Steamwheelers Weekly Notes
May 17, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
Northern Exposure: Steamwheeler fans across Iowa and Western Illinois will be able to catch their favorite af2 team in action live from The Resch Center in Green Bay this Saturday at 7 p.m. when the âWheelers travel north to take on the Blizzard. The game will be shown locally on Meidacom Channel 22, and on the local Mediacom channel in the other markets, stretching from Des Moines in central Iowa, all the way across the Mississippi River to Western Illinois. Veteran announcer Rob Brooks, who has called Big Ten football games and other events for ESPN and espn2, will have the play-by-play alongside color commentator Jim Foster.
Walker Works His Magic Again: For the fourth straight game, WR/LB Jack Walker, Jr. showed a propensity for getting into the end zone on multiple occasions. After not finding the end zone in the season opening loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the af2's record holder for touchdown receptions in a single season, opened his Steamwheeler touchdown account in the home opening victory over Bossier-Shreveport with a grab midway through the second quarter. He would add a second score to give the âWheelers the lead for good in the fourth, marking the first of four occasions this season that he has collected multiple touchdown receptions.
On the season, Walker has 35 catches, including a team-best nine for touchdowns, and 350 yards receiving in six games. The 35 receptions and 350 yards are each good for third on the team.
A New Natural Rival: For the first time this season, the Steamwheelers will have to travel less than 10 hours for a road game as they make the 332 mile journey to Green Bay. With local rivals Peoria and Iowa no longer competing in af2, the âWheelers find themselves in the unusual position of having to travel extensively for each game. The five-and-a-half hour trek to Green Bay will be the shortest of the year for Quad City, something that only two other teams know. Only Rio Grande Valley, Florida and Louisville have to travel further for each game than Quad City. The Fire's closest opponent is the Birmingham Steeldogs 365 miles away in Alabama. The Firecats closest opponent is the South Georgia Wildcats 453 miles away while the Dorados, located near the southern tip of Texas, must travel at least 723 miles each way to play anybody.
Remember Us?: While this will be the first of two regular season meetings between the âWheelers and Blizzard this year, it is not the first time that these two have faced off in 2005. On March 28 at The MARK, Green Bay got a 1-yard touchdown plunge from Marcus Green on the game's final play to complete a come-from-behind win over Quad City in the inaugural Happy Joe's Pizza Bowl.
However, the final scoreline is hardly a barometer of the actual way that the game was played. Quad City led by as many as 13 in the third quarter when Head Coach Rick Frazier went to his third string unit, a group from which there is nobody still on the current Steamwheeler roster. That gave Blizzard quarterback Johnny Turman, their current starter, a chance to pick apart the âWheeler defense and lead his team to the game-tying and eventual game-winning scores.
NEXT GAME-
-Saturday, May 21, 2005
-Steamwheelers (3-3, 3rd in the Midwest Division) at Green Bay Blizzard (5-1, T-1st in the East Division), 7:00 p.m. (CDT) at The Resch Center.
TV: Mediacom Channel 22 with Rob Brooks and Jim Foster
Radio: WFXN 1230 AM, KWPC 860 AM and steamwheelers.com with Jim Albracht and John Furlong
LAST GAME-
-Saturday, May 14
Quad City Steamwheelers 55
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 63
at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
STEAMWHEELERS INJURY REPORT (updated 05-17-05):
OUT-Andre Banks (R- Ankle) Long-Term Injured Reserve
OUT- Brandon Graves (R- Shoulder) Long-Term Injured Reserve
OUT- Mikey Novak. (L- Knee) Short-Term Injured Reserve*
OUT- DeOnte' Taylor (L- Ankle) Short-Term Injured Reserve*
OUT- Brandon Williams (R- Knee) Long-Term Injured Reserve
* Denotes that these players must be removed from Short-Term I.R. on Friday
STEAMWHEELERS Remaining Practice Schedule for Week of May 9, 2005 (All times are CDT)
Tuesday, May 17 -5 p.m. Practice at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
Wednesday, May 18 5 p.m. Practice at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
Thursday, May 19 -5 p.m. Practice Site To Be Determined
Friday, May 20 ***TRAVEL DAY AND WALK THROUGH AT THE RESCH CENTER***
Saturday, May 21 ***GAME at Green Bay Blizzard @ 7:00 p.m. (CDT) at The Resch Center, live on Mediacom Channel 22***
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