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Quad City Steamwheelers game notes

June 8, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (7-2) vs.
Quad City Steamwheelers (6-3)
Date: Saturday, June 12, 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CDT
Site: The MARK of the Quad Cities (9,437)
National Anthem: Danielle Howe – QC Radio Group
Coin Toss: IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union and Deere Harvester Credit Union Representatives
Officials: Tony Canella (Referee), Pat Bayers (Umpire), Donald Rager (Head Linesman), Robert Smith (Line Judge), Larry Orrico (Back Judge)
Radio: WFXN 1230 AM and KWPC 890 AM (Jim Albracht – Play-by-Play, John Furlong – Color)
TV: None
Series Record: The series is tied at one apiece, with the Steamwheelers claiming last seasons contest at The MARK and the Pioneers winning this years first contest in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Last Meeting: The last meeting between the two teams was the first ever at Wilkes-Barre, and the Pioneers knocked off the then top ranked Steamwheelers 40-27 for the victory.
Streaks: The Steamwheelers are on a two game losing streak for the first time since the beginning of last season. The Pioneers are on a one game winning steak, after losing on the final play of the game two weeks ago at Louisville.
Coaches:
Quad City — Rich Ingold (6-2; 30-11, Third season)
Wilkes-Barre — Les Moss (7-2; 7-2, First season)


THE STAKES: The Steamwheelers are looking for revenge against the Pioneers, while the Pioneers are looking to sweep the 2004 series between the two.

THE SERIES: The series is at one win apiece and the Steamwheelers are looking to go one up on the Pioneers. The Pioneers are hoping to come out of the MARK with a sweep of the 2004 series between these two teams.

THE IFs:
If Quad City defeats Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, it would ...
· Give Quad City a 2-1 all-time series lead
· Give the Steamwheelers 12 straight wins at The MARK
· Give Rich Ingold a 31-12 record as a coach

QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (6-2, Lost 1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 Manchester 7:30 WIN 71-32
4/10 @Manchester 7:30 WIN 45-42
4/17 Tennessee Valley 7:30 WIN 47-29
4/24 @W-B Scranton 6:00 Loss 40-27
5/1 Green Bay 7:30 WIN 47-26
5/7 @Peoria 7:00 WIN 47-20
5/15 Wichita 7:30 WIN 73-39
5/22 @San Diego 9:00 Loss 62-52
5/29 BYE
6/5 @Louisville 6:30 Loss 62-61
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
6/12 W-B Scranton 7:30 L-2 QC leads 1-0
6/18 @Green Bay 7:30 W-1 QC leads 3-0
6/25 @Arkansas 7:30 L-8 QC leads 4-1
7/2 Peoria 7:30 L-1 QC leads 4-2
7/10 @Tenn. Valley 7:30 W-1 QC leads 6-2
7/17 Birmingham 7:30 L-1 QC leads 2-0
7/24 BYE
7/31 Louisville 7:30 W-3 QC leads 4-0

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PIONEERS (7-2, Won 1)
Date Opponent Time Result Score
4/3 BYE
4/10 Columbus 6:00 WIN 38-33
4/16 @ Green Bay 7:30 WIN 75-39
4/24 Quad City 6:00 WIN 40-27
5/1 Louisville 6:00 WIN 59-51
5/8 @ Albany 6:00 Loss 52-45
5/15 @ Peoria 7:00 WIN 33-30
5/22 Cape Fear 6:00 WIN 48-41
5/29 @ Louisville 6:30 Loss 48-47
6/5 Manchester 6:00 WIN 57-41
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
6/12 @ Quad City 7:30 W-1 Tied 1-1
6/18 @ Albany 7:30 L-2 ALB leads 6-1
6/26 Cape Fear 7:00 W-2 WBS leads 1-0
7/3 BYE
7/10 Manchester 7:00 L-1 WBS leads 4-3
7/17 Albany 7:00 L-2 ALB leads 6-1
7/24 @ Cape Fear 7:30 W-2 WBS leads 1-0
7/30 @Manchester 7:30 L-1 WBS leads 4-3

HEAD COACHES: Rich Ingold is in his third season as the Steamwheelers head coach after guiding them to a 2003 National Conference Midwest Division championship. Ingold has a 30-12 record in his two-plus seasons at the helm and has posted nine straight regular season home victories.

Les Moss, one of the most experienced and respected coaches in Arena Football history, will lead the Pioneers into the 2004 arenafootball2 season. Coach Moss most recently served as Assistant Coach/Director of Player Personnel for the AF's Orlando Predators. During his career with Orlando, Moss helped guide the predators to 11 playoff appearances, six ArenaBowl championship games, and two titles (1998 and 2000).

LAST SERIES MEETING: On April 24, 2004, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers started a trend that they had no idea they would start. After knocking off the top seeded Steamwheelers 40-27, the Pioneers started a trend known as the curse of the No. 1 seed. After that loss, the ‘Wheelers fell from the top spot. Each week after that, a new team took over the top spot, and for six straight week now, a new team sits atop the polls. Every team that has beaten the ‘Wheelers has gone on a winning streak after knocking off the ‘Wheelers.

SERIES NOTABLES: With the series tied at one apiece, this game is for bragging rights. This is only the third time the two teams have gone head to head and this will be the second time this season. With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton having a 7-2 record, it will be a good matchup for the Wheelers who are 6-3.

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

STEAMWHEELERS' LEADERS
Player Rank Category Stat
Ryan Geisler 9 Scoring (Kick) 54
Ronnie Gordon 3 Pass Rating 116.4
Tim Dodge T-6 Receptions 65
Tim Dodge 3 Rec. Yards/G 964
Jeff Hewitt 7 Rec. Yards/G 916
Jeff Hewitt 4 Kickoff Returns 24.8
Ronnie Gordon 3 Passing Yards 263.8
Jeff Hewitt 2 All Purpose 1886
Ronnie Gordon 2 Total Offense 269.6
Ryan Geisler 5 PAT Kicking 48-63
Matt Forbes T-3 Fumbles Forced 3
Danny Thomas T-7 Fumbles Rec. 2
Matt Forbes 2 Passes Defended 19
Matt Forbes 2 Tackles 48.0
Danny Thomas 39 Tackles 28.0
Chazz Moore 50 Tackles 25.5
Brian Berg T-19 Sacks 3.0
Bear Brown T-32 Sacks 2.0
Harvie Herrington T-32 Sacks 2.0

FAMILIAR FACES: This weekend's game could have featured a former Quad City Steamwheelers backup quarterback. Matter of fact, the first time these two teams met this season, Pioneers quarterback Mike Gluski even saw some game action, albeit two passes. Gluski completed one of the two for 12 yards and served as a brief fill in for started Tim Hicks. However, Gluski won't be in uniform for the Pioneers this time around as he was traded on May 26 to the Cape Fear Wild Cats.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Steamwheelers and Pioneers stack up:
Statistical Steamwheelers Pioneers
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 8 52.2 10 49.1
Scoring Defense 4 39.1 7 40.2
Total Offense 4 276.8 16 249.1
Total Defense 12 252.6 3 212.0
Pass Offense 6 263.3 12 231.9
Pass Defense 15 238.1 5 203.8
Rushing Offense 20 13.4 15 17.2
Rushing Defense 6 14.4 2 8.2
Scoring (Non-Kick) 8 410 13 372
Scoring (Kicking) 13 54 3 68
Pass Rating 3 115.2 13 107.0
Pass Def. Rating 5 93.7 4 92.8
Kickoff Returns 4 21.5 6 21.3
MFG Returns 12 19.0 19 11.8
Turnover Margin 2 1.22 9 .33
Field Goals 22 2-11 1 9-13
PAT Kicking 11 48-63 8 41-53
Sacks By 7 15 15 11
Sacks Against 14 11 13 10
First Downs 20 126 11 139
Opp. First Downs 13 135 18 143
Penalty Yards/Game 16 60.3 24 76.8
Opp. Penalty Yards 11 57.1 15 60.2

STEAMWHEELERS INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Bear Brown Knee STIR
OL/DL Pete Traynor Foot LTIR
OL/DL Brandon Williams Knee LTIR
FB/LB Brian Berg Knee LTIR
OL/DL Harvie Herrington Arm Questionable

MILESTONES: Three Steamwheelers are knocking on milestone doors — QB Ronnie Gordon, WR/DB Tim Dodge and OS Jeff Hewitt. Gordon is on pace to crush Tony Zimmerman's record of 17 rushing touchdowns in a season as he has rushed for 14 already this season. Dodge (964) and Hewitt (916) both are well on their way to eclipsing the 1,000 receiving yards mark.
DROPBACK: The Steamwheelers suffered their second loss in a row, the first time since the start of the 2003 that such a thing has happened and only the third time in team history that the team has lost two straight. The longest losing streak in team history is three. QB Ronnie Gordon was almost perfect in Saturday night's loss at Louisville. In the 62-61 loss, Gordon completed 20-of-26 passes for 351 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Gordon also rushed for his 14th touchdown of the season.

FORWARD MOTION: The Steamwheelers will hit the road for another two-game road trip starting with a divisional matchup with the Green Bay Blizzard next Friday night. They will then make the haul to Arkansas to take on the Twisters on Friday, June 25. Both of those games kickoff at 7:30 p.m. They will then return home on July 2 to take on the Peoria Pirates.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS: Steamwheelers wide receiver/defensive back Tim Dodge knows only one number right now, and it is not his jersey number (7). In eight of nine games this season, Dodge has caught two touchdown passes. No more and no less. The only time he didn't was when he was held scoreless at home against Green Bay. Dodge leads the team in touchdown passes with 16, leading offensive specialist Jeff Hewitt by one.

KNOCKING ON HISTORY'S DOOR: In 2002, Steamwheelers offensive specialist Jeff Hewitt, then wide receiver/linebacker, watched as offensive specialist Ira Gooch and wide receiver/linebacker Chris Anthony both caught over 100 passes for over 1,000 yards and 30-plus touchdowns a piece to become the first duo in Arena Football history to do so. This season, Hewitt and teammate Tim Dodge, could become the second. Hewitt has 57 receptions for 916 yards and 15 touchdowns. Dodge, so far on the season has 65 receptions for 964 yards and 16 touchdowns. Right now, they are on pace to eclipse both the receptions and yards, but fall just shy of the touchdown mark. But, as of late, quarterback Ronnie Gordon has began to throw for more touchdowns as the season goes on, so things could change sooner rather than later and the duo could be the second in Arena Football history to accomplish the feat.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Steamwheelers could not be any happier to return home. Matter of fact, if they had their way, they would play all 16 games at The MARK of the Quad Cities. And why not? In the four and a half seasons that the Steamwheelers have been in the league as a charter member, they have won 39 of 43 contests, playoffs included, at the friendly confines. This season they are a perfect 4-0 compared to a road record of 2-3. The Steamwheelers are going for home win number 40 this Saturday night.

GORDON ON PACE TO BREAK ZIM'S RECORD: In the 2003 season, former Steamwheelers quarterback Tony Zimmerman rushed for 17 touchdowns, a Steamwheelers single season record. Through nine games this season, quarterback Ronnie Gordon has accounted for 41 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns. If Gordon continues at this pace, he will crush Zimmerman's rushing touchdown total and finish with 25, tthree shy of the af2 single season record.

THE ‘GOLD' TD RUSH:
Player Games Rush TD's Pace
Tony Zimmerman 16 39 17
Ronnie Gordon 9 39 14 25

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Linemen
Steamwheelers Offensive Line/Defensive Line: The Steamwheelers have only played nine games this season and have already 19 have played the line for the Steamwheelers (fullback/linebackers included). With that in mind, there have been times when the ‘Wheelers have struggled up front, including Week 4, on the road at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In that game, quarterback Ronnie Gordon was sacked once, forced out of the pocket four times and threw two interceptions. The line has improved and is starting to get healthy again.

Pioneers Offensive Line/Defensive Line: The old saying goes "protect ours and get after theirs." The Steamwheelers pride themselves on that saying, but in the first matchup of these two teams, the Pioneers line were the ones putting that quote to good use. Pioneers QB Tim Hicks was only sacked once and hurried once.

KEY DATES IN TEAM/LEAGUE HISTORY: In June of 1987, the Arena Football League was officially born, with its first ever game taking place. The four-team league began with the Chicago Bruisers, Denver Dynamite, Pittsburgh Gladiators and Washington Commandos.

GETTING TO KNOW A NEW STEAMWHEELER: This week's featured player is fullback/linebacker Fred Barr. Barr is from Plantation, Fla., and graduated from Plantation High School, where he was a two-sport star in football and basketball. Barr then moved onto the University of Iowa and was First Team All-Big 10 and a Third-Team All-American. He went to training camp with the Tennessee Titans, but was released prior to the start of the season. He was born Jan. 5, 1981. His favorite food is soul food and before games he listens to music.

af2 BABY RUTH REAL DEAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Week Team Player
10

af2 U.S. ARMY IRONMAN OF THE WEEK
Week Team Player
10

af2 ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Week Team Player
10

Trivial Pursuit
Oldest player: 39, Flint Fleming – 3/17/65
Youngest player: 23, Fred Barr – 1/5/81
Tallest Player: 6'8" – Bear Brown
Shortest Player: 5'10" – Four Players
Heaviest Player: 350 – Bear Brown
Lightest Player: 175 – Matt Forbes
Native Iowans: 3
Colleges represented: 23
Iowa Colleges: 5
Illinois Colleges: 3
Players 300+ pounds: 3
Players 6'5" or taller: 1
2004 Roster Breakdown
By College/University
California-Lutheran Purdue
California-Berkley Cal. St. – Northridge
St. Ambrose Northern Illinois
San Diego State Eastern Kentucky
Simpson North Dakota State
Grand Valley State SW Missouri State
Illinois Tenn. – Chattanooga
Indiana (PA) Vanderbilt
Western Illinois SUNY-Morrisville
Iowa – 4 William Penn
Wis. – Stevens Point Louisville
Iowa State

QC Home Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Manchester Jeff Hewitt
3 Tenn. Valley Tim Dodge
5 Green Bay Jeff Hewitt
7 Wichita Ronnie Gordon
11 Wilkes-Barre
13 Peoria
15 Birmingham
17 Louisville

QC Home GAME U.S. Army IRONMAN AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Manchester Harvie Herrington
3 Tenn. Valley Bear Brown
5 Green Bay Brian Berg
7 Wichita Bear Brown
11 Wilkes-Barre
13 Peoria
15 Birmingham
17 Louisville

QC Home GAME ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER AWARD
Week Opp. Player
1 Manchester Danny Thomas
3 Tenn. Valley Matt Forbes
5 Green Bay Danny Thomas
7 Wichita Jamaal Cherry
11 Wilkes-Barre
13 Peoria
15 Birmingham
17 Louisville
Steamwheelers "When" Stats
4-0 at The MARK of the Quad Cities
2-2 on the road

3-2 vs. National Conference
3-1 vs. American Conference

2-1 vs. American Northeast
0-0 vs. American South
1-0 vs. American Mid-South
0-0 vs. National Southwest
2-0 vs. National Midwest
1-1 vs. National West

1-0 on Fridays
5-3 on Saturdays

3-1 in April
3-1 in May
0-1 in June
0-0 in July

5-1 when leading after the first quarter
0-3 when trailing after the first quarter
1-0 when tied after the first quarter

6-0 when leading at halftime
0-3 when trailing at halftime
0-0 when tied at halftime

6-0 when leading after the third quarter
0-3 when trailing after the third quarter
0-0 when tied after the third quarter

5-2 in games decided by 10+ points
0-0 in games decided by 4-9 points
1-1 in games decided by 3 points or less

0-2 when opponent scores more than 50 points
6-1 when opponent scores less than 50 points

2-2 when the ‘Wheelers scores more than 50 points
4-1 when the ‘Wheelers scores less than 50 points


4-1 when the ‘Wheelers scores first
2-2 when the opponent scores first

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