Florida Firecats game notes
April 17, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Florida Firecats News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Florida Firecats (3-0, 1-0) @
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (2-0, 2-0)
Date: Friday April 13th 2007
Kickoff: 7:40 p.m. EST
Site: Germain Arena
National Anthem:
Coin Toss: Referee
Officials:
Referee: Mike Pavese
Umpire: Brent Sowell
Head Linesman: Mitch Geier
Line Judge: Folayan Kindred
Back Judge: Barry Hendon
Internet: www.FloridaFirecats.com, www.ABC-7.com & www.NBC-2.com
TV: None
Series Record: 4-0 FLA
Last Meeting: 56-51 FLA- 7/8/06
Streaks: Florida has won the 4 previous match ups
Coaches: Kevin Bouis (30-5) 3rd Season
Rich Ingold (34-14) 5th Season
THE STAKES: The Firecats are looking to pickup their 4th win in 2007. A win tonight would give Florida it's 1st divisional win and improve Florida to 3-0 on the year.
THE SERIES: The Firecats have won all 4 of the previous match ups including 2 wins in the post-season.
THE IFs:
If Florida defeats Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, it would ...
- Give Florida its' 4th Win of the year.
- Give the Firecats their 5th straight win over the Pioneers.
- Give Florida it's 1st win over an American Conference opponent this season.
- Improve the Firecats record to 2-0 at home in 2007.
Florida Firecats (2-0, 0-0; WON 2)
Date Opponent Result Score
3/31 Oklahoma City 7:30 WIN 55-22
4/06 @ Texas 8:00 WIN 54-13
4/13 @ Tennessee 8:30 WIN 61-34
4/21 WB Scranton 7:30
4/28 Tennessee 7:30
5/05 @ Albany 4:00
5/12 @ South Georgia 7:30
5/19 Mahoney Valley 7:30
6/02 Alabama 7:30
6/09 @ Tennessee 8:30
6/16 Manchester 7:30
6/23 Albany 7:30
6/30 @ Oklahoma City 8:00
7/07 South Georgia 7:30
7/14 @ Alabama 8:00
7/28 @ Manchester 7:00
Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Pioneers (2-0, 2-0; WON 2)
Date Opponent Result Score
3/31 Manchester 7:00 W 50-36
4/14 Albany 7:00 W 52-43
4/21 @ Florida 7:30
4/28 Cincinnati 7:00
5/4 Manchester 7:00
5/12 @ Mahoning Valley 7:00
5/19 @ Tennessee 8:30
5/25 Albany 7:00
6/09 @ South Georgia 7:00
6/16 Alabama 7:00
6/22 @ Quad City 8:30
6/30 Mahoning Valley 7:00
7/7 @ Fort Wayne 7:00
7/13 @Manchester 7:00
7/21 Bossier-Shreveport 7:00
7/27 @ Albany 7:00
HEAD COACH:
Kevin Bouis is set to begin his 3rd year as head coach and 6th year overall with the Florida Firecats. In his 1st 2 seasons at the helm he guided the team to a 27-5 regular season record going 13-3 in 2006 & 14-2 in 2005 (the af2's best record that year). Last year the Firecats captured their 3rd straight South Divisional Championship. 2006 also marked the 2nd straight season that Florida had home field advantage in the playoffs. 2006 also saw the Firecats play in their 3rd straight American Conference Championship game. As the defensive coordinator, Bouis helped coach the Firecats to an Arena Cup Championship in 2004. That year Kevin's Defense was ranked #1 in total defense, #1 in pass defense, #3 in rush defense & #2 in scoring defense(38.2 pts/g).
Stifling defense has been a signature of the Firecats since Bouis arrived in 2002 when the Firecats finished 5th in scoring defense (38.1 pts/g), 5th in rushing defense and 7th in pass def rating on their way to their 1st arena cup appearance and the American Conference Championship. In 2003 his defense to finished 2nd in scoring defense (39.2 pts/g), 7th total defense and 4th in pass def rating.
He is a former player for the National Indoor Football League's Mississippi Firedogs. He helped his team win two League championships, 2000 and 2001, winning All-NIFL honors. In three seasons with the Firedogs (99-01), Bouis totaled 30 defensive turnovers, 23 interceptions and 7 fumble recoveries. In 2000 and 2001 Bouis led the team in tackles and interceptions. He won the honor of being the IPFL defensive player of the week in 2000. In 1999, Bouis helped the Firedogs qualify for the first round of the playoffs in their inaugural season (9-7). During his tenure with the Firedogs he registered 189 tackles including 81 in 2000.
As a player at the University of Texas El Paso/University of Kentucky, Bouis was furnished with a full scholarship and was a two-year varsity letterman in Football at UTEP, who started as a true freshman and sophomore. He then transferred and completed his college football career at the University of Kentucky.
Bouis holds a B.A. in Education from UK and has an M.B.A. from William Carey College.
Assistant Head Coach OL/DL & FB/LB: Victor Hall "Sack Man" coached with the Firecats in 2003 before returning to the field as a player in 2004. Hall returned to the sideline in 2005 as the Assistant Head Coach. The Auburn grad who was in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings from 1991-1993 and the Indianapolis Colts for the 93-94 season has an Orlando Predators Arena Bowl ring to go along with the hardware he received last year and has the distinction as being the 1st player to win both an AFL and af2 championship.
Hall is also an ex-police officer and became the youngest Chief of Police in Alabama at the age of 23. Vic can be seen as an extra through out the Adam Sandler film "The Waterboy".
LAST SERIES MEETING: Yellow flags sailed through the
air left and right as the Florida Firecats captured a 56-51
road victory Saturday night over the Wilkes-
Barre/Scranton Pioneers at Wachovia Arena. The Pioneers fell to 8-5 while the Firecats improved to an American Conference best 10-3.
The first half had all the ingredients to make memorable
af2 game. Whenever one of the two teams appeared to
grasp the upper hand, the other would bounce right back,
immediately shifting the momentum.
After a shaky start and falling into a 14-6 deficit, Wilkes-
Barre/Scranton seemed like they could do no wrong on
both sides of the ball for the remainder of the half. It
became a sea-saw affair, even though there was only one
lead change during that particular time. That occurred at
7:25 in the 2 nd quarter. Three straight completions to
WR/DB Leroy McFadden with some fancy footwork
included, set up a 1-yard touchdown-run from QB Mike
Granieri, giving Wilkes-Barre Scranton a 20-14 lead.
Minutes into the second half, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
must have let their confidence and composure slip away.
They began making simple mistakes and were unable to
convert on crucial plays.
The first instance happened on a kick off return which
WR/DB Danny Thomas handled. He initially fumbled the
kick, but was able to recover it himself. In an attempt to
gain more yardage, he scampered a short distance before
the ball popped loose yet again. However, possession
changed hands this time. A quick touchdown pass to
WR/LB Ethenic Sands, who had three on the night, from
QB Chris Wallace ensued. WR/LB Brittney Telllis also
added two touchdown receptions of his own.
Another touchdown pass from Wallace, who was the
game MVP, to OS Magic Benton at 8:34 left in 3rd
quarter put the Firecats on top, 37-35. Benton ended up
with 85 total yards and two touchdowns (the other a result
of a 40-yard Hail Mary from Wallace). WR/LB Brittney
Tellis also added two touchdown receptions.
Literally one moment later, a deflection of a Granieri pass
landed in the hands of Florida FB/LB Chris Morant, who
scampered across the goal line for yet another score. The
only other picks-off in the game came from Pioneer DS
Jamie Hattley early in the 1 st quarter and Firecat DS
Quincy Sorrell in the 3rd.
That basically sealed the fate of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton,
who was eventually able to comeback with touchdown
receptions by both McFadden and WR/DB Yaacov
Yisreal. Unfortunately for them, it was 'too little, too late.'
Defense played a huge role in this contest. Among all the
pressure the Florida defense put on the ball all game long,
DS Cory Bailey had a game high of nine total tackles.
Both Sorrell and DS Levy Brown added five. Pioneer DS
Matt Forbes had five for his club.
The statistics of both Granieri (24/38 with two
interceptions, 2 TD passes and 281 passing yards) and
Wallace (14/26 with one interception, 7 TD passes and
182 passing yards) were quite impressive.
LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's match up who ranked among af2's statistical leaders:
Firecats
Player Rank Category Stat
Ethenic Sands T1 Scoring 54 pt/9TD
Magic Benton 6 Receptions 21
Ethenic Sands 8 Receiving 257 yds.
Chris Wallace 7 Pass yards 248.7yd/g
Andy Eminger T4 Scoring (Kick) 18 pts.
Brent Burnside T2 Interceptions 3
Levi Brown T1 Interceptions 4
Levi Brown 2 Tackles 24
Chris Mckinney T8 Rushing 48
Chris Wallace 8 Pass Rating 116
Pioneers
Player Rank Category Stat
David Davis T4 Scoring (kick) 18 pts.
Ryan Vena 2 Pass Rating 124.6
Ryan Vena 10 Pass yards 246.5yd/g
Chris Royal T8 Tackles 15.5
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Firecats and Pioneers stack up:
Statistical Pioneers Firecats
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 11 51.0 ppg 6 56.7 ppg
Scoring Defense 7 39.5 ppg 1 23.0 ppg
Total Offense 15 262yds/g 14 270.3yds/g
Total Defense 22 288 yds/g 3 179.7yd/g
Pass Offense 11 243yds/g 13 242.3yds/g
Pass Defense 26 280.5yds/g 2 159.3yds/g
Rushing Offense 19 19 yds/g 9 28 yds/g
Rushing Defense 4 7.5 yds/g 13 20.3 yds/g
Scoring (kicking) T4 18 T4 18
Pass Rating 2 124.6 7 116
Pass Def. Rating 15 103.6 1 39.6
Kickoff returns 14 17 yds/ret 10 18.6 yd/ret
MFG Returns 9 18 yds/ret 12 12.7yds/ret
Turnover Margin 4 2 2 3.33
Field Goals 2-3 0-2
PAT Kicking 3 .857 8 .783
Sacks By T10 1 T6 5
Sacks Against T2 1 T3 2
First Downs 14 33 5 54
Opp. First Downs T7 35 13 47
Penalties 7 95 12 111
Opp. Penalties 28 49yds 1 204yds
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
SOUTH DIVISION
Florida 3-0 (1-0)
South Georgia 2-1 (0-1)
Tennessee Valley 1-1 (1-1)
Alabama 1-1 (1-1)
SOUTHWEST DIVISION
Bossier-Shreveport 2-0 (1-0)
Rio Grande Valley 2-0 (1-0)
Corpus Christi 0-2 (0-1)
Laredo 0-2 (0-1)
Texas 0-2(0-1)
CENTRAL DIVISION
Tulsa 2-0 (1-0)
Arkansas 1-1 (1-0)
Amarillo 1-1 (1-1)
Oklahoma City 1-1 (0-0)
Lubbock 0-2 (0-2)
SCHUTT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 OKC Ethenic Sands - FLA
3 TV Chris Wallace - FLA
U.S. ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 OKC Brent Burnside - FLA
3 TV Brent Burnside - FLA
ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 OKC Levy Brown - FLA
3 TV Levy Brown - FLA
CUTTERS CATCH OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 OKC Magic Benton - FLA
Drop Back: Florida 61, TENN. VALLEY 34
Florida beat the Vipers 61-34 before an announced crowd of 4,185 at the Von Braun Center. Tennessee Valley fell to 1-1 in arenafootball2 while the Firecats improved to 3-0.
Florida quarterback Chris Wallace completed 19-of-33 passes for 220 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception.
Tennessee Valley quarterback Tony Colston connected on 21-of-39 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He was sacked three times.
Florida opened the scoring at 5:35 in the first quarter when Wallace threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Ethenic Sands. Andy Eminger kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead, capping a six-play, 48-yard drive.
The Vipers scored on the first play of the second quarter when Colston scrambled 4 yards for a touchdown. But, Firecats' lineman Comone Fisher blocked Steven Lee's extra point try.
The Firecats upped their lead to 13-6 on another Wallace-to-Sands 21-yarder.
After a Florida turnover, Colston scrambled 1 yard for a touchdown and Lee added the extra point for a 13-all tie at 2:15.
Wallace threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Chris McKinney in the final minute of the half. Eminger kicked the extra point for a 20-13 lead.
Colston connected with Henry Freeman from 8 yards out with 33 seconds left. Lee's kick tied the score at 20-all.
Florida struck again on the final play of the first half when Wallace threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Brent Burnside, capping a five-play, 45-yard drive. Eminger's kick put the Firecats up 27-20 at halftime.
The Firecats' Chris McKinney returned the second-half kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown and 34-20 lead.
McKinney caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Wallace at 7:52 to make it 41-20.
Tennessee Valley closed within 41-28 on Colston's 4-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Isaiah and Lewis Howes' 2-point conversion run.
But the Firecats padded their cushion on Wallace's 15-yard touchdown pass to Sands for the final points of the third quarter and a 48-28 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Florida added a 7-yard touchdown pass from Wallace to Fisher and a 23-yard fumble recovery by McKinney.
Tennessee Valley got a 56-yard kickoff return by Travis Blanchard.
Look Ahead: Next week the Firecats host the Tennessee Valley Vipers at Germain Arena. The Firecats hold a 5-3 all-time series lead over the Vipers and have won the last 4 in a row dating back to the 2004 playoffs.
This will be the 2nd of 3 games to be played between the South Division Foes this season. Game 3 is slated for June 9th in Hunstville, AL.
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