Sports stats



Riptide Game Notes

May 29, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2)
San Diego Riptide News Release


QUICK FACTS:
San Diego Riptide (3-5) vs. Hawaiian Islanders (1-7)
Date: Saturday, June 1, 2002
Kickoff: 7:00 pm (PDT)
Site: SD Sports Arena (12,000)
Officials: Mike Wesloh (referee); Matt Jordan III (umpire); Brian Matthew (head linesman); Scott Reily (line judge); Greg Wilson (back judge)
Radio: KSDO 1130 AM (Scott Kaplan, Billy Ray Smith)
By Phone: 1.800.846.4700 Team Code: 4101 Series History: Riptide 1-0
Last time: SDG 52, HAW 50 (5/11/02)

COACHES:
Islanders: Chad Carlson (0-3, 1st year)
Riptide: Cree Morris (3-5, 1st year)

This week's opponent – Hawaiian Islanders

The Islanders come into this game with a seven-game losing skid and their third trip in a row to the mainland. These teams will play again on June 14 in Honolulu.

The dangerous running quarterback Darnell Arceneaux, who has ran for nine touchdowns and passed for 22 leads Hawaii. His go-to player is Darrell Jones whose 1465 all-purpose yards ranks fourth in the af2.

Last week vs. Bakersfield –Blitz 43, Riptide 33
SAN DIEGO – For the second straight game, the San Diego Riptide (3-5) failed to convert a third down and dropped their second straight game to a division opponent losing 43-33 to the Bakersfield Blitz (5-2). The Riptide's usually potent offense struggled to gain just six first downs and merely 154 yards of total offense.

Score By Quarter 1 2 3 4 F
Bakersfield Blitz 07 15 07 13 43
San Diego Riptide 13 03 07 10 33

INT-less Streak Ends For Claunch
Claunch threw his first interception in 98 pass attempts against Bakersfield (5/25). That 98-pass streak dates back to the fourth quarter of Arkansas game (4/27). That includes three full games and almost a fourth. Between picks, he completed 64.3% of his passes (63-of-98) for 845 yards with 17 TDs and a passer rating of 131.16.

Aazaar Gets Offensive
Making his Ironman-debut, Abdul-Rahim and grabbed a 34-yard strike from Claunch. As a result, he just had 1.5 tackles and made two pass breakups

New Faces Coming Through
Kenny Haslip and Jared Smith made their af2 debuts last week and both had made a big impact defensively. Haslip had 7.5 tackles, including 2.5 of them losses, and two pass breakups. Smith recovered a fumble that set up a Riptide field goal in the third quarter.

Curtis In The Clutch
Rico Curtis is the only player on the team to notch at least one catch in all eight games this season.

Slam "Dunc"
DS Michael Duncan posted a season-high 7.0 tackles, forced a fumble and broke up two passes against Bakersfield (5/25). Since joining the Riptide before the third game of the season, he has established himself as a starter and has tallied 24.5 stops (fourth on the team) and his 10 pass breakups are tied with Abdul-Rahim for the team lead.

Oh Henry!
OL/DL Jason Henry will graduate from Cal State San Marcos on Saturday afternoon then head to the Sports Arena to join his Riptide teammates in battling the Hawaiian Islanders.

Pooched Kick Keeps Riptide In Game
In the fourth quarter of the Bakersfield (5/25) game, Ryan Geisler pooched a 55-yard field goal, which Ryan Smith scooped up at the Blitz 20. A facemask penalty pushed it to the 10 and two plays later, Claunch ht Smith on a 7-yard score to pull San Diego within four (37-33) with 4:48 left in the game.

Third Down Woes Continue
For the second straight game, the Riptide failed to convert a third down, going 0-for-6 against Bakersfield (5/25). So that make means that San Diego has not converted a third down in their last 13 tries dating back to the Hawaii game (5/11). In two games against the Blitz, the Riptide have gone just 2-of-12 on third downs.

Curt's so good
For the six of eight games, Rico Curtis has led the Riptide in tackles. His 63.5 tackles on the year rank first in the af2 and is on pace to break (with 127 stops) the af2 single-season record (117 by Cornelius Coe of Quad City in 2000). Coe was a defensive specialist and went on to the AFL the following season with the Indiana Firebirds and tallied the AFL single-season mark in his rookie year.

First down Friendly to Claunch
Against Fresno (5/18), Claunch completed 12-of-13 passes for 149 yards, a touchdown and six first downs. However, on third and fourth down, he was 0-of-5 passing.

Heckuva "Gei"
Since being assigned to the Riptide just hours before the Louisville game (5/04), Ryan Geisler has been a great acquisition for the Riptide. Before he came to the team, San Diego was just 1-of-9 from field goals. Geisler is 3-for-6, but is a perfect 3-of-3 from under 50 yards.

One Flu over the Frenzy?
Rico Curtis suffered from a severe case of the flu against Fresno (5/18) and ended up with 9.0 tackles (5 solo, 8 assisted), an interception and four receptions for 51 yards. As a result, he was named the Ironman of the Game.

Getting "Misi"
Against Fresno (5/18), Trevor Misipeka tallied three assisted tackles, a sack, recovered a fumble and picked off his first career interception. He also started the game at center, marking the first time in his football career he played the position.

A "Cut" Above the Rest
Against Fresno (5/18), Ryan Cuthbert recorded a sack that forced a fumble which set up a Riptide touchdown and batted a ball up in the air, which Misipeka picked off.

Graham nabs three TDs in return
After sitting against Hawaii (5/11) to rest his hamstring, Marty Graham returned to the starting lineup against Fresno (5/18) and caught all three of Claunch's touchdown passes. Graham ended with seven grabs for 96 yards.

Graham Goes Over a Grand
Against Fresno (5/18), Graham went over the 1,000 all-purpose yardage mark, becoming the first Riptide player to accomplish the feat. He is averaging an af2-leading 229.4 all-purpose yards a game.

TEAM "RYAN" WINS IT AGAINST HAWAII

The teamwork of all three of the Riptide Ryans contributed to San Diego's 52-50 win last Saturday in Hawaii. Ryan Geisler hit both field goal attempts, including the game winner at time expired. Ryan Smith had 261 all-purpose yards, including a 32-yard kickoff return to set up Geisler's game winner. Finally, Ryan Cuthbert caught a 17-yard touchdown and registered 1 ½ tackles.

SHORT FIELD PRODUCES RIPTIDE POINTS

Against the Islanders (5/11), the Riptide's first three touchdowns all came when they started that possession with the ball inside Hawaii territory. Ryan Smith had a 42-yard missed field goal return to the Islander 14 that set up Melvin Blue's 1-yard rushing score.

On their next scoring drive, San Diego's Rico Curtis had a 17-yard return and an Islander personal foul placed the ball at the Hawaii 24. A play later Kane Claunch hit Mark Butler on a 24-yard touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, Brian Berg stripped out the ball from the Hawaiian returner and Aazaar Abdul-Rahim scooped it up at the Islander 14. Three plays later, Claunch plunged in from a yard out.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME FOR ABDUL-RAHIM

In Hawaii (5/11), Aazaar Abdul-Rahim scooped up two loose fumbles for the Riptide and recorded a game-high 7.0 tackles. As a result, he was named as the ADT Defensive Player of the Game for his efforts.

RIPTIDE FIRE OFF POINTS IN A HURRY

The Riptide registered 68 points against Louisville (5/04) despite having the ball for just 19:46 and only 25 offensive plays. Each scoring drive was less than four plays and the most time consumed was 3:38 when Claunch and Smith hooked up for a 19-yard score.

The Riptide's longest drive (7 plays, 5:17) resulted in a fumble. Two San Diego scores came from the defense (fumble return and INT return) and another two on special teams (kickoff return and safety).

GREAT RETURNS

Against Louisville (5/04), the Riptide returned touchdowns three different ways on their way to winning 68-27. Marty Graham had an af2-record 58-yard kickoff return near the end of the first half. Rico Curtis followed in the third quarter with a 17-yard fumble return for a score. Finally in the fourth, Ryan Smith picked off a pass and raced 52 yards for another Riptide score.

RICO SAUVE

Rico Curtis was named the af2's Built-Ford Tough Player of the Week after a dominating two-way performance in the Riptide's 68-27 win over Louisville (5/04). Curtis is the lone Riptide player to be selected as one of the team's BFT players all seven games this season.

THE SAFETY DANCE

The Riptide have recorded safety's in three of their six games this season. At Fresno (4/11), a botched snap on a field goal attempt resulted in a safety. The following week against Tulsa (4/20), Ryan Cuthbert forced the Talons returner on the opening kickoff back into the end zone for another safety. And finally, last week against Louisville (5/04), Brad Greetis blocked a field goal. The ball went out of bounds for a safety.

SAFTEY DANCE II

After each of the Riptide's three safeties, the team has taken the free kick and gone done for scores. Below is how the Riptide scored on each drive after the defense recorded a safety.

Game Plays Score
Fresno 1 Burk 8yd run – PAT good
Tulsa 5 Curtis 1yd run – PAT failed
Louisville 2 Curtis 35yd pass (Claunch) PAT failed

MARTY BALL

In the Riptide''s 49-43 overtime loss to Bakersfield (4/06), Marty Graham recorded an af2-record 400 all-purpose yards and many other of the top marks this season in numerous af2 single-game marks. Below is a list of the top statistics that Graham achieved in the season opener.

Game (all vs. Bakersfield) Stat af2 Rank
All-purpose yards 400 1st
Kickoff yards 199 3rd
Combined Ret. Yards 199 3rd
Rec yards/reception 28.1 1st
KO yards/return 28.4 1st
Combined yards/return 28.4 1st
Yards/touch 25.0 1st

GREAT RETURNS, PART II

Ryan Smith recorded one of the best kickoff return performances in af2 history on against Arkansas (4/27). It ranks seventh all-time in league annuals. Below is a list of the top seven return yardage games.

Player Team Opp Date Yds
Brian McDonald LOU at Iowa 7/07/01 240
Brian McDonald LOU Iowa 7/14/01 234
Archie Turner BAT at BIRM 6/29/01 234
Johnny Loper MEM at RICH 7/13/01 233
Anthony Stringfield NORF CAR 6/22/01 233
Lamont Webb FRN QC 4/27/02 231
Ryan Smith SDG at ARK 4/27/02 227

LONGEST af2 GAME IN HISTORY

April 6's Riptide-Blitz game's overtime period lasted 10:38, which put the game at 70 minutes and 38 seconds. This marks the longest game in the history of the league.

GOLDEN GRAHAM

Despite the loss to Bakersfield on April 6, the Riptide OS set an af2 record for most all-purpose yards in a single game (400) and grabbed four touchdowns. He averaged more than 25 yards per touch in the contest with TD grabs of 40, 16, 36 and 46 yards (his other three catches went for 26,19 and 14).

Marty Graham vs. Bakersfield (April 6, 2002)
Category Touches Yards Avg. TDs
Receiving 7 197 28.1 4
Returns 7 199 28.4 0
Rushing 2 4 2.0 0
All-Purpose 16 400 25.1 4

af2 all-purpose yardage games (All-time)
Yards Player, team Opponent, date
400 Marty Graham, SD 4/06/02 vs. Bakersfield
378 Lamont Webb, FRN 4/27/02 vs. QC
356 Ira Gooch, QC 5/11/02 at PEO
351 Archie Turner, BAT 7/07/01 at Memphis

NEXT WEEK'S OPPONENT – Bakersfield Blitz

The Riptide head north next Saturday to Bakersfield to finish their three-game division set with the Blitz. San Diego lost both contests at the Sports Arena when the two teams played this season.

INJURY REPORT (as of May 20)
Player Injury Status
Kevin Burton Knee Injured Reserve
Jerry Garrett Knee Injured Reserve
Scottie Nicholson Leg Injured Reserve
Nathan Gallow Ankle Doubtful
Jason Henry Elbow Questionable

LOCAL PLAYERS KEY FOR RIPTIDE

In addition to the six former Aztecs, the Riptide roster is stock full of local players. Of the 24-man roster (including IR players), have 17 connections to the San Diego area (by schooling and/or professional experience).

Player Local Connection
Aazaar Abdul-Rahim SDSU
Brandon Bejarano SDSU
Brian Berg SDSU
Jason Burk Mt. Carmel High/Palomar JC
Kevin Burton SDSU
Rico Curtis SDSU
Michael Duncan El Camino High/Palomar JC
Jerry Garrett Oceanside High/Palomar JC
Marty Graham Torrey Pines High/SDSU
Brad Greetis Orange Glen High/Palomar JC
Steve Hendrickson San Diego Chargers
Jason Henry San Dieguito High/ Palomar JC
Trevor Misipeka Temecula Valley High
Scottie Nicholson SDSU
Altie Parker Crawford High
Jared Smith Hoover High
Ryan Smith Escondido High/Palomar JC

RIPTIDE AZTEC ARMY

Nearly a third of the Riptide roster consist of former San Diego State Aztec players.

Pos Player
DS Aazaar Abdul-Rahim
OL/DL Brandon Bejarano
FB/LB Brian Berg
DS Kevin Burton
WR/LB Rico Curtis
OS Marty Graham
WR/LB Scottie Nicholson

COMET CONNECTIONS

The Riptide have five players who played for Palomar Junior College. This is where 2001 AFL Ironman of the Year, Damon Porter (Chicago Rush) played. Riptide OL/DL Steve Hendrickson is an assistant coach for the Comets' football team, making six players with Palomar connections

Pos. Player FB/LB Jason Burk
DS Michael Duncan
WR/LB Jerry Garrett
OL/DL Brad Greetis
OL/DL Steve Hendrickson
OL/DL Jason Henry
WR/DB Ryan Smith

WHERE TO LISTEN TO THE RIPTIDE GAME
If you cannot make it to this Saturday's game, you have three options to listen to the Riptide-Islanders game.

RADIO – KSDO 1130 AM
Join Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith for the pre-game show at 6:30pm and at 7:00pm get ready for all the high-scoring Arena football action.

INTERNET – sandiegoriptide.com
Log-on to the Riptide's official homepage (sandiegoriptide.com) to listen to every second of tonight's game anywhere that the Internet is available on the planet.

TELEPHONE – 1.800.846.4700 Team Code: 4101
There's no need to have Internet access to listen to the Riptide games. To hear live play-by-play of all 16 Riptide games make a toll-free to 1-800-846-4700 and enter 4101 as the Riptide 'Team Code'. RIPTIDE 2002 SITUATIONALS Below is how the Riptide have fared during certain situations.



arenafootball2 Stories from May 29, 2002


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 San Diego Riptide Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central