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Steamwheelers Weekly Report

July 21, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release


Recap: The Steamwheelers won their 13th straight game last Saturday night in a 63-34 rout of the formerly unbeaten Tennessee Valley Vipers. QB Tony Zimmerman had an outstanding game going 17-of-30 for 237 yards, throwing eight touchdowns and no interceptions. His eight touchdowns added to his season total that is now at 89, which is a new af2 record. Zimmerman was named the Game's MVP. OS Ira Gooch accounted for four touchdowns, all in the first half, catching eight passes for 127 yards. Ironman Jeff Hewitt caught four passes for 55 yards; three touchdowns while adding one tackle and three pass deflections. DS Leo FenceRoy responded from a one-week suspension with eight pass deflections, an interception and 3.5 tackles.

Next Up: The ‘Wheelers will hit the road for their last home game of the season to take on their more local rival Peoria Pirates. The "Ruler of the River" trophy will be up for grabs once again when the two teams meet this Saturday night at the Peoria Civic Center. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m.

Last Time: The last time these two teams met, the ‘Wheelers regained the rights to the "Ruler of the River" trophy with a 55-52 defeat of the struggling Pirates. Game MVP Ira Gooch caught 11 passes for 181 yards, four for touchdowns. QB Tony Zimmerman threw for 317 yards and seven touchdowns on 22-of-30 throwing. The Pirates had a chance to tie things up late in the game, but failed to recover an onsides kick with 00:27 remaining in the game.

Zimmerman Record Watch: After tearing apart the Vipers secondary for eight touchdowns, Zimmerman now holds the af2 record for most touchdowns thrown for in a season with 89 and can add to the total this weekend against Peoria. Zimmerman is 372 yards shy of breaking the record for passing yards in a season, set by Arkansas' Jon Nielsen in 2000.

Road-Trip: Fans looking to make the short hour and a half trip to Peoria this weekend can purchase discounted $7 tickets by contacting Steamwheelers Ticketing Director Brian Forth at 563.326.1111. Those fans looking for a ride down can go to www.steamwheelerfans.com for more information.

Upcoming Steamwheelers Appearances: This week the Steamwheelers will be out and about this week, starting on Tuesday night at the Steamwheelers VIP Season Ticket Holders party, which is being held at F1 Indoor Karting from 7-10 p.m. On Friday night, they will be on hand for the Kid's Bix race at 6 p.m. and will be around the Bix Street Fest on Friday and Saturday.

Practice Times: The Steamwheelers will return to The MARK of the Quad Cities this week for the entire week. As usual, the Steamwheelers will take Monday off and will return to practice on Tuesday. Practice will be from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday – Thursday this week, with film going from 5-5:20 p.m. and practice running from 5:30-6:45 p.m. each night. On Friday, they will have a walkthrough from 5-6 p.m. Players begin to arrive at The MARK between 4-4:30 p.m. with the best time to reach them between 4:30 – 5 p.m. and after practice for interviews and between for 5:20-5:30 p.m. for quick comments from the players.

Travel Plans: The team will depart from Moline, Ill. on Saturday afternoon around 3p.m. and travel by bus to Peoria. They plan to arrive at the Peoria Civic Center around 4:30 p.m. and will return to the Quad Cities immediately following the game.

"In the Boiler Room": This week's coaches show will be held at Barney's Korner Bar & Grill, located on North State Street in Geneseo, Ill. The "Voice of the Deuce" and Steamwheelers play-by-play man Jim Albracht will return, after a week off, to host head coach Rich Ingold and select players on the show. The show will air from 7-8 p.m. on Fox Sports Radio AM 1230 and can also be seen "live" at Barney's. Come join in the fun. There will be prize giveaways as well as players and coaches available for autographs and pictures.

On the Air: This Saturday's game, as well as every other Steamwheelers game, can be heard on WOC 1420 AM with Jim Albracht making the call and John Furlong on color with the pre-game show starting at 7 pm.

You can also listen in to Q106.5's Dwyer and Michaels every morning as they discuss the ‘Wheelers periodically on the "Mornings with Dwyer and Michaels" show that runs from 5:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Also, the "Voice of the Steam" Jim Albracht also hosts "Albracht in the AM" from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on WOC 1420 AM. Throughout the show he discusses a variety of topics as well as the Steamwheelers.

Every Sunday night on the NBC affiliate KWQC-TV6 following the 10:00 p.m. news, sports director Thom Cornelis hosts "Wheeler Watch" which features highlights of the previous weekends game and a discussion with head coach Rich Ingold.

Tickets: Good tickets are still available for the Steamwheelers last regular season game of the season against rival Peoria. Fans looking to go the game can contact Steamwheelers Ticketing Director Brian Forth at 563.326.1111 for discounted $7 tickets. Also, fans can go to www.steamwheelerfans.com for more information on a bus trip.

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