San Diego Resigns McElrath

December 16, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
San Diego Riptide News Release


SAN DIEGO – The Riptide signed its first players to the 2005 training camp roster earlier today. Last year's stand out rookie receiver, Nakoa McElrath, is the first Riptide player to resign with the team. Three players from across the league fill out the first spots on the roster.

McElrath was an explosive weapon in his first season with the ‘Tide. He holds the team's single season scoring record with 156 points. In Week Nine, he was named the af2 Ironman of the Week after scoring 30 points against the Hawaiian Islanders, a game that holds the record for the af2's highest scoring game point total.

"Signing a player that caught 50 balls and scored 22 touchdowns in one season as a rookie, is a no brainer," said Coach Ponder. "With one season under his belt, his potential is phenomenal."

Along with McElrath, the Riptide signed WR/DB Torrey Prather, FB/LB Nathan Buergey, and OL/DL Rico Ochoa. Each player has at least one af2 season under their belt, two played for teams that recently folded and one that had to spend a year away due to a knee injury.

Last season, Torrey Prather spent time on the Arkansas Twisters before finishing the season with the Laredo Law. He played four games with each team recording 24 catches for 262 yards and four touchdowns. He has been working hard during the off season to get in shape for camp.

"He's a breakaway speed guy that played for Laredo last year. After seeing him play in three games against him, he's a quality acquisition."

Nathan Buergey was a standout FB/LB for the Bakersfield Blitz during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. He was invited to tryouts with two AFL teams and made the 2001 L.A. Avengers training camp roster before breaking away in Bakersfield. While with the Blitz, he played a total 26 games and carried the ball 34 times for 78 yards and four touchdowns. His career was cut short after suffering a knee injury towards the end of the 2003 season.

"We're expecting big things out of Nathan. He's a solid fullback/linebacker in this league and we hope he comes back from his injury 100%."

Rico Ochoa fills the fourth spot of the Riptide training camp roster. He is the first Wichita Stealth player to sign with his former coach. Ochoa played in ten games with the Stealth last season. Prior to his stay on the Stealth, he played with the Norfolk Nighthawks.

"He played for me last year and was the anchor of our offensive line. He hasn't given up a sack in three years of af2 football."

This Saturday at the University of San Diego, the San Diego Riptide will be looking for new talent to fill the 31 spots left for their training camp roster.



arenafootball2 Stories from December 16, 2004


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.

OurSports Central