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Rochester Brigade Game Notes

April 12, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rochester Brigade News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Rochester Brigade (1-0) vs. Albany Conquest (1-0)
Date: April 13, 2002
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Site: Blue Cross Arena (11,200)
National Anthem: Addie Wise
Coin Toss: TBD
Officials: Terry Haney, Referee
William P. Fealey, Umpire
Dave Holland, Head Linesman
Lou Hammond, Line Judge
Mel Plummer Jr., Back Judge
Radio: WYSL 1040 AM
JC DeLass, play-by-play commentator
John DiTullio, color commentator
Series Record: 0-0
Last Meeting: NA
Streaks: Rochester is on a three-game winning streak dating back to 2001, Albany has a one-game winning streak.
Coaches: Mark Saunders (5-12, 2nd)
Ron Selesky(1-0, 1st)

THE STAKES:

This is the first of three meetings between these two interstate rivals, as they will be competing for the NYS Lottery af2 Cup for the first time this season. The cup will be awarded to the winner of each game and at the end of the 2002 season the overall winner. Currently, the two teams are atop the Northeast Division, making this is an important battle as the winner of will claim the divisional lead.

HEAD COACHES:

In just his second season as the Brigade's Head Coach, Mark Saunders has a 5-12 record, and is riding a three game winning streak from the end of last season. This season, Saunders looks to improve upon that record, and make a mark in the newly formed Northeast division as he is currently 1-0 this season.

Albany's Ron Selesky begins his first season as head coach for the Conquest, and is off to good start with a 1-0 record. Prior to coaching for the Conquest, he was the head coach of the Louisville Fire during the 2001 season, where he led them to a 6-10 record.

THE IFs:

If the Brigade defeats the Conquest, it would ...

· Give the Brigade a four-game winning streak
· Give the Brigade a 1-0 series lead
· Give Mark Saunders a 6-12 all-time record
· Give the Brigade a three-game home winning streak
· Give the Brigade an early edge in the Division

THE SERIES:

This is the first of three meetings between the two teams this season, as Albany will head West along I-90 to Rochester twice this season; the first being this Saturday, April 13, and again on June 20, to end the regular season series. The teams will meet again on Saturday, April 27, when Rochester will travel East for the sole meeting on Conquest turf. The Brigade and the Conquest will be battling for the NYS Lottery af2 Cup to settle the I-90 rivalry.

SERIES NOTABLES:

Players to watch for this week are newly acquired Brigade QB, Matt D'Orazio, who led the team to a 61-34 victory last week after completing 17 of 26 passes with 4 TDs and 204 yards. OS Martino Theus, will be another player to watch for this season, as he caught seven passes for 97 yards and three touchdowns in the first game of the season. Notable Conquest players include DS Henry Baker and OS Corey Hill, who recorded 14 catches, 103 yards receiving and one touchdown in his first game. Baker will be a threat in the secondary as he picked off two passes last week, three passes defended and four and a half tackles.

MILESTONES:

· The Brigade wins first season opener in franchise history after a dominating 61-34 victory over the New Haven Ninjas on Saturday, April 6.
· Last week's victory gives the Brigade the franchise's longest winning streak (3) in the team's history, with two wins carrying over from the 2001 season.
· Two defensive touchdowns against the Ninjas last week is the most in a game in franchise history by the Brigade.
· Set the team individual game high for most points in a contest with 61.
· First time the Brigade led the entire game from start to finish in Franchise history.

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Quarterback, Matt D'Orazio, On Albany: "We have to take advantage of playing at home...last week was a step in the right direction and with another victory we will take the early lead in the division."

Head Coach Mark Saunders, This Week: " We need to be consistent and cut down on our mistakes and the penalties...we have to improve weekly to move forward and be successful throughout the season."

Head Coach Mark Saunders, Albany: "This is a very important game to set the edge... It's important to be consistent and distance ourselves between our opponents."

DROPBACK:

Last week, the Brigade defeated the New Haven Ninjas in the 2002 season opener with a 61-34 victory. The Brigade struck first as QB Matt D'Orazio connected with OS Martino Theus on a 27-yard dart to give the Brigade the early lead. The Brigade offense scored on five consecutive drives in the first half to take a 32-20 lead. The Brigade never looked back as they led the entire game.

FORWARD MOTION:

Next week, the Brigade will host the Mohegan Wolves of the Northeast division on Friday, April 19. This will mark the end of the Brigade's three game home stand. In week 2 the Mohegan Wolves fell to the Albany Conquest 29-14 in both teams' season opener.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

Veterans of the Northeast:

The Brigade has proven that a year of experience under your belt definitely does help out, as the Brigade dominated the New Haven Ninjas in 61-34 victory in their season opener. This week, the Brigade will face the Conquest, who were also victorious last week, after defeating the Mohegan Wolves 29-14.

Sacks vs. Sack Prevention:

One of Coach Saunders' biggest off- season adjustments was to improve the Offensive and Defensive line, which proved to be beneficial last week. Saunders' efforts were apparent, as the team seemingly took their first step in the right direction. Offensively the line played extremely well as QB Matt D'Orazio was never under any significant pressure throughout the entirety of the game. Defensively, they caused all sorts of havac to the larger Ninjas' line and spurred a significant amount of pressure on QB Phil Stambaugh, sacking him five times.

Brigade's Mr. Fix It:

Last season, DS Aaron Fix led the team in tackles with 77; however, this season he has widened his workload to an all around utility man. Earning IRONMAN of the game last week, he was a constant threat on the field. Fix rushed the ball three times for 15 yards, tallied two touchdowns, three receptions for 24 yards and three kick-off returns for 72 yards. Defensively, he registered one tackle and one pass defended.

Home on the Range:

Last Saturday, the Brigade kicked off their season with a 61-34 opening night victory over the New Haven Ninjas. The victory marked the first of three consecutive home games for the team, and look to keep things rolling in the right direction for those remaining. This week the Brigade will face bitter Northeast division rival the Albany Conquest for the first time this season; nevertheless, with home field advantage.

Cleary Sets Rushing Record:

FB/LB Anthony Cleary proved that he's a great addition to the Brigade Offense. Cleary's over powering ability to keep his forward progress heading to the end zone allowed him to dominate the field. Statistically, Cleary has tied last season's single game record for seven rushing attempts, and broke the single game yard record with 31-yards on the night.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Brigade OS Martino Theus:

Theus, battled though some nagging injuries during training camp, but seemed to be just fine for the season opener, catching seven passes for 97-yards and three touchdowns on the night. Theus proved he's the man on the run.

Conquest DS Henry Baker:

Baker will look to control the Brigade's top receivers, as he dominated the Wolves offense last week. Baker picked off two passes and registered three passes defended with four and half tackles on the night.

Conquest OS Corey Hill:

The Conquest's offense will be looking toward Hill's side of the field after catching 14 passes and registering 103 yards receiving with one touchdown against the Mohegan Wolves in week one. Nonetheless, the Brigade DBs will look to shut him down, as no other Conquest receivers were even comparable to Hill's stats.

Brigade QB Matt D'Orazio:

Jumping out to a great start, D'Orazio led the Brigade offense to five consecutive scoring drives on the night as well as seven touchdowns. Keying in on some main targets, D'Orazio found OS Martino Theus three times in the end zone and later connected on a beautiful lead pass WR Wille Spears for a 34-yard strike.

KEY DATES IN TEAM/LEAGUE HISTORY:

· Last weekend marked the most games ever played in one night for the arenafootball2 league with 13. Games were played from coast to coast, as another season of af2 was successfully set under way.

· Saturday, April 6, marked the second season of action in the arenafootball2 league for the Rochester Brigade, as they opened up the 2002 season with a key victory over the New Haven ninjas; the first time the Brigade ever registered 61 points in a single contest.



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