Erie Storm Hosts Fayetteville Guard on "Military Appreciation Night"

Published on May 21, 2010 under American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
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(Erie, PA) - The Erie Storm of the American Indoor Football Association is proud to announce that Saturday night's home game at the Tullio Arena against the Fayetteville Guard has been designated as "Military Appreciation Night". Pregame festivities will start shortly before kickoff, which is scheduled for 7:30 PM. Tickets are available at the Tullio Arena box office and at all Ticketmaster outlets.

As part of our celebration, the Erie Storm is paying special tribute to our local heroes with the U.S. Army Reserves, the Pennsylvania National Guard, the Stryker Brigade, the D.A.V. Project, and the Wounded Warrior Project. All members of these esteemed groups showing up to the game in uniform will be admitted for free as our special guests, and their family members will receive a $2 discount on the price of a ticket. In addition, all card-carrying members of our local American Legion and VFW posts will also receive a $2 discount on any ticket purchased at the Tullio Arena box office simply by presenting a valid membership card.

Erie enters this contest with a 5-4 record and in third place in the AIFA's North Division, with the top three finishers eligible for the postseason. The Storm sits just a half-game ahead of fourth-place Reading and one game ahead of fifth place Richmond so this game versus Fayetteville (2-7) is significant for Erie to maintain playoff positioning.

The Storm offense is led by quarterback Rod Rutherford who is among the league leaders in total offense at 220 yards per game. He has completed 51% of his passes in nine games for 1,823 yards and 32 touchdowns, and has added eight rushing touchdowns. Denayne Dixon has emerged as Erie's leading receiver with a team-high 40 receptions and is tied for the team lead with nine touchdown catches. The Storm offense is expected to get a boost from the return of Eugene Baker, who in just five games, has 36 catches and eight scores. David Dinkins was one of the team's stars in last week's thrilling victory over the New Jersey Revolution scoring three touchdowns in a span of nine minutes to jumpstart the Storm offense in the second half.

Erie's unheralded offensive line of Joe Blanks, Mike Fazio, Ron Idoko, and fullback Bob Hammer continues to be among the league leaders in fewest sacks allowed, and will be tasked to provide enough time for Rutherford and the wide receiver corps to make plays.

Defensive back Trenton Jones heads an accomplished Erie secondary and currently leads the AIFA in total tackles and the team with five interceptions. Three other members of Erie's talented defensive secondary have recorded three picks apiece, including veterans Sam Reynolds, Chris Blackshear, and Corey Oaks. The defensive line took a hit with the season-ending foot injury to Troy Blackwell, but Ellery Moore has picked up much of the slack with six sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in four games. Phil Tillman frequently demands double teams as Erie's nose guard and has recorded 3.5 sacks on the season. The linebacker corps continue to be led by perennial all-AIFA selections Roosevelt Benjamin and Glenroy Watkins.

"I have only seen Fayetteville on tape, so for me, this is exciting playing someone we don't usually see that often. They have several playmakers we'll have to watch closely, Prentice Quince has 11 touchdown catches, and Walter Ford is a dangerous kick returner who will challenge our special teams. They've lost games because they're turning the ball over more than they're forcing them. That's an important theme for us too, which I stress every week. We can beat any team in this league as long we don't turn the ball over. That was a problem for us last week when we fell behind early to New Jersey. I knew we would come back in the second half if we just took better care of the ball, we did, made some key plays, and that's why we won. As Fayetteville is finding out, teams in this league are all good enough to capitalize on extra possessions. The turnover battle is one we'll be concentrating on. Those fans who might have left last week after we were down early missed an amazing show in the second half, since with our offense, we're never out of any game. I'd really like to see a nice big crowd Saturday night because our guys just feed off of that." commented Erie coach Shawn Liotta.

The Fayetteville Guard are making their first trip in franchise history to Erie, and this game is the first of two scheduled contests between the two teams, with the Storm travelling to North Carolina for the return encounter on June 19.

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