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Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings game notes

May 8, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Bossier - Shreveport Battle Wings (5-0)

At Arkansas Twisters (4-1)

Date: May 12, 2007

Kickoff: 7:00pm

Site: AllTell Arena

National Anthem: TBA

Coin Toss: Fred Wiedower

OFFICIALS:

Referee: Fred Wiedower

Umpire: Chad Walker

Head Linesman: Karl Lane

Line Judge: Chris Jamison

Back Judge: Mark Bailey

Radio: KWKH 1130AM - Darrell Rebouche

Net: www.kwkhonline.com

TV: None

Series Record: Twisters, 8-2

Last Meeting: Arkansas 55, Bossier-Shreveport 29

On July 3, 2006

Streaks: Battlewings W5, Twisters W4

Coaches: Jon Norris (5-0, First season), 14-7 as an af2 head coach.

John Gregory (19-13 with the Twisters)

THE STAKES:

This is a departure from the division for both teams, but one should not discount the importance of this game. Arkansas is chasing undefeated Tulsa in the Central Division race while the Battlewings are feeling the hot breath of the Rio Grande Valley Dorados right behind them in the Southwest.

Both teams bring impressive winning streaks into the game.

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. Seven 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 ...

- Give the Wings a 6-0 start for the first time in franchise history.

- Increase the longest winning streak in franchise history.

- Give Jon Norris a 15-7 record as an af2 head coach.

- Snap a seven-game losing streak to the Twisters dating back to 2002.

LAST TIME THEY MET:

The Battlewings came into North Little Rock on June 3, 2006 with newfound confidence. The week before, they had won for the first time that season, 53-50 over the top-ranked Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz.

The Twisters jumped on the Battlewings early, opening a 20-0 first quarter lead. By halftime, the Twisters defense had established dominance, even scoring a safety with a QB sack in the end zone and Arkansas led 48-20. They won 55-29.

The bright spot for the Battlewings was the play of wide receiver Anthony Chambers, who caught seven passes and scored two touchdowns. Brian Hazelwood kicked three field goals. Defensively, Phillip Geiggar had 3.5 tackles.

SERIES NOTABLES:

In 2006, Robert Kilow feasted on the Bossier-Shreveport secondary, catching 19 passes and scoring six touchdowns in two games.

Brian Hazelwood kicked five field goals against the Twisters in 2006. Wide receiver Antony Chambers was able to find some success against Twisters defenders.

FAMILIAR FACES:

Former Northwestern State Demons quarterback Davon Vinson plays for the Twisters, primarily as a back-up to Brian Villanueva. Vinson has appeared in four games and has thrown three touchdown passes. He's 4 of 6 with one interception.

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:

Bossier - Shreveport (5-0, Won 5)

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

Date Opponent Time Streak Series

5/12 At Arkansas 7:00 L7 2-8

5/18 MANCHESTER 7:30 None 0-0

5/26 SOUTH GEORGIA 7:00 L1 1-1

6/2 At Texas 7:00 None 0-0

6/8 At Alabama 7:00 W1 1-3

6/16 Corpus Christi 7:00 W1 1-0

6/29 At Amarillo 7:30 W1 1-3

7/7 ARKANSAS 7:00 L7 2-8

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

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

Date Opponent Time Streak Series

5/12 BATTLEWINGS 7:00 W7 8-2

5/20 S. GEORGIA 7:30

5/26 At South Georgia 3:00

5/26 At Tulsa 7:00

6/2 LUBBOCK 7:00

6/16 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00

6/23 At Everett 9:30

6/30 TULSA 7:00

7/7 At BATTLEWINGS 7:00

7/14 LAREDO 7:00

7/21 At Oklahoma City 7:00

7/28 AMARILLO 7:00

RECENT ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):

Date Action Player

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:

"I know our team hasn't beaten them in a while. While I'd like to say this is a new season and that doesn't mean anything, I have to acknowledge that history means something at almost every level of football."

"They are a great team and obviously are well coached. They have a lot of experience and know how to win in this league. This probably will be our biggest challenge of the season so far."

DIVISION STANDINGS:

Southwest

Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings 5 - 0 1.000 4 - 0 1.000

Rio Grande Valley Dorados 4 - 1 .800 2 - 1 .667

Texas Copperheads 1 - 4 .200 1 - 1 .500

Corpus Christi Sharks 0 - 5 .000 0 - 3 .000

Laredo Lobos 0 - 5 .000 0 - 2 .000

THE STAKES: The Battlewings are on a roll and they don't want to stop. They are undefeated and in first place in their division. The Twisters are among the af2's elite franchises and they play in one of the league's toughest divisions. While this is just the sixth game of the season, there are playoff implications.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders:

BATTLEWINGS

Player Rank Category Stat

Jason Schule 3 Rushing 29.4 ypg

Jason Schule T7 Rushing TD's 5

Jason Schule 1 Yards/ rush 7.7

Jason Schule 2 Rushing yards 147

Quincy Carter 5 Passing yds. 259.6 ypg

Quincy Carter 5 Total offense 261.0 ypg

Quincy Carter 5 Pass efficiency 122.2

Quincy Carter T6 Off. TD's 30

Quincy Carter 3 Yards/ play 8.3

Quincy Carter 3 Yards/ completion 13.4

PJ Winston 9 Rec. yards 106.2 ypg

PJ Winston 9 Scoring 15.0 ppg

PJ Winston 9 Scoring (TD's) 15.0 ppg

PJ Winston 3 Yard/ catch 17.7

Kendrick Walker 1 Interceptions 6

Kendrick Walker T3 Passes defended 14

Brian Hazelwood T2 Scoring (kick) 10.2 ppg

Brian Hazelwood 1 Field Goals 6

Brian Hazelwood 9 PAT kicking 40 pts.

Kenneth Williams T4 Tackles 36.5

Elex Reed 1 Sacks 8.5

Elex Reed 1 Tackles for loss 11.5

Elex Reed 3 Fum. forced 3

Phillip Geiggar T8 Fum. Forced 2

#9 -PJ Winston

LEAGUE TOP 10 (Continued):

TWISTERS

Player Rank Category Stat

Brian Villanueva 10 Passing yds. 240.2 ypg

Brian Villanueva T8 Off. TD's 29

Brian Villanueva 4 Yards/ play 8.2

Brian Villanueva 6 Yards/ completion 13.2

Terrance Freeney 1 Rushing yards 180

Terrance Freeney 3 Yards/ rush 6.7

Jon Schoonover 8 Yards/catch 15.4

Pierre Thomas T6 Interceptions 4

Robert Kilow 8 Kick ret. avg. 21.8

Jason Simpson 7 Tackles 35.0

Reggie Cooley 2 Tackles for loss 6.5

Jason Simpson 7 Tackles 35.0

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

Everything is trending up for the Battlewings. Fullback Jason Schule continues to be among league leaders in rushing average and yards per carry. While quarterback Quincy Carter is spreading the ball around, PJ Winston has started to emerge as a big-play threat.

The Battlewings' defensive line is among the best in the league and may have gotten better with the addition of Reggie Hargrove.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

The Twisters have signed former Dallas Cowboy, Detroit Lion and Arizona Cardinal Reggie Swinton, but are saying publicly he likely won't play against the Battlewings.

Watch out for the running game. Both teams are among league leaders on the ground. Can the Battlewings put pressure on Villanueva? Can the secondary corral Kilow? Will the Twisters pull a fast one and trot Swinton out there?

Will Quincy Carter continue to demonstrate an ability to strike quickly with long scoring passes?

BATTLEWINGS INJURY REPORT:

Pos. Name Injury Status

DB Kendrick Walker Concussion Doubtful

WR Tramissian Davis Hip IR

WR Terrance Jefferson Groin IR

DB Brent Withers Groin IR

LB Kendrick Bournes Knee IR

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Lobos and the Wings match up:

Statistical WINGS TWISTERS

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring Offense T3 59.4 T3 59.4

TD's scored 6 41 2 44

Offensive TD's T6 36 T6 36

TD's passing T4 30 T7 29

Scoring Defense T1 34.4 ppg 6 40.4

Total Offense 4 294.8 ypg 5 286.0 ypg

Total Defense 14 245.6 ypg 10 240.0 ypg

Pass Offense 4 260.8 ypg 12 248.0

Pass yds/ catch 1 13.2 yds 3 13.1 yds

Had intercepted T26 3 T8 7

Interceptions T3 11 1 12

Int. ret. Yards 3 14.8 2 15.1

Int. ret. TD's T6 2 T3 3

Pass Defense 13 225.8 6 212.0

Rushing Offense 3 34.0 ypg 2 38.0 ypg

Rush avg./ carry 2 5.2 1 5.3

Rushing Defense 14 19.8 ypg 25 28.0 ypg

Scoring (Kicking) T2 10.2 ppg T12 6.6 ppg

Pass Efficiency 3 122.4 8 110.4

Pass Def. efficiency 4 71.2 1 60.2

Kickoff Returns 6 20.5 ypr 11 18.3 ypr

MFG Returns 9 21.2 2 28.0

Turnover Margin 5 +8 4 +9

Fum. Ret. avg. 2 35.0 T15 2.0

Field Goals 3 6 of 7 T21 1 of 6

PAT Kicking 8 33 of 40 23 30 of 43

Sacks By T2 16 T11 8

Sacks Against T2 2 T9 5

First Downs 22 83 15 88

Red Zone Offense 11 15 of 18 5 22 of 25

Red Zone Defense 11 13 of 18 25 17 of 21

Opp. First Downs T7 79 17 90

Penalties 14 55.2 ypg 26 66.8 ypg

Opp. Penalties 26 42.0 13 56.6

THE TIES THAT BIND:

The twisters and the Battlewings both are averaging 59.4 points per game in 2007, which ties them for third best in af2.

The teams are also tied for 3rd in Offensive TD's with 36 apiece.

MILESTONES:

The Battle Wings are seeking the second winning season in franchise history. The team's best season was 9-7. The Battle Wings, in six af2 seasons, have yet to reach the playoffs.

This is the first time the BattleWings have been unbeaten through five games.

Quincy Carter tied a franchise record with seven touchdown passes against Rio Grande Valley.

FORWARD MOTION:

The Battlewings will be at home next Friday to face the Manchester Wolves, the first game ever between these franchises. The next weekend, the South Georgia Wildcats come to CenturyTel center.

THE Q FACTOR:

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter has started every game for the Battlewings this season. On the road he is in high demand for autographs and photos. Central Arkansas is Cowboys country, so things should be about the same this week.

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

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

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

#9 - PJ Winston was named offensive player of the week against Laredo and Iron Man of the week against Corpus Christi. Winston is among league leaders in receiving yards, scoring and yards per reception.

#8 - Quincy Carter has thrown 30 touchdown passes in five games, nine of them to Winston.



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