Dorados Macon Trade for QB

May 20, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rio Grande Valley Dorados News Release


DORADOS MACON TRADES WITH QUARTERBACKS

WILL BURCH TRADED FOR MACON QB CALEB SLOVER JUST ONE OF SEVERAL MOVES

HIDALGO, TX: May 19, 2004 – It was a busy day Wednesday for the arenafootball2's (af2) Rio Grande Valley Dorados (3-3), who prepare to host the Laredo Law (1-5) this Saturday night, as the Dorados made a trade with the Macon Knights to acquire quarterback Caleb Slover in exchange for quarterback Will Burch. The Dorados also activated Gary Briggs from the "Refused to Report" list, received assigned fullback/linebacker Jermaine Shepard from the af2, placed fullback/linebackers Jason Null and Mike Clay on the long-term injured reserve list and placed Brent McDonald on re-assignment.

Slover (slow-ver) is a 6'2" 225-pound native of Lake City, Tennessee that brings two years of arena football experience. With Macon this season, Slover appeared in four games and was 81 of 155 passing (52.3%) for 948 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also has 2 rushing touchdowns. His best game came on April 24th in a 57-34 win over Manchester, as Slover was 26 of 37 in passing for 260 yards and 6 touchdowns. Slover began his af2 career in 2002 with the Carolina Rhinos and appeared in 14 games, completing 187 of 399 passes for 2,292 yards and 43 touchdowns. Last season, he was a teammate of Dorados lineman Raymond James in Greensboro, where he appeared in 16 games and was 244 of 409 in passing for 3,474 yards and 75 touchdowns. In his af2 career, Slover has thrown for 6,714 yards and 135 touchdowns off of 431 completions in 808 attempts through 34 games. Slover has proven he can scramble as well, as he has 133 career rushing attempts for 348 yards and 22 touchdowns. The 24-year old product out of Clinton, Tennessee's Anderson County High School serves as a Graduate Assistant during the af2 off-season with Tusculum College (Greenville, Tennessee), which is where he re-wrote the record books as the program's most prolific quarterback. Look through a Tusculum Football Media Guide and you will not have any problem finding Slover's name, as he holds many of the program's passing records. Slover holds the school's career-passing record with 4,973 yards, pass attempts (781), completions (451), passing percentage (.577), passing touchdowns (34), passing yards per game (236.8), offensive attempts (930) and total offensive yards (5,135). Also included in his records are two single-game records and seven single-season records. Prior to Tusculum, Slover played two seasons at the Georgia Military College, which is also the same program Dorados fullback/linebacker Herman Lovett attended.

Burch, who was the starting quarterback in each of the Dorados six games, leaves the Valley with a 98.74 quarterback rating after completing 84 of 149 passes for 961 yards and 21 touchdowns. Burch's best performance this season came on May 1st in Laredo, as he was 15 of 31 in passing for 239 yards and 7 touchdowns to lead the Dorados to a 58-38 win. Since then, Burch has completed 31 of 51 passes for 327 yards with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

Also joining the squad is Gary Briggs and newcomer Jermaine Shepard. Briggs, a 5'10" 185-pound wide receiver / defensive back joins the Dorados with two seasons of af2 experience. In 2002, Briggs played in one game with the Roanoke Steam and 12 games with the Norfolk Nighthawks. With Norfolk, he recorded a team-high 65 receptions and 782 yards, along with a team-leading 523 yards off of 31 kickoff returns (avg 16.9). Briggs also finished second on the team in scoring with 110 points and had 16 receiving touchdowns. He returned both a missed field goal and a kickoff return 57 yards (missed field goal return still stands as the second longest in af2) each for a touchdown and both on the same week, achieving the task on May 6th to earn game MVP honors. On defense, he had 10 tackles (7 unassisted, 3 assisted) during the season. The 28 year-old played his first pro season with Norfolk and finished the season with 426 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns off of 41receptions. He also rushed four times for four yards and recorded a rushing touchdown. Briggs ranked second on the squad in all purpose yards (841), receiving yards (426) and kickoff return yards with 345. His 41 receptions and 7 touchdown receptions ranked third on the team. On the defensive side of the ball, he had 9 solo and 20 total tackles with one sack. The New Carrollton, Maryland native played college football at West Liberty State College in West Liberty, West Virginia from 1996-1999. Briggs spent the 1996 and 1997 season as a defensive back before switching over to the offensive side of the ball. In 1998, he recorded 35 catches for 762 yards and four touchdowns to earn All-WVIAC honors (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). He caught 37 passes in 1999 as a senior and totaled 640 yards and 6 touchdowns. Briggs ranked 40th in the NCAA with a punt return average of 10.5 yards.

With Null and Clay placed on the long-term injured reserve list, the Dorados added fullback/linebacker Jermaine Shepard to their roster. Shepard is a 25 year-old af2 rookie out of Houston. The 6'0" 240-pound graduate of Aldine High School played college football at Eastern New Mexico in 1997 before transferring to Northwestern State in Louisiana.

Leaving the Dorados, other than Burch, is fullback/linebacker Brent McDonald. The San Antonio native appeared in just one game with Dorados but left early after re-aggravating an injury that has kept him on the injured reserve list most of the season. The decision was made by McDonald, who has returned to San Antonio to complete a new business venture.

The moves are made in preparation for the last battle of the season against Laredo. The Dorados are 2-0 against the Laredo Law this season, as they defeated the Law 37-6 to open up the season at the Dodge Arena on April 3rd and then topped them 58-38 in their only visit to Laredo on May 1st. Fans attending this Saturday night's game will be treated to prizes when the Dorados score touchdowns. Best Buy of McAllen will present a DVD to a lucky fan after each touchdown the Dorados score. The lucky fans can only be eligible by purchasing Dorados Souvenir Programs, which benefit the Student American Dental Hygiene Association of Texas State Technical College (TSTC) in Harlingen. The game will be televised regionally in the Rio Grande Valley and in Laredo and can be viewed locally on XERV Channel 9 (19 for Time Warner Cable subscribers). It will also be broadcasted on the radio on ESPN Radio 1240 AM (KSOX) with Josh Bogorad providing the play-by-play and online at www.doradosfootball.com.

Individual tickets are currently on sale for the Dorados match-up with Laredo, and may be purchased by stopping by the Dodge Arena offices (2600 N. 10th St. in Hidalgo, Tx) or contacting them by phone at 956-843-7825. Additional ticket information and corporate opportunities are available by contacting the Dorados offices at 956-843-7825 or visit the Dorados online at www.doradosfootball.com.



arenafootball2 Stories from May 20, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central