.8 ypg

Red Zone offense 2 48 of 56 8 44 of 53

Red Zone defense 4 34 of 49 5 32 of 46

3rd down conv 19 38.1 2 53.3

Oppt 3rd down conv. 16 40.9 13 39.4

Sacks against 7 10 T2 8

Field Goals 11 6 of 17 4 10 of 18

PAT kicking 25 59 of 86 10 77 of 95

Points kicking 14 77 pts 3 107 pts

Yards/ off play 4 6.9 1 7.4

Total off. Yards 16 3209 6 3433

Yards per rush 2 4.1 T3 3.7

Rushing TD's T15 17 T10 19

Pass yds/ comp. T5 12.5 T1 13.7

Passing TD's T13 64 T8 69

Int. ret. avg. 11 14.2 10 14.9

Fumble ret. avg. 16 11.5 5 19.2

#9 -PJ Winston

MILESTONES: The BattleWings already have won as many games (9) as they have in any season. One more victory not only sets a team record, but also clinches the team's first-ever playoff spot.

FORWARD MOTION:

The BattleWings have one regular season home game remaining in 2007, on July 14th against Rio Grande Valley. The Dorados' only loss this season came at the ands of the BattleWings.

The following week, the Wings will play on the road against the af2's only unbeaten team, the Scranton/ Wilkes Barre (PA) Pioneers. They will close out the regular season the following weekend in Laredo.

THE Q FACTOR:

BattleWings quarterback Quincy Carter set a franchise record by throwing eight touchdown passes against Corpus Christi. He passed for six touchdowns and ran for another against Amarillo.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(Selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

2 FTW Quincy Carter

3 TEX Quincy Carter

4 RGV Quincy Carter

5 LAL PJ Winston

6 CCS Jamaal Perry

8 MAN Gary Cooper

10 TEX Gary Cooper

11 ALA Gary Cooper

12 CCS Quincy Carter

IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD

(Selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

2 FTW Kendrick Walker

3 TEX Kendrick Walker

5 LAL Kendrick Walker

6 CCS PJ Winston

8 MAN Jason Schule

9 SGW PJ Winston

11 ALA Jamaal Perry

12 CCS Chris Ibezim

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(Selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

2 FTW Elex Reed

3 TEX Elex Reed

4 RGV Kenneth Williams

5 LAL Kendrick Walker

6 CCS Elex Reed

8 Man Marc Bacote

10 TEX Marvin Byrdsong

11 ALA Chris Ibezam

12 CCS Elex Reed



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