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Central Valley Coyotes game notes

May 6, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Central Valley Coyotes News Release


CENTRAL VALLEY COYOTES (0-4) at GREEN BAY BLIZZARD (1-3)

WEEK 6 – SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2004

(Fresno, CA) – The Coyotes travel to Green Bay, Wisconsin to take on the Blizzard, Saturday, May 8 at the Resch Center. The Coyotes are still searching for their first win of the season after dropping their last contest 33-34, to the Peoria Pirates on a last second field goal. The Blizzard enter the contest with a 1-3 record, falling to the Quad City Steamwheelers, 20-47 in Week 5. The Coyotes currently lead the all-time series, 1-0, defeating the Blizzard, 38-31, last season in Green Bay, on May, 24, 2003.

The Coyotes defense played stellar again for the second straight week, holding Peoria to only 196 yards of total offense including an interception and a couple of goaline stances. Offensively Central Valley tallied 183-yards of total offense with two interceptions. A late 4th quarter offensive sputter allowed Peoria to drive down the field for the game winning field goal.

Offensive specialist Kenyatte Morgan led the way for the Coyotes once again, hauling in 90-yards receiving on 7 receptions, with a touchdown. Morgan also returned four kickoffs for 57 yards, and returned two missed field goals for 88 yards, including a 55-yard return for a touchdown. The touchdown marks his third consecutive return for a TD in three games. He is currently ranked 7th in the league in kick return average (24.7) and 2nd in the league in all-purpose yards with 1,113.

The Coyotes are surrounded by a lot of new faces on the field as well as in the front office. After current Operator and CEO George Chung along with the Tachi Yokut Tribe moved the Bakersfield franchise to Fresno, CA, their first move was to hire former San Diego Riptide Head Coach Cree Morris. Morris will lead the 2004 Coyotes into the season on the quest for the 2004 ArenaCup.

HEAD COACHES

Cree Morris takes over at the helm of the Central Valley Coyotes franchise, after spending the past two seasons with the San Diego Riptide. Morris will have the tasks of leading the Coyotes back to the West Division title, and getting the franchise past the first round of the playoffs. Morris has surrounded himself with an incredible coaching staff in assistant head coach, Fred Biletnikoff Jr., defensive coordinator Doug Murray and line coach Sean Kelly.

As the Riptide's first head coach and former Orange Glen High School quarterback Cree Morris, has playing experience with the NFL, Arena Football League and the World League. Morris also played collegiate football with San Diego State and St. Mary's College.

Morris, 32, led Orange Glen to a 12-1 record his senior year in 1988, finishing second in the state in passing with over 3,000 yards and 30 TDs. He was named Palomar League Offensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-CIF and Honorable Mention All-State.

He spent three years at San Diego State, where he had the rare distinction of throwing Darnay Scott his first collegiate touchdown and handing Marshall Faulk his first collegiate carry in the same game — a 49-13 win over Cal State Long Beach on 9/8/1991.

In 1992, Morris transferred to Division II St. Mary's College in Moraga, California, where he earned a B.A. in Health, Fitness and Recreation with an emphasis on teaching. In two seasons with the Gaels, he threw for 3,451 yards and 24 TDs, as well as six rushing scores. He is listed 16 times in the school's all-time record books after leading them to consecutive winning seasons in just 15 starts.

He participated in the training camp of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1994. In April of 1995, Morris signed with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League, however, the St. Louis Rams invited him to their training camp. In 1996, Morris spent a season in the World League of American Football with the London Monarchs.

The following year, Morris began his two-year Arena career spending a year and half with the Arena League's San Jose SaberCats (1997-98) and finishing his career with the Iowa Barnstormers (1998).

Following his playing career, Morris focused on bringing Arena football to the San Diego area.

He has served as an assistant coach at John Swett High in the Bay Area (1994), his alma mater Orange Glen (1997-98) and Castle Park High (2000-01).

He's married to Stephanie, who he has been dating since they were 12. On December 8, they had their first child, Noah Trey.

As Brian Noble steps into the position of Head Coach of the Green Bay Blizzard, this popular former Packer brings along an impressive resume of NFL experience, leadership skills and community service. Coach Noble's responsibilities are to prepare the team for success on the field, and draw upon his media knowledge to contribute to the organization in other ways as well.

For nine years, Noble was a ferocious hitter and defensive leader who roamed the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field as an inside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. After being drafted in the fifth round by Green Bay in 1985, he jumped into the starting lineup in only his second regular season game and went on to scoop up the Packers' "Rookie of the Year" award. During his tenure with the Green and Gold, Brian led the team in total tackles four times and also displayed his toughness as a solid special team's player. Prior to his pro career, Noble was a standout football player at Arizona State University and Fullerton Junior College.

During and subsequent to his playing days, Noble worked in both television and radio. As an analyst for the Packers post-game radio show, fans across Wisconsin are familiar with his keen insight on the game and no-holds-barred commentary. In addition to other media ventures, he developed and produced the syndicated television show "Hitting the Outdoors," which has reached millions of households throughout the Midwest.

Over the years, Brian Noble has involved himself in a variety of charitable activities and organizations, and in 1989 he was named the Packers' NFL "Man of the Year" for his contributions to the local community. Besides working with Special Olympics, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Noble has served as honorary chairman of the local Cerebral Palsy telethon.

Brian is originally from Anaheim, California and has lived in Green Bay since being drafted. He is an avid hunter and fisherman, and is dedicated to preserving our natural resources. He married his wife Cindy in 1983 and they now have four children.

CENTRAL VALLEY VS. GREEN BAY – SERIES HISTORY

When the Blizzard and Coyotes square off this weekend at the Resch Center, it will be the second time these two teams have met in franchise history. The Coyotes lead the all-time series 1-0, defeating the Blizzard, 38-31, last season on 5/24/03.

2003 – Blitz, 38-31 (GB)

At A Glance:

- Central Valley's offense is ranked 19th in the af2 having tallied 930-yards in four games, their rushing attack is ranked 11th and their passing game is ranked 18th. Green Bay enters Saturday's contest ranked 17th in the league in total offense having posted 942 yards thus far. They are ranked 13th in passing and 25th in rushing.

- Coyotes quarterback Wes Phillips has completed 45-of-86 passes for 524-yards, 8 touchdowns and five interceptions in three games. Phillips has also rushed for three touchdowns this season. Gile Dennis handles the quarterback duties for the Blizzard completing 26-of-67 passes for 359-yards, 8 touchdowns and five interceptions thus far.

- Green Bay receiver Randall Lane currently leads the Blizzard in all receiving categories, receptions (33), yards receiving (523) and touchdowns (14). Central Valley wide receiver Kenyatte Morgan also leads the Coyotes in touchdowns (5), receiving yards (337) and receptions (28).

- The Coyotes ground attack has amassed 84-yards on the ground on 27 carries with six touchdowns, while the Blizzard have recorded 16-yards rushing on five attempts, with one touchdown.

- Green Bay is ranked 25th in the league in total defense, 4th in rushing defense and 25th in pass defense, while Central Valley is ranked 20th in the af2 in total defense, 10th against the rush and 21st against the pass.

- The Coyotes defense is led by defensive specialist VonKeith Spencer, who has tallied 16.5 tackles (10-solo), 3 interceptions and seven pass deflections. Roose Williams leads the way for the Blizzard having recorded 20 tackles (17-solo), 6 pass deflections and one forced fumble.

LAST WEEK: GREEN BAY AT QUAD CITY

BLIZZARD 26, STEAMWHEELERS 47 – MAY 1, 2004 – THE MARK

The Quad City Steamwheelers had a major turn of events on Saturday night. After a disappointing outing a week prior at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where the Steamwheelers lost 40-27, the ‘Wheelers pulled a 180 as they steamed the Green Bay Blizzard 47-26.

The win, which came in front of 5,853 fans at The MARK of the Quad Cities, was the 10th straight home regular season victory for the Steamwheelers.

Baby Ruth Real Deal Player of the Game, Steamwheelers offensive specialist Jeff Hewitt was one of many ‘Wheelers who had a major turnaround in performance. After catching two balls for 23 yards in Wilkes-Barre, Hewitt caught nine passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns and returned four kicks for 94 yards against the Blizzard. Hewitt also rushed for a score as well.

After getting beat up by the Pioneers defensive line and having the worst game of his career, Steamwheelers quarterback Ronnie Gordon completed 16 of 27 passes for 224 yards, four going for touchdowns. Gordon also added a rushing touchdown.

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game, fullback/linebacker Brian Berg rushed three times for 19 yards and a touchdown and had 1.5 tackles and three quarterback hurries on defense. The Steamwheelers defense got back into its routine this weekend, only allowing the 26 points, bringing their defensive average to 33.8 for the season.

Defensive specialists Danny Thomas and Matt Forbes had two solid nights. Thomas was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game as he recorded a tackle, recovered a fumble, had an interception and added a pass deflection.

Forbes led all tacklers with eight, had two key interceptions, five pass deflections and a forced fumble.

After the Blizzard won the toss, they deferred to the second half and chose to kickoff. The move paid off as Hewitt fumbled the opening kickoff, and Krauss recovered the ball at the 25-yard line. From there the teams traded scores twice and after a quarter of play, the score was knotted at 14.

The teams traded scores yet again to start the second quarter. All three of the next possessions were stopped by interceptions. Thomas had his first with 53 seconds remaining in the half. Then Gordon threw his only interception of the game, as he was picked off by Blizzard defensive specialist Lemont Hudgins on the very next play. Then five plays later, Forbes got his first interception. The teams went into the locker room with the ‘Wheelers leading 21-20.

Then the ‘Wheelers defense really took over. The Blizzard failed to capitalize on their first possession of the half and Krauss missed a 48-yard field goal. Five plays later the ‘Wheelers struck. Gordon was looking for a cutting Tim Dodge, but the pass tipped off of Dodge's fingers and fell right into the hands of wide receiver/linebacker Carmelo Ocasio for a 14-yard score.

The Steamwheelers "D" got another stop on the Blizzard's next possession, forcing Krauss to attempt a 61-yard field goal attempt. The kick fell well short and Hewitt returned it 26 yards to the Blizzard 22-yard line.

It took six plays, five rushing, before Gordon scampered two yards for the score. The ‘Wheelers defense shut out the Blizzard in the third quarter and found themselves up 34-20 going into the final frame.

The fourth quarter did not start out well for the Blizzard. Quarterback Dennis Gile completed a pass to former Steamwheelers offensive specialist Randall Lane, but Lane was met by his good friend Forbes. Forbes stripped the ball loose, with Thomas making the recovery.

The Steamwheelers pushed their lead to 40-20 when Gordon hooked up with Hewitt for an 18 yard score. The teams traded scores and Forbes added the nail in the coffin with his second interception just under four minutes remaining in the game.

Dodge was held scoreless for the first time this season, but caught four passes for 54 yards.

Heading the list for the Blizzard was Lane, who caught nine passes for a game-high 144 yards and three scores. The ‘Wheelers defense held Gile to 15 of 39 passing for 193 yards and four touchdowns. Next week the ‘Wheelers will battle archrival Peoria for the "Ruler of the River" trophy. Friday nights game at the Peoria Civic Center will kickoff at 7 p.m. The game will also be broadcast over most of Iowa and western Illinois on Mediacom. Be sure to check your local listings for the Mediacom channel in your area.

COYOTES WEEK 6 GAME NOTES

THE RETURN OF THE RETURN: Offensive specialist, Kenyatte Morgan continued his touchdown return streak to three when he returned a missed field goal 55-yards for a TD. Morgan is currently ranked 7th in the af2 in return yards average with 24.7 and 2nd in the league in all-purpose yards with 1,013.

DOUBLE THREAT: Central Valley quarterback Wes Phillips is developing into a double threat on the football field. He has tossed 8 touchdowns through the air and has set a new season high with three rushing touchdowns. Phillips has rushed for a touchdown in each contest he has participated in this season.

THE SPENCER FILE: Coyotes defensive specialist VonKeith Spencer has been an emotional leader for the defensive unit this season. Spencer has tallied 17.5 tackles (10-solo), leads the team in interceptions (3) and pass deflections (8). Spencer also spends once a week with centralvalleycoyotes.com to talk about the 2004 season.

COYOTES POINTS: Defensive specialist VonKeith Spencer recorded his third interception of the season last week...Howard Maxwell recorded his first touchdown of the season...Quarterback Wes Phillips rushed for his third consecutive rushing touchdown last week.

COYOTES IN THE RANKINGS: The following is a breakdown of the Coyotes af2 Week 3 rankings.

Category NC Ranking af2 Ranking


Total Offense 10 19
Rushing 4 11
Passing 10 18
Total Defense 10 20
Against Rush 6 10
Against Pass 11 21

2004 COYOTES TEAM NOTES

FRESNO BOUND: The original Bakersfield Blitz franchise was purchased by current Coyotes Operator and CEO George Chung along with the Tachi Yokut Tribe earlier this December. Chung and the tribe then decided to relocate the franchise to Fresno, naming the team the Central Valley Coyotes. The Coyotes retain all stats from Bakersfield and continue their third season in the af2.

MAKING THE JUMP: The Central Valley Coyotes have been fortunate enough to progress three players to the Arena Football League. Former wide receiver/defensive back Ryan Sloth is now with the Columbus Destroyers, current franchise leading tackler J'Sharlon Jones is with the Philadelphia Soul and current quarterback Johnny Turman is with the Indiana Firebirds.

WILD, WILD WEST: In 2004 the West Division was realigned back to its original format in 2002, which featured the San Diego Riptide, the Bakersfield Blitz, the Hawaiian Islanders and the Central Valley Coyotes. Each franchise in the West will play all divisional opponents four times (twice at home, and twice on the road). This will make for an interesting season in the West with each divisional game being important.

HOME AND AWAY: The Central Valley Coyotes have posted a 10-7 record at their home venue. In post-season the Coyotes have a record of 0-1. On the road though, the franchise has not done so well in the win column tallying a 7-8-1 record in the regular season and 0-1 in the post-season.

OFFENSE:

THE DYNAMIC DUO: With the acquisition of lineman Zach LaMonda to compliment Ricky Leung-Wai as the lineman duo for the 2004 season it will not mark the first time the two paths have crossed. The two have battled over the past tow years as divisional rivals as LaMonda played for the San Diego Riptide the past two seasons. With the veteran leadership on the line the offense should look to put up numbers in 2004.

STACKING UP THE ROOKIES: Come opening day the Coyotes will have a total of 16 rookies on the squad. Some of the new face rookies include fullback/linebacker and former Fresno State Bulldog JaJuan Huddleston, quarterback Jose Fuentes, wide receiver/linebacker Marvin Brown and wide receiver/defensive back LaMonte Jones.

CREE ‘A' TING OFFENSE: Coyotes head coach Cree Morris looks to lead the Coyotes franchise to the top of the offensive charts. Last season while in San Diego, Morris had the third ranked offense in the National Conference. Morris averaged 248.2 yards per game.

DEFENSE:

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: Central Valley's 2003 defense finished the season third in the af2, its second straight season finishing in the top-10 in the league in total defense. The Coyotes led the league in pass defense and were third in the league in run defense.

COYOTES 2004 OPPONENTS AND SCHEDULE NOTES

The af2's realignment of the West Division in 2004 ensures that each team in the division will face their opponent four times, twice at home and twice on the road. The following breaks down the Coyotes 2004 schedule.

HOME GAMES:

- The Coyotes will host Peoria after defeating the Pirates in Week 14 of the 2003 season, 45-35 in Bakersfield. Peoria currently leads the all-time series 2-1.

- The Rio Grande Valley Dorado's make their first trip to Fresno, CA as an expansion team for the 2004 season. The Dorado's are led by head coach Gary Gussman. AWAY GAMES:

- The Central Valley Coyotes will travel to the town that Farve built as they take on the Green Bay Blizzard. The two teams last met in Week 8 of the 2003 regular season with the Coyotes grabbing the victory 38-31 in Green Bay.

- The Coyotes head south to Oklahoma City to take on the Yard Dawgz in Week 12. Oklahoma City also joined the af2 as an expansion team in 2004.

DIVISION GAMES:

- Bakersfield Blitz – They will make their first trip to the Selland Arena since joining the league as an expansion team in 2004. This will be the first meeting of the original Bakersfield Blitz (now the Central Valley Coyotes) and the new Bakersfield Blitz.

- San Diego Riptide – The team heads into the 2004 with their former head coach on the opposite side of the box. Central Valley Head Coach Cree Morris will square off against his former team in Week 3. San Diego leads the series 3-4.

- Hawaiian Islanders – The 2003 West Division champions look to build on their breakout season last year. Though the Coyotes were able to win the series between the two teams last season, Hawaii held strong towards the end of the season. Central Valley leads the series 4-3.

A LOOK AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK

The Coyotes return back home next week to host the Rio Grande Valley Dorados on May 15th 2004. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 pm.

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