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Brigade Game Notes

May 21, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rochester Brigade News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Rochester Brigade (4-3) vs. Greensboro Prowlers (2-5)
Date: Friday, May 24, 2002
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Site: Blue Cross Arena (11,200)
National Anthem: TBD
Coin Toss: TBD
Officials: Ed Ardito, Referee
Wayne Mackie, Umpire
James Czajkowski, Head Linesman
James DeBell, Line Judge
James Quirk, Back Judge
Radio: WASB 1590 AM, WRSB 1310 AM, WMJQ 105.5 FM
JC DeLass, play-by-play commentator
John Ditullio, color commentator
Series Record: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Rochester 49, Greensboro 30
Streaks: Rochester- Won two
Greensboro- Lost three
Coaches: Mark Saunders (7-15, 2nd)
Gary Tufford (7-16, 2nd)

HEAD COACHES:

In his second season as the Brigade's Head Coach and first season as the team's General Manager, Mark Saunders has an 8-15 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.

Greensboro Prowlers Head Coach/Executive Vice President, Gary Tufford enters his second season as head coach of the Prowlers with a 7-16 record. He has been around football his entire life. With over 25 years of football experience, playing, coaching and managing all levels of the game, he brings a wealth of football and business knowledge to the Prowlers.

THE IFs:

If the Brigade defeats the Prowlers, it would ...
· Give the Brigade a 2-1 series record
· Give the Brigade a 5-3 record on the season
· Give Mark Saunders a 9-15 all-time record
· Give the Brigade a three game winning streak

THE STAKES:

In a tight playoff battle in the division, the Rochester Brigade is two games ahead of the New Haven Ninjas and the Mohegan Wolves, and only one and a half games behind the first place Albany Conquest. These out of division games are vital to the Brigade as they play four games against teams from the Atlantic Division, three of which are on the road.

THE SERIES:

In the first meeting between the two teams, the Prowlers held the Brigade to three second half points, winning 45-29 to take a 1-0 series lead. The two teams met again in the final game of the 2001regular season, where the Brigade rationed their revenge on the Prowlers to defeat them 49-30 and even the series at a game a-piece. The teams will engage in two separate battles this season, the first meeting being this week in Rochester and the second being on June 15, when the Brigade will travel to Greensboro.

SERIES NOTABLES:

Last season, in the series, Brigade OS Derek Baker registered 539 All-Purpose yards and six touchdowns, including a 55-yard kick return for a score. OL/DL Ray Smith registered three tackles, one tackle for a loss and one sack. FB/LB Rodney Bush caught one pass for three yards and registered two tackles, one tackle for a loss, two passes defended and one interception. WR/LB Larry Long registered eight tackles, one fumble recovery and caught two balls for 16 yards.

The Prowlers bring an abundance of returnees to the table this season. Among the leaders from last season's series is FB/LB Sigmund Platt, who is in his third season and registered nine tackles, one sack, eight rushes for 30 yards and two touchdowns. DS Dee Jefferson registered four tackles, three passes defended and one interception. WR/DB Terry Moseby registered four tackles, three passes defended and caught three passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. QB Travis Pender completed 21 of 66 passes last season for 292 yards, three interceptions and five touchdowns.

FAMILIAR FACES:

The North Carolina A&T Connection and team Ironman WR/DB Rodney Bush will continue a second season with Head Coach Mark Saunders. The two will be joined by former North Carolina A&T teammate WR/DB Vonkeith Spencer.

LAST SERIES MEETING:

On July 21, 2001 the Rochester Brigade evened the series at a game a piece with a 49-30 victory to close their inaugural season on a two game winning streak. The Brigade led at the half 21-15 and dominated the second half, scoring 28 points to win the season finale. Leading the way for the Brigade was OS Derek Baker with three touchdowns on the night off six receptions for 97 yards. Defensively the Brigade held the Prowlers to 151 yards of total offense and sacked the Prowlers QB four times on the night. For the Prowlers, DS Reggie Blanchard picked off Brigade QB Kane Claunch three times, including a 38-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Offensively, Terry Moseby caught three passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns.

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:

WR/DB, Derek Baker last week after DS Tyrea Simmons was injured: "The Pace was difficult, but you can't get worried. It's a fast paced game and you're going to get beat... you just need to come out on the next set of downs and beat them."

QB, Matt D'Orazio after last week's game: "They confused me a couple of times, but we kept fighting."

MILESTONES-

· April 27, 2002: 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: 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: 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.

· May 17, 2002: QB Matt D'Orazio set single game record with three rushing touchdowns

· May 17, 2002: QB Matt D'Orazio set the franchise record for most yards passing in a single season with 1,554

DROPBACK:
Last week, the Brigade defeated the Mohegan Wolves 53-50 to gain their second road victory of the season. With the victory, the Brigade claims sole possession of second place in the division and moves within a game and half of the first place Albany Conquest. The Brigade was led by game IRONMAN WR/DB Derek Baker, who caught eleven passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed one in from two yards out and registered eight solo tackles on the night. Leading the defense was OL/DL Willie Watson with five solo tackles, including two key tackles for a loss of yards to prevent scores deep in the Brigade Red Zone. Wolves OS and game MVP Brandon Burnside caught nine balls for 205 yards and five touchdowns, he also returned eight kickoffs for 127 yards.

FORWARD MOTION:
Next week, the Brigade will play the first of three consecutive road games, the first being against last place Wilkes-Barre Scranton Pioneers of the Northeast Division. The Brigade defeated the Pioneers 57-52 back on May 10, to take a 1-0 series lead. The Pioneers registered their first victory last week against the New Haven Ninjas.

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

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

Penalties, Penalties, Penalties:
Last week the Brigade played a very disciplined game, only taking four penalties for 18 yards, a season low. On the contrary, their opponents, the Wolves took 6 for 49 yards. Currently the Brigade is ranked 31 out of 34 in the league, taking 67 penalties for 548 yards an average of 78.3 per game. Rushing It In:
On the season, the Brigade is ranked fourth in the league in rushing offense with an average of 43.6 yards per game off of 103 attempts for 305 yards and 19 touchdowns. Last week, the team set the bar as QB Matt D'Orazio set a team record with a three rushing touchdowns in a game. All in all, the Brigade rushed for five touchdowns last week including a two-yard rush from WR/DB Derek Baker and a one-yard plunge from FB/LB Anthony Cleary.

Red Zone Defense:
The Brigade continues to struggle against their opposition in the red zone, allowing teams to go 23 out of 25 deep in Brigade territory. The Brigade is currently ranked dead last in this category, allowing their opposition to tally 18 touchdowns and five field goals. The bright spot for the Brigade is that last week they stopped the Wolves deep in their zone to prevent a touchdown and a field goal at a crucial point in a close game.

Sack Prevention:
The Brigade is currently tied for first in the league in this category by only allowing five sacks through the first seven games of the season. Last season, the Brigade finished 27 out of 28 teams in sacks against, allowing 53 including a league record eleven in a single game.

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 20.5 (17 solo) to give him 97.5 for his career in 21 games played.

Player GP Tackles Solo
Aaron Fix 20 97.5 64

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Brigade OS Martino Theus:
Theus is currently ranked first in the league in receptions with 75 for 862 yards, ten touchdowns and an average of 10.7 yards per catch. He is also first in the league in receiving yards per game, averaging 123.1, and tenth in the league with 1029 All Purpose yards, averaging 147 yards a game.

Prowlers OS Antoine Calloway:
Coming to the Prowlers from the Carolina Rhinos, Calloway is the Prowler's leading receiver with 54 catches for 696 yards and eight touchdowns. He is averaging 99.4 receiving yards per game, and is third on the team in scoring with 52 points.

Brigade WR/DB "Derek Baker the Touchdown Maker":
In two games this season, Baker picked up right where he left off and has truly added more to his game. He already has seven touchdowns, (six receiving and one rushing) for 42 points, 15 catches for 189 yards and 10.5 tackles with two pass break-ups. Baker was named IRONMAN of the game last week.

Prowlers DS Jermaine Toney:
Toney is currently tied for third in the league with 42,5 tackles, including 36 solo. He has two interceptions, eleven passes defended, two recovered fumbles, one safety and one blocked kick in his rookie 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, Peoria Pirates defeat two-time defending af2 champion, Quad City Steamwheelers, 81-56 in Peoria to end their 17 game winning streak.

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

· Saturday, May 17, Quad City Steamwheelers won their 25th consecutive game at home to defeat the Wichita Stealth 68-36.

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