Dayton heads west for two games
May 26, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Dayton Bulldogs News Release
DAYTON, Ohio â The Warbirds, off to an energetic start in their inaugural National Indoor Football League season, have one of their toughest challenges this weekend as the Dayton-based team plays back-to-back football games against the Tri-Cities Fever in Kennewick, Washington, and at Billings, Montana.
Warbirds head coach Matt King will have some luxury in taking 25 players, three more than the normally allowable limit, but he will only declare 22 for each game.
â "This may be the first time in history a professional team has had to do this," coach King said of the schedule that was presented to Dayton when the team was admitted into the NIFL nearly two weeks into the season. "It will definitely be interesting. We are going to approach each game in the same way we normally do, except the second game will consist of a pre-game cram course."
Back-To-Back Targets Along Columbia
Traveling on Thursday, the team ventures into the Pacific Northwest for the first time. Kennewick is one of three cities along the mighty Columbia River which includes Pasco and Richland, Washington.
"It's a pretty awesome trip for this group," said King. "The worst part is the 12-hour bus ride to Billings." Dayton first travels to Cleveland for a direct flight to Seattle and then to Kennewick. Estimated miles for the round trip by air and ground transportation is 6,355 miles with a total travel time of 32.5 hours.
"The guys know we have to perform, whether it's five days between games or no days," said King, who is looking to get home games for the playoffs by winning the last five games of the season. Four of those are on the road except for the Dayton's final home game on Friday, June 24, against the Atlantic East Division-leading River City Rage.
The games take center stage and coach King has confidence the veterans will step up and the new players will hold their own. In this two-game set, the Warbirds will be without Pepe Pearson, the team's top running back for the first nine games who has taken the head coaching position with the Daytona Beach Hawgs, and quarterback Steve Bellisari, whose led the team in almost every category. Bellisari had a previous personal commitment.
Additional Assets Aid Assignment
"We will go with Kerrick Cooper (at quarterback, 6-1, 190) who I have all the confidence in," said King of the former Virginia State (Petersburg, Virginia) standout. "And we have Mike McConnell (6-2, 225) to back up Keith Brooks at running back."
Cooper has taken snaps in five Warbirds games. He is seven of 13 (.540), has a 138.62 rating and one touchdown. McConnell played at Michigan State (2002-2004) and Brooks has 40 carries for 194 yards (4.9 per carry) and six touchdowns in eight games. Brooks, out of Western Kentucky, had 167 all-purpose yards last week against Cincinnati.
Besides the proverbial performer Maurice Lee, who has a team-high 579 yards receiving, 49 catches and 11 touchdowns. "There's no better go to guy on anything we do than Maurice," said King of the former Ohio State standout.
King will have plenty of receivers to âgo to' when he meets the Fever (5-4), the 3rd-place team in the Pacific West division. Anthony Tyus (12 catches, 5 TDs), Jon Cain (13-3), Brandon Pedrazza (11-3) and Cory Junious who just joined the team, will have to be reckoned with. All are tall and talented. Cain is 6-foot-3, Junious is 6-5 and Pedrazza is 6-3.
Defense System On Manuel Control
Defensievly, Dayton will go with James Drayton, Arden Banks and Sam Crenshaw in the secondary. Banks leads the league in passes defended with eight interceptions and 10 pass breakups. Drayton has 2 INT, 11 BRU's and Crenshaw, at 6-3, has a pair of breakups and one pick.
If there is a feared man, it is linebacker Joe Cooper out of Ohio State. He's a wrecking crew on defense and especially on the opponent's key running back. Cooper in just three games has 20 total tackles, six for losses of 26 yards, one sack, 2 pass breakups and 3 QB hurries.
The linemen on defense are Brandon Tisdale, Tyrese Lawless and Ryan Terry and have most of the damage. Terry has seven sacks, Tisdale nine tackles for loss and three sacks and Lawless has collected 3.5 for loss and four sacks.
National Indoor Football League Stories from May 26, 2005
- Maulers at Local Grand Opening - Montgomery Bears
- Dayton coach thinks Pearson will do well - Daytona Beach Hawgs
- Fever sign nose guard - Tri-Cities Fever
- Fever-Warbirds game preview - Tri-Cities Fever
- Renegades Make Several Roster Moves - Rome Renegades
- Reading With the Maulers - Montgomery Bears
- Dayton heads west for two games - Dayton Bulldogs
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