Wichita Stealth Game Notes
July 8, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release
Wichita Stealth (8-5) at Bakersfield Blitz (6-7)
Date: Saturday, July 12, 2003
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. (Pacific)
Site: Centennial Arena (8,700)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss:
Officials: Steve Strimling (Referee), Kevin Matthews (Umpire), James Joseph (Head Linesman), Paul Caldera (Line Judge), Todd Prukop (Back Judge)
Radio: Z-FM 90.7 (Jay Sanderson)
Webcast: www.wichitastealth.com
Series Record: Bakersfield leads the series 1-0
Last Meeting: July 13, 2002 â Wichita 39, BAKERSFIELD 52
Streaks: 2003: Wichita W-2, Bakersfield W-1
Coaches: WIC â Sean Ponder (4-2, First season) BAK - James Fuller (4-8, Second season)
THE STAKES: The Stealth look to get their first win ever versus the Blitz and at the same time keep pace with the Hawaiian Islanders in the west division title race.
THE SERIES: Bakersfield leads series 1-0
THE Ifs:
If Wichita defeats Bakersfield, it would ...
· Give Wichita a 1-1 series with the Blitz
· Give Wichita a 9-5 record in 2003
· Give Wichita a 5-3 road record in 2003
· Give Sean Ponder a 5-2 record with Wichita
· Give Wichita a one game win streak
· Clinch a 2003 af2 playoff berth for the Stealth
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.
James Fuller is the only coach in the history of the Blitz. Coach Fuller spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons with the Oklahoma Wranglers as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator under former Stealth head coach Bob Cortese. Fuller quickly established himself as one of the top coaching prospects in the Arena Football League during the 2000 season by leading the Wranglers to the No. 1 ranking in total defense and pass defense.
LAST SERIES MEETING: The Blitz defeated the Stealth 52-39 in front of 5,693 fans at Centennial Garden Arena. The Stealth tied the game at 39-39 with 48 seconds left, but gave up a touchdown with 29 seconds left and then fumbled the ball in the end zone and the Blitz recovered in the end zone securing the victory at 52-39. The Stealth were led by offensive specialist Corey McCoy who caught 12 passes for 133 yards and four touchdowns.
WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
FB/LB Daren Williams Foot Long Term IR
DS Lee Vaughn Torn ACL Long Term IR
OS Michael Dritlein Torn ACL Long Term IR
DROPBACK: San Diego 60, WICHITA 53 (6-28-03) â The Stealth had the chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter but Anthony Buich's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Quincy LeJay preserving the 60-53 Riptide victory in front of 4,958 Wichita faithful. The Stealth were led by Melvin Phillips who caught
FORWARD MOTION: Next week, the Stealth will begin a two game home stand to end the 2003 regular season. They will first take on the Bakersfield Blitz on July 19th and finish up the 2003 regular season with a game against the Cincinnati Swarm.
TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:
CRAZY EIGHTS: This week's game features the eighth ranked scoring offense of the Stealth (47.6 points per game) and the eighth ranked scoring defense of the Bakersfield Blitz (42.6 points per game).
WIN AND YOU'RE IN!!!: With a victory, the Stealth will clinch their second consecutive af2 playoff berth. The Stealth are also still in contention for the west division title. The Stealth will be closely watching the Hawaii-Tulsa game this weekend. If Hawaii loses, the Stealth will be tied with the Islanders for first place in the west division and the Stealth hold the tiebreaker over Hawaii, thus giving the Stealth the #3 seed in the playoffs.
ON THE RUN: Bakersfield comes into the game with one of the best defense in af2, but against the run game they are one of the worst. Bakersfield is ranked 26th in rushing defense giving up 29.6 yards per game. The Stealth enter this weeks game as the second ranked rushing offense averaging 33.5 yards per game on the ground.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Stealth wide receiver/linebacker Melvin Phillips: Phillips had a breakout game versus the San Diego Riptide on June 28th. He had nine receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Since joining the Stealth four games ago, Phillips has hauled in 23 passes for 329 yards and five touchdowns. This week he will be making his first trip back to take on his former team, the Bakersfield Blitz.
Stealth quarterback Anthony Buich: In two out of the last three games, Stealth quarterback Anthony Buich has earned Game MVP honors. He has gone 57-of-102 for 755 yards and 13 touchdowns in the two Stealth victories. Buich now ranks among the league leaders in a number of categories. He is 2nd in pass attempts, 6th in passing yards, 7th in passing touchdowns, and 5th in pass completions.
KEY DATES IN TEAM/LEAGUE HISTORY:
March 12, 2003 â 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
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.
May 24, 2003 - Sean Ponder gets his first head coaching victory ever in the Stealth win over the Peoria Pirates.
June 14, 2003 - The Stealth tie the franchise record for most wins in a season with seven.
June 21, 2003 - The Stealth break the franchise record for wins in a season with their eighth victory in 2003, a 57-35 win over the Arkansas Twisters.
STEALTH THIS WEEK:
Tuesday â Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (Sluggers)
Friday: Approximately 8:00 a.m. - Depart for Bakersfield, California
Saturday: 7:00 p.m. - Kick-off!!! (Centennial Garden -Bakersfield, California)
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