QB Gus Ornstein and 12 others join the Conquest
Published on February 10, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
Albany, N.Y., February 10, 2004 â The Albany Conquest of arenafootball2 (af2) has announced that Head Coach Steve Matthews has added thirteen more players to the team's 2004 pre-season roster, including Gus Ornstein, back-up quarterback for the Conquest last season. Six of the 13 players have af2 experience, while seven are rookies. The Albany Conquest will play their home opener against Manchester on April 16 at the Pepsi Arena. Albany opens its season on the road against Cape Fear in Fayetteville, N.C. on April 10.
In addition to Ornstein, David Mahoney (OL/DL) has been re-assigned to the Conquest and will report to training camp on March 23. Four others with af2 experience have been assigned, including two-year af2 veteran Abdallah Wiggins (OL/DL), who was signed by the Arena Football League's (AFL) Orlando Predators on January 25, but released just prior to their season opener on Sunday.
Ron Simone (FB/LB), McKinley Bowie (WR/LB), and Bill Borchers (OL/DL), who all played for the Memphis Xplorers last season, will join the Conquest. Borchers was acquired through a trade with Memphis for future considerations. Rookies Mondeario Pickney (OL/DL), Eric Allen (OL/DL), Anthony Knutson (OL/DL), Terrell Black (OL/DL), Lewis Carter (FB/LB), Timothy Perren (FB/LB), and Jamal White (WR/DB) have also been assigned by the af2 league office and will report to the team's training camp.
"I am pleased with the talent level of the players we will bring to training camp," said Coach Matthews. "Gus is a man who knows our returning players well and has played at some big time college programs such as Michigan State. I am sure he will compete well for the job," he added.
Gus Ornstein (QB) returns to the Conquest for a second season and was the back-up quarterback to Ryan Vena in 2003. Vena, who was second in af2 Offensive Player of the Year voting last season, is now the starting QB for AFL's Columbus Destroyers. Ornstein shared time as the starting QB for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe in 2001, after being in NFL camps with the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins. Ornstein saw some action last season with the Conquest and had a 107.03 QB rating playing in three games. He was 9-of-16 passing for 103 yards with two touchdown passes. He also ran for one score.
Ornstein began his collegiate career at Notre Dame under the tutelage of Coach Lou Holtz where he was slated to spend that season as a red-shirt freshman in 1994, but ended up receiving playing time following the injury of then Notre Dame QB Ron Powlus. He threw one TD pass that season against Navy before transferring to Michigan State and red-shirting as a sophomore. He saw considerable playing time the following two seasons at Michigan State before transferring to Rowan (NJ) University. At Rowan, Gus led the team to the Division III National Championship game where Rowan fell to powerhouse, Mount Union. Ornstein threw for 3,198 yards and 19 touchdowns during one season at Rowan.
The Conquest have two other top-notch quarterbacks already on the 2004 pre-season roster, Jake Knott (Wabash College, Ind.) and D. Bryant (Duke/ Iowa Wesleyan), who were assigned to the team on January 8 and are slated to report to training camp.
David Mahoney (OL/DL), entering his third af2 season, earned a roster spot with the Conquest after an open free-agent tryout in 2002. Mahoney, who is a graduate of Columbia High School and Alfred State University, made an early impression when he was an ADT Defensive Player-of-the-Game against the New Haven Ninjas his rookie season. Mahoney, 6-foot-1, 295-pounds, had 10.5 tackles in 2003.
Abdallah Wiggins (OL/DL) joins the Conquest after a solid 2003 season with the Greensboro Prowlers that landed him an invite to the Orlando Predators training camp in January. Wiggins played in 12 games last season and had 24 tackles, including four for a loss and 5.5 sacks. He began his career with the Roanoke Steam in 2002 recording 36 tackles, including nine for a loss and 7.5 sacks. He has also forced five fumbles during his af2 career.
Three-year af2 veteran, Bill Borchers (OL/DL), made 52 tackles playing in 34 games during his career with Memphis. He also had 12 sacks and forced four fumbles in those games. Borchers, 6-foot-3, 295-pounds, had a stellar collegiate career at the University of New Mexico (UNM), where he started in 35 straight games as a defensive end. During his senior year in 1998, he led all UNM defensive lineman with 41 tackles and finished second on the team with 4.5 sacks. Borchers had seven tackles, including two for a loss against Arizona in the 1997 Insight.com Bowl. That same year in a game against Utah State, Borchers forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Brian Urlacher (now an All-Pro linebacker for the Chicago Bears) that helped New Mexico record a come-from-behind, 25-22, victory.
Ron Simone (FB/LB), a one-year af2 veteran with Memphis, played seven games last year for the Xplorers scoring one touchdown and notching 16 tackles including five for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Simone, 6-foot-2, 255-pounds, played collegiate football at the Big East Conference's Rutgers University.
McKinley Bowie (WR/LB) started his af2 career with the Bossier City Battle Wings where he played one game before finishing the season with Memphis. Bowie, who scored one touchdown for Memphis, is 6-foot-2, 245-pounds, and played collegiate football at Baylor.
Rookie Eric Allen (OL/DL), 6-foot-2, 300-pounds from Iselin, N.J., posted impressive numbers as a defensive end at Tennessee Tech. He amassed 115 career tackles, including 26 for a loss and nine sacks.
Mondeario Pickney (OL/DL), a 6-foot-2, 285-pound defensive lineman from the University of Delaware enters his rookie af2 season. Pickney helped lead Delaware to an Atlantic 10 Conference title and a trip to the NCAA Division I-AA semifinals in 2000. He had 24 tackles that year with 1.5 sacks and three passes broken up.
Rookie Lewis Carter (FB/LB), 6-foot-3, 255-pound, joins the Conquest following a collegiate career at the University of Cincinnati. Terrell Black (OL/DL) 6-foot-6, 260-pounds, is a rookie from Murray State, while Jamal White (WR/DB) will enter his first season from Towson State.
The Conquest signed two rookies from Liberty University, Anthony Knutson (OL/DL), 6-foot-2, 277-pounds, and Timothy Perren (FB/LB), 6-foot-2, 255-pounds.
The Conquest play home games at the Pepsi Arena beginning on April 16. For tickets you may call (518) 487-2222 or visit www.albanyconquest.com.
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