Wichita Stealth Game Notes

July 14, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


Bakersfield Blitz (7-7) at Wichita Stealth (8-6)
Date: Saturday, July 19, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Central
Site: Kansas Coliseum (9,686)
National Anthem: Heather Arnette
Coin Toss: Steve Shaad (Wichita Wranglers General Manager)
Officials: Brian Chamberlin (Referee), Mike Wilmoth (Umpire), Frank Whitmer (Head Linesman), Rick Smith (Line Judge), Craig Helser (Back Judge)
Radio: Z-FM 90.7 (Jay Sanderson)
Webcast: www.wichitastealth.com
Series Record: Bakersfield leads the series 2-0
Last Meeting: July 12, 2003 – Wichita 41, BAKERSFIELD 56
Streaks: 2003: Wichita L-2, Bakersfield W-2
Coaches: WIC – Sean Ponder (4-3, First season) BAK − James Fuller (7-7, Second season)

THE STAKES: The Stealth need a win to clinch a 2003 af2 playoff berth and keep pace with the Hawaiian Islanders in the hunt for the West Division title. Wichita is looking for its first ever win over the Blitz.

THE SERIES: Bakersfield leads series 2-0

THE Ifs:

If Wichita defeats Bakersfield, it would ...
• Give Wichita a 1-2 series with the Blitz
• Give Wichita a 9-6 record in 2003
• Give Wichita a 5-2 home record in 2003
• Give Sean Ponder a 5-3 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: See "Dropback" section of this weeks notes.

WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:

Pos. Name Injury Status OL/DL Kerry Linnear Ankle Short Term IR

DROPBACK: Wichita 41, BAKERSFIELD 56 (7-12-03) – The Stealth dropped to .500 on the road for the season as they fell to the Bakersfield Blitz 56-41. The Stealth committed three turnovers, two fumbles deep in their own territory to give the Blitz two short fields to work with. The Stealth were led by offensive specialist Shomari Buchanan who had ten catches for 136 yards and four touchdowns. FORWARD MOTION: Next week, the Stealth will wrap up the 2003 regular season with a game against the Cincinnati Swarm. This is the first ever trip to the Kansas Coliseum for the Cincinnati Swarm, a 2003 expansion team.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

BACK-TO-BACK: This weeks game marks the third time in two years the Stealth have faced an opponent on consecutive weekends. Last season, the Stealth faced Arkansas on April 13th and April 20th, dropping both games to the Twisters. Then they faced the Quad City Steamwheelers on May 18th and 25th, dropping the away game to the Steamwheelers and defeating them at home the following week.

ON THE RUN: Bakersfield comes into the game with one of the best defenses in af2, but against the run game they are one of the worst. Bakersfield is ranked 23rd in rushing defense giving up 28.9 yards per game. The Stealth enter this weeks game as the second ranked rushing offense averaging 32.5 yards per game on the ground.

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-San Diego 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.

OKLAHOMA WRANGLERS REUNION???: Last weekend in Bakersfield, it was like an Oklahoma Wranglers (AFL) reunion. Between the Blitz and Stealth, they have five players and one coach who were in Oklahoma City at one time. For the Blitz, you have Kusanti Abdul-Salaam, Delvin Myles, and head coach James Fuller. For the Stealth, you have Brian Goolsby, Drew Mitchell, and Melvin Phillips.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Stealth quarterback Anthony Buich: In the last four games, Buich has gone 72-of-130 for 933 yards and 18 touchdowns. Buich now ranks among the league leaders in a number of categories. He is 5th in pass attempts, 8th in passing yards, 9th in passing touchdowns, and 8th in pass completions. Stealth offensive specialist Shomari Buchanan: In his last five games, Shomari has caught 33 passes for 426 yards and nine touchdowns. Shomari now has 68 receptions for 815 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Stealth offensive line versus Blitz lineman Ricky Leung'Wai: The Stealth line will need to contain one of the top lineman in af2 in Leung'Wai. Leung'Wai is currently second in the af2 in sacks with 9.5. Last week, the Stealth line kept him from quarterback Anthony Buich and limited him to no tackles and only one quarterback hurry.

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.

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.



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