Steamwheelers Weekly Report

Published on May 17, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release


Recap: It was a battle of No. 1 (Wichita Stealth) vs. No. 2 (Quad City Steamwheelers) this past Saturday night at The MARK of the Quad Cities. The teams also ranked first and second in scoring defense. But it was the Steamwheelers defense that outlasted the Stealth "D" in a 73-39 win in favor of the Steamwheelers. The Stealth had been giving up an average of 28.4 points per game, but the Steamwheelers offense proved to be too potent, putting up 27 points alone in the first quarter. The win improved the ‘Wheelers to 6-1 and are the league's only team with six wins. The Steamwheelers win also knocked off the last unbeaten team in the af2 and will almost assuredly move the Steamwheelers back to the No. 1 ranking, when the rankings come out this Wednesday. It was win No. 30 for head coach Rich Ingold, which came on his 41st birthday.

Next Up: The Steamwheelers will hit the road for the first of a two-game trip. This weekend the ‘Wheelers will travel to sunny California to take on the San Diego Riptide. The Riptide, who have lost their last three games by a combined seven points could be the scariest 1-5 team in the league. The ‘Wheelers have now won three straight and finally eclipsed the 47-point mark for the second time this season and scored their highest output of the season with the 73 points against the Stealth. The ‘Wheelers now have the league's best scoring defense and will look to maintain that this weekend. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 9 p.m. CDT.

Last Time: Last seasons only matchup between the teams was more of a tune-up for the Steamwheelers game the following weekend against the Tennessee Valley Vipers. In front of 6,471 fans at The MARK of the Quad Cities, the Steamwheelers ran away with a 69-36 win over the Riptide. The loss dropped the Riptide to 5-9 on the season, and the win was the 12th straight for the Steamwheelers. On a night where the Steamwheelers welcomed their 250,000th fan, quarterback Tony Zimmerman completed 18-of-28 passes for 288 yards, eight going for touchdowns, which added to his total that broke the Steamwheelers single season record for touchdowns.

Gordon Breaks Navigator Curse: When asked for an interview, quarterback Ronnie Gordon simply asked, "why?" The reason for the interview was that Gordon was going to be on the cover of the next Navigator, the Steamwheelers game night program. Gordon then responded, "No way, I don't want to be on the cover of that thing. It's cursed." There is some truth to Gordon's comment. After offensive specialist Jeff Hewitt graced the cover of the program, he was held scoreless for the next two games. Then wide receiver/defensive back Tim Dodge donned the cover of the next issue, and although having a decent game, Dodge was held scoreless for the first time all season. That would not be the case for Gordon. Gordon went out and completed his first nine passes and finished the night with 265 yards and six touchdowns on 19-of-24 passing and added two rushing touchdowns to earn Baby Ruth Real Deal Player of the Game honors.

Getting ‘Kicked' Around: It will be awfully strange at the San Diego Sports Arena on Saturday night when the two teams take the field. If you date back to last season, the Steamwheelers kicker was Rich Ehmke. The Riptide's kicker was Ryan Geisler. Fast forward to this season and you have Geisler kicking for the ‘Wheelers and Ehmke kicking for the Riptide. Also making his return is Steamwheelers fullback/linebacker Brian Berg, who spent a year and a half with the Riptide, prior to joining the ‘Wheelers midway through last season.

Happy Birthday Coach Ingold: Week in and week out, Steamwheelers head coach Rich Ingold only wants one thing — to win on Friday or Saturday night. This past weekend he wanted it in more of a special way. This past Saturday night was coach Ingold's 41st birthday and he got more than what he bargained for. With the win, Ingold won his 30th game as the Steamwheelers head coach in this two-plus year reign.

Upcoming Steamwheelers Appearances: On Monday, Steamwheelers players, DeckMate Cheerleaders and staff will be hosting their annual Season Ticket Holders Party at the Isle of Capri Convention Center. The even will run from 6-8 p.m. On Wednesday, the DeckMates will be at the Maquoketa Kiwanis Celebrity Golf Tournament and Auction from 12:30-5 p.m. Then on Thursday, two players and DeckMates will be riding around in a limo and eating lunch with kids from the Best Foot Forward Program.

Practice Times: For the first time this season, the Steamwheelers will be at The MARK of the Quad Cities all week for practice. Players will return to practice on Tuesday after having Sunday and Monday off. They will practice at The MARK Tuesday through Thursday prior to leaving for San Diego on Friday. Practice times remain the same with coach Ingold starting practice at 5 p.m. with a film session that lasts 20-30 minutes. Then practice runs anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. Most players begin to arrive at practice around 4:30 p.m. and are around after practice for at least 20 minutes. Interviews are best to be conducted before or after practice. If there are any problems, contact Steamwheelers Media Relations Manager Ryan Holtmann.

Travel Plans: The Steamwheelers will depart for San Diego on Friday morning and hold a short walk through on Friday evening. The game will be played on Saturday night with the team returning from San Diego on Sunday.

On the Air: "In the Boiler Room" has returned and is airing every Monday night on WFXN 1230 AM at 7 p.m. "In the Boiler Room" host Jim Albracht will be joined by Steamwheelers head coach Rich Ingold, with tonight's broadcast coming to you live from the Season Ticket Holders Party at the Isle of Capri Convention Center.

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 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 NBC affiliate KWQC-TV6, following the 10 p.m. news, sports director Thom Cornelis hosts ‘Wheeler Watch" which features highlights of the previous weekend's game and a discussion with head coach Rich Ingold.

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