Florida Firecats game notes

Published on June 12, 2007 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Florida Firecats News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Florida Firecats (7-3, 3-2) vs.

Manchetsr Wolves (5-5, 4-2)

Date: Saturday June 16th 2007

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. EST

Site: Germain Arena

National Anthem:

Coin Toss: Referee

Officials:

Referee: Mike Pavese

Umpire: Brent Sowell

Head Linesman: Mitch Geier

Line Judge: Jerome Ford

Back Judge: Barry Hendon

Internet: www.FloridaFirecats.com, www.ABC-7.com & www.NBC-2.com

TV: NONE

Series Record: 2-2

Last Meeting: 40-39 FLA 8/12/06

Streaks: FLA - WON 3; MAN - WON 1

Coaches: Kevin Bouis (34-8) 3rd Season

Ben Bennett (46-28) 3rd Season @ MAN

THE STAKES: A win gives the Firecats an 8-3 overall record and guarantees Florida at least a share of 1st place in the South Division.

THE SERIES: The Firecats and Wolves have split the previous 4 contests. Florida won the last game in the playoffs at Germain Arena last year.

THE IF's:

If Florida defeats Manchester, it would ...

- Give Florida its' 8th Win of the year

- Give Florida a 3-1 record against American Conf. teams

- Guarantee Florida at least a share of 1st place in the Division

- Give Florida a 3-2 series lead over Manchester

Florida Firecats (7-3, 3-2; 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 LOST 58-36

4/28 Tennessee 7:30 LOST 39-38

5/05 @ Albany 4:00 WIN 56-51

5/12 @ South Georgia 7:30 LOST 49-38

5/19 Mahoney Valley 7:30 WIN 62-26

6/02 Alabama 7:30 WIN 29-21

6/09 @ Tennessee 8:30 WIN 53-37

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

Manchester Wolves (5-5, 4-2; Won 1)

Date Opponent Result Score

3/31 @ WB Scranton 7:30 L 36-50

4/13 @ Green Bay 7:00 L 32-35

4/21 Fort Wayne 7:00 W 54-41

4/28 Mahoning Valley 7:30 W 67-49

5/4 @ WB Scranton 7:00 L 42-59

5/12 Albany 7:00 W 53-48

5/18 @ Bossier-Shreve 7:00 L 52-62

5/25 @ Mahoning Valley 8:00 W 50-40

6/1 Tulsa 7:30 L 75-50

6/8 Albany 7:00 W 47-35

6/16 @ Florida 6:00

6/30 South Georgia 7:00

7/7 @ Cincinnati 7:05

7/13 WB Scranton 7:00

7/21 @ Albany 6:30

7/28 Florida 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.

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ken Mastrole is in his 3rd year as coordinator after leading the Firecats to the championship as QB in 2004. in 2006 Mastrole's offense ranked #1 in the af2 scoring nearly 60 points per game. He played his college ball at Maryland & Rhode Island also had stints with the Chicago Bears in the NFL, The Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe & the Detroit Fury in the AFL.

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: Florida 40, Manchester 39 The Florida Firecats and the Manchester Wolves squared off in an amazing thriller that wasn't decided until Brent Burnside intercepted a Steve Bellisari pass to finalize a 40-39 Firecat victory.

Florida led in the first quarter, but would not regain the advantage until the clock read 38 seconds and quarterback Chris Wallace connected with wide receiver Brittney Tellis on a five yard slant. The extra point was connected by kicker Brandon Kornblue who had troubles connecting on two prior PAT's. A crowd of 7,073 was on hand, the second highest attendance in Germain Arena history.

The Firecats got on the board early, scoring on their first possession. A 1 yard run by fullback Clenton Crossley and a missed extra point by Kornblue made the score 6-0. The Wolves answered back immediately with a 45 yard touchdown pass from Bellisari to wide receiver Ari Confesor. That touchdown strike was on Manchester's first offensive play from scrimmage, giving them a 7-6 lead.

Florida then mounted a drive taking 5:50 off the clock and ending with Crossley scoring on a run, this time from 2 yards out. Florida regained the lead 13-7. Manchester kept the scoring trend going, when Bellisari hooked up with wide receiver Marc Bacote for a 27 yard touchdown reception. A missed point after attempt by kicker Dylan Pohlman left the score tied 13-13 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw a defensive battle that lasted until the 3 minute mark when the Wolves Bellasari hit wide receiver Wendell Williams for a 31 yard score, putting Manchester ahead 20-13. Tellis was wide open on the Firecats next possession, when Wallace hit him at the Wolves 15 yard line, Tellis then broke two tackles before finally getting in the end zone, knotting the game at 20. The last minute of the first half was occupied by each team having possession, but Bellisari and Wallace traded off interceptions and the score remained tied at 20 at the half.

Manchester wasted no time getting on the board in the second half. After using only 1:15 of the clock, Bellasari hit Williams on a 30 yard touchdown pass, putting the Wolves back on top 27-20. The Firecats then used the next 3:30 to mount their own scoring drive that ended with Wallace hitting a wide open Ethenic Sands for a 13 yard touchdown strike. Kornblue missed another extra point, which left the score in favor of the Wolves 27-26.

The Wolves continued to waste no time getting back on the board when Bellasari found Williams for a third time, this time for 34 yards. Half of those yards were earned by Williams who broke 3 tackles to get in the end zone. A second PAT miss by Pohlman left the Wolves with a 33-26 lead.

Florida continued to fight back and finally Wallace hooked up with wide receiver Brent Burnside for a 34 yard TD reception. Kornblue successfully converted the extra point and the score was all tied up at 33 with four minutes left in the third quarter.

The game turned defensive for the last four minutes of the third quarter and the score remained tied at 33 going into the final quarter.

The defensive intensity continued into the fourth quarter as Manchester turned the ball over on a fumble, then Florida gave it back on downs. Manchester then did the same, only to be followed up by Wallace throwing an interception to give the ball back to the Wolves. Manchester capitalized on their next possession, a two yard touchdown run by fullback Mark Kimener with 4:17 to play in the game. Pohlman missed the extra point and the Wolves had a 39-33 lead.

Wallace then found Tellis on a 5 yard slant to give the Firectas the 40-39 lead. It looked as if Manchester would have no problem getting in field goal range when the Wolves brought the kickoff all the way out to the 25 yard line. On the very next play Burnside intercepted the Belasari pass as the crowd erupted and the 'Cats sealed the game.

Wallace was 26 of 47 for 256 and 4 touchdowns for the Firecats and Bellasari was 15 for 28 which was good for 280 yards and five touchdowns for the Wolves. Both quarterbacks threw 2 interceptions and Bellasari had his five game winning streak snapped. Burnside had an outstanding game with 2 interceptions and a touchdown reception.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's match up who ranked among af2's statistical leaders:

Firecats

Player Rank Category Stat

Chris Wallace 10 Passing Yards 250.9yd/g

Chris Wallace 10 Total Offense 252.4yd/g

Chris Wallace 6 Passing Tds 50

Chris Wallace 5 Completion Pct 64.5 %

Chris Wallace T5 Total Off TD's 54

Chris Wallace 6 Pass Rating 116.3

Chris Wallace 2 Pass Completions 199

Levy Brown 1 Tackles 75.5

Levy Brown 1 Interceptions 9

Levy Brown 3 Passes Defended 25

Wallace House T8 Rushing TDs 8

Wallace House 10 Rushing Yards 144 yds

Wallace House 1 Rush Yds/game 28.8 yds/g

Alfred Peterson 8 Tackles For Loss 9.5

Alfred Peterson 9 Sacks 7.0

Wolves

Player Rank Category Stat

Al Sebastian 4 Tackles 62.0

Maurice Fountain 2 Sacks 8.5

Maurice Fountain 2 Tackles for Loss 11.5

A Fichter 6 Rush Attempts 43

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Firecats and Wolves stack up:

Statistical Wolves Firecats

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring Offense 17 48.3 ppg 18 48.2 ppg

Scoring Defense 17 49.4 ppg 2 35.0 ppg

Total Offense 17 256.5yds/g 6 280.0yds/g

Total Defense 18 262.6yds/g 1 213.8yds/g

Pass Offense 12 244.7yds/g 10 247.0yds/g

Pass Defense 9 227.5yds/g 1 198.8yds/g

Rushing Offense 25 11.8yds/g 3 33.0yds/g

Rushing Defense 29 35.1yds/g 7 15.0yds/g

Pass Rating 12 101.9 4 115.9

Pass Def. Rating 13 97.4 3 77.5

Kickoff returns 21 15.8yds/ret 27 14.6yds/ret

MFG Returns 3 26.3yds/ret 26 11.9yds/ret

Turnover Margin T19 -.60 5 1.40

Field Goals 26 2-13 T21 1-5

PAT Kicking 25 .695 23 .714

Sacks By 16 14 3 26

Sacks Against T3 7 T3 7

First Downs 4 193 10 180

Opp. First Downs 13 167 18 171

Penalties 2 42.0yds/g 3 47.8yds/g

Opp. Penalties 1 75.7yds/g 22 52.6yds/g

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

SOUTH DIVISION

South Georgia 7-3 (2-1)

Florida 7-3 (3-2)

Alabama 5-5 (1-2)

Tenn Valley 4-6 (2-3)

SOUTHWEST DIVISION

Rio Grande Valley 8-1 (5-1)

Bossier-Shreveport 8-2 (5-0)

Texas 2-8 (2-4)

Corpus Christi 1-8 (1-4)

Laredo 0-9 (0-4)

CENTRAL DIVISION

Tulsa 9-1 (4-1)

Arkansas 6-3 (3-1)

Oklahoma City 6-3 (3-1)

Lubbock 4-6 (2-4)

Amarillo 1-8 (1-6)

SCHUTT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 OKC Ethenic Sands - FLA

3 TV Chris Wallace - FLA

5 TV Chris Wallace - FLA

8 MHV Chris McKinney - FLA

10 ALA Wallace House - FLA

11 TVV Wallace House - 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

6 ALB Brent Burnside - FLA

8 MHV Levy Brown - FLA

10 ALA Chris McKinney - FLA

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 OKC Levy Brown - FLA

3 TV Levy Brown - FLA

5 TV Levy Brown - FLA

6 ALB Alfred Peterson - FLA

8 MHV Levy Brown - FLA

10 ALA Tony Stubbs - FLA

11 TVV Levy Brown - FLA

CUTTERS CATCH OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 OKC Magic Benton - FLA

5 TV Chris McKinney - FLA

8 MHV Magic Benton - FLA

10 ALA Chris McKinney - FLA

11 FLA Ethenic Sands - F:A

Player Match-ups to Watch:

QB Chris Wallace vs. Wolves Defensive Backs: Wallace has an af2 4th ranked passer rating of 115.9 and has thrown for 2.509 yards and 50 TD's. Manchester gives up 262 yards and 49.4 points per game.

FB Wallace House vs. Wolves front 5: In just 3 starts, House has run for 8 scores and 144 yards. The Wolves rank 29th in the af2 surrendering 35.1 yards on the ground per game and 13 touchdowns.

Firecats DB's vs. Wolves QB Mark Radlinski: Radlinksi is 2-2 as a starter and has thrown 19 TD's and 5 INT's. The Firecats have intercepted 4 passes in the last 3 games. Florida has the af2's top ranked pass defense (198.8 yards per game) and gives up the 2nd fewest points, 35, per game.

Firecats D-Line vs. Wolves O-line: The Firecats rank 3rd in the af2 collecting 26 sacks on the year. Alfred Peterson leads the team with 7 followed by Keith Drayton with 6.5. The Wolves are among the best in the league at protecting the QB however, giving up just 7 sacks, 3rd fewest in the af2.

Firecats O-line vs. DL Maurice Fountain: The Firecats are tied with the Wolves surrendering just 7 sacks on the year. Manchester lineman Maurice Fountain is 2nd in the deuce with 8.5 sacks and also has 11.5 tackles for a loss on the year.

Drop Back: Florida 53, Tennessee Valley 37

Florida Firecats running back Wallace House broke through the line of scrimmage, rumbled for eight yards, but was stopped at the goal line with no time left remaining in the game.

House lunged with one arm, but barely missed scoring another touchdown.

It was one of the few times the Vipers stopped Florida's 6-foot 290-pound fullback in the Firecats 53-37 victory over Tennessee Valley. He finished with 91 yards on 11 carries and four touchdowns.

The loss was Tennessee Valley's fourth in a row, and dropped the team to 4-6 on the season, last place in the National South division.

"We have to get back after this and get back on the horse," said Vipers defensive lineman Anthony Jones. "The season is long, we just have to get back on after falling off."

The Firecats parlayed a failed forth down play, and an interception return for a touchdown to run out to a 21-0 lead.

Compounding the issue was a painful knee injury to quarterback Ryan Porter, the replacement for normal starter Tony Colston who has been out since May 12 with a dislocated non-throwing elbow.

Near the end of the first quarter, Porter was tackled by a slew of Firecats after an incomplete pass. He went down and began writhing in pain and banging the turf with his hand.

He finished 9 of 19 for 69 yards and one touchdown.

While backup quarterback Chris Gunn, a former player at North Alabama played admirably in Porter's absence, going 11 of 18 for 140 yards, four touchdowns and one interception the Vipers simply could not stop House.

To start the third quarter, the Vipers scored a touchdown, a seven-yard pass from Gunn to Joel Babb.

But on the next Firecats next possession, on a third-and-one from the Florida 11-yard line, House rumbled for a 39-yard touchdown.

Much of the same occurred on the next two possessions.

A Gunn two-yard touchdown strike to Travis Blanchard was almost immediately answered by a 14-yard score by House.

"We had difficulty stopping their fullback," said Vipers coach Milt Theodosatos. "And when we put too much attention to stopping him that opened up their passing game."

With 5:52 left, the Vipers cut the lead down to seven with another Gunn touchdown pass to Brandon Isaiah. But a failed onside kick put the Firecats on the Vipers 8-yard line, and two plays later, quarterback Chris Wallace sprinted into the end zone to put the score at its final margin.

Look Ahead: The Firecats host the Albany Conquest at Germain Arena Saturday June 23rd. Florida is 2-0 all-time against the Conquest including a 56-51 win in New York already this season.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



arenafootball2 Stories from June 12, 2007


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