Wichita Stealth Game Notes
Published on April 23, 2003 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Tulsa Talons (3-0) at Wichita Stealth (2-1)
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 CDT
Site: Kansas Coliseum (9,686)
National Anthem: Heather Arnette
Coin Toss: Jay Marcus, Mike Bell, and Mark Bell
Officials:
Radio: Z-FM 90.7 (Jay Sanderson and Phil Stephenson)
TV: None
Series Record: Tulsa leads the series 5-0
Last Meeting: April 12, 2003 â TULSA 43, Wichita 25
Streaks: 2003: Wichita W-1, Tulsa W-3
Coaches: Bob Cortese (2-1, First season) Skip Foster (31-7, Third season)
THE STAKES: A Wichita win would give them a two-game win streak and their first ever win against Tulsa. It would also keep Wichita in first place of the West Division.
THE SERIES: Tulsa leads the series 5-0
THE Ifs:
If Wichita defeats Tulsa, it would ...
⢠Give Wichita a 1-5 series record with the Talons
⢠Give Wichita a 3-1 record in 2003
⢠Give Wichita a 2-0 home record in 2003
⢠Give Bob Cortese a 3-1 record as an af2 coach
⢠Give Tulsa their first loss of the year
⢠Snap Tulsa's eight game regular season 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 31-7, which ranks him third on the all-time coaching list.
LAST SERIES MEETING: Wichita 25, TULSA 43 (4-12-03) − The Stealth fell behind early and could not recover as they fell to the Tulsa Talons 43-25 in front of 5,292 fans at the Tulsa Convention Center.
Wichita outscored the Talons 25-16 in the second half, but were unable to overcome the first half deficit.
Michael Dritlein led all Stealth receivers with 9 catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Anthony Buich made his first trip back to Tulsa, and completed 14-of-31 passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns.
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
Bob Cortese on the victory at Green Bay: "Our whole defense played very well."
On the upcoming game with Tulsa:"There is no question about it, we have to play a lot better than we did the last time."
DROPBACK: Wichita 41, GREEN BAY 26 (4-19-03) â The Stealth offense got it going early against the Blizzard and the defense turned in another solid performance as Wichita stopped the Blizzard 41-26 in front of 3,300 fans at the Resch Center Saturday night.
Stealth offensive specialist Michael Dritlein was named Game MVP for his four-touchdown performance. He finished the game with 8 receptions for 143 yards. Anthony Buich would finish the night with his best performance of the season. He finished the game 16-of-29 for 224 yards and four touchdowns.
FORWARD MOTION: The Stealth will continue their three-game home stand next week as they face West Division rival the Hawaiian Islanders.
TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:
LOPSIDED??: These two teams come into this game more evenly matched than the last meeting between the two teams showed. Wichita ranks 16th in total offense (217.3 yds per game), while Tulsa's defense ranks 16th giving up 241.3 yds per game.
In scoring offense, the Stealth and Talons are 16th and 13th respectively. The Talons average 41.3 pts per game, and the Stealth average 37.3 pts per game.
MAGIC NUMBER: In the two Wichita victories, they have accumulated over 201 yards of total offense each time. The only loss on the season against Tulsa, the Stealth only had 200 yards.
NOTHING BUT TIME: It seems that time of possession doesn't matter much to the Stealth. In their three games this season, Wichita has trailed in time of possession. Last week against Green Bay, the Blizzard offense had the ball twenty more minutes than the Stealth.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Stealth defensive specialist Lee Vaughn versus Tulsa receiving corps: Coming off a season best game in Green Bay, Lee Vaughn will be tested by the receiving duo of Tacoma Fontaine and Mitch Allner. Vaughn is leading the Stealth in tackles (19.5)and interceptions (2). Allner and Fontaine have combined for 29 catches for 338 yards and eight touchdowns on the season.
Stealth offensive specialist Michael Dritlein: Dritlein continues his sensational start in af2. Last week versus Green Bay, he caught eight passes for a career best 143 yards and four touchdowns. Dritlein now has 320 yards receiving and nine 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.
April 19, 2003 − The Stealth beat the Green Bay Blizzard, 41-26 for their first road win since June 29, 2002
arenafootball2 Stories from April 23, 2003
- Wichita Stealth Game Notes - Wichita Stealth
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
