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Thunder Game Notes

July 25, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Mahoning Valley Thunder News Release


MAHONING VALLEY THUNDER NEWS & NOTES

Green Bay Blizzard (9-6) at Mahoning Valley Thunder (6-9)

Week 18 - Saturday, July 28 - 7:05 p.m. EST

Chevrolet Centre (6,000) - Youngstown, OH

QUICK FACTS:

Green Bay Blizzard (9-6) at

Mahoning Valley Thunder (6-9)

Date: Saturday, July 28, 2007

Kickoff: 7:05 p.m. EST

Site: Chevrolet Centre (6,000)

National Anthem: TBA

Coin Toss: TBA

Officials:

Referee: Greg Allen

Umpire: Brian Fleming

Head Linesman: Abdullah Salaam

Line Judge: Dan Gallagher

Back Judge: Frank Steratore

Radio: ESPN 1240 FM; 96.7 FM (Mike Case, Play-by-play and Christian Aleshire, Color Commentary)

Series Record: 1-0, Green Bay

Last Meeting: June 8, 2007 @ GB - Blizzard 54, Thunder 39

Streaks: Thunder Lost 1; Blizzard Won 3

Coaches: Mike Hold (33-36 Reg. Season, First year w/Thunder, 5th overall)

Doug Lytle (4-4 First year w/Blizzard)

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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

Blizzard: Brian Hendricks, (W) 920.405.1264

THE STAKES: Falling to 6-9 eliminated the Thunder from the 2007 playoff race. With just one game remaining, the Thunder looks to close out the campaign with a 7-9 record in their Inaugural season. The Green Bay Blizzard have solidified a playoff berth with a Week 15 win over Louisville coupled with a Thunder loss to Tennessee Valley.

THE SERIES: Tonight's game marks the final regular season meeting between the two teams this season. Green Bay defeated the Thunder in Week 11 at Green Bay, 54-39.

SPECIAL TREAT: Tonight, the Thunder players will wear their usual "Road Whites" in front of the home crowd. The Blue Jerseys will be auctioned off following the contest and the fans will get a chance to see what the Thunder's road jersey.

THE IFs:

If Mahoning Valley defeats Green Bay, it would ...

- End the Thunder's inaugural season with a 7-9 record.

- Make the Thunder winners of three-straight home games.

- Give the Thunder their longest win-streak at home at three games.

- Even the all-time series record with Green Bay at 1-1.

- Mark the first home victory in the Thunder's white jerseys. Mahoning Valley (6-9)

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 L 32-57 5-8

7/13 ALBANY W 65-64 6-8

7/21 @ Tennessee Valley L 58-39 6-9

7/28 GREEN BAY 7:05 N/A

*all times EST

Green Bay (9-6)

Date Opponent Result Record

3/31 @ Fort Wayne L 28-36 0-1

4/13 MANCHESTER W 35-32 1-1

4/21 @ Albany L 27-75 1-2

4/27 QUAD CITY W 44-14 2-2

5/4 @ Tennessee Valley L 21-26 2-3

5/11 TRI-CITIES W 29-18 3-3

5/18 CINCINNATI W 48-38 4-3

6/2 @ Louisville L 33-39 4-4

6/8 MAHONING VALLEY W 54-39 5-4

6/16 @ Tulsa L 26-43 5-5

6/22 FORT WAYNE W 54-28 6-5

6/29 @ Quad City L 33-61 6-6

7/6 ALBANY W 69-36 7-6

7/14 @ Cincinnati W 77-40 8-6

7/20 LOUISVILLE W 74-48 9-6

7/28 @ Mahoning Valley 7:05 N/A

American Conference East Standings

Team W L PCT Home Road

WB/Scranton 14 1 .933 8-0 6-1

Manchester 9 6 .600 6-1 3-5

Mahoning Valley 6 9 .400 4-3 2-6

Albany 5 10 .333 4-3 1-7

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:

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The Tennessee Valley Vipers got just what they needed Saturday night in their final home game of the season. They beat the Mahoning Valley Thunder 58-39 before an announced crowd of 3,952 at the Von Braun Center. Coupled with Rio Grande's 73-68 win over Lubbock, the Vipers earned a playoff berth in arenafootball2.

Vipers quarterback Chris Gunn completed 8-of-14 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He also had seven carries for 53 yards and one touchdown. Brandon Isaiah had nine carries for 30 yards and three touchdowns for Tennessee Valley (7-8). Carlos Campbell made two interceptions and also made a net recovery in the end zone for a touchdown. Tennessee Valley struck first on Gunn's 7-yard touchdown pass to Joel Babb. Steven Lee kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead at 13:15. After a defensive stop, Gunn scampered 10 yards for another touchdown. John Cousins ran in the 2-point conversion for a 15-0 lead at 4:04. Mahoning Valley (6-9) answered with quarterback Mike Schneider's 39-yard touchdown pass to Chris Johnson at 1:01. Derek Schorejs kicked the extra point, cutting the Vipers lead to 15-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Vipers owned a 29-7 halftime lead. The Thunder's Brian Majors caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Schneider to cut the deficit to 44-13. After a defensive stop, Schneider threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Johnson. The Vipers led 44-19 entering the fourth quarter. Mahoning Valley took advantage of a Vipers turnover and scored on Tim Murphy's 1-yard touchdown run. The Thunder's Kenneth Johnson caught a 10-yard scoring pass from Schneider with 26 seconds left. Mike Andrews made a 1-yard fumble recovery to make it 58-39.

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

Statistical BLIZZARD THUNDER

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring Offense 23 43.5 22 45.1

Touchdowns 23 94 20 100

Total Offense 23 239.5 12 278.5

Scoring Defense 3 38.2 19 49.6

Total Defense 3 232.3 12 250.7

Rushing Offense 14 20.7 5 28.6

Rushing Defense 1 8.1 29 29.5

Pass Offense 22 218.9 14 249.9

Pass Defense 8 224.2 5 221.3

MFG Returns 2 31.0 23 14.0

Kickoff Returns 20 16.7 30 12.1

Turnover Margin T17 -0.27 T11 -0.13

Sacks T13 22 11 23

Sacks Against 22 26 21 23

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

THUNDER

Player Rank Category Stat

Tim Murphy 2 Rushing 23.8

Anton Ceaser 10 Sacks 10.0

Anton Ceaser T8 Tackles/Loss 12.0

Anton Ceaser T8 Forced Fumbles 0.31

BLIZZARD

Player Rank Category Stat

Stephen Cason 4 Tackles 97

Donnie Amadi T4 Forced Fumbles 0.42

Ronnie Amadi 1 Passes Defensed 2.87

WHAT'S TO COME: Tonight marks the final game of the 2007 season for the Mahoning Valley Thunder. Having been eliminated from the playoff contention, Mahoning Valley looks to improve their record to 7- 9 after their first season of play

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

MIKE HOLD, on the loss: "We just did not play well in any form. Tennessee Valley wanted this game more than we did and it showed. We need to play better."

MIKE HOLD, on not making the playoffs: "Of course that is our goal from the get-go. Is it disappointing? Yes. But we now need to take what we learned about ourselves this year and apply it to next season. We have some things to build upon and that is a good feeling."

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

First 200+ yard receiving game: Chris Johnson

First Overtime Victory: July 13, 2007 vs. Albany

RECORD SETTER: WR Chris Johnson continues to improve. After a stunning return in Week 15 at Louisville, Johnson was even more impressive a week later versus Albany. Johnson caught 16 passes for 238 yards and recorded seven touchdown receptions - each setting new Thunder franchise, season and single-game highs.

TOPS IN THE LEAGUE: With one game remaining in the regular season, the Mahoning Valley Thunder have run more offensive plays than any other team in af2. Head Coach Mike Hold's offense has run a total of 716 plays, 14 plays ahead of the second place team - Laredo Lobos who have run 702 plays.

LOOKIN TO MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW: The Thunder can improve to 5-3 at home with a victory tonight at the Chevrolet Centre. Tonight's win will also extend the current Thunder home winning streak to three in a row.

JUMP OUT EARLY: Playing well early on can sometimes determine the outcome of a game. For the Thunder, when they have scored first in a game, they are 5-1 - compared to 1-8 when the opponent scores first.

LEAGUE ACCOLADES: A week removed from being awarded the Cutters Catch of the Week, WR Chris Johnson was named the Schutt Offensive Player of the Week by the arenafootball2 League Office in Week 16. The POW award is given to one individual each week based on their performance on the field. Johnson's 16 catches for 238 yards and seven touchdowns put him atop of each of those categories in the league.

PUT ME IN COACH: Through the first 15 games of the 2007 season, only one Thunder player has appeared in and started all 15 contests. DB Maurice Taylor is the only player to start in every game to date. OL/DL Mike Lane and DL Brandon Brown are the only other players to have played in every game.

LET'S GO HALVES: The Thunder have played 30 halves of football this year in 15 games. Of those 30, 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 60 quarters of football, the Thunder has held its opponents to a single-digit quarter on 24 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

13 quarters

9 Points

1 quarter

300+ CLUB: QB Glen Gauntt threw for 314 yards in Week 16 versus Albany, his second highest output of the year. At Manchester in Week 5, Gauntt threw for his season-best 331 yards in the first Thunder loss of the year. Those two games account for the only 300+ Yard games this season for Gauntt.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

WK 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 BYE

14 @ WBS QB Ryan Vena (WBS)

15 @ LOU WR Tiger Jones (LOU)

16 ALB WR Chris Johnson (MVT)

17 @ TV QB Chris Gunn (TV)

18 GBB

IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

WK 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 BYE

14 @ WBS WR/DB Larry Kendrick (WBS)

15 @ LOU WR/DB Tony Stallings (LOU)

16 ALB WR/LB Chris Curd (ALB)

17 @ TV WR/DB Henry Freeman (TV)

18 GBB

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

WK 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 BYE

14 @ WBS DB Chris Royal (WBS)

15 @ LOU DB Nate Green (LOU)

16 ALB DB Reggie Perkins (MVT)

17 @ TV DB Carlos Campbell (TV)

18 GBB

CATCH OF THE GAME AWARD

(selected by media)

WK 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 (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 (MVT)

13 BYE BYE

14 @ WBS WR Buchie Ibeh

15 @ LOU WR Chris Johnson (MVT)

16 ALB WR/DB Brian Majors (MVT)

17 @ TV WR/DB Brian Majors (MVT)

18 GBB

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