Steamwheelers Weekly Huddle

July 10, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release


Quad City Streaks: Kris Peters streak of 100+ receiving yards in eight straight games ended last weekend, however, his streak of at least one touchdown reception a game has been extended to 10 games... Tim Dodge has caught at least one receiving touchdown in the past eight games and has had two or more receiving touchdowns in the past five games .... Dodge also has at least one rushing touchdown in his past four games...Jermaine Petty has forced a fumble in his past two games...for the second straight game Matt Pike has played a series at linebacker (see poll question at www.steamwheelers.com).

Quad City Trio Makes History: Kris Peters, Tim Dodge and Jack Walker Jr. became the third trio to catch over 1,000 receiving yards for one team in the same season on July 8th when Walker became the third member of the Steamwheelers receiving corps to pass the 1000-yard plateau. Tim Dodge and Kris Peters have both been a member of a trio that has accomplished the feat in the past. In 2003, Dodge, Jeff Hewitt and Ira Gooch became the first group to accomplish the feat in the af2. A year later, while playing for the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, Kris Peters teamed up with Al Hunt and Timon Marshall to become the second group to accomplish the feat.

Record Setting Pace: Quad City quarterback Tim Hicks and Albany quarterback Ryan Vena are both still on a record setting pace to shatter the league record for total passing yards in a single season. Vena retook the lead in the battle with his 272-yard performance against Macon last Saturday. Vena currently has 3,807 total passing yards, while Quad City QB Hicks has 3,771. Hicks is on pace to finish the season with 4,641 yards breaking the league record of 4,489 yards in the final game of the regular season at Manchester. Hicks is also on pace to destroy the team record of 4,357 yards set by former 'Wheeler Tony Zimmerman in 2003. At his current pace Hicks will surpass Zimmerman in the regular season finale as well.

Ardoin and Petty Turning Up the Heat: The Quad Cities defense has turned up the heat on their opponents lately. The additions of Ty Ardoin and Jermaine Petty have sparked the Steamwheelers defense in the second half of this season. Since they both starting playing on June 17th at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton they have made an immediate impact in the turnover categories where they Steamwheelers have struggled this season. The pair have accounted for two of the six forced fumbles, three of the 10 fumble recoveries and one of the seven interceptions that the Steamwheelers have forced on the season.

Squelching the Fire: The Quad City Steamwheelers hope to squelch the Fire this weekend when they travel to Louisville for the contest. The Steamwheelers have struggled in Louisville losing their last two games and are 2-2 all-time in Freedom Hall. The game this weekend is important as it could have playoff implications for both teams; Louisville is currently in a battle for the East Division championship, while Quad City is currently in a battle for a playoff berth. The Fire are on a four-game winning streak that has been orchestrated by quarterback Brett Dietz, who has thrown 81 touchdown passes - fourth best in the af2. Dietz's favorite target is Rob Mager. Mager is arguably the best receiver in the af2. He leads the league in five of the six receiving categories including touchdowns (86) and in receiving yards where he has tallied 1,640 this season, his closest competitor has 1,369 receiving yards. The Steamwheelers leading receiver, Kris Peters, has 1,306 receiving yards. Under Dietz and Mager's play the Fire have the third best scoring offense in the league with 57.5 points. The Fire defense however, will be trying to stop the fourth best scoring offense in the af2 when Quad City brings their 56.5 points per game average into the contest. Kabota Siykala and Jeremy Chandler will be trying to help avoid a season sweep by the Steamwheelers. Siykala and Chander lead the team in total tackles with 69.5 and 66.5 tackles respectively. They are both also tied for the team lead in interceptions with six apiece.

Recent Steamwheeler Transactions: 7/7 Assigned Jimme Levins (WR/DB), Activated Adrian Wilson from STIR, Placed Maurice Harris on STIR, Placed Alfonso Pugh on Team Suspension; 6/29 Transferred Lavar Stepter from Short-Term to Long-Term IR; 6/23 Placed Adrian Wilson on Short-Term IR, Activiated Maurice Harris from Short-Term IR; 6/22 Assigned Mikey Novak; 6/15 Placed George Williams on Re-Assignment, Activated Jermaine Petty from Refused to Report, Placed Jeff Macrea on Long-Term IR, Placed Lavar Stepter on Short-Term IR.

Get 'em while their hot: Single game tickets are currently on sale. Tickets start as low as $13.00 for adults and $6.50 for children 14 and under. In addition, high school and college students with a valid student ID can purchase one upper deck ticket for $3.00 off the regular ticket price per ID.

Next Game

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Quad City Steamwheelers at Louisville Fire, 6:00 p.m. (CDT) at Freedom Hall (Louisville, Ky.)

Radio: WFXN Fox Sports 1230 AM, and steamwheelers.com with Jim Albracht calling all the exciting hard-hitting action.

Last Game

Saturday, July 8 2006

Tennessee Valley Vipers 21

Quad City Steamwheelers 59

OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities (Moline, Ill.)



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