Stealth Fly by Twisters, 48-26

March 31, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


Wichita, Kan. - Newly signed quarterback Anthony Buich passed for four touchdowns and earned Game MVP honors as they Wichita Stealth (1-0) defeated the Arkansas Twisters (0-1) 48-26 in front of 5,605 fans at the Kansas coliseum.

Buich was 19-of-32 for 205 yards with only one interception. Three of Buich' s four touchdowns went to Stealth offensive specialist Michael Dritlein who caught five passes for 62 yards and three touchdowns. Dritlein also returned three kickoffs for 31 yards and one missed field goal for 42 yards. Ironman of the Game, Stealth fullback/linebacker Brian Goolsby, had two carries for 6 yards and one touchdown on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, he had three tackles, one for a loss of seven yards. He also blocked a Mark Norris 47-yard field goal attempt to end the third quarter.

In a losing effort, Arkansas quarterback Ricky Hebert was 17-of-45 for 203 yards with three interceptions and four touchdown passes. Hebert's 17-yard touchdown pass to Kahlil Carter with 6:31 left in the second brought the Twisters back to within four of Wichita, but they would get no closer. Wide Receiver/Linebacker Kevin Williams caught 5 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns for Arkansas.

The key turning point of the game was late in the second quarter when Wichita scored 11 consecutive points to take the halftime score to 24-9. Wichita began the scoring when Hebert was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety for the Stealth. ON the ensuing drive, Stealth kicker Jason Corse set a new team record for longest field goal with his successful 45-yard attempt with :52 seconds left in the half. Then the Stealth defense limited Arkansas to four downs capped by a Goolsby sack for a loss of seven yards. The Stealth offense took to the field and increased the lead to 24-9 when Buich hit Dritlein in the end zone for a 9-yard score. Corse failed the conversion pass after a mishandled snap.

The bright spot on the night had to be the Stealth defense as they turned in the third best defensive performance in team history. Stealth wide receiver/linebacker Greg Kyler led all tacklers with 5 and a half tackles. Kyler a third year player for Wichita seemed to set the example for the rest of the af2 rookies on the Stealth roster. Defensive Specialist Brian Livingston garnered ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors for his one interception and two pass break-ups performance, and defensive specialist Lee Vaughn had four tackles and three pass break-ups for Wichita.

Wichita takes next week off as they have a bye, then they will head on a two game road swing to Tulsa (1-0) on April 12th and finish out the road swing on April 19th at Green Bay. The Stealth's next home game is April 26th versus the Tulsa Talons. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.

STEALTH GAME NOTES

· The victory gives the Stealth a 2-1 home opener record

· The victory gives Bob Cortese is first af2 head coaching win

· Arkansas still leads the series 1-2 over Wichita



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