Steamwheelers Weekly Notes
June 15, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
A.J. Not OK: After losing a total of just two man games to injury during the first 10 games of the season, the Steamwheelers were dealt their first real injury blow on Monday when it was confirmed that former AFL FB/LB A.J. Novak would be forced to the sidelines for the rest of the regular season. Late in last weekend's overtime loss to Memphis, Noavk suffered a left knee injury, and tests taken in the Quad Cities on Monday confirmed that Novak had torn his ACL and LCL in that knee. The Cedar Rapids native will have surgery to repair the ligaments on Friday but will not be available to Rick Frazier for the remainder of the 2005 campaign.
Rush Party: The injury and the resulting fumble ruined what had been a wildly productive game for Noavk who had a 16-yard touchdown reception, as well as a short rushing touchdown for his first two score game of the season.
But Novak was not the only Steamwheeler to make his way into the end zone on the ground on the evening. Travis Burns had his third running score in the last four weeks, and his fourth for the entire season. Sam Clemons also scored on a 10-yard quarterback keeper for his sixth score in the last six games.
It was the first time that the Steamwheelers had scored three rushing touchdowns in the same game since July 17 of last season and the first time that three different players had tallied rushing scores in a single game for Quad City since that same day. In that game, the âWheelers used five rushing scores, three by Ronnie Gordon and one each by Fred Barr and Jeff Hewitt to cruise to a 56-22 win over the Birmingham Steeldogs at The MARK.
Going the Extra Mile: Saturday's overtime loss to the Xplorers was just the second game in Steamwheeler history to go to an extra session, and the first time in team history that they came out on the losing end.
The only other overtime game in Steamwheeler history came all the way back on May 19, 2000 in the af2's inaugural season. On that night, quad City jumped out to a 45-35 halftime advantage, only to see that lead slip away and the host Arkansas Twisters take 59-52 lead late in the contest. With just over a minute remaining, Billy Dicken hit Xavier Patterson for the third time on the night to tie the contest 59-59. The Twisters missed an attempted game-winning field goal as regulation expired, and the âWheelers marched down the field in overtime for the victory, thanks to a five-yard rush from fullback Chad Buntin.
NEXT GAME-
-Saturday, June 18, 2005
-Steamwheelers (4-6, 4th in the Midwest Division) vs. Albany Conquest (3-7, 5th 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, June 11
Quad City Steamwheelers 54
Memphis Xplorers 61 in OT
at the DeSoto Civic Center
STEAMWHEELERS INJURY REPORT (updated 06-14-05):
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 June 7, 2005 (All times are CDT)
Wednesday, June 15 -4:45 p.m. Practice at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
Thursday, June 16 -4:45 p.m. Practice at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
Friday, June 17 -4:45 p.m. Walk Through at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities
Saturday, June 18 ***GAME vs. Albany Conquest @ 7:30 p.m. (CDT) at OS Field at The MARK of the Quad Cities***
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