Firecats Acquire Three Players; Hope For Late Season Push
June 12, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Florida Firecats News Release
Estero, FL - The arenafootball2 (af2) Florida Firecats announced today that they have added fullback Brandon Isaiah, defensive back Anthony Hailstock and kicker Mike Adams to their roster. Isaiah and Hailstock were acquired through trades with the Arkansas Twisters for past and future considerations, while Adams joins the team as a free agent.
"Isaiah was a tremendous player for us down the stretch last year," said Firecats Coach Kevin Bouis. "We expect him to step in and have an immediate impact on our offense. Hailstock is a great pick up because he will provide us with some depth at defensive back and Adams comes in with af2 experience and experience kicking in our building." Isaiah and Adams are expected to play this week's game at Central Valley. Brandon Isaiah, who played in the final four games for Florida last season, was the Twisters second leading rusher with 35 yards and three touchdowns in four games for Arkansas. Isaiah tied a Firecats' record in week 18 with four rushing touchdowns against Daytona Beach in 2008. Before joining the Firecats last season, Isaiah spent most of the year with the Arena Football League's Kansas City Brigade. In 2007, as a member of the af2's Tennessee Valley Vipers, he rushed for 105 yards and six touchdowns and had 127 receiving yards and five touchdowns catches.
Anthony Hailstock, a rookie, played in eight games for the Twisters this season. Before being traded he was leading the team in tackles with 32, including two tackles for a loss and one interception.
Mike Adams, an Orlando native, was the kicker for the now defunct af2 Daytona Beach Thunderbirds in 2008. He connected on 32.4 percent of his field goal attempts last season including a season long 51-yarder against the Firecats. Adams was the team's second leading scorer with 86 points; converting on 80 percent of his extra point tries. Adams was one of three kickers who worked out for the Firecats at the beginning of the season.
To make room on the roster the Firecats placed receiver/defensive back Brent Burnside (neck), defensive back Bryant Tisdale (shoulder) and kicker Garret Rivas (knee) on injured reserve. Players must sit out four games before returning to action once they have been placed on injured reserve.
"Burnside has been a great player and has had a tremendous career," Bouis said. "It's a shame to lose him because he had a great game scoring four touchdowns against Manchester. Tisdale is a tough kid who's played thru a lot of injuries this season; we'd love to get him back before the playoffs. Rivas has a torn MCL so we'll miss him for four to five weeks. I think he has the potential to be one of the best kickers in our league and he seemed to be hitting his stride so it's a big loss for us."
Florida, coming off a bye this past week, returns to action Saturday June 13th against the Central Valley Coyotes in California. The Firecats next home game is Saturday June 27th against the South Georgia Wildcats. Fans can call 239-390-CATS (2287) to purchase tickets or visit the team online at www.FloridaFirecats.com.
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