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Mahoning Valley Thunder game notes

May 8, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Mahoning Valley Thunder News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (5-0) at

Mahoning Valley Thunder (3-2)

Date: Saturday, May 12th, 2007

Kickoff: 7:05 p.m. EST

Site: The Chevrolet Centre (6,000)

National Anthem: TBA

Coin Toss: TBA

Officials: Greg Allen (Referee) Brian Fleming (Umpire) Rob Luklan (Head Linesman) Dan Gallagher (Line Judge) Frank Steratore (Back Judge)

Radio: ESPN 1240 FM; 96.7 FM (Mike Case, Play-by-play and Christian Aleshire, Color Commentary)

Television: WYFX - Tape Delay 12 a.m. (Chad Krispinsky, Ralph Sandy, Joe Aulisio)

Series Record: 0-0

Last Meeting: N/A

Streaks: Thunder Lost 2; Pioneers Won 5

Coaches: Mike Hold (30-29 Reg. Season, First year w/Thunder, 5th overall)

Rich Ingold (48-21; Reg. Season, Second year w/Pioneers)

THE STAKES: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is the af2's hottest team and the Thunder will have their hands full when the host the Pioneers this week on Cortland Banks Field at the Chevrolet Centre. WB/Scranton are winners of five straight and currently sit at the top of the af2's Coaches Poll. Mahoning Valley still sits in second place behind the Pioneers in the American Conference East Division. The Thunder look to be the first team to defeat the Pioneers this year.

THE SERIES: Tonight's game will be the first meeting in the series history between the two teams.

THE IFs:

If Mahoning Valley defeats Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, it would ...

- Give Mahoning Valley a 1-0 series record with the Pioneers

- Make Mahoning Valley the first team to defeat WB/S this year

- Give Mike Hold his fourth victory as the Thunder Head Coach

- Give the Thunder a 3-1 home record

Mahoning Valley (3-2)

Date Opponent Result Record

3/31 TRI CITIES W 48-40 1-0

4/6 @ Albany W 65-59 2-0

4/21 CINCINNATI W 54-20 3-0

4/28 @ Manchester L 49-67 3-1

5/5 LOUISVILLE L 34-52 3-2

Date Opponent Time Result Series

5/12 WILKES-BARRE/SCR. 7:05 N/A N/A

5/19 @ Florida 7:30 N/A N/A

5/25 MANCHESTER 7:05 N/A 0-1

6/2 @ Cincinnati 7:30 N/A 1-0

6/8 @ Green Bay 8:30 N/A N/A

6/16 QUAD CITY 7:05 N/A N/A

6/30 @ WB/Scranton 7:00 N/A N/A

7/7 @ Louisville 7:00 N/A 0-1

7/13 ALBANY 7:05 N/A 1-0

7/21 @ Tennessee Valley 8:30 N/A N/A

7/28 GREEN BAY 7:05 N/A N/A

*all times EST

Wilkes-Barre (5-0)

Date Opponent Result Record

3/31 MANCHESTER W 50-36 1-0

4/14 ALBANY W 52-43 2-0

4/21 @ Florida W 58-36 3-0

4/28 CINCINNATI W 94-25 4-0

5/4 MANCHESTER W 59-42 5-0

Date Opponent Time Result

5/12 @ Mahoning Valley 7:05 N/A

5/19 @ Tennessee Valley 8:30 N/A

5/25 ALBANY 7:00 N/A

6/9 @ South Georgia 7:30 N/A

6/16 ALABAMA 7:00 N/A

6/22 @ Quad City 8:30 N/A

6/30 MAHONING VALLEY 7:00 N/A

7/7 @ Fort Wayne 7:00 N/A

7/13 @ Manchester 7:05 N/A

7/21 BOSS-SHREVEPORT 7:00 N/A

7/27 @ Albany 7:00 N/A

American Conference East Standings

Team W L PCT Home Road

WB/Scranton 5 0 1.000 4-0 1-0

Mahoning Valley 3 2 .600 2-1 1-1

Albany 2 3 .400 1-2 1-1

Manchester 2 3 .400 2-0 0-3

Mike Hold, Thunder Head Coach Mike Hold enters his first season as the Head Coach of the Mahoning Valley Thunder. He comes to the Thunder after serving as head coach of the Augusta Stallions of af2, head coach of the Macon Knights of af2, head coach of the Carolina Cobras of the AFL and coaching with the Las Vegas Gladiators of the AFL. Hold brings over 20 years of Arena Football experience to the Thunder. He enjoyed a 12-season playing career in the AFL beginning in the League's inaugural season in 1987 with the Chicago Bruisers. Hold participated in training camps with the Denver Broncos in 1986 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987 and 1988. Hold also played in three games with the Bucs during the 1987 season completing 8-of-24 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Hold graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1985 after playing two seasons. He led the Gamecocks to the only 10-win season in school history and was named MVP of the Gator Bowl in 1984. Hold ranks seventh on the school's all-time passing list with 2,981 yards. A native of Tempe, Arizona, Hold worked as a color commentator for the Mountain West Conference, for ESPN's Arena Football League coverage in 2001 and was the play-by-play announcer for the af2's ArenaCup6 Championship Game in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He and his wife, Nicole, reside in Salem, OH with their two dogs, Phoenix and Macy.

The Last Time Out:

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - WR Tiger Jones caught 11 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns as the Louisville Fire defeated the Mahoning Valley Thunder on Cortland Banks Field at the Chevrolet Centre, 52-34 in front of a crowd of 4,123. The Thunder (3-2) has now dropped two straight as Louisville (2-3) has won two of their last three. Offensively, Louisville jumped out early with an 11-yard touchdown pass from QB Shane Adler to Jones with 9:25 left in the first quarter. The Fire poured it on as they owned a 24-7 lead after the first 15-minutes. WR Chris Archie made a spectacular grab with 13:13 left in the third quarter, a 7-yard pass from QB Glen Gauntt in which he flipped over the boards, pulling the Thunder within four points of the Fire. Trailing 38-34, the Thunder failed to put any more points on the board, posting just those six in the second half. Alder finished 17-of-33 passing for 237 yards and four touchdowns. Gauntt went 18-of-36 for 225 passing and five touchdowns. Archie's grab earned him the Cutters Catch of the Game and Jones earned Schutt Offensive Player of the Game honors for his performance.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Thunder and Pioneers stack up:

Statistical THUNDER PIONEERS

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring Offense 15 49.8 2 62.6

Scoring Defense 17 47.6 3 36.4

Total Offense 9 274.8 17 253.2

Total Defense 17 253.8 24 277.6

Pass Offense 10 250.0 16 237.2

Pass Defense 18 233.2 26 267.6

Rushing Offense 12 24.8 20 16.0

Rushing Defense 17 20.6 3 10.0

Scoring (Kicking) 18 5.8 T2 12.2

Pass Rating 18 96.8 1 133.2

Pass Def. Rating 20 108.2 7 74.6

Kickoff Returns 30 12.3 15 17.1

MFG Returns 18 12.8 13 18.0

Turnover Margin T9 +4 T1 +15

Sacks By T7 12 T26 3

Sacks Against T21 11 T19 11

First Downs T4 101 15 90

Opp. First Downs T9 84 T13 86

Penalties T26 69.6 20 60.0

Opp. Penalties 1 82.4 T29 38.0

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders:

THUNDER

Player Rank Category Stat

Tim Murphy 2 Rushing 32.3

Glen Gauntt 7 Passing avg./gm 254.8

Glen Gauntt 6 Total Offense 257.2/gm

Chris Archie T7 Receptions/gm 8.60

Anton Ceaser 3 Sacks 5.0

PIONEERS

Player Rank Category Stat

Ryan Vena 10 Total Offense 246.0/gm

Chris Royal T6 Interceptions 0.80/gm

Ryan Vena 1 Pass Efficiency 133.8

David Davis T2 Scoring (Kick) 10.2/gm

Chris Royal T4 Tackles 36.5

Pete McBride 8 Tackles 34.5

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

MIKE HOLD, on the loss: "We got beat. Offensively, you aren't going to win in this league when you only score six points in a half. They jumped out early and led 24-7 after the first quarter. We can't come out flat and expect to play catch-up every game."

MIKE HOLD, on Wilkes-Barre: "They are the top team right now. To be the best you have to beat the best and right now, Wilkes-Barre is the best. We are going to have our hands full but our guys will be ready."

FORWARD MOTION: The Thunder head to Florida next week to face the Firecats on Saturday. The following week, the Thunder return to the Chevrolet Centre to round out the month of May, hosting the Manchester Wolves on Friday, May 25.

MILESTONES: Having never played an af2 game before, every play in the home opener was some kind of new Thunder record. Here are some of the most notable facts that have made it into the Mahoning Valley Record Book:

First TD Pass: Glen Gauntt to Chris Archie

First TD Rush: Tim Frost

First Play from Scrimmage: Gauntt pass to Kenneth Johnson for nine yards

First Interception: Brian Majors

First Fumble Recovery: Mike Lane

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

The Pioneers have two players ranked in the top 10 in the league in tackles. Chris Royal and Pete McBride are the two - Royal is tied for 4th and McBride is in 8th. Look for both of these players to make an impact and limit the Thunder offense. Defensively, Royal leads the team in interceptions with four and Doug Harding paces the squad with three fumble recoveries. Glen Gauntt is seventh in the league in passing offense per game. Chris Archie has caught at least two touchdowns in each of the first five games of the season and is on pace to catch 35 touchdowns this year. Anton Ceaser leads the team in sacks with 5.0 and is in third in the league in sacks per game at 1.20.

100-Club: QB Glen Gauntt entered last week needing just two completions to reach 100 for the season. Gauntt's first pass fell incomplete, but he rebounded to complete his next two - reaching the 100-completion milestone. This season, Gauntt is 116-of-197 (58.9%) with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Gauntt is on pace to throw 86 touchdowns this season.

CUTTERS CATCH: WR Chris Archie earned his second Cutters Catch of the Game award this year on Saturday night, with a spectacular touchdown catch in the third quarter. Archie went up and grabbed the ball before being forced to flip over the back wall of the endzone. The touchdown pulled the Thunder within four points of the Fire at 38-34. Unfortunately, that was the only score of the half of Mahoning Valley.

TAKE THAT BALL AWAY: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers do plenty of things well, but most importantly, they are tied for the league lead in TURNOVER RATIO at +15. QB Ryan Vena has completed 107-of-151 passes without throwing an interception. Defensively, the Pioneers have intercepted eight passes and recovered eight fumbles - giving up just one fumble themselves.

VERSUS THE EAST: Following tonight's game, the Thunder will have played each of the American Conference East Division opponents once. The Thunder are 1-1 in the division and look to knock off the af2's best - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers. In the first two games against the East, here is how the Thunder have fared statistically:

CATEGORY MVT OPP

Points Per Game 56.5 63

Total Offense 613 553

Total First Downs 46 34

Touchdowns 16 16

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 TRI WR Chris Archie (MVT)

2 @ ALB QB Glen Gauntt (MVT)

3 BYE BYE

4 CIN WR DeMarcus Mathes (MVT)

5 @ MAN QB Ryan Porter (MAN)

6 LOU WR Tiger Jones (LOU)

7 WBS

IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 TRI OL/DL Tim Frost (MVT)

2 @ ALB DB Jarvis Johnson (ALB)

3 BYE BYE

4 CIN TE/DL Jamel Lee (MVT)

5 @ MAN WR/DB David Bailey (MAN)

6 LOU OL/DL Eddie Yauch (LOU)

7 WBS

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 TRI OL/DL Anton Ceaser (MVT)

2 @ ALB DL Durrand Roundtree (ALB)

3 BYE BYE

4 CIN DB Maurice Taylor (MVT)

5 @ MAN DL Maurice Fountain (MAN)

6 LOU DB Nate Green (LOU)

7 WBS

CATCH OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 TRI WR Chris Archie (MVT)

2 @ ALB WR DeMarcus Mathes (MVT)

3 BYE BYE

4 CIN WR Kenny Johnson (MVT)

5 @ MAN WR Chris Archie (MVT)

6 LOU WR Chris Archie (MVT)

7 WBS



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