Wichita Stealth Game Notes

June 3, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Wichita Stealth (6-3) at Tennessee Valley Vipers (8-0)
Date: Saturday, June 7, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Site: Von Braun Center (6,642)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss: Darth Vader
Officials: Marc Curles (Referee), Chris Hughes (Umpire), Dirk Bell (Head Linesman), Andy Britton (Line Judge), Rob Skelton (Back Judge)
Radio: Z-FM 90.7 (Jay Sanderson)
Webcast: www.wichitastealth.com
Series Record: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Streaks: 2003: Wichita W-2, Tennessee Valley W-8
Coaches: WIC – Sean Ponder (2-0, First season) TEN - Kevin Guy (21-4, Second season)

THE STAKES: The Stealth look to win their third consecutive game and get their first win ever over the Vipers.

THE SERIES: First Meeting

THE Ifs:

If Wichita defeats Tennessee Valley, it would ...
· Give Wichita a 1-0 series lead over the Vipers
· Give Wichita a 7-3 record in 2003
· Give Wichita a 3-2 road record in 2003
· Give Sean Ponder a 3-0 record with Wichita
· Give Wichita a three game win streak

HEAD COACHES: Sean Ponder takes over for Bob Cortese who resigned as head coach due to health issues on May 20, 2003. This is Ponder's first experience in a head coaching position, but he brings numerous years of coaching experience to Wichita. Prior to his stint in Wichita he served as the offensive coordinator at Orange Coast Community College in California. Ponder played college football at Emporia (Kan.) State University. Tennessee Valley's Kevin Guy is in his second season as Head Coach and Director of Football Operations for the Vipers. He led the Vipers to a 13-3 record last season and a South Division Championship. In 2000, he served as the defensive coordinator for the New Jersey Red Dogs and served as the interim head coach for the last four games.

LAST SERIES MEETING: First meeting between these two teams.

WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:

Pos. Name Injury Status
OS Michael Dritlein Torn ACL Long Term IR

DROPBACK: Green Bay 36, WICHITA 57 (5-31-03) –Led by Game MVP FB/LB Daren Williams, the Wichita Stealth defeated the Green Bay Blizzard 57-36 in front of 5,212 fans at the Kansas Coliseum. Williams set a new Stealth rushing record with three touchdowns. The Stealth were also led by ADT Defensive Player of the Game Shomari Buchanan. Buchanan had two interceptions on the night, one of which he returned 24 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

FORWARD MOTION: Next week, the Stealth will continue their road swing when they travel to San Diego to take on the Riptide in a divisional showdown. They will finish up their three-game road swing with a re-match against the Arkansas Twisters in Arkansas on June 21st.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

HIGH OCTANE PRODUCTION: These two teams come into the game in ranked in the top ten in scoring offense. The Stealth are ranked 9th averaging 47.1 points per contest. The Vipers enter the game ranked 3rd averaging 53.9 points per outing. Last week versus the Green Bay Blizzard, the Stealth put up 42 first half points on their way to a 57-36 victory.

COMMON OPPONENTS: The Stealth and Vipers only have one common opponent thus far this year, the Quad City Steamwheelers. The Vipers played the Steamwheelers on April 11, 2003 and defeated them giving their last loss so far this season, 62-59. The Stealth played the Steamwheelers on May 10 and were stopped short of victory 62-56.

GROUND ATTACK: The Stealth continue their running ways. Last week, the ground game accounted for four touchdowns. Daren Williams led the attack with three of the four. The Stealth enter this weeks game as the third ranked rushing offense in the league.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Stealth offensive specialist Shomari Buchanan: Buchanan will be making his debut at this position this week versus the Vipers. He has started to emerge as a viable threat for the Stealth during the last few games. Last week versus Green Bay, Shomari had three catches for 42 yards. This weekend will be a homecoming for this former University of Alabama player.

Stealth kicker Jason Corse: Jason has quietly mae his way to the top of the league leader boards. Jason is now ranked 7th in scoring (kick), 8th in field goals, and 6th in PAT kicking.

Stealth fullback/linebackers Brian Goolsby and Daren Williams: This dynamic duo is arguably the best fullback/linebacker tandem in af2. Last week versus Green Bay, the duo combined for 21 of the 26 rushing yards and all four of the rushing touchdowns. Williams set a new team record with three rushing touchdowns in a single game.

KEY DATES IN TEAM/LEAGUE HISTORY:

March 12, 2003 – Key Sports, LLC takes over as Operator of the Wichita Stealth.

March 29, 2003 – 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

April 26, 2003 - The Stealth defeated the Tulsa Talons 56-49 in overtime. This was the first time ever that Wichita has defeated the Talons.

May 3, 2003 - The Stealth defeated the Hawaiian Islanders 36-29 to take over sole possession of the West Division lead.

May 20, 2003 - Stealth head coach Bob Cortese announces his resignation due to personal reasons. Volunteer assistant coach Sean Ponder is named interim head coach for the rest of the 2003 season.

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES

Interim head coach Sean Ponder

On the offensive production against Green Bay: "I was very happy with the first half output, we would have liked to seen the same in the second half"

On the play of wide receiver/defensive back Dan Dawson who played every play of the game versus Green Bay: "I have never seen anyone play 100 plays in a game the way he played. He was definitely the most valuable guy for us Saturday night"

On the upcoming game at Tennessee Valley: "They are a very good football team and their record shows it. They are very quick, physical and athletic. They are a team that has a lot of talent and experience and they could compete with teams in the AFL."

On the loss of offensive specialist Michael Dritlein: "He was the catalyst of our offense. We will miss him, so someone else needs to step up."



arenafootball2 Stories from June 3, 2003


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.