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Game Preview (week 7): Stockton Lightning At Tri-Cities Fever

May 9, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Stockton Lightning (1-4)

at Tri-Cities Fever (0-6)

Date: May 9, 2009

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. PT

Site: Gesa Field at Toyota Center (5,700)

Internet: www.NiFTyTV.com/af2 (Scott Armstrong)

Officials: Referee - Gavin Anderson; Umpire - Rogers Stewart; Head Linesman - Eric Crone; Line Judge - Ryan Fleming; Back Judge - Steve Currie

Series Record: Stockton leads, 3-2

Coaches: Chad Carlson (Stockton - 10-20 overall, 2nd season)

Pat O'Hara (Tri-Cities - 0-1 overall, 1st season)

THE STAKES: Back on the road for the second straight week, the Lightning aim to snap a four-game losing skid against the winless Tri-Cities Fever, who lost 66-44 last week to Central Valley in the debut of head coach Pat O'Hara. The Lightning are also looking for their first win on the road since the season opener on Mar. 28 at Central Valley. Last week, Stockton dropped a 66-18 defeat to the Boise Burn and return to Kennewick for the first time since Week 1 of the 2008 season, when the Lightning toppled the Fever, 46-32. It is the first time the Lightning are visiting Tri-Cities under head coach Chad Carlson.

If Stockton defeats Tri-Cities it would ...

- Give the Lightning a 2-4 season record

- Give the Lightning 4-2 all-time record against Tri-Cities

- Break the Lightning's four-game losing streak

- Give the Lightning a 1-0 season record against Tri-Cities

TRANSACTION UPDATE: The Lightning announced a series of transactions before Saturday's matchup with Tri-Cities, welcoming back receiver Etu Moden (assigned by af2 league office), receiving kicker Derek Pearson and DL Mika Kane on assignment by the af2 league office and acquiring quarterback Jimmy Collins from the Tri-Cities Fever on Friday, May 8 in exchange for future considerations. Collins, who was previously activated off recallable reassignment from the Fever, has appeared in two games with Tri-Cities this year, throwing 5 touchdowns, 34 completions and an average of 195.5 passing yards per game.

Molden, a Sacramento, Calif. native, split four games last year with the Lightning and Spokane Shock and was named to the Arena Football League's All-Ironman Team in 2005, honoring the league's top players who excel at both offensive and defensive playing positions and was selected to the 2004 All-AFL Rookie Team. Molden helped guide the Chicago Rush to an ArenaBowl championship in 2006, where he caught three passes for 32 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 69-61 victory over the Orlando Predators.

HEAD COACH PROFILES:

Chad Carlson - Stockton: Chad Carlson is the third Head Coach in Lightning history, named to the team's top post on an interim basis on May 27, 2008, succeeding Doug Murray. Carlson was appointed to the position on a full-time basis on August 13, 2008.

The 36-yead old enters his third af2 head coaching venture after serving as General Manager/Head Coach for the Hawaiian Islanders (2002) and Head Coach of the Bossier City Battle Wings (2003), compiling an overall record of 6-12 before moving on to serve as a Volunteer Coach for the Arena Football League's Colorado Crush for the remainder of the 2003 season.

Carlson, who guided Hawaii to a 4-1 finish in the 2002 season after inheriting the team in the middle of the season, helped the Islanders finish second in the league for red zone offense (83.1 percent), tied for 10th in total offense (4,126 yards) and rank as the af2's leader in rushing offense (852 yards).

After Carlson inherited the Islanders offense that averaged 38 points per game through five contests, his offense went on to score an average of 50.4 points per game and finish 13th in af2 scoring offense.

Following two separate stints in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Eskimos (1994) and Ottawa Rough Riders (1996), the Portland, Oregon native spent the 1997 season with the AFL's Portland Forest Dragons as a wide receiver/defensive back and quarterback and was slated to sign with the Los Angeles Avengers of the AFL in 2000, but had his career cut short with a career-ending knee injury that he sustained during an indoor football campaign in 1999.

Converted from the quarterback position, Carlson finished his college career as a standout receiver at Lewis & Clark College (NCAA) and was named an NAIA All-American as a 1993 senior, leading the nation in yards per catch while creating accolades that still shine in Pioneer lore. Carlson's 209 receiving yards amassed in a game against Central Washington was the second-best single game output in program history at the time of his exit and he ranked 13th on Lewis and Clark's all-time list for receptions at the time of his exit.

A key member of an athletic family, Chad's wife, Monica, was a contestant winner in 2008 on the television show "American Gladiators" and plays the role of "Jet" on the current season. Chad and Monica reside in Portland during the offseason with two twin daughters, Ellee Jo (8) and Emma Ray (8).

Pat O'Hara - Tri-Cities: One of the most successful quarterbacks in AFL history before entering the coaching ranks, Pat O'Hara comes to Tri-Cities after three seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Storm (2005, 2007-08).

As the offensive coordinator of the Storm, O'Hara

played a vital role in the development of quarterbacks Shane Stafford and Brett Dietz. In 2005, Stafford increased his production considerably, throwing for 4,522 yards and 83 touchdowns, which was up from 3,418 yards and 67 scores in 2004.

O'Hara played 14 seasons of professional football,

including two in the National Football League. He is

one of only 12 players in AFL history to play in 100 or

more games. Over the course of his 11 seasons as an

AFL quarterback, O'Hara was 988-of-1,752 for 13,413

yards and 231 touchdowns and played in five ArenaBowls.

After being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in

the 10th round of the 1991 NFL Draft (260th overall

selection), he spent 11 weeks on the developmental

squad before being placed on the active roster for

the remainder of the season. He transitioned to the AFL in 1995, signing with the Orlando Predators. Over the course of his six seasons in Orlando, O'Hara won ArenaBowl championships in 1998 and 2000, and rewrote the Predator record book, completing 682-of-1,196 for 9,325 yards and

166 touchdowns.

In that first season with the Tampa Bay Storm, O'Hara came off the bench in ArenaBowl XVII to lead Tampa Bay to a

43-29 victory over the Arizona Rattlers in 2003.

O'Hara got his first taste of coaching at Point Loma

(Calif.) High School in 1996, working with the

quarterbacks as a volunteer assistant. More recently, O'Hara's offseasons have included consulting work, coordinating and choreographing football action scenes in such major motion pictures as "The Longest Yard," "Invincible," "We AreMarshall" and "The Game Plan." He also has coached actors such as Adam Sandler, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, on the nuances and

finer points of football. In addition, O'Hara himself

has appeared in several movies, including parts in

"The Waterboy" and "Any Given Sunday."

O'Hara played and graduated from USC with a degree in public administration in 1991. Born in Los Angeles on Sept. 27, 1968, O'Hara grew up in Santa Monica, Calif. While attending Santa Monica High School, he was an all-league selection in He and his wife, Billie, have two sons, Tyler (8) and Trace (6).

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING (courtesy of The Record)

"He's got the feet of a linebacker in a big man's body," Vavao said. "It's great to have someone with that much talent at this level. He has the power. He has the agility. He has everything you would want."

- Lightning assistant coach Mathias Vavao on OL/DL Manuel Wright, a former member of the New York Giants in 2007

"He's a diehard football coach and he wants the best out of his team," he said. "He will push you to the very end and if you hadn't had a coach like that before it takes time to get used to, but he's on you for the best reasons."

- QB Andy Collins on Lightning head coach Chad Carlson

LIKE A BROKEN RECORD:

ANDY COLLINS (QB): Collins set a Lightning record in a Week 4 loss to Central Valley, rushing for four touchdowns against the Coyotes. Through 3 games, Collins leads the af2 in rushing touchdowns (9) and actually broke his own franchise record he originally set, with 3 rushing touchdowns in a Week 1 victory at Central Valley.

JUSTIN TAPLIN (WR): Taplin broke a Lightning single-game record with 216 receiving yards in Week 5 against the Spokane Shock, additionally hauling in three touchdown receptions and 14 catches, which was one off the Lightning record (Phil Goodman, 2006). Taplin's total for receiving yards against Spokane marked the second-highest total in the af2 for 2009, finishing 17 yards off Jesse Schmidt's mark set against Peoria in Week 1.

RETURN TO SENDER:

Ruschard Dodd-Masters leads the Lightning for kick return average (19.1 yards per game). Dodd-Masters, a product of UNLV, ran back a 52-yard return against the Central Valley Coyotes on April 18, standing as a team season-high.

CARLSON'S OFFENSIVE COOKING: Chad Carlson entered his third af2 head coaching post last year and posed a similar turnaround similar to his previous ventures. Carlson guided the Lightning to a 3-1 finish in their last 4 games. Carlson's first Head Coaching job was with the Hawaiian Islanders in 2002, where he helped guide the team to a 4-1 finish in the final five games of the year. Additionally, his attention to re-structuring the offense spiked the team's point production. Before his arrival, the Islanders averaged 38 points per game. After his arrival, the team scored an average of 50.4 ppg and finished 13th in the league for scoring offense.

CHAD CARLSON'S TURNAROUND (HAWAIIAN ISLANDERS):

CATEGORY BEFORE CARLSON AFTER CARLSON

SCORING 38.0 50.4

TOTAL OFFENSE 375 415.5

PASSING TD'S AVG. 2.8 3.4

PASSING YDS AVG. 232.2 252.1

RUSHING YDS AVG. 22.8 24.5

CHAD CARLSON'S TURNAROUND (STOCKTON LIGHTNING):

CATEGORY BEFORE CARLSON AFTER CARLSON

SCORING 30.2 37.8

TOTAL OFFENSE 206.0 226.2

PASSING TD'S AVG. 3.0 5.4

PASSING YDS AVG. 199.7 209.2

RUSHING YDS AVG. 6.3 17.0

COLLINS HAULS IN THE WEEK 1 HONORS:

Lightning QB Andy Collins was named Russell Athletic af2 Offensive Player of the Week for Week 1. Collins (6-2, 215, Occidental College) led the Lightning to a 68-54 Week 1 road victory at West Division rival Central Valley. The 25-year old signal caller completed 24-of-28 passes (85.7 percent) in the contest for 287 yards and six touchdowns with just one interception. He also scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns to lead the Lightning to their biggest offensive output to open a season in team history. This is the first af2 weekly award of Collins' career.

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?: Two members of the Lightning share the honor of winning a championship or advancing to the Finals stage at the professional football level. OL/DL Manuel Wright was in uniform in Glendale, Ariz. for the New York Giants Super Bowl championship team in 2007, who upset the New England Patriots 17-14. WR Justin Taplin helped guide the Arizona Rattlers to an Arena Bowl playoff berth in 2006 and previously, was part of a 2004 Rattlers team that advanced to Arena Bowl XVIII.

TALE OF THE TAPE:

(A look at the Lightning vs. Fever)

Statistical LIGHTNING FEVER

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring Offense 18 47.2 25 32.7

Scoring Defense 24 63.4 23 62.3

Total Offense 7 303.4 24 200.5

Total Defense 19 296.2 3 237.7

Pass Offense 10 259.2 23 187.5

Pass Defense 21 282.4 3 218.5

Rushing Offense 3 44.2 23 13.0

Rushing Defense 2 13.8 8 19.2

Pass Rating 10 259.2 23 187.5

Pass Def. Rating 22 120.2 23 121.8

Kickoff Returns 10 18.0 8 18.5

Turnover Margin 21 -1.60 T-14 0.00

Field Goals T-22 .000 9 .925

PAT Kicking 25 .600 14 .773

Sacks By T-22 4 18 6

Sacks Against 23 15 T-17 12

First Downs 13 99 16 97

Opp. First Downs 9 98 T-18 109

Penalties 18 65.5 T-20 73.5

Opp. Penalties 24 33.6 T-9 63.0

Onside kick success 9 40.0 12 16.7

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from the Lightning and Fever who rank among the af2's statistical leaders:

LIGHTNING

Player Rank Category Stat

Collins, Andy 1 Rushing 38.8

Collins, Andy 7 Total Offense 271.5

Taplin, Justin 3 Receptions/G 11.20

Taplin, Justin 5 Receiving Yds/G 136.8

Taplin, Justin 9 Scoring 17.6

Kenion, Nathan 10 Tackles 0.0

FEVER

Player Rank Category Stat

Little, Ray 7 Kick Return 23.1

Braunstein, Mic 2 Field Goals 1.50

Braunstein, Mic T-9 Scoring (Kicking) 7.3

Braunstein, Mic 2 Field Goals % 52.9

DROPBACK: The Stockton Lightning (1-4) fell to the Boise Burn by a count of 68-18 before 4,012 fans at Qwest Arena in Boise on Saturday.

The Burn jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on a pair of 1st quarter touchdown passes (23 yds, 29 yds) from QB Taylor Tharp to wide receiver Nicheren Flowers. Boise would extend its lead to 21-0 when Tharp found WR Jerard Robb in the end zone with 12:38 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

After being held scoreless for much of the first half, the Lightning finally broke through on the scoreboard with 3:10 left in the 2nd, when QB Chad Cavender - filling in for injured starter Andy Collins - hit WR Justin Taplin for a 16-yard touchdown strike to pull the Lightning within 21-6 (PAT failed) at the half.

After the teams traded scores to open the half, the Burn defense, which kept the Lightning from mustering any kind of offensive momentum all night, came up with points of its own, when DB Jomo Wilson intercepted Cavender at the one-yard line and returned the pick 49 yards for a score to extend Boise's lead to 42-12 just 30 seconds into the 4th quarter.

Overall, Boise's defense forced 9 Lightning turnovers on the night (4 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries, and 2 turnovers-on-downs), to turn a game that was statistically close on the score sheet into a lopsided affair. Wilson's defensive score kicked off a 33-point 4th quarter onslaught by Boise that would put the game completely out of reach.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Lightning return home for four games in the next five weeks, starting with a May 16 matchup against Rio Grande Valley at Stockton Arena. It will be the first-ever meeting between both teams. The week following is a rematch with the Boise Burn, as the Lightning look to avenge a 66-18 defeat last week at Qwest Arena, which sent Stockton to a 1-4 record.

LIGHTNING VS. FEVER - SERIES NOTES: This week's matchup between the Lightning and Fever is the 6th in the all-time matchup and the Lightning are looking to grab a 4-2 series lead this Saturday.

In the last matchup on in Week 17 of last season, The Stockton Lightning (5-11) used a 34-0 run in the first and second quarters to end their 2008 season on a 3-1 finish in the last 4 games, defeating the Tri-Cities Fever in a 66-40 rout before a crowd of 5,073 at Stockton Arena on Saturday, in Week 17 of arenafootball2 play.

The Lightning who have a Week 18 bye and posted a season-high in scoring with San Jose SaberCats (who play in ArenaBowl XXII on Sunday, July 27) head coach Darren Arbet in attendance, took the three-game season series at a 2-1 clip over Tri-Cities. Stockton took sole possession of fourth place in the West Division by a half-game and can end the season there if Tri-Cities loses in Week 18.

Lightning QB Andy Collins garnered Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors, throwing for 196 passing yards (18-of-29) and matching a career-high 7 touchdown passes. He found WR Justin Taplin as his most frequent target for 8 receptions, 112 receiving yards and 2 touchdown catches. Additionally, Collins rushed for a game-high 59 yards and added two rushing scores.

Stockton started the game by scoring on their first four possessions when Collins threw two touchdown passes to Ruben Jackson and Taplin in the first quarter, sandwiching a two-yard touchdown run by Tri-Cities starting QB John Pierce to end the first 15 minutes with a 20-7 lead.

The Lightning run continued in the second quarter on a Manase Hopoi safety, which was followed by Collins'14-yard scoring pass to Troy McBroom and a 13-yard touchdown strike to Taplin. Collins ended the half with a one-yard keeper at the buzzer to lift the Lightning to a 41-7 halftime advantage, who capitalized off two interceptions in the first 30 minutes.

Tri-Cities mounted a 13-point rally in the third quarter on newly-inserted QB Tali Ena's 27-yard and 9-yard strikes to LaMonte Jones and J.R. Thomas, respectively, but the Lightning answered with two more touchdown passes by Collins to McBroom, who hauled in two leaping grabs from 6 and 11 yards out respectively.

Tali Ena threw a 35-yard bomb to Thomas just eight seconds into the fourth quarter, but the Lightning immediately answered with 10:28 left in the game when Collins scrambled for a 36 yard-touchdown rush, shedding two tackles down the left side of the field to hike the Lightning lead to 60-26.

Tri-Cities responded with Ena's 31-yard bomb to Thomas with 9:07 left but the Lightning responded by securing their final scoring play of the season with Jason Hunt's 12-yard touchdown fumble recovery, increasing the lead to 66-33 with 4:03 remaining. Emery Beckles ran-in a one-yard scramble for Tri-Cities with 1:33 left to post the final scoring play of the game.

J.R. Thomas led all Tri-Cities receivers with 106 yards and 3 touchdowns in the air while posting 7 catches. Former Lightning receiver Atnas Makeo was held to 2 catches and 13 receiving yards.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Lightning lead, 3-2

All-time Stockton vs. Tri-Cities series

Score Date Site

Fever 57, Lightning 44 5/5/07 Toyota Center

Lightning 54, Fever 51 6/2/07 Stockton Arena

Lightning 46, Fever 32 3/28/08 Toyota Center

Fever 44, Lightning 21 5/24/08 Stockton Arena

Lightning 66, Fever 40 7/19/08 Stockton Arena

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

CHAD CAVENDER (QB) - Stepping in for injured QB Andy Collins two weeks ago in his first taste of af2 action, Chad Cavender posted a 13-for-19 effort with 209 yards and five touchdown passes in just two quarters-plus alone, despite the Lightning taking a 71-50 defeat at the hands of Spokane. Even though he did not play the full game, Cavender's pass rating of 144.52 shattered the Lightning single-game best, previously held by Evan Gray in 2007 (129.69 vs. Everett).

JUSTIN TAPLIN (WR) - A former four-year veteran of the Arena Football League with Arizona, Utah and Georgia, Justin Taplin made a big splash after a mid-season arrival to Stockton last year. Taplin caught 61 passes for 795 yards and 15 touchdowns in just 9 games, leading the Lightning in all receiving categories.

Currently ranking third in the league for receptions per game (11.2), Taplin leads all Lightning receivers with 14 touchdown catches this year. In Week 1, his monster game of 5 touchdown receptions, 13 catches and 168 yards broke career-high marks and surpassed the career-highs in catches (14) and reception yards (216) last week vs. Spokane.

Taplin played for four years (2004-07) of his Arena Football League career with the Arizona Rattlers, Utah Blaze and Georgia Force, registering 31 receptions, 377 career receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions. In 2006, Taplin recorded a career-high 29 tackles and three pass breakups with Utah and helped guide the team to an Arena Bowl playoff berth. Additionally, Taplin was part of a 2004 Rattlers team that advanced to Arena Bowl XVIII.

ETU MOLDEN (WR) - Etu Molden makes his Lightning season debut Saturday night, returning to the team following a four-game stint in the af2 last year with Stockton and Spokane, which proceeded four years in the Arena Football League with Chicago and Las Vegas. Molden was named to the AFL's all-rookie team in 2004, all-ironman team in 2004 and helped guide Chicago to an Arena Bowl championship in 2006 and caught two touchdown passes in the game. Molden, nicknamed the "Sacramento State Killer" for his clutch performances in college at the University of Montana (NCAA), attended nearby Jesuit High School in Carmichael.

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