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Game Preview (week 9): Stockton Lightning Vs. Boise Burn

May 23, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Stockton Lightning (2-5) vs. Boise Burn (5-2)

Date: May 23, 2009

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. PT

Site: Stockton Arena (9,919)

Internet: www.NiFTyTV.com/af2 (Mike Benton, J.J. Stokes)

Officials: Referee - Steve Strimling; Umpire - Mike Ross; Head Linesman - John Jenkins; Line Judge - Jim Wharrie; Back Judge - Ken Sarna

Series Record: Boise leads, 5-1

Public Address Announcer: Mike McKnight

National Anthem: Stephanie Terrell

Coin Toss: Bryan May (KXTV News10)

Coaches: Chad Carlson (Stockton - 11-21 overall, 2nd season)

Brent Winter (Boise - 5-2 overall, 1st season)

THE STAKES: The foundation has been laid, so the Lightning now look to continue the building process in their mid-season comeback from a 1-5 record this Saturday against the Boise Burn at Stockton Arena. The Burn have taken the last five matchups between both teams. Stockton routed the Rio Grande Valley Dorados (previously #5 in af2 Coaches Poll), 83-56 last week en route to breaking franchise records for most points in one game. The Lightning will also look to garner its first win at home against the Burn, who are 3-0 lifetime at Stockton Arena. Boise enters the game with a convincing 77-28 win last week against the Tri-Cities Fever and are 2-1 on the road this year. Their last time away from Qwest Arena was a 64-62 loss to the Spokane Shock on May 9.

If Stockton defeats Boise it would ...

- Give the Lightning a 3-5 season record

- Even the season series at 1-1 vs. Boise

- Give the Lightning a 2-2 home record for 2009

- Give the Lightning their first lifetime victory at home vs. Boise

- Give the Lightning their second straight win against a team ranked in the af2 Coaches Poll

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).

Brent Winter - Boise: Brent Winter enters his first season as an af2 head coach after spending the past 10 years as an Assistant in the AFL. Coach Winter spent 2 years in New England, one season in Chicago, and the past 7 seasons as the Offensive coordinator with the L.A. Avengers.

Winter has played and coached at the high school, collegiate and professional levels over his 25-year career. Winter spent his last seven years as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League (AFL), helping them advance into the AFL Playoffs five times including a run to the Western Division title in 2005. Winter played quarterback at Fairmont State College, where he also received a bachelor's degree in marketing and management. Fairmont State College also brought Winter his first coaching job in 1991 where he spent three seasons with the team as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.

In 1994 Winter left Fairmont State to serve as the running backs coach and offensive coordinator at Montgomery Junior College in Rockville, Maryland. Winter would then spend three more seasons (1995-97) as the Allegheny High School offensive and special teams coach before beginning his AFL coaching career with a two-year internship as an offensive coach for the Albany Firebirds.

Moving throughout the league Winter landed jobs with the New England Sea Wolves as the assistant player personnel director, special teams coordinator and fullback-linebacker coach (1999-2000), the Chicago Rush (2001) as player personnel director and special teams coordinator, and finally to the Los Angeles Avengers. Winter worked along side head coach Ed Hodgkiss serving as an assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, player personnel director, and wide receiver coach.

Winter and his wife Christina, a first grade school teacher, reside in Redondo Beach, Calif.

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

"That's a very good team we just beat," Carlson said. "We really went after the giant tonight. The guys really believed in that story, and David took care of business."

- Head Coach Chad Carlson on the Lightning 83-56 victory over Rio Grande Valley

LIKE A BROKEN RECORD:

CHAD CAVENDER (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.

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's assault on the Lightning record books continued with a 7-touchdown catch effort against Rio Grande Valley in Week 7, one off the af2 single-game record, following 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).

STEPHEN IRVINE (K): In just his second game this season and his first returning from non-active status, Australian-bred Stephen Irvine connected on 11-of-12 point-after kicks against Rio Grande Valley on 5/16, setting a new Lightning single-game record. Irvine's feat finished two successful kicks shy of the af2 all-time record, held by Rich Ehmke (San Diego, 2004).

PARTY TIME: The Lightning are encouraging fans to attend the brand-new pre-game party at the newly-opened "Kings Room" of Stockton Arena to meet and greet select Lightning players, front office and broadcast personalities and take advantage of discounted food and beverages.

The new "Kings Room" is located adjacent to the North Entry of Stockton Arena and will be opening 90 minutes before kick-off. All fans in attendance must have a ticket to the game to enter and space is limited.

PLAYING "TAPS" FOR DEFENSIVE SCHEMES:

WR Justin Taplin's 156-yard performance against Rio Grande Valley marked the fifth time in six games of this season that the second-year receiver has surpassed the 100-yard receiving yard plateau in a game (Taplin missed the Week 7 contest at Tri-Cities due to injury). Taplin's has actually collected a 100-yard performance in six of the last seven overall games, when he caught 8 passes for 112 receiving yards in the season finale against Tri-Cities last year.

HANGING (AROUND) CHAD:

Once a backup to begin the af2 season, Chad Cavender has been thrust into the af2 spotlight with the injury of Andy Collins and has taken the reigns at full grip. Cavender, a product of the University of Sioux Falls, threw five touchdowns in his Lightning debut against the Spokane Shock on April 25 - tied for the third best output in a Lightning QB debut:

MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES - LIGHTNING DEBUT

Evan Gray (vs. Spokane, 4/28) 7

Chad Elliott (at Tri-Cities, 3/28) 6

Chad Cavender (vs. Spokane, 4/25) 5

Derrick Crudup (at Spokane 5/31) 5

Andy Collins (at Spokane, 5/31) 4

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.

DYNAMIC DUO TAKE WEEK 8 HONORS:

The offensive pair of QB Chad Cavender and WR Justin Taplin were named Russell Athletic af2 Co-Offensive Players of the Week for Week 8, becoming the first duo to share the award in seven years (Russell Copeland and Tim Lester, Memphis - Week 3 of 2002). Cavender, in his first af2 campaign and Taplin, in his third af2 season, both had career nights in Stockton's 83-56 upset win at home in Week 8 against Rio Grande Valley. The 6-foot, 190-pound Cavender, in his third career start, set a team record with 10 touchdown passes and Taplin set a Lightning single-game record with seven touchdown catches. He finished the night with nine receptions for a game-high 172 yards.

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?: Three 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. WR Etu Molden helped guide the Chicago Rush to an ArenaBowl championship in 2006, catching two TD passes in the title game at Las Vegas.

TALE OF THE TAPE:

(A look at the Lightning vs. Burn in 2009)

Statistical LIGHTNING BURN

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring Offense T-14 51.6 9 58.0

Scoring Defense 21 59.4 2 39.7

Total Offense T-5 314.7 18 257.3

Total Defense 19 292.2 15 276.0

Pass Offense 5 281.9 16 242.9

Pass Defense 21 282.1 17 258.3

Rushing Offense 7 32.9 19 14.4

Rushing Defense 2 10.7 6 17.7

Pass Rating 14 106.4 15 104.4

Pass Def. Rating 20 114.0 1 74.0

Kickoff Returns 20 16.3 4 20.8

Turnover Margin 19 -0.86 9 0.57

Field Goals T-23 .000 T-6 .500

PAT Kicking 17 0.763 8 .839

Sacks By T-23 6 T-18 8

Sacks Against 21 18 T-1 4

First Downs 11 143 21 119

Opp. First Downs 7 133 4 123

Penalties 16 63.9 2 38.4

Opp. Penalties 22 40.6 7 64.1

Onside kick success 7 40.0 T-14 0.0

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

Lightning

Player Rank Category Stat

Taplin, Justin 4 Receptions/G 10.83

Taplin, Justin 4 Receiving Yds/G 142.7

Taplin, Justin 3 Scoring 21.7

BURN

Player Rank Category Stat

Sanders, Terran T-7 Interceptions 0.57

Scott, Benjamin 5 Scoring (Kicking) 8.8

Scott, Benjamin 4 PAT Kicking % 92.7

DROPBACK: QB Chad Cavender's 10 touchdown passes and WR Justin Taplin's 7 touchdown receptions broke individual single-game records for the Stockton Lightning, who upset the Southwest Division's first place Rio Grande Valley Dorados in an 83-56 blowout victory before a crowd of 3,476 at Stockton Arena on Saturday in Week 8 of arenafootball2 play.

The 83 points scored by Stockton, who broke a five-game losing streak, broke the franchise single-game record of 82 (vs. Bakersfield, 2007). Cavender's 10 scoring tosses finished two shy of the af2 single-game record (Brett Dietz of Louisville, 2006) and Taplin's seven touchdown catches finished one shy of the af2 single-game record (Antwone Savage of Spokane and Chavis McCollister of South Georgia, 2007).

Highlighting the first lifetime meeting between both teams, the Lightning found the end zone on their first five possessions and began the game on a 28-0 run, opening the scoring with Cavender finding Taplin on a 20-yard snare with 11:44 left in the opening quarter to put the Lightning ahead 7-0. The touchdown started a string of seven consecutive point-after kicks converted by Stephen Irvine.

Following FB Peter Tuialuuluu's one-yard blast up the middle with 5:02 left, Cavender found Taplin for two consecutive strikes from 13 and 32 yards to put the Lightning up 28-0 with 12:05 left in the second quarter. QB Nick Hill, who entered the game second in the af2 for total offense, put the Dorados on the board with a 3-yard touchdown bullet to Bret Smith with 9:50 to play in the half, cutting the deficit to 28-7.

The Lightning answered with two more touchdown passes by Cavander, finding rookie receiver Brandon Horace on a 19-yard strike down the left sideline with eight minutes left and a 26-yard missile to Taplin in the right corner of the end zone with 4:37 remaining, hiking the Lightning lead to 42-7. Rio Grande Valley followed with a bid to get back in the game with a 21-7 run, which included a back-to-back touchdown snares by WR Travis McAlpine with 14:08 left in the third quarter of 48 yards and a three-yard floater with 10:35 left in the third frame, eventually closing the gap to 49-28.

For the entire third quarter and lasting until the 8:40 mark of the fourth quarter, both teams exchanged touchdowns on 10 consecutive possessions with the Lightning keeping pace at a 76-48 lead. In the midst of the run, Taplin hauled in the Lightning record-breaking sixth touchdown reception with 4:29 left in the third when he took a rocket of a pass by Cavender at midfield, deflected the loose ball away from a defending Tyrone Sanders and raced the distance for a 43-yard score to put the Lightning ahead 63-34.

WR Troy McBroom capped the run by both teams with a 35-yard touchdown bomb from Cavender on a critical fourth-and-10 play, hauling in the catch in the left corner of the end zone to put the Lightning up 76-48.

Stockton held league's 5th leading offense at bay for the rest of the game and punched in the team's record setting score when Cavender found a wide-open Taplin in the left corner of the end zone with 3:12 to play, putting the Lightning up by 27 points following Irvine's 11th converted PAT of the game, also a Lightning record.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Lightning are in the midst of a stretch of playing four home games in five weeks, continuing with this week's matchup against Boise at Stockton Arena. The Lightning do not venture outside of the state of California until June 20 at Boise, a stretch of five consecutive games. The only road contest in the midst of playing four of gives at Stockton, is a May 30 road tilt at Central Valley, where Stockton has beaten the Coyotes in the last two lifetime appearances.

LIGHTNING VS. BURN SERIES NOTES: The Stockton Lightning are 1-5 in the lifetime series against Boise, dropping a 66-18 loss on May 2 in the last meeting at Qwest Arena. The Burn have won the last five games in the head-to-head series and are 3-0 lifetime at Stockton Arena.

In the first meeting of the season between both teams, the Lightning endured an injury-depleted roster and fell to Boise in a 68-18 loss before 4,012 fans at Qwest Arena in Boise on Saturday night.

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.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Burn lead, 5-1

All-time Stockton vs. Boise series

Score Date Site

Lightning 57, Burn 33 5/26/07 Qwest Arena

Burn 58, Lightning 46 7/14/07 Stockton Arena

Burn 51, Lightning 43 4/13/08 Stockton Arena

Burn 77, Lightning 14 5/3/08 Qwest Arena

Burn 55, Lightning 51 6/21/08 Stockton Arena

Burn 68, Lightning 18 5/2/09 Qwest Arena

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

CHAD CAVENDER (QB) - Stepping in for injured QB Andy Collins four weeks ago in his first taste of af2 action, Chad Cavender has winged 22 touchdown passes in five games, connecting for 10, a Lightning record, last week against Rio Grande Valley en route to earning Russell Athletic af2 Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. Even though he did not play the full game, Cavender's pass rating of 144.52 in his debut vs. Spokane shattered the Lightning single-game best, previously held by Evan Gray in 2007 (129.69 vs. Everett).

Cavender came back last week to post a stellar performance despite Stockton dropping a 43-42 defeat at Tri-Cities. Cavender was named the Offensive Player of the Game, throwing for a 27-for-40 rate along with a career-best 318 passing yards and career-high tying five touchdown tosses.

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.

Against Boise on May 2, Taplin caught 12 passes for 132 receiving yards and the only two Lightning TD receptions of the game.

Taplin earned Russell Athletic af2 Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors last week vs. Rio Grande Valley with a Lightning record 7 TD receptions. 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.

TROY McBROOM (WR) - Back for his second season in a Lightning uniform, the Manteca, Calif. native McBroom ranks second among Lightning receivers in touchdown receptions (10), receiving yards (659), receptions (51) and yards per catch (12.9). McBroom erupted for a career-high 159 yards on eight catches against Rio Grande Valley in Week 8, helping the Lightning upset the Dorados 83-56.



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