Steamwheelers Weekly Report
Published on July 5, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
Recap: Just as it appeared that the Quad City Steamwheelers were going to kick their three-game losing skid by responding with a three-game winning streak, the Steamwheelers suffered a setback. A 29-13 loss came at the hands of the rival Peoria Pirates in front of 5,464 fans at The MARK of the Quad Cities on Friday night. The Steamwheelers jumped out to a 7-0 lead quickly into the game, but the offense would sputter from there, only scoring once more in the game. Steamwheelers wide receiver/defensive back Tim Dodge was named U.S. Army Ironman of the Game after snaring two interceptions, breaking up three passes and recording 4.5 tackles on defense while hauling in five passes for 68 yards and a score on offense.
Next Up: In probably the toughest final four-game stretch in the arenafootball2 league, the Steamwheelers will hit the road for the second of the four-game finale. The Tennessee Valley Vipers will welcome the Steamwheelers to town this Saturday for the biggest rivalry game in all of af2. The Steamwheelers hold a commanding 7-2 edge over the Vipers and are 3-1 at the "Snake Pit." Both teams bring in almost identical records with the âWheelers sitting at 8-5 and the Vipers holding an 8-4 record. This Saturday night's game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
Last Time: The two rivals have already met once this season with the Steamwheelers walking away with a 47-29 victory over the Vipers on April 17. It was a seesaw battle the entire first half with the teams matching scores and entering the locker room with the Steamwheelers leading 20-17. The Steamwheelers then exploded for the next 20 points to push their lead to 40-17 before running away with the victory. Steamwheelers quarterback Ronnie Gordon completed 16-of-28 passes for 229 yards, four touchdowns and rushed for two more to lead the Steamwheelers.
Kicking Perfectly: Steamwheelers kicker Ryan Geisler has been hot as of late. Matter of fact he has been perfect in the Steamwheelers last three-plus games. He has connected on 19 straight point after touchdown attempts starting with the end of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton game where he missed his first and made his final three. Geisler was then perfect the next two weekends at Green Bay and Arkansas. This past weekend against the Pirates, Geisler made his only attempt. He also was just short on a 52-yard field goal attempt, which with another yard or two would have split the narrow uprights. Geisler is now fourth in the af2 in PAT kicking as he has made 68-of-84 on the season. He is also seventh in kick scoring with 77 points.
ADT DEFENSE: ADT has been one of the biggest sponsors for the Arena Football League and arenafootball2 league. They sponsor the ADT Defensive Player of the Game award, which is awarded at every home game. There is also an ADT Defensive Player of the Week award, which is awarded weekly to the top defender from the past weekend. There are even times when ADT will give away DEFENSE signs at select games throughout the league. ADT representatives were on hand this past Friday night at The MARK of the Quad Cities to pass out these DEFENSE signs. Well, they got more than what they bargained for in probably one of the best defensive battles in af2 history. The combined 42 points ranks eighth lowest in combined points between two teams in league history. The Steamwheelers were also held to a franchise worse 13 points and 103 yards of total offense. The Steamwheelers were also held scoreless for 49 minutes, 19 seconds in the game as well.
Moore Doesn't Want to Be #1: Very rarely will you hear a football player say that he doesn't want to be #1. After Friday night's loss, Steamwheelers defensive specialist Chazz Moore was saying just that, he didn't want to be #1. What Moore was referring to was his jersey number for the evening. The Steamwheelers wore special edition "Spirit of America" jerseys that were auctioned off after the game. Moore was not with the team when the jerseys had to be ordered; therefore he had to wear number 1 on his jersey rather than his usual 24. After the game was over, Moore was not upset about returning to his number 24. "I like number 1, but we lost with me wearing this jersey, so let's get rid of them." Moore told the Rock Island Argus/Moline Dispatch following the game.
Upcoming Steamwheelers Appearances: The Steamwheelers will be busy this week starting Monday with the YMCA Football Camp at Bettendorf High School. The camp runs all week until Friday starting at 9 a.m. and wrapping up at 11 a.m. Then on Wednesday, players and Steamwheeler Willie will be at the Davenport Youth Fest at the River Center from 8:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
Practice Times: Coach Ingold and the Steamwheelers will practice Monday through Thursday. Monday, the team will be at MAXSports (formerly Marycrest Events Center) and will be at The MARK for the remainder of the week prior to departing for Huntsville, Ala. Monday's practice session usually is shorter than the rest of the week's sessions. Practice begins at 5 p.m. with a film session that usually runs for 20-30 minutes. Practice then runs for about 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 this weekend's contest with the Tennessee Valley Vipers Thursday night around midnight for an overnight trip to Huntsville, Ala. They will arrive around noon on Friday and hold a brief walkthrough session Friday night at the Von Braun Center. The team will depart immediately following the game for their return trip back to the Quad Cities. They will arrive back in the Quad Cities around noon on Sunday.
On the Air: "In the Boiler Room" is taking the week off for the extended holiday weekend. It will be back in full effect next Monday night and airs every Monday night on WFXN 1230 AM at 7 p.m. "In the Boiler Room" host Jim Albracht will be joined by Steamwheelers coach Rich Ingold as well as select players.
You can also listen in to Q106.5's Dwyer and Michaels every morning as they discuss the âWheelers periodically on the "Mornings with Dwyer and Michaels" show that runs from 5:30 a.m. â 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 âWheeler Watch" which features highlights of the previous weekend's game and a discussion with head coach Rich Ingold.
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