Sports stats



New York Dragons game notes

May 10, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release


New York Dragons (10-5)
vs. Dallas (12-3)

Date: Friday ▪ May 12, 2006
Kickoff: 8:30 PM (EST)
Site: American Airlines Center (15,978)

TV: TBD
Radio: WNYG 1440 AM: (play-by-play) Peter Schwartz and Wayne Morris (analyst)
Sirius Satellite Radio Ch. 110

Regular Season Series Record: (3-4)
Regular Season Series Streak: -1
Last Regular Season Meeting:
New York 28, Dallas 46
Nassau Coliseum ▪ Hempstead, NY (11,985)

Coaches Record:
Dragons ▪ Weylan Harding (20-11, 2nd year)
Dallas ▪ Will McClay (27-21-1, 4th year)

Officials: Referee: Bill LeMonnier (12), Umpire: Mike Delaney (80), Head Linesman: Allen Baynes (34), Line Judge: Dana Mckenzie (58), Back Judge: Billy Beckett (42).

DRAGONS - FORCE ALL-TIME
DATE H/A SCORE
May 11, 2002 H 72-61
February 2, 2003 A 60-56
February 22, 2004 H 56-44
May 1, 2004* A 44-20
February 6, 2005* H 55-45
April 29, 2005* A 65-57
April 9, 2006 H 46-28
* Denotes Dragons win

ABOUT THE GAME
The Dragons head back on the road for their final matchup of the 2006 regular season when they take on the Dallas Desperados Friday night. The Dragons have won their last four games and will look to redeem themselves after Week 11's loss to Dallas at the Nassau Coliseum. Week 15's victory for the Dragons clinched a playoff berth and the first wild-card seed which means they will have a home game in the first round of the playoffs on May 21st at 3:00 PM. The Dragons road record this season is 5-2 and Dallas is 5-2 at home. This will be the eighth meeting between the two clubs and Dallas leads the series 4-3. The game will take place at the American Airlines Center.

LAST WEEK'S RECAP
The Dragons took advantage of their opportunity to clinch a playoff berth on their own in Week 15 by recording a win over the Georgia Force. They are now guarenteed a home playoff game in the first round as they have locked the first wil-card seed. The Dragons defeated Georgia 47-35 and improved their home record to 5-3 for the 2006 season.

NEXT WEEK'S PREVIEW
Next week kicks off the Dragons post season as they host a Round I playoff game at the Nassau Coliseum. The team they will face has yet to be determined. The game will take place on Sunday May 21st at 3:00 PM and will be aired on NBC. This is the second consecutive year that the Dragons have made the playoffs.

DRAGONS' WEEK 16 PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Tuesday (5/9): 12:00-2:00 at Nassau Coliseum
Wednesday (5/10): 12:00-2:00 at Nassau Coliseum

To confirm the Dragons' practice schedule/time or to receive directions, please contact Kerri Griesbeck at 516-501-6889.

IF THE DRAGONS WIN, IT WOULD GIVE...
- The team a 11-5 record for the season and a 6-2 road record.
- The Dragons their 104th regular season victory and their 110th of all-time.
- The team their 48th victory since moving to Long Island in 2001.
- The Dragons a regular season and all-time record of 4-4 versus Dallas.

DRAGONS HIT THE ROAD
The Dragons hit the road for the final time in the regular season. A win for the Dragons will improve their season record to 11-5 and road record to 6-2. A victory would also be the 5th consecutive win for the Dragons. This Week 16 matchup could be a preview of what is to come in the playoffs as well.

DEFENDING THE EAST
Dallas has clinched the Division title this year after the Dragons held onto it for last three consecutive seasons. The Dragons are now looking for bigger and better and have their eyes set on the ArenaBowl. New York has made a huge comeback in the last few weeks, drastically improving their record after injuries settled down allowing for time to get comfortable. The Dragons have won the last four consecutive games and the last six out of seven games. Last season, the Dragons won the Eastern Division for the third consecutive season (2003-2005). The Dragons swept all of their Eastern foes (Columbus, Dallas and Philadelphia) with a perfect 6-0 record in divisional play.

FIRST JAPANESE PLAYER TO MAKE AFL DEBUT
Dragons Matsumi Takahashi was activated from the International Practcie Sqaud this week and will be playing in Week 16 versus Dallas. Takahashi will become the first Japanese man to play in the AFL. He has spent the last three seasons on the Dragons International Practice Squad and is eagerly awaiting this opportunity. He will be playing Offensive Specialist.

BROWN NAMED OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
WR/LB Maurice Brown was named Offensive Player of the Game in Week 15's victory over Georgia. In the game, he recorded four receptions for 18 yards and two touchdowns on offense. On special teams he recorded three kickoff returns for 56 yards with the longest of 25 yards. On defense, Brown also recorded 2.0 tackles and one fumble recovery.

DENNIS NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
DS DaShane Dennis was named Defensive Player of the Game for his efforts in Week 15's victory over Georgia. In the game, Dennis led the defense with 8.5 tackles and one forced fumble. The victory clinched a playoff spot for the Dragons and guaranteed a home game in the first round.

McMLESKEY NAMED IRONMAN OF THE GAME
FB/LB Richard McCleskey was named Ironman of the Game for his efforts in Week 15's win over Georgia. In the game he recorded six rushes for 18 yards and one touchdown. He also added one reception for 15 yards. On defense, he recorded 1.0 tackle and one breakup.

WEEK FIFTEEN AFL AWARD CANDIDATES
In Week 15 vs. Georgia, the AFL named three New York Dragons candidates for awards. WR/LB Maurice Brown was a nominee for the AFL Ironman of the Week. Brown recorded four receptions for 18 yards and two touchdowns on offense. On special teams he recorded three kickoff returns for 56 yards. On defense, he recorded 2.0 tackles nad one fumble recovery. QB Nick Browder was a nominee for Offensive Player of the Week, completing 20 of 27 passes for 191 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also recorded six rushes for seven yards and one touchdown. WR/DB Angel Estrada was a nominee for Defensive Player of the Week, recording 3.5 touchdowns, one forced fumble and one pass breakup.

BROWDER KEEPS SHINING AS STARTING QB
QB Nick Browder continues to march the Dragons to their shot at the playoffs after another win in Week 15 versus Georgia. The Dragons are now 7-2 with Browder as quarterback (6-2 with Browder starting at quarterback) and hope to improve that record even further to 8-2 this week. In nine games at quarterback, Browder has completed 197 of 304 passes for 2383 yards and 50 touchdowns. He also recorded 22 rushes for 54 yards and three touchdowns.

Quarterback Nick Browder received Offensive Player of the Game for Week 13's victory over the Los Angeles Avengers. In the game, Browder completed 29 of 41 passes for 346 yards and seven touchdowns.

HORACEK NAMED IRONMAN OF THE WEEK
WR/LB Mike Horacek receives AFL Ironman of the Week for his performance in Week 14's victory over the Philadelphia Soul. In the game, Horacek recorded four receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns along with a reception for a two-point conversion. On defense, Horacek recorded 4.0 tackles, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. His first touchdown reception of the game marked his 200th career touchdown reception, making him only the sixth player in the league to reach 200 touchdowns receptions. He's now also one of only 11 players in the league's history to hit 200 total touchdowns where he totals 206. The game was Horacek's 96th career game in the AFL.

BLUE RECEIVES AFL IRONMAN OF THE WEEK
In his rookie year and first week back from the injured reserve, FB/LB Bruce Blue was named Ironman of the Game and AFL Ironman of the week for his Week Ten performance vs. the Grand Rapids Rampage. In the game, he recorded 2.0 tackles including a sack for a safety, and added two rushes for 28 yards and two touchdowns. Blue is currently the youngest player in the AFL and therefore youngest to receive this award.


GARCIA OUT FOR THE SEASON
In Week Five versus the Orlando Predators, QB Aaron Garcia suffered a fractured tibia in the third quarter. He underwent successful surgery and will be out for the season.

WOOD OUT FOR THE SEASON
In Week Seven vs. the Austin Wranglers, quarterback Juston Wood suffered a dislocated kneecap in the first quarter, the second Dragons quarterback to be injured within a two-week period following Garcia's injury in Week Five. Wood underwent successful surgery and will be out for the rest of the season.

OBERT HOLDS NEW DRAGONS RECORD
Obert now holds a new Dragons record making 29 consecutive PAT kicks before ending his streak in Week Eight vs. Tampa Bay. In the league he is in the top 7 of all kickers in the last 3 seasons for most consecutive PAT kicks.

INSIDE THE HEADSET:
Every week, Dragons head coach Weylan Harding lets the fans get inside his headset in an open question and answer forum. Here's this week's journal.

Coach, First off, Congratulations on clinching a playoff berth and a first round home game! Can you tell us the status of Will Holder? Will he be available for the playoffs?
WH: Will Holder is still unavailable to play at this point but I can report his health is making vast improvement. His status for the playoffs will be monitored on a week to week basis.

Congratulations Coach! Now for the real answer. Did you know going into the game the outcome of the Philadelphia/Dallas game? They mentioned on TV that you didn't want to know. If you did know or even if you didn't, what were you thinking right before the game started?
WH: I did not know the outcome of the game before we played. Because of the scores
being flashed on the jumbotron I soon found out after the game started. Our
mindset before the game was that we were not looking for any handouts. It was
important to be able to put ourselves in the playoffs by our own hand. We have
worked too hard and gone thru too much to rely on someone else. The message
sent is this team is capable of taking care of its own business.

Who do you want to play in the first round of the playoffs? If you had it your way, how would you want Week 16 to go as far as the team to lock the last spot and play the Dragons?
WH: We don't care who it is as long as we are playing. We will be ready!

Coach I have to commend you for the way you can consistently motivate your team and make them believe in themselves. This is a great accomplishment for you and the team this season to overcome all the adversity. This Weeks game versus Dallas could potentially be a preview of the post-season. Do you think of this as far as strategy at all?
WH: This will be the second time we have played them with a potential for a third. We are going to live in the moment of this game and go from there. If and when we have a third meeting we will deal with the stategy for that contest then. Looking too far down the road can cause you to trip over the curb in front of you.

The defense has been able to consistently come in and improve with each week, really keeping the Dragons in the game with big plays. After a rough start with the defense in the beginning of the season, what is the biggest reason for this tremendous growth with the defense, other than yourself and the rest of your coaching staff of course?
WH: Our recent success can be attributed to health and familiarity. We have been able to play with the same lineup in the secondary and line for more than two weeks now. We have a team that is more familiar with the defensive system and each other at this point. This young group has had to both learn the game and learn how to play with each other. I think their settling into a groove has contributed to our recent success.

2006 SCHEDULE
DATE TIME/SCORE OPPONENT
Sat, 1/28 L 57-28 vs. Nashville
Fri, 2/3 W 51-47 at Chicago
Sat, 2/11 W 84-81 at Utah
Sun, 2/19 L 75-59 at Philadelphia
Sun, 2/26 W 55-35 vs. Orlando
Fri, 3/3 L 65-54 vs. Columbus
Sun, 3/12 W 59-56 at Austin
Sat, 3/18 L 60-44 at Tampa Bay
Fri, 3/24 W 54-48 vs. Kansas City
Sat, 4/1 W 48-24 vs. Grand Rapids
Sun, 4/9 L 46-28 vs. Dallas
Fri, 4/14 W 64-57 at Columbus
Sun, 4/23 W 70-61 at Los Angeles
Sat, 4/29 W 65-58 vs. Philadelphia
Sat, 5/6 W 47-35 vs. Georgia
Sat, 5/13 8:00 at Dallas

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
NY-DALLAS CONNECTIONS:
Dallas' FB/LB Joshua White played for the Dragons from 2004-2005 where he recorded 10 receptions for 131 yards and three touchdowns. On defense, he recorded 50.0 tackles, one block and one interception for 33 yards.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

LIVING YOUNG:
The Dragons are led by one of the great defensive coaches in the AFL and he also happens to be the youngest in professional football. Weylan Harding enters the 2006 season at 34 years old -- 14 months and 13 days younger than the second-youngest head coach - Los Angeles' Ed Hodgekiss. However, Harding does not hold the distinction of being the youngest young in league history. That honor goes to Kevin Guy of the 2000 New Jersey Red Dogs, who was 27 years old.

Team Coach DOB Age
NYD Harding 1/5/1972 34
LAA Hodgkiss 10/23/1970 35
PHI Munsey 8/19/68 37

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
ARENA-BRED COACHES
The Dragons are the only team in the league to have their entire coaching staff comprised of former AFL players. In total, the Dragons' coaching staff has a combined 22 years of AFL playing experience and another combined 18-plus years as coaches.

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
SWITCHING POSITIONS
DaShane Dennis and Jamaal Cherry have switched positions from 2005 and will now line up at DS and OL/DL, respectively. Bruce Blue began training camp as a lineman and has since converted to FB/LB. Although Cherry was listed at FB/LB last season, he played primarily as a defensive lineman in his rookie season.

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
GARCIA AN ALL-TIME GREAT
It was already known by most, but QB Aaron Garcia is now enshrined as one of the top-20 all-time great players in AFL history. During training camp, the league came out with their top-20 players from the first 20 years of the AFL. Garcia ranked 11th, one spot ahead of fellow former Iowa Barnstormer QB Kurt Warner. After Warner left the franchise, Garcia supplanted him as the franchise's star quarterback and the Dragons - or Barnstormers - have never looked back.

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
ORIGINAL DRAGONS

QB Aaron Garcia is a New York Dragon through thick and thin. He is the only player to be a part of the team for each of its first five seasons on Long Island. Garcia made the move when the Iowa Barnstormers relocated to New York prior to the 2001 season. Garcia was traded to Iowa from New Jersey on June 2, 1998 for WR/DB Chris Spencer and OL/DL John Dixon. This is Garcia's 12th AFL season and ninth with the franchise.

OS Kevin Swayne has been the property of the Dragons for all six seasons, however he spent two seasons on the exempt list from 2002-2004. After a successful 2001 campaign, he was signed by the NFL's New York Jets and stayed there for three seasons. He returned to the Dragons mid-way through the 2004 season. Swayne also suited up for the Barnstormers from 1998-1999.

WR/LB Mike Horacek is the only other player to have played for both the Barnstormers and the Dragons. From 1997 to 2000, Horacek split time as a WR/DB and an OS with Iowa. He was the AFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2000, his last with the team until he was selected in 2004 Dispersal Draft. The 2006 season is his second with the Dragons, but sixth with the franchise.

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
RETURNING DRAGONS

The Dragons have 11 players on their roster from their final 2005 roster. QB Aaron Garcia is the longest tenured Dragon at eight seasons. The complete list includes: WR/LB Chris Anthony, OL/DL Jamaal Cherry, DS DaShane Dennis, WR/DB Angel Estrada, OL/DL Stacy Evans, WR/LB Mike Horacek, WR/DB Will Holder, OL/DL Joe Laudano, OL/DL Marcus "Snowball" Owen, OL/DL Steve Scifres and OS Kevin Swayne along with Garcia.

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
DRAGONS WITH af2 EXPERIENCE

The Dragons have 10 players on their roster who have played in af2 at one point in their career. The list includes: WR/LB Chris Anthony, WR/LB Maurice Brown, OL/DL Jamaal Cherry, WR/DB DaShane Dennis, OL/DL Jon Hall, OL/DL Joe Laudano, FB/LB Richard McCleskey, K Jesse Obert, DS Dahnel Singfield, OL/DL Andrew Tippins, OL/DL Paul White and QB Juston Wood.

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 10, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent New York Dragons Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central