Wichita Stealth Game Notes
Published on April 7, 2003 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Wichita Stealth (1-0) at Tulsa Talons (1-0)
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 CST
Site: Tulsa Convention Center (7,111)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss: Officials: Joe Pester (Referee), Major Williams (Umpire), Chad Bowers (Linesman), Richard Brown (Line Judge), Scott Gasaway (Back Judge)
Radio: Z-FM 90.7 (Jay Sanderson)
TV: None
Series Record: Tulsa leads series 4-0
Last Meeting: TUL 57, WIC 36, July 20, 2002 at Wichita
Streaks: 2003: Wichita W-1, Tulsa W-1
Coaches: Bob Cortese (1-0, First season) Skip Foster (28-7, Third season)
THE STAKES: A Wichita win would break the Talons' 18-game home winning streak and snap their four game losing streak against the Talons. THE SERIES: Tulsa leads the all-time series 4-0.
THE IFs:
If Wichita defeats Tulsa, it would ...
⢠Give Wichita their first win ever over the Talons
⢠Give Wichita a 2-0 record in 2003
⢠Give Wichita a 1-0 road record in 2003
⢠Give Bob Cortese a 2-0 record as an af2 coach
⢠Give Wichita a two game win streak
⢠Give Wichita their first ever road opener victory
⢠Break Tulsa's 18-game home winning streak
HEAD COACHES: Bob Cortese begins his first season as an af2 head coach for Wichita. Cortese has spent 4 years in the Arena Football League with the Portland Forest Dragons and the Oklahoma Wranglers before coming to Wichita in 2002 as Director of Football Operations. Cortese engineered the offensive turnaround that helped the Stealth garner a berth in the af2 playoffs in 2002.
Tulsa's Skip Foster begins his third season in arenafootball2. Foster was previously the head coach at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College. Coach Foster has a career record of 29-7, which ranks him third on the all-time coaching list.
LAST SERIES MEETING: Tulsa 57, WICHITA 36 â In front of the largest crowd in Stealth history, the Stealth and Talons battled back and forth in the first half. The Talons were led by quarterback Anthony Buich, he was 26-of-36 for 335 yards and seven touchdowns. The Talons blanked the Stealth in the final quarter to win the game 57 to 36.
FAMILIAR FACES: Wichita quarterback Anthony Buich and offensive/defensive lineman Cliff Holloman both played last season in Tulsa...Tulsa offensive/defensive lineman Matt Walls played the last two seasons with the Stealth.
LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who ranked among af2's statistical leaders: WICHITA Player Rank Category Stat Michael Dritlein 10th Scoring 18 pts Jason Corse 3rd Scoring (Kick) 8 pts Anthony Buich 10th Pass Completions 19 Greg Kyler 1st Yards Per Catch 25.3 TULSA Player Rank Category Stat Craig Strickland 7th Total Offense 233.0 Craig Strickland 7th Total Offensive TD's 5 Brandon Daniels 10th Kick Return Avg 26.0
WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status OL/DL John Hesse Cardio Long Term IR K Michael Trimble Hamstring Short Term IR
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
BOB CORTESE, On the victory over Arkansas: "We are very happy with the victory but that is in the past, we must concentrate on the future" On the bye week: "It is definitely an advantage for players. It gives them a week to rest and recover. As far as either team is concerned it is neither an advantage or disadvantage."
On the Talons: "Tulsa is a well coached team with very good players This will give us a good measure of whether we are pretenders or contenders."
DROPBACK: The Stealth opened the season on March 29th with a 46-28 home win against the Arkansas Twisters. The Stealth were in total control the whole game and their defense held Arkansas to 180 yards of total offense on the night. Stealth vs. Talons www.wichitastealth.com Page 2 www.af2.com
FORWARD MOTION: The Stealth will continue their two-game road swing next week as they travel to Green Bay, Wisconsin to take on the Blizzard. The Stealth will return home to take on the Tulsa Talons on April 26th.
TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:
Road Weary??: The Wichita Stealth will try to win their first road opener in team history this weekend. They have won one road game in each of their first two years to give them a 2-14 road record in team history.
Call to Arms: Both quarterbacks are among the league leaders in pass completions. Tulsa quarterback Craig Strickland ranks 5th with 22 completions and Wichita's Anthony Buich is 10th with 19 completions.
Rivalry?: With so many new faces in Wichita this year, this will be the first Wichita-Tulsa game they will take part in. The close proximity of the two cities really gets the fans interested and involved. This will be the first taste of the Wichita-Tulsa rivalry. The next game will be back in Wichita on April 26th.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Stealth defensive specialist, Brian Livingston vs. Tulsa offensive specialist Mitch Allner: Livingston was all-af2 in 2000. In his first game in Wichita, he had one interception and two pass break-ups...Allner was named af2 Offensive Player of the Year in 2002. In his first game of 2003, he caught fi ve passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
KEY DATES IN TEAM/LEAGUE HISTORY:
March 12, 2003 -- Key Sports, LLC takes over as Operator of the Wichita Stealth.
March 29, 2003 â The Wichita Stealth begin the Cortese era by defeating the Arkansas Twisters 46-28.
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