Heroes On Two-Game Win Streak
April 17, 2007 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Huntington Heroes News Release
The Heroes (5-3) will play in their second straight home game this Saturday when the Pittsburgh River Rats (4-4) pay a visit to Big Sandy Superstore Arena at 7:00 PM. The Heroes have won two in a row for the first time this season and are hoping for a third as they continue their push towards the AIFA playoffs.
The River Rats, an expansion team in 2007, have managed to work their season record to 4-4 after starting the season 0-3 and have the playoffs on their minds as well. How did they manage to work their record back to .500? Heroes head coach Garry McPeek offers his take. "Three reasons, 1. David Dinkins, 2. David Dinkins and 3. David Dinkins." After a slow start, and some shake up's at the QB position, River Rats QB David Dinkins is back to his old form. Dinkins was the MVP of the AIFL in 2005 when he played for the Erie Freeze, and Heroes fans may remember him with the Freeze in 2006. Dinkins passed for 228 yards and 8 TD's and ran for another in Pittsburgh 66-60 win over Florence last weekend. "You can only hope to slow him down," said McPeek. "He is an awesome athlete that is very expierienced. We have a lot of respect for David Dinkins and his talents."
The River Rats have recently added some muscle to their defense with the signing of former Syracuse linebacker Kellen Pruitt. The 6'-4" 239lbs Pruitt made his debut against the Phantoms last week and recorded two tackles from the linebacker spot.
The Heroes are coming off of back to back wins over the Erie Freeze. In the two game stretch the Heroes have scored a combined 115 points and set a franchise record for points scored in a single game in a 70-48 win last Friday. Even with the offense rolling coach McPeek still sees some need improvements. "I have had some teams that couldn't score 115 points versus air, so we are very happy with our improvement. We still have a long way to go, we have to be obsessed with perfection and work hard each week to reach our goals."
The spark to the Heroes offense seems to have come from quarterback Dane Damron who showed his leadership abilities in last weeks game. "He showed tremendous leadership at halftime when the offense was struggling," said McPeek. "51 points in the second half speaks for itself." "He seems to be the answer," said Heroes receiver Shane Holsinger. "He's a good leader. I think we're onto something and the offense is starting to gel." Coach McPeek agrees with Holsinger, "I would say that Dane is the steering wheel that our high-powered car has needed all year," he said. "We have very experienced wide receivers and the best offensive line in the league, so Dane understands his role very well.
His job is to distribute the ball to the play makers and be a leader in the huddle. His best games are yet to come." The Heroes roster looks to finally be settling in after many changes throughout the season. "We are settling in for the second half stretch," said McPeek. "Not many changes from here on out. We feel we have a core group of players that when they play well can beat anyone."
Kickoff is set for 7:00pm Saturday April 21 at Big Sandy Superstore Arena. Saturday night is United Way night. United Way of the River Cities have parterned with the Heroes and will be offering various discount coupons. They can be obtained by calling the United Way at 304-523-8929. Tickets can also be purchased online , at all Ticketmaster locations, the Big Sandy Superstore Arena box office or by calling 304-696-4400.
American Indoor Football Association Stories from April 17, 2007
- Heroes On Two-Game Win Streak - Huntington Heroes
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