Stealth Tries to Sneak Past Pirate Radar
Published on April 4, 2002 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
CHICAGO â The first full weekend of the 2002 arenafootball2 season kicks off tonight when the Wichita Stealth hosts the Peoria Pirates in a Midwest Division matchup (Kansas Coliseum â 8:30 p.m. ET).
Both teams finished 7-9 in the Midwest Division last season, but the teams did not play each other. This will be the first of two critical games between the division opponents this season, with the return installment set for May 3 in Peoria. Under af2's new playoff system, two teams will advance to the postseason out of each division, meaning Peoria, Wichita and Louisville will fight a three-way battle for the right to represent the four-team Midwest in the playoffs. The other Midwest Division member, Quad City, is ineligible for postseason play this year.
Peoria went 3-5 on the road last season while Wichita boasted an impressive 6-2 home mark. Wichita shoots for its second consecutive opening-night victory after dousing Louisville's Fire 43-6 last April. The Pirates, meanwhile, hope to shake the memories of last season's 41-0 opening-game loss to Quad City. Both teams are hungry for a victory, and not just because it will get them off on the right foot. The Stealth closed the 2001 campaign on a four-game losing streak after starting 7-5. The Pirates saw their hopes of a .500 or better season dashed by two straight year-ending losses.
With the retirement of MATT SIEGRIST, Wichita breaks in a new quarterback in MIKE BURTON. But he has a potent receiving corps to work with in OS PASCAL VOLZ (af2's top receiver in 2001 with 148 catches, 1,624 yards and 26 touchdowns), WR/LB WILLIE GRISSOM (80 catches, 1,069 yards in '01) and new addition XAVIER PATTERSON. The wide receiver/defensive back comes to Wichita from Quad City, where he was af2's Ironman of the Year in 2000 and a second-team all-league selection last year. Peoria welcomes back its old head coach from the Pirates' Indoor Football League days in BRUCE COWDREY. He's one of the only familiar faces in the silver and black â kicker TODD KURZ (10-40 field goals in 2001) and fullback/linebacker KEN BOUIE are the only returnees from last year's edition of the Pirates.
It's the battle of expansion teams on Friday night (6:30 ET), as the first-year Albany Conquest invades Mohegan Sun Arena to challenge its fellow af2 newcomer, the Mohegan Wolves. This tilt should set the tone for what will become a heated rivalry in the new Northeast division. These teams meet two more times during the regular season as they battle to become one of the two top dogs in the division and advance to the playoffs.
While the teams in this contest have never played a game, the head coaches go into this with one year each behind the bench in af2. Albany's RON SELESKY was 6-10 with the Louisville Fire last season while Mohegan's GARY PORTER posted a 7-9 records as the head man in Peoria during the 2001 campaign.
Selesky will rely on a familiar arm under center in 2002, having brought QB JOHN KRUEGER with him from the Fire. In 11 games with Louisville last season, Krueger tossed 19 TDs against only seven INTs. Kreuger will attempt to demonstrate his marksmanship by looking to OS COREY HILL as his main target. In 2001, Hill played for the Iowa Barnstormers and the Norfolk Nighthawks, finishing with 79 receptions for 889 yards and 11 touchdowns.
arenafootball2 Stories from April 4, 2002
- Stealth Tries to Sneak Past Pirate Radar - af2
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