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Brigade Game Notes

May 14, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rochester Brigade News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Rochester Brigade (3-3) @ Mohegan Wolves (2-4)
Date: Friday, May 17, 2002
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Site: Mohegan Sun Arena (7,500)
National Anthem: TBD
Coin Toss: TBD
Officials: Terry Haney, Referee
William P. Fealey, Umpire
Dave Holland, Head Linesman
Lou Hammond, Line Judge
Mel Plummer Jr., Back Judge
Radio: WYSL 1040 AM
JC DeLass, play-by-play commentator
Series Record: Mohegan leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Mohegan 54, Rochester 45
Streaks: Rochester- Won one
Mohegan- Lost three
Coaches: Mark Saunders (7-15, 2nd)
Gary Porter (9-13, 2nd)

THE STAKES:

In a tight second place battle in the division, the Rochester Brigade is one game ahead of the Mohegan Wolves and the New Haven Ninjas. The Brigade is looking for a big road victory to stay on pace with the Albany Conquest, while the Wolves are looking to end a three game losing streak.

HEAD COACHES:

In his second season as the Brigade's Head Coach and first season as the team's General Manager, Mark Saunders has a 7-15 record. This season, Saunders looks to improve upon that record and make a mark in the newly formed Northeast Division. Prior to arenafootball2, Saunders spent eight seasons in college football with the North Carolina A&T Aggies.

Mohegan Wolves Head Coach, Gary Porter began his professional coaching career with the Peoria Pirates in their inaugural season of af2 competition. Porter led the Pirates to a fourth place finish in the Midwest Division with a 7-9 record. He is in his second season of coaching, and first with the Wolves.

THE IFs:

If the Brigade defeats the Wolves, it would ...
· Give the Brigade a 1-1 series record
· Give the Brigade a 4-3 record on the season
· Give Mark Saunders a 8-15 all-time record
· Give the Brigade a 2-0 road record in 2002
· Keep the Brigade in second place in the Division

THE SERIES:

In the first meeting between the two teams, the Wolves edged out the Brigade 54-45 to take a 1-0 series lead. The two teams were tied at the end of the first quarter 13-13 and the Brigade led 25-22 early in the second; however, the Brigade was forced to watch their lead diminish to 35-31by halftime. The Brigade would later tie the game in the fourth at 45, but despite their comeback efforts the Wolves held strong to win the game.

SERIES NOTABLES:

Leading the way for the Brigade in the April 19th series was game IRONMAN WR/DB Aaron Fix, who registered three touchdowns on the night from three different offensive positions (rushing, receiving and special teams). He caught a 25 yard score, rushed one in from 14 yards out and returned a 55-yard field goal for a score. Fix also led the team defensively with four solo tackles. QB Matt D'Orazio completed 17 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns on the night. D'Orazio also rushed the ball five times for seven yards and two touchdowns.

Leading the way for the Wolves was game MVP QB Cable Davis and his 22 completions for 357 yards and five touchdown strikes. His primary target was WR/DB Brent Burnside with nine receptions for a game high 172 receiving yards and three scores. He also completed a twelve-yard pass for a touchdown and registered four tackles (three solo) on the night. Leading the Wolves defensively was the ADT Defensive Player of the Game DS Carlos McLaurin with ten tackles (seven solo), three for a loss of yardage, five passes defended and one fumble recovery on the night.

FAMILIAR FACES:

Newly acquired Brigade kicker Charles Eger will be reunited with Wolves, who recently placed him on Re-Assignment. Eger was the Wolves' kicker for the first five games of the 2002 season. Eger kicked for the Brigade last season and has help to address the team's kicking woes again this season. Eger hopes to prove his former team wrong by continuing to demonstrate his worth to the Brigade. The Brigade will also be re-united with former OL/DL Pete Govens, who was a member of the Brigade last season.

LAST SERIES MEETING:

On April 19, 2002, the Wolves defeated the Brigade 54-45 at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY. The meeting consisted of a back and forth battle, leaving them tied at 13 after the first quarter. The two teams combined for forty points in the second quarter, giving the Wolves the 35-31 lead at halftime. Rochester came out early in the third to take a 37-35 lead, but the Wolves rallied to take a 45-37 lead into the final quarter of play. Rochester managed to tie the game at 45 midway through the fourth; however, the Wolves added nine more points to win the game 54-45 and take a 1-0 series lead.

ROCHESTER BRIGADE INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
FB/LB Andrew Howard Left Knee Long Term IR

RECENT ROSTER MOVES:
Date Action Player
5/9 Activated from Short-Term IR
Andy Mattoon
5/9 Assigned Derek Baker
5/10 Assigned Charles Eger
5/10 Assigned from Re-Assignment
Reggie Blanchard
5/10 Placed on Re-Assignment Darryl Moore

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Head Coach Mark Saunders, Last Week: "We needed to win last week's game to keep on pace with Albany... we played well in spurts, but played four quarters of good football to get the job done."

Head Coach Mark Saunders, This Week: "I respect the Wolves and there should be some fireworks out there... the first game came down to the wire and we didn't get it done, but we need to win this game to stay on pace with Albany."

Head Coach Mark Saunders, Kicking : "Eger was the MVP of the game. It was a five point game, so those points were huge for us... prior to Charlie (Charles Eger) we lost by nine and six points missing most of the kicks."

MILESTONES-

· April 27, 2002: Rochester Brigade won their first ever "NYS Lottery af2 Cup," defeating the Albany Conquest on the road 32-24 to give the Conquest their first loss on the season.

· May 3, 2002: Rochester Brigade Offensive Specialist Martino Theus set a franchise record for most catches in a game with 14 and most yards receiving with 195.

· May 10, 2002: Rochester Brigade set a franchise record for most rushing attempts (24) and yards rushing (86) in a single game.

· May 10, 2002: FB/LB Anthony Cleary set a franchise record for most rushing attempts in a single game (16) and most yards gained in a game (48).

· May 10, 2002: QB Matt D'Orazio set a record for longest rush from scrimmage with a 30-yard gain.

DROPBACK:
Last week, the Brigade defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers 57-52 to improve the team's record to 3-3 on the season and move them into second place in the Northeast Division. The Brigade played a flawless first half, offensively, scoring on the only six possessions of the half and scoring on ten of eleven possessions in the game. The offense showed its versatility as QB Matt D'Orazio spread the ball around, throwing five touchdowns to three different receivers (Baker 3, Theus 1, Fix 1) and setting up three rushing TDs, including one for himself, one for Cleary and one for Ramer.

FORWARD MOTION:
Next week, the Brigade will play their sixth home game of the season before heading on the road to play three in a row and face the Greensboro Prowlers (2-4) of the Atlantic Division. Last season, the Brigade and the Prowlers met in a home and home series with the Prowlers taking the first game 45-29 in Greensboro and the Brigade taking the second game in Rochester 49-30, leaving the series record even at 1-1.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

Penalties, Penalties, Penalties:
After only taking four penalties for 30 yards against the Ninjas, the Brigade retuned to their old ways to take ten penalties for 121 yards. Currently the Brigade is ranked 34 out of 34 in the league, taking 63 penalties for 530 yards an average of 88.3 per game. Rushing It In:
On the season, the Brigade is currently ranked fifth in the league in rushing offense with an average of 42.7 yards per game off of 85 attempts for 256 yards and 14 touchdowns. Last week, the team set the bar as QB matt D'Orazio set a team record with a 30 yard rush, and FB Anthony Cleary set the team record for attempts (16) and yards gained in a game (48). Both players also registered a rushing touchdown.

Red Zone Defense:
The Brigade continue to struggle against their opposition in the red zone this season, allowing teams to go a perfect 21 for 21 deep in the Brigade territory. The Brigade is currently ranked dead last in this category, allowing their opposition to tally 17 touchdowns and four field goals.

Kicking Game Revived:
Currently the Brigade is ranked last in Point After Attempts, kicking 14 out of 31 at 45.2%. Additionally, the team is ranked 18 in Field Goals, connecting on three of twelve for 25%. However, newly acquired kicker Charles Eger connected on six of seven extra points last week and one of two field goals in his first game with the team, earning game MVP honors against the Pioneers.

Fix Nearing the Century Mark:
WR/DB Aaron Fix is closing in on a tackle milestone, as he looks to accumulate 100 tackles in his career. After playing last season as defensive specialist, he led the team with 77 tackles. This season he currently has 15.5 (13 solo) to give him 92.5 for his career in 20 games played.

Player GP Tackles Solo
Aaron Fix 20 92.5 60

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Brigade OS Martino Theus:
Theus is currently ranked first in the league in receptions with 63 for 739 yards, ten touchdowns and an average of 11.7 yards per catch. He is also ranked second in the league in receiving yards per game, averaging 123.2. He is ranked ninth in the league with 879 All Purpose yards, averaging 146.5 yards a game.

Wolves OS Brandon Burnside:
Burnside is leading the league with 1,270 All Purpose yards and is eighth in the league with 80 points. Burnside also ranks seventh in receiving yards a game with 91.8 and ranks fifth in the league in Missed Field Goal Return Average with 17.6.

Brigade WR/DB Derek Baker:
Baker returned to the Brigade early last week after being released from the Buffalo Destroyers (AFL) practice squad. In his first game, he picked up right where he left off from last season as he caught four passes on the night, three for touchdowns tallying 64 yards. This season Baker is working on his defensive skills, and in his first game at the DB spot he registered 2.5 tackles and two passes defended.

Wolves DS Carlos McLaurin:
On the season McLaurin has registered 33 tackles (26 solo), which ranks seventh in the league. He is also tied for tenth in the league with 3.5 tackles for a loss. He has two interceptions, nine passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on the season.

KEY DATES IN TEAM/LEAGUE HISTORY:

· Saturday, April 27, The New Haven Ninjas won their first game in franchise history, defeating the Mohegan Wolves 51-38.

· Saturday, April 27, Rochester Brigade won first road game of the 2002 season defeating the Albany Conquest 32-24 and taking home the "NYS Lottery af2 Cup."

· Tuesday, May 7, Derek Baker assigned to the Brigade after being waived from the Buffalo Destroyers practice squad.

· Friday, May 10, The Peoria Pirates end the two-time defending af2 champion Quad City Steamwheelers 17 game winning streak 81-56 in Peoria.

· Saturday, May 11, Tennessee Valley Vipers break the af2 mark with their eleventh consecutive road victory defeating the Memphis Xplorers 57-46.

BUILT FORD TOUGH AWARD (selected by coaches) The Built Ford Tough Award is a national recognition award given after every game to the player or players on each team best demonstrating determination and toughness in that game. The award honors the player(s) who made a game-saving tackle or score-saving tackle, threw a key block on the big play or exhibited physical sacrifice or consistent tough blocking and tackling on both sides of the ball. The honored player(s) receive a helmet sticker that recognizes the Built Ford Tough Player of the Game.

Week Opp. Player
Week 2 New Haven Larry Long
Week 3 Albany Mark Tisdale
Week 4 Mohegan Antonio Dingle
Week 5 Albany Vonkeith Spencer
Week 6 New Haven Ahmad Whitehead
Week 7 WB Pioneers Tyrea Simmons

GAME MVP AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
Week 2 New Haven Matt D'Orazio
Week 3 Albany Ryan Venna (Albany)
Week 4 Mohegan Cable Davis (Mohegan)
Week 5 Albany Martino Theus
Week 6 New Haven Jarrod Rouanzoin (NHV)
Week 7 WB/Scranton Charles Eger

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
Week 2 New Haven Vonkeith Spencer
Week 3 Albany Henry Baker (ALB)
Week 4 Mohegan Ahmad Whitehead
Week 5 Albany Vonkeith Spencer
Week 6 New Haven Damon Richardson (NHV)
Week 7 WB/Scranton Tyrea Simmons

GAME IRONMAN AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
Week2 New Haven Aaron Fix
Week 3 Albany Adriel Linyear (Albany)
Week 4 Mohegan Aaron Fix
Week 5 Albany Rodney Bush
Week 6 New Haven Kerry Taylor (NHV)
Week 7 WB/Pioneers Anthony Cleary

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