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Swashbucklers vs Lubbock Gameday Notes

March 26, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Louisiana Swashbucklers News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Swashbucklers (0-0)
VS. Lubbock (0-1)
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2005
Site: Lake Charles Civic Center (5,500)
Officials:
TV: NONE
Radio: NONE
Series Record: NONE. 1st ever meeting between the 2 franchises.
Last Meeting: NONE.
Series Streaks: NONE
Coaches: Lake Charles, Kip Texada
( 4th Season; 44-16 career record, includes playoffs). Lubbock, Bryan Blake ( 1st season; career record, inc. playoffs)


OVERVIEW:
For Southwest Louisiana tonight's game marks the beginning of something new, yet the continuation of something old. It is the start for the Swashbucklers franchise after Thom Hager bought the prior Lake Charles franchise from James and Ashley Shiver late last season. The "continuation" is that the transition from the franchise formerly known as the Lake Charles Landsharks to the Swashbucklers marks the 5th straight year of professional indoor football in Lake Charles.
Tonight's game marks the debut of a new breed of professional sports in Southwest Louisiana. It promises to keep fans on the edge of their seats.

2005 Swashbucklers
DATE OPPONENT W/L SCORE
3-26 Lubbock 7:05PM
4-01 @ Rome 7:30PM
4-02 @ Montgomery 7:30PM
4-09 San Angelo 7:05PM
4-15 @ Lubbock 7:30PM
4-23 Corpus Christi 7:05PM
4-30 @ Odessa 7:30PM
5-09 @ Beaumont 7:05PM
5-21 Cincinnati 7:05PM
5-28 Beaumont 7:05PM
6-04 @ Corpus Christi 7:05PM
6-11 Odessa 7:05PM
6-18 Fayetteville 7:05PM
7-02 @ San Angelo 7:05PM

2005 Lubbock
DATE OPPONENT W/L SCORE
3/21 @ Corpus Christi L 23-46
3/27 @ Swashbucklers
4/02 @Miami
4/09 Beaumont
4/15 Swashbucklers
4/23 @San Angelo
4/30 San Angelo
5/07 Corpus Christi
5/14 @ Beaumont
5/21 Odessa
6/04 @ Odessa (exh)
6/11 Lincoln
6/18 Daytona Beach
6/25 @Montgomery
7/01 @Odessa

THE SERIES: NONE. This is the 1st ever meeting between the two teams.

THE COACHES:
Southwest Louisiana—Kip Texada, 5th season; 44-16 (.733) overall
'89 & '90 All Southland Conference Defensive Back
'90 Named Team Captain for McNeese State and was named MVP on Defense. One of the team's strongest players, he squatted 530 lbs (best on team) and ran the 40 in 4.5 seconds.
'92 joined the World Football League and played for San Antonio
Later that year, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL
'93 Joined the Canadian Football League with the Sacramento Goldminers
'94 Played for the Shreveport Pirates
'95 Signed with the Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena Football League
'96 Signed with the San Hose Sabercats
'98 Played with the NY Cityhawks
In ‘2001 Signed as the Head Coach of the Lake Charles Landsharks in the newly formed National Indoor Football League and was named "Coach of the Year" beating out 17 other coaches.. The same year he won "Teacher of the Year" for Calcasieu Parish
He and his wife, Charlotte have two terrific kids. Born in Port Arthur, TX.

Lubbock—Bryan Blake

The Lubbock Lone Stars are coached by Bryan Blake after former coach Mike Buck quit recently. Blake is former LB with the Landsharks and coached the Beaumont Drillers last season. What is even more intriguing is that Blake was an assistant in the Swashbucklers training camp as late as two weeks ago. He will be familiar with the home team though only met his team for the first time prior to kickoff of last week's loss at Corpus Christi.

LAST GAME: 1st game of the season for the Swashbucklers. Last week, Lubbock lost on the road this past Monday night at Corpus Christi after going through a traumatic turn of events in their franchise with the previous owners having declared bankruptcy.

NOTES:
FREDDIES' THE MAN—The Swashbucklers will start veteran and local favorite Freddie Harrison at QB. A star QB in high school at Westlake, Harrison has thrown for 27 TDs with 12 interceptions. Harrison missed most of the start of last season with a foot injury suffered in the season opener. The former Northwestern State (In Nachotoches, La) alum played WR in college and caught 33 passes for 503 yards and 4 TDs in his senior season. An elusive runner, he runs the 40 in about 4.5 seconds.

FRESH FACES—though roughly 18 players return to form a core veteran nucleus of the team, many new faces dot the roster, especially at the "skill" positions. The team has 3 new WRs and 2 new RBs to go with 3 new defensive linemen. 3 of those "new" players are not true "rookies' in that WR-Shadrick McAfee played for the Landsharks in their 1st season and then starred in AF2 with Bossier City and DLs James Roden and Ederick Coleman also have much experience in AF2 as well.

EXPERIENCE UP FRONT: The team has the same set of offensive lineman (Major Griffin, Reggie Lewis, and Reggie Nelson) playing for now the 3rd consecutive season. With an average height of 6-2 and weight of 325 lbs, the team has a powerful force paving the way for its running game and protecting the passer. Nelson is the most accomplished of the group having been drafted by the San Diego Chargers and played in NFL Europe.

WHATS AHEAD: The Swashbucklers regular season continues with a not unprecedented 2-games-in-2-nights road trip. April 1, they are at Rome, Ga. and the very next night they play at Montgomery, Ala. to face the Maulers coached by James Shiver. Some may recall that final 2 games in Landsharks history were played in the same fashion at the end of last season with the team winning both. The team returns home to face the San Angelo Stampede on April 9.

SWASHBUCKLERS REPORT:

The Swashbucklers (0-0) go into tonight's season opener with a veteran squad which has been augmented by some key additions, a few of which are unproven. Most of last year's key vets return such as QB Freddie Harrison, WR Jermaine "Flea" Martin, LB Darnell Lee, and DB Joe Judge.

Some key late-season acquisitions include OL/DL James Roden who started in AF2 (the AFL's developmental league), RB Shadrick McAfee (Nephew of Saints RB Fred) who brings a wealth of experience from AF2 as well. Also, young yet unproven (in indoor football that is) players are WRs Shawn Piper and Reggie Williams. William is a very tall receiver who should excel against smaller DBs. On defense, in addition to Roden, the team is joined by AF2 veteran DL Ederick Coleman.

The team has benefited from its proximity to the historically talent-laden McNeese State University football team and fans will be familiar with many of the McNeese alums who are on the Swashbucklers. These include in addition to Martin, Lee, Judge and Roden, such players as LBs Ryan Garrison and Tyree Broden, and DL Jerrell Zeno, all of whom played for McNeese State two seasons ago, RB Aaron Pierce, OL Reggie Nelson who had playing time in NFL-Europe, and DBs Corey Stewart, Warren St. Junious, and Anthony Whitehead and kicker. Judge was the former defensive player of the year in AF2 (which is affiliated with the Arena Football League and NOT the NIFL). Also added was former St. Louis High School kicker Joel Thibodeaux.


LUBBOCK REPORT:

Lubbock is in their first season in the NIFL after coming over along with Odessa, San Angelo, and Corpus Christi from the now-defunct "Intense Football League" which played under rules much like that of the "Arena Football League" which are vastly different from the NIFL rules which makes for a different style of play.

Only about 5 players return from last years Lubbock roster. Of those, FB-LB and assistant coach Tone Dancy (6-4, 260, Ferrum College) had 70 yards on 23 carries and 3 TDs in their old league's rules that weren't favorable to the running game. DB-S Louis Fite (5-8, 181, Texas A&M-Kingsville) is an NIFL veteran who played with Lubbock last year as well. FB-LB Mark Jones played for El Paso in the IFL last season as well

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