Quad City Steamwheeler Weekly Huddle
May 8, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
75th Regular Season Victory: The Quad City Steamwheelers won their 75th regular season game on Saturday night with a 59-52 overtime victory over the ninth ranked Central Valley Coyotes. The Steamwheelers had an opportunity to secure their 75th victory in the last game of the regular season last year, but the Louisville Fire burned a hole in those plans, forcing the Steamwheelers to wait until this season.
The Tim Hicks Record Book: If Tim Hicks continues on his torrid pace this season the Steamwheelers could refer to their record book as the Tim Hicks record book. Hicks 25-yard rushing play against Central Valley is the second longest rush in Steamwheelers history. His 31 yards rushing in the game was two yards shy of the third most rushing yards for an individual in a Steamwheelers game. In addition to rushing he also threw for seven touchdowns (third most thrown in a game) for the second time this season. He also is in the books for attempts with 44 (third most) on two different occasions and 46 (second most), as well as completions with 29 (third most) against the Coyotes and 30 (second most) earlier this season. Hicks ranks in the top three in three of the 10 passing categories that the af2 tracks.
Stepping Up: The Steamwheelers knew that they had depth at the receiving position. That's why they traded Bo Smith in an attempt to upgrade the defense. However, just who would fill the hole created by Smith's trade was anyone's guess. Enter Kris Peters. Peters 168-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Coyotes was the team's best performance to date this season. Through four games Smith had tallied 322 yards, eight touchdowns and averaged 80.5 yards a game. Peters has registered 309 yards, four touchdowns and is averaging 77.2 yards a game through the four contests he's participated in this season.
Breaking Out: Reggie Perkins has been steadily improving on defense since he made his debut in the second game of the season. The game against Central Valley appears to have been his breakout game. He registered a team-best six solo tackles and 7.5 total tackles. He was also second on the team with four pass breakups, including a key breakup in overtime.
There's No Place Like Home: The Quad City Steamwheelers are glad to be back home as they faced two long road trips the last two weeks. On the trip to Albany, the sewage system backed up on the train and the trip nearly ran eight hours longer than anticipated. The team thought the flight to Fresno couldn't be any worse, however, after a car hit the bus just minutes from the airport in Chicago things went down hill from there. After arriving at the airport the team had to break into three groups and fly into three separate cities before rejoining in Fresno.
Or is there: While the road trips have certainly been brutal this season, OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities hasn't been kind to the Steamwheelers either. The team is currently 0-3 on their home turf. Quad City looks to turn that around this weekend when they face the Louisville Fire. The MARK traditionally has treated the Steamwheelers well as they were 47-9 at home entering this season.
Scouting the Fire: If the Steamwheelers want to stop Louisville from "Burin' Down the House" they are going to have to rely on their defense to stop the most accurate quarterback in the league. Louisville quarterback Brett Dietz boasts a 69.8 completion percent. Dietz favorite target is Rob Mager who has 585 yards and 13 touchdowns on 49 receptions this season. Defensively, Jeremy Chandler and Kabota Siykala are leading the way for the Fire. Chandler leads the team in total tackles with 28 while Siykala is in second with 16.5. They both are leading the team in interceptions with three picks each, while Sivkala has registered a team-best 10 pass breakups on the season.
Upcoming Promotions: On May 13, 2006 when Quad City host the Louisville Fire, the Steamwheelers will be hosting their annual Credit Union Night. In a partnership with the Illinios Quad City Chapter of Credit Unions and the Great River Chapter of Credit Unions fans can receive specially priced tickets through their local credit union. The following credit unions are taking part: ALCOA Employees and Consumer Credit Union, DHCU Community Credit Union, DuTrac Credit Union, Gas & Electric Credit Union, IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union, Moline School District 40 Credit Union, RIA Federal Credit Union, The Family Credit Union. For more information fans should stop by their local credit union or contact the Steamwheelers at (563) 324-4888.
Recent Steamwheeler Transactions: 5/1/06 Traded Bo Smith to Green Bay for Gustavus Tyson and Marcus Thurman; 4/28/06 Activated David Hurst (OL/DL) from Refused to Report, Placed Rob May on Re-Callable Re-Assignment, Placed Patrick Horne on Short-Term IR; 4/17/06 Placed Tony McClain on Re-Callable Re-Assignment.
Get 'em while their hot: Single game tickets are currently on sale. Tickets start as low as $13.00 for adults and $6.50 for children 14 and under. In addition, high school and college students with a valid student ID can purchase one upper deck ticket for $3.00 off the regular ticket price per ID.
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