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Thunder Game Notes

July 3, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Mahoning Valley Thunder News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Mahoning Valley Thunder (5-7 at Louisville Fire (6-6)

Date: Saturday, July 7, 2007

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. EST

Site: Freedom Hall

National Anthem: TBA

Coin Toss: TBA

Officials: Referee: Matt Austin

Umpire: Conrad Carney

Head Linesman: Tony Josselyn

Line Judge: Tommy Walsh

Back Judge: Jabir Walker

Radio: ESPN 1240 FM; 96.7 FM (Mike Case, Play-by-play and

Christian Aleshire, Color Commentary)

Series Record: 1-0, Louisville

Last Meeting: Thunder 34, Pioneers 52 - 5/5/07

Streaks: Thunder Lost 1; Fire Lost 1

Coaches: Mike Hold (32-34 Reg. Season, First year w/Thunder, 5th overall)

Tommy Johnson (41-35; 4-2 playoffs, Fourth Season)

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Thunder: Phil Tesar, (W) 330.758.4232, (C) 216.832.6454

Fire: Matt Heitzmann, (W) 502.368.0009, (C) 502.368.4006

THE STAKES: Both teams are in desperate need of a victory this week as they enter the final month of the 2007 season. With the playoffs in sight, neither team can afford to lose from here on out. THE SERIES: On May 5, the Fire came to Youngstown, OH and handed the Thunder just their second loss of the season while picking up their second victory. After that game, both teams were on streaks of sorts, with the Thunder losing the next three games while the Fire won their next two. This game could be pivotal in the playoff hunt.

THE IFs:

If Mahoning Valley defeats Louisville, it would ...

- Improve the Thunder to 6-7.

- Keep the playoff hopes alive.

- Even the all-time series record with Louisville at 1-1.

- Give Mike Hold his 33rd career victory as a head coach.

- Give the Thunder their first win in July.

Mahoning Valley (5-6)

Date Opponent Result Record

3/31 TRI CITIES W 48-40 1-0

4/6 @ Albany W 65-59 2-0

4/21 CINCINNATI W 54-20 3-0

4/28 @ Manchester L 49-67 3-1

5/5 LOUISVILLE L 34-52 3-2

5/12 WILKES-BARRE/SCR. L 26-56 3-3

5/19 @ Florida L 26-62 3-4

5/25 MANCHESTER L 40-50 3-5

6/2 @ Cincinnati W 57-20 4-5

6/8 @ Green Bay L 39-54 4-6

6/16 QUAD CITY W 63-34 5-6

6/30 @ WB/Scranton L 40-51 5-7

7/7 @ Louisville 7:00 N/A

7/13 ALBANY 7:05 N/A

7/21 @ Tennessee Valley 8:30 N/A

7/28 GREEN BAY 7:05 N/A

*all times EST

Louisville (6-6)

Date Opponent Time Result Series

3/30 BOISE L 52-57 0-1

4/7 @ South Georgia L 53-77 0-2

4/13 CINCINNATI W 61-54 1-2

4/21 @ Alabama L 47-63 1-3

5/5 @ Mahoning Valley W 52-34 2-3

5/11 @ Ft. Wayne W 48-42 3-3

5/19 ALABAMA W 53-35 4-3

5/25 @ Quad City L 51-57 4-4

6/2 GREEN BAY W 39-33 5-4

6/16 FT. WAYNE L 34-52 5-5

6/23 @ Cincinnati W 58-35 6-5

6/30 @ Albany L 44-53 6-6

7/7 MAHONING VALLEY 7:00 N/A

7/14 QUAD CITY 7:00 N/A

7/20 @ Green Bay 8:30 N/A

7/28 TENNESSEE 7:00 N/A

American Conference East Standings

Team W L PCT Home Road

WB/Scranton 12 0 1.000 7-0 4-0

Manchester 6 6 .500 5-1 1-5

Mahoning Valley 5 7 .417 3-3 2-4

Albany 5 7 .417 4-2 1-5

Mike Hold, Thunder Head Coach Mike Hold enters his first season as the Head Coach of the Mahoning Valley Thunder. He comes to the Thunder after serving as head coach of the Augusta Stallions of af2, head coach of the Macon Knights of af2, head coach of the Carolina Cobras of the AFL and coaching with the Las Vegas Gladiators of the AFL. Hold brings over 20 years of Arena Football experience to the Thunder. He enjoyed a 12-season playing career in the AFL beginning in the League's inaugural season in 1987 with the Chicago Bruisers. Hold participated in training camps with the Denver Broncos in 1986 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987 and 1988. Hold also played in three games with the Bucs during the 1987 season completing 8-of-24 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Hold graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1985 after playing two seasons. He led the Gamecocks to the only 10-win season in school history and was named MVP of the Gator Bowl in 1984. Hold ranks seventh on the school's all-time passing list with 2,981 yards. A native of Tempe, Arizona, Hold worked as a color commentator for the Mountain West Conference, for ESPN's Arena Football League coverage in 2001 and was the play-by-play announcer for the af2's ArenaCup6 Championship Game in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He and his wife, Nicole, reside in Salem, OH with their two dogs, Phoenix and Macy.

The Last Time Out:

WILKES BARRE, Pa - On a night full of milestones, the Wilkes- Barre/Scranton Pioneers silenced the Thunder 51-40 in front of a season-high 6,260 fans at the Wachovia Arena. Schutt Offensive Player of the Game Ryan Vena completed 22 of 31 pass attempts for 252 yards, one interception, and four touchdowns. The Thunder's QB Glen Gauntt threw for 292 yards while completing 20 of 34 pass attempts. Gauntt recorded five touchdowns and one interception on the night. The first record to fall was the Pioneers single season record for interceptions. DB Chris Royal broke Matt Forbes' previous record of seven interceptions with his eighth pick midway through the first quarter. Vena also set a new Pioneers single season record for rushing touchdowns. With his three rushing touchdowns, he surpassed Daren Williams' (2003) previous record of nine. The Thunder's receivers had a record breaking night as well. WR DeMarcus Mathes and WR Chris Archie became the first receivers in the Thunder's history to have 1,000 yards receiving. The Pioneers offense only manufactured nine first quarter points, but the defense pitched a shutout to end the quarter at a 9-0 Pioneer lead. The only touchdown came via a thirty yard touchdown pass from Vena to Jim Jones. The scoring picked up in the second quarter where each team scored 21 points. A 29 yard pass from Gauntt to Archie began the scoring. A pair of Vena touchdown passes to Jones and a six yard Vena touchdown run accounted for the three Pioneer scores. Mahoning Valley scored on a strike to Mathes and a quarterback sneak by Gauntt. Pioneers DL David Dean blocked a Thunder field goal attempt in the closing seconds to preserve the Pioneers nine point lead heading into halftime. The second half was a back and forth battle that resulted in three touchdowns for each team.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Thunder and Pioneers stack up:

Statistical FIRE THUNDER

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring Offense 15 49.3 21 45.0

Touchdowns

Total Offense 10 274.2 13 271.8

Scoring Defense 17 49.3 14 47.1

Total Defense 8 242.8 9 244.2

Rushing Offense 1 36.6 4 31.5

Passer Rating 19 92.1 22 87.7

Rushing Defense 8 16.4 19 21.6

Pass Rat. Defense 18 105.5 17 104.1

Pass Offense 16 237.6 15 240.3

Pass Defense 9 226.3 8 222.6

Field Goals 11 .381 29 .118

PAT Kicking 11 .805 19 .750

MFG Returns 16 17.9 22 14.9

Kickoff Returns 29 13.8 30 12.8

Turnover Margin T20 -.58 T13 .08

First Downs T14 223 11 228

Opp. First Downs T7 204 9 205

Sacks T8 22 10 21

Penalties 16 57.7 10 52.9

Sacks Against 14 15 T19 20

Opponent Penalties 29 42.7 T8 63.5

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders:

THUNDER

Player Rank Category Stat

Tim Murphy 2 Rush Yards 272.0

Tim Murphy 2 Rushing 27.2

Anton Ceaser 6 Sacks 9.0

Anton Ceaser 10 Tackles for Loss 10.0

FIRE

Player Rank Category Stat

Demetri Forney 4 Rush Yards 229

Demetri Forney 7 Rushing 19.1

Tiger Jones T5 Receptions 101

Tiger Jones T6 Receptions/G 8.42

Tiger Jones 6 Receiving Yds/G 110.2

Dave Hendrix T8 Scoring (kick) 7.2

Dave Hendrix T6 Field Goals .67

Jerome Jones 10 Fumbles Forced .33

Jerome Jones T3 Fum. Recovered .33

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

MIKE HOLD, on the loss: "It was a disappointing loss last week. We hung with them the entire game, but that first quarter is what turned out to be the game. We fell behind 9-0 after the first quarter. If we put up points in that quarter, it's a different ball game."

MIKE HOLD, on making the playoffs: "We are in charge of our own destiny now. This is crunch time. The remaining games are must-win if we want to make the playoffs. We are not out of it by any means, but we need to perform in the next few weeks."

WHAT'S TO COME: Entering the final month of the season, the Thunder will split the final four games between playing at home and on the road. This week in Louisville starts the month, and then the team returns home against Albany, on the road at Tennessee Valley and then home to close the regular season versus Green Bay.

MILESTONES: Having never played an af2 game before, every play in the home opener was some kind of new Thunder record. Here are some of the most notable facts that have made it into the Mahoning

Valley Record Book:

First TD Pass: Glen Gauntt to Chris Archie

First TD Rush: Tim Frost

First Play from Scrimmage: Gauntt pass to Kenneth Johnson for nine yards

First Interception: Brian Majors

First Fumble Recovery: Mike Lane

First Interception return for a touchdown: Maurice Taylor

First Player to 1,000 yards receiving: DeMarcus Mathes

ELITE COMPANY: Heading into Week 14, DeMarcus Mathes and Chris Archie were on the brink of reaching the 1,000-yard receiving plateau. With 126 and 102 yards, respectively, each player reached the milestone on the very same drive in the fourth quarter. Each player sat at 996 on the last drive. Mathes connected with Glen Gauntt on a 19-yard strike sending him over the mark and two plays later, Archie caught a four yard pass to join the club.

RUNNING WILD: FB Tim Murphy exploded against Quad City, rushing for four touchdowns and adding one receiving. The fivetouchdown performance marked the most-touchdowns scored by a Thunder player in the history of the franchise. Murphy finished the day with 13 carries for 55 yards and three receptions for 38 yards. He was named Schutt Offensive Player of the Game for his performance, along with being named the Kernan Insurance Player of the Game.

TURNOVER TIME: Against the Steamwheelers in Week 12, the Thunder finished the game with a plus five turnover ratio. Maurice Taylor, Reggie Perkins and Mike Andrews each intercepted passes (Taylor grabbed two) with Perkins and Andrews returning theirs to pay dirt. Sam Crenshaw added a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter. Following the Week 13 Bye Week, Perkins intercepted at Ryan Vena pass in Wikes-Barre - marking just the sixth time all season that Vena has been picked off.

PUT ME IN COACH: Through the first 12 games of the 2007 season, only two Thunder players have appeared in and started all 12 contests. WR DeMarcus Mathes and DB Maurice Taylor are the only two players to start in every game to date. OL/DL Mike Lane is the only other player to have played in every game, having started seven games.

LET'S GO HALVES: The Thunder have played 24 halves of football this year in the ten games. Of those 24, the Thunder has held their opponents to six points or less in three of those halves. Here is a look: Date Opponent Points Half

March 31 Tri-Cities Fever 0 First Half

April 21 @ Cincinnati Jungle Kats 6 Second Half

June 2 @ Cincinnati Jungle Kats 6 Second Half

ONE QUARTER AT A TIME: Limiting points in Arena Football is the key to success. Stopping an opposing offense a few drives each game can lead to victories. Of the 48 quarters of football, the Thunder has held its opponents to a single-digit quarter on 23 occasions. Here is a breakdown of the fewest points in a quarter:

0 Points - 4 quarters

3 Points - 1 quarter

6 Points - 5 quarters

7 Points - 12 quarters

9 Points - 1 quarter

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD (selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 TRI WR Chris Archie (MVT)

2 @ ALB QB Glen Gauntt (MVT)

3 BYE BYE

4 CIN WR DeMarcus Mathes (MVT)

5 @ MAN QB Ryan Porter (MAN)

6 LOU WR Tiger Jones (LOU)

7 WBS QB Ryan Vena (WBS)

8 @ FLA WR/LB Chris McKinney (FLA)

9 MAN WR Ari Confesor (MAN)

10 @ CIN QB Mike Schneider (MVT)

11 @ GBB QB Mike Schneider (MVT)

12 QCS FB Tim Murphy (MVT)

13 BYE

14 @ WBS QB Ryan Vena (WBS)

IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 TRI OL/DL Tim Frost (MVT)

2 @ ALB DB Jarvis Johnson (ALB)

3 BYE BYE

4 CIN TE/DL Jamel Lee (MVT)

5 @ MAN WR/DB David Bailey (MAN)

6 LOU OL/DL Eddie Yauch (LOU)

7 WBS WR/DB Larry Kendrick (WBS)

8 @ FLA WR/DB Levy Brown (FLA)

9 MAN WR/DB David Bailey

10 @ CIN WR DeMarcus Mathes (MVT)

11 @ GBB WR Donny Donaldson (GBB)

12 QCS FB/LB Mike Andrews (MVT)

13 BYE

14 @ WBS WR/DB Larry Kendrick (WBS)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 TRI OL/DL Anton Ceaser (MVT)

2 @ ALB DL Durrand Roundtree (ALB)

3 BYE BYE

4 CIN DB Maurice Taylor (MVT)

5 @ MAN DL Maurice Fountain (MAN)

6 LOU DB Nate Green (LOU)

7 WBS DB TuTu Ferguson (WBS)

8 @ FLA DB Levy Brown (FLA)

9 MAN DB Maurice Taylor (MVT)

10 @ CIN DB Maurice Taylor (MVT)

11 @ GBB DB Jason Hardee (GBB)

12 QCS DB Reggie Perkins (MVT)

13 BYE

14 @ WBS DB Chris Royal (WBS)

CATCH OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

1 TRI WR Chris Archie (MVT)

2 @ ALB WR DeMarcus Mathes (MVT)

3 BYE BYE

4 CIN WR Kenny Johnson (MVT)

5 @ MAN WR Chris Archie (MVT)

6 LOU WR Chris Archie (MVT)

7 WBS WR/DB TuTu Ferguson INT (WBS)

8 @ FLA WR Magic Benton (FLA)

9 MAN WR Jarrail Jackson (MAN)

10 @ CIN WR Hassan Brockman (CIN)

11 @ GBB WR Danny Donaldson (GBB)

12 QCS DB Reggie Perkins INT TD (MVT)

13 BYE

14 @ WBS WR Buchie Ibeh



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