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Steeldogs, Vipers Ready to Renew League's Fiercest Rivalry

May 18, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Alabama Steeldogs News Release


BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The "War of I-65" is back.

After a two-year hiatus, the Birmingham Steeldogs and the Tennessee Valley Vipers will meet for the 12th time in what is the af2's oldest match-up and most intense rivalry. The game will kickoff this Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The Steeldogs split the series in 2004: winning an overtime thriller at home and dropping a three-point heartbreaker on the road weeks later. The Vipers took a year off from af2 competition in 2005 before returning during the off-season under new management.

RIVALRY NOTES

OPENING NIGHT REMATCH: This is the oldest series in af2 football, dating back to March 31, 2000, when Tennessee Valley and Birmingham kicked off the first game in league history in front of nearly 15,000 fans at the BJCC Arena. Although the Steeldogs came up short on the scoreboard, the groundwork was effectively laid for seven years of arena football success in the Magic City.

EVEN DOZEN: This is the 12th meeting between the Vipers and Steeldogs. Birmingham picked up their first win in the series, 65-51, in the first round of the 2002 playoffs at the VBC in Huntsville. Birmingham would go on to compete in the National Conference Championship two weeks later. The Steeldogs most recent win over Tennessee Valley came on May 29, 2004, when Birmingham defeated Tennessee Valley in overtime, 36-30, in what is generally regarded as the most memorable Steeldogs game ever played.

FAMILIAR FACES: Only one current Steeldogs player has ever donned a Vipers uniform: kicker Alex Walls in 2004. The same can not be said for Tennessee Valley. The team's head coach this season is former Steeldogs offensive coordinator Chris Williams, who was in Birmingham during the 2002 season. Currently, three former Steeldogs are on the Tennessee Valley roster: Johnny Anderson, Jimmi Henson and Kendrick Rogers. Recently released were former Steeldogs Roger Linn, Kenton Evans, Wayne Thomas and Percy Coleman.

D-D WAS THERE: OL/DL David Daniel is the only current Steeldogs player who has been a part of each of Birmingham's victories over the Vipers since joining the team in 2002.

DOWN TO THE WIRE: The past three installations of the "War of I-65" have been decided by an average of 3.67 points.

STEELDOGS NOTES

HAWK SOARING: Another week, another step forward for the Steeldogs' young quarterback. Ryan Hawk had yet another solid weekends' work in Fort Myers. He tied a team record for most pass attempts in a game with 46. His 27 completions are the second-highest total ever for a Steeldogs quarterback. Hawk has now passed for 1,581 yards this season, good enough to move into fifth place all-time among seven years of Steeldogs quarterbacks. He needs only 300 more yards to move into fourth place.

Hawk is on pace to throw for more than 4,200 yards during the regular-season. Should he reach that mark, he would break the team record for most passing yards in a single season by nearly 700 yards. That total would also place him in the af2's top 10 for most yards in a single season.

And this weekend is only his seventh arena game.

TWIN TOWERS: At 6'5" and 6'3", respectively, Lawrence Story and Mareno Philyaw make up one of the tallest receiver tandems in the af2. Story has caught 30 passes for 406 yards and six touchdowns in six games this season. Philyaw rejoined the team three weeks ago after being cut from the training camp roster in the preseason. Through three games, he has reeled in 13 passes for 195 yards and four touchdowns.

WRIGHT ON!: There's Kerry Wright, and then there's the rest of the league. The first-year OS from MTSU has reeled in 43 passes for 698 yards and 13 touchdowns in just six games. How does that compare to the four other OS's in Steeldogs history?

Most Catches Through First Six Games:

Offensive Specialist Year Catches

Aryvia Holmes 2003 58

Wayne Thomas 2000 47

Kerry Wright 2006 43

Herman Bell 2002 (*includes playoffs) 40

Detronn Harris 2005 36

Wayne Thomas 2002 36

Wayne Thomas 2001 32

Detronn Harris 2004 30

Most Yards Through First Six Games:

Offensive Specialist Year Yards

Aryvia Holmes 2003 775

Kerry Wright 2006 698

Wayne Thomas 2000 603

Wayne Thomas 2002 528

Herman Bell 2002 (*includes playoffs) 501

Detronn Harris 2005 497

Detronn Harris 2004 488

Wayne Thomas 2001 462

Most Touchdowns Through First Six Games:

Offensive Specialist Year TDs

Wayne Thomas 2002 18

Arvyia Holmes 2003 16

Wayne Thomas 2001 16

Kerry Wright 2006 13

Herman Bell 2002 (*includes playoffs) 10

Wayne Thomas 2000 10

Detronn Harris 2004 8

Detronn Harris 2005 5

JACKSON IN, JORDAN OUT: This week marks the return of Kamau Jackson to the Steeldogs roster. Jackson was one of the bright spots from an otherwise dim 2005 campaign. He returns to Birmingham after finishing up classes at Mississippi State University.

The only other transaction this week involved the release of Jordan Brumbaugh from the squad.

VIPERS NOTES

WORST START EVER: The Vips are 1-5 to begin the 2006 season, by far the worst start in team history. Until this year, the Vipers had not lost five games in a season since 2000, when they finished 10-6.

REVOLVING QUARTERBACKS: Tennessee Valley has shuffled through five quarterbacks in six games so far this season. This week, the team hopes to have Ryan Schneider back under center for the first time in three weeks, since he injured his ribs in the April 29th Arkansas game. Two of the five Viper quarterbacks that have seen action this year are former Steeldogs: Roger Linn and Kenton Evans. Combined, the two players finished 83 of 152 (54.6 percent) for 841 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions, one win and five losses.

PICKS FOR PAYDIRT: Tennessee Valley has eight interceptions this season, four of which have been returned for touchdowns. Joey Robinson leads the pack with three picks and two touchdowns. Travis Blanchard has two interceptions, one of which he returned 53 yards for a touchdown. Andy Fuller has one pick, which he returned 30 yards for a score.

TRAINING CAMP, PART TWO: According to Thursday's Huntsville Times, Vipers Coach Chris Williams brought a wave of new players into practice this week on two-day workouts in an effort to find some talent that can stop the Vipers four game skid. Here's an excerpt from that article, written by the Times' Reggie Benson.

Coach Chris Williams announced Wednesday that he had signed three new players and more newcomers could be added before Saturday's game against Birmingham.

"We've got some decisions to make," Williams said. "We're going to have a long meeting after practice and decide which way we're going to go."

Tennessee Valley signed defensive end Farouk Adelekan, a former University of Houston standout, and offensive/defensive lineman Stan Primus, who played at Temple, along with former Temple quarterback Walter Washington.

There are also some decisions to be made in the secondary.

Newcomer Kofi Smith, who played at Quad City last season, is in the mix, along with Heyward Skipper. Williams and company are trying to determine is Skipper would be best suited to play wide receiver/linebacker or wide receiver/defensive back.

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