Steamwheelers Weekly Notes
May 31, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
Will Twice Be Just As Nice?: For just the second time in team history, the Steamwheelers are two-games below .500, standing at 3-5. The only other time the âWheelers were more than one game under the .500 mark was at the start of the 2003 campaign when they were 0-2 after a pair of one-point losses to Hawaii and Louisville to start the season. Those losses were followed up by 14 consecutive wins that led Quad City to its third division title in four years.
In order to win the Midwest title this season, Quad City would need to surpass Oklahoma City, Amarillo and Memphis who stand one, two and four games ahead of it at the midway point of the season.
Beasts in the East: If the playoffs were to begin today, a 3-5 team, the Macon Knights, would qualify for the playoffs in the American Conference. But despite that fact, the âWheelers have had an uncharacteristically difficult time with the teams of the American Conference (specifically the East Division) so far this season. With a series sweep at the hands of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as well as a road defeat in Green Bay, Quad City is 0-3 in games outside of their conference with games against Louisville (6/4), Albany (6/18) and Manchester (6/24) coming up in the next four weeks.
Those numbers are vastly out of character for a Steamwheelers team that did not lose a single non-conference game in its first four years of existence, going 7-0. Last year the âWheelers went 5-2 out of the National Conference, losing twice to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, to give them a 12-2 non-conference record coming into this season.
Clemons Keeps Rolling Up the Numbers: In his first season with the Steamwheelers, quarterback Sam Clemons has done much in order to get his name recognized alongside the franchises past star signal callers. In his first eight games for the club, Clemons has tallied 196 completions on 289 attempts, good for a 67.8 completion percentage, and just six interceptions, while throwing for 2,146 yards and 40 touchdowns. The af2 rookie finds himself near the top of the league in nearly every statistical category: 2nd in pass completion percentage (67.8), 2nd in pass completions (196), 2nd in pass rating (110.7), 3rd in total offense (2,170), 4th in passing average per game (268.2), 4th in passing yards (2,146), 5th in pass attempts (289), 5th in passing yards per attempt (7.4), and 7th in touchdown passes (40). The California native is currently on pace to throw for 4,292 yards, just 62 yards shy of the Steamwheeler record set by Tony Zimmerman in 2003 and also throw for 80 touchdowns just 13 shy of the Zimmerman's team record, also set in â03.
Fabulous Forney: Louisville RB/LB Demetrius Forney was named the af2's U.S. Army Ironman of the Week following his five tackles/five touchdown performance against Albany on Friday night. Forney, who entered the game with just three carries for two yards on the season, gained 31 yards rushing on nine carries and found the endzone on five of those, including a 21-yard scamper in overtime to put his team in front. The five rushing scores tied an af2 record that was last matched in 2003.
Forney was equally impressive on defense, tallying five tackles, three unassisted, while also recording a sack and forcing a fumble on the game's final play, ensuring the Fire of a 62-55 home win over the Conquest at Freedom Hall.
NEXT GAME-
-Saturday, June 4, 2005
-Steamwheelers (3-5, 4th in the Midwest Division) vs. Louisville Fire (5-3, 3rd in the East Division), 7:30 p.m. (CDT) at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities.
Radio: WFXN 1230 AM, KWPC 860 AM and steamwheelers.com with Jim Albracht and John Furlong
LAST GAME-
-Saturday, May 28
Quad City Steamwheelers 49
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz 56
at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
STEAMWHEELERS INJURY REPORT (updated 05-31-05):
OUT-Andre Banks (R- Ankle) Long-Term Injured Reserve
OUT- Brandon Graves (R- Shoulder) Long-Term Injured Reserve
OUT- Alfonso Pugh Jr. (R- Ankle) Short-Term Injured Reserve*
OUT- Antonio Watson (R- Hamstring) Short-Term Injured Reserve*
OUT- Brandon Williams (R- Knee) Long-Term Injured Reserve
* Denotes that player must come off of injured reserve before Saturday's game
STEAMWHEELERS Remaining Practice Schedule for Week of May 31, 2005 (All times are CDT)
Tuesday, May 31 -5 p.m. Practice at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
Wednesday, June 1 5 p.m. Practice at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
Thursday, June 2 -5 p.m. Practice at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
Friday, June 3 -5 p.m. Walk Through at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
Saturday, June 4 ***GAME vs. Louisville Fire @ 7:30 p.m. (CDT) at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities***
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