Greensboro Prowlers Game Notes

June 5, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Greensboro Prowlers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Albany Conquest (3-4) at Greensboro Prowlers (4-5)
Date: Saturday, June 7, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. EST
Site: Greensboro Coliseum (8,350)
National Anthem: N/A
Coin Toss: Head Referee
Officials: Greg Glascow (Referee), Lindley Ivey (Umpire), Jerry Austin (Head Linesman), Owen Grogan (Line Judge), Chris Bynum (Back Judge)
TV: None
Series Record: First ever meeting between the two teams.
Last Meeting: N/A.
Streaks: Greensboro recently got back to its winning ways with a 60-53 victory over the Charleston Swamp Foxes.
Coaches: Rik Richards (3-4, First season) Steven Jerry (3-5, 18-22 all-time, First season)

THE STAKES: The Prowlers have an opportunity move to 5-5 a victory over the Conquest. This would leave Greensboro with a .500 record for the first time this far into the season in the franchise's history. The last time that the Prowlers had an opportunity to accomplish such a feat was in 2001.

THE SERIES: This is the first meeting between the two teams.

THE IFs:

If Greensboro defeats Albany, it would ...
· Move Greensboro to 5-5 on the season, and provide momentum heading into key games against Cape Fear, Florida, and Norfolk.
· Give Greensboro its second win at home over Charleston in consecutive seasons.
· Move the Prowlers to third place, in front of Richmond (providing a loss) with a 5-5 record.

HEAD COACHES: Each Head Coach enters their first season with the respective franchise. Steven Jerry joins the Prowlers from the Roanoke Steam where he finished (8-8) in 2002. Coach Jerry begins his first season in Greensboro after playing appearing at North Carolina as well as playing in the Arena Football League.

Albany is coached by Pete Costanza, who is in his first season at the helm of the Conquest. Costanza spent part of his career with the Columbus Wardogs, where he amassed a 4-12 record.

LAST SERIES MEETING: Inaugural meeting of the two teams.

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

LOOKING BACK: The Greensboro Prowlers ended a four-game losing streak, and in the process leap frogged the Charleston SwampFoxes with a 60-53 victory in the Greensboro Coliseum. Returning home after a three game road trip, the Prowlers (3-5) took advantage of playing an interdivisional opponent in the SwampFoxes (3-5) and moved to fourth place sitting just three games behind first place leaders Norfolk and Cape Fear.

Greensboro jumped out early scoring 20 points in the first quarter, the first of which came on a 23-yard strike from quarterback Caleb Slover to Bobby Graham at the 13:56 mark. That score was answered by Charleston, with a Marlon Moye-Moore 21 yard touchdown reception. The Prowlers then scored the next four consecutive touchdowns, beginning with a Slover one-yard touchdown dive. The next came on a pass to Corey Sullivan, ending the first quarter for Greensboro with a 20-7 advantage.

The second quarter began the way that the first ended, as the Prowlers Bobby Sippio scored the first of his two touchdowns in the quarter. Sippio, the game's Most Valuable Player, scored an 8-yard touchdown pass from Slover. Sippio would then score a 56-yard kickoff return, giving Greensboro a 33-14 lead with 4:57 remaining. Charleston would add a touchdown of their own with a 25-yard pass from John Turman to Hosea Laney. Greensboro's James Thomas would make the halftime score 36-20, in his first game back with the team, as he netted a 43-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining.

In the second half, the Prowlers continued their offensive flow and along with the play of ADT Defensive Player of the Game Mario Kelso, helped to secure the victory. Kelso made three interceptions, setting the franchise mark, in his first game in the af2. Greensboro got two offensive touchdowns in the third quarter from familiar faces Sullivan and Sippio, and by quarter's end the Prowlers held to a 50-40 lead.

In the fourth, Kelso helped to set up the Prowlers victory. An early touchdown by Bobby Graham extended the Greensboro lead to 57-40, only to have the deficit cut to 57-46 with a 32-yard strike from Turman to Leroy McFadden. The Kelso interception came as the SwampFoxes were at the Prowlers 16-yard line, as he leaped in the end zone pulling down his third interception of the game.

FORWARD MOTION: A team that has faced many problems when going on the road, Greensboro now plays at the Greensboro Coliseum for the next four weeks. The second game will be this week's meeting with Albany, followed by a week off for the team, the ArenaCup Finalist Florida Firecats, and capping the homestand will be the Prowlers facing the Norfolk Nighthawks. This home stand will help to put a tourniquet on the Prowlers 4-game losing skid.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

SACK STRING BROKEN: The Prowlers had not yielded a sack to the opposition in the last six consecutive weeks. When the SwampFoxes Antoinne Scott reached the Prowlers backfield and quarterback Caleb Slover, it was the first time since a Greensboro quarterback was brought to the turf since April 11 at the Macon Knights. Greensboro currently ranks tied for third in the af2 with Wichita, behind only Macon and Tennessee Valley for the fewest sacks allowed (4). In the history of the league, the two teams with the fewest sacks allowed in a season are the Lincoln Lightning (2001) and Birmingham Steeldogs (2002).

SIPPIO "RETURNS": The Prowlers had their consecutive games with a kickoff return for touchdown, snapped after facing the Pioneers. However, WR/DB Bobby Sippio assured that the streak of games without a kickoff return would be a distant memory. Against the SwampFoxes, Sippio returned a 56-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter to forge Greensboro ahead 33-14, and re-establish the streak. Sippio now has 12 returns on the season, amassing 320 yards (26.7 avg.) for 2 TDs, where his longest is 56 yards. In 2002 the Prowlers tied the AF2 record that was set by the Birmingham Steeldogs (2001) with six consecutive games with a kickoff return for a touchdown. Over that span the players with kickoff returns for Greensboro were: Walter Ford (at Norfolk); Walter Ford (vs. Cape Fear); Tom Starck (vs. Rochester); Walter Ford (at Cape Fear); Demeco Archangel (at Charleston); Walter Ford (vs. Norfolk).

REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD: The Prowlers have five sets of teammates that played together while in college, that have extended their playing careers together currently. The combination of Bull Brown and Caleb Slover (Tusculum); Mario Kelso and Tanaka Scott (Middle Tennessee State); Ivan Butler and Anthony Nobles (N.C. A&T); Shannon Gainey and Michael Posey (Livingstone); Joe Burchette and Rashad Slade (Appalachian State).

The Prowlers are gaining confidence in many aspects on the field, ranging from offense to defense to special teams. Prowlers Head Coach Steven Jerry senses this as well, stating "having a comrade and familiarity with guys in the locker room is the biggest difference on any team. If you know that a teammate has been a teammate in the past, you know that he is willing to help you out down the stretch, and that makes a huge difference."

NEWEST PAIR HELPS PROWLERS FOX THE FOXES: The arenafootball2 league office has assigned two local college players to the Prowlers with a series of moves on Wednesday. The af2 sent kicker James Thomas who played his collegiate football at Greensboro College, and Offensive/Defensive lineman Ivan Butler, formerly of N.C. A&T, to the Greensboro Prowlers.

Thomas has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Prowlers, appearing in 27 games, after leaving Greensboro College following the 2000 season. In his af2 career, he has converted 29 of 111 (26.1%) field goal attempts, 61 of 93 (65.6%) point after attempts, for 154 points. James is also currently tied for the longest field goal in af2 history with the Tennessee Valley Vipers Todd Latourette, after converting a 58-yard field goal against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on April 6, 2002. Thomas is also second in history amongst kickers with most drop kicks in a career with two.

As for the Offensive/Defensive lineman, Ivan Butler, this will be his first exposure to the arenafootball schemes. Butler was the anchor for the "Blue Death" Aggies defense. He was named as the Defensive MVP award of the Aggie-Eagle Classic, as well as Outstanding Defensive Lineman at the All-Sports banquet in April. In two seasons with N.C. A&T, Butler appeared in 23 games, made 62 solo tackles (125 total), while creating havoc in the opposition's backfield and registering 13.5 sacks.

In their first game against Charleston, Thomas converted 5 of 7 extra point attempts, as well as two field goals from 28 and 43 yards. Butler played sparingly on defense, however made an impression on Defensive Coordinator Joe Campbell who will definitely get playing time for the defensive end.

OUT OF THE SHELL: Prowlers Offensive/Defensive Lineman Tanaka Scott is gaining new familiarity with the scheme of Joe Campbell's defense, which is spelling T-R-O-U-B-L-E for opponents. Against Wilkes-Barre, Scott had his best statistical game of the season with a 7.5 tackle, one sack performance against the Pioneers. Beginning to come into his own, Scott had three tackles for losses of nine yards. Scott led the team with five solo tackles, and five assisted tackles.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Prowlers OL/DL Mario Kelso: It took Mario Kelso to do in one week what no other Prowlers defensive specialist had ever accomplished. Kelso made three interceptions, and helped lead a depleted secondary to a 60-53 victory over Charleston. He set the franchise marks for picks in a single game, and it was obvious that his familiarity with Steven Jerry and Joe Campbell paid major dividends for the team. He joins Greensboro after suffering an ankle injury in the Arena Football League this season, and has had experience with Roanoke in 2002. Appearing in nine games, Mario made four interceptions, returning them for 40 yards, along with 11 pass deflections, and 37 tackles for the Steam last season.



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