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Wichita Stealth game notes

May 11, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Wichita Stealth (5-0)
At Quad City Steamwheelers (5-1)
Date: Saturday, May 15, 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: The MARK of the Quad Cities (9,437)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss:
Officials: (Referee),
(Umpire), (Head Linesman), (Line Judge), (Back Judge)
Radio: All Stealth games can be heard live on 96.3 KRZZ FM. Jay Sanderson and C.J. will be calling the action all season long for the Stealth.
Series Record: Quad City leads the all-time series 4-1
Last Meeting: Quad City 62, WICHITA 56
Streaks: Wichita W-5; Quad City W-2
Coaches: WIC: Sean Ponder (5-0 in 2004, 9-5-1 overall 2nd season) QUA: Rich Ingold 5-1 in 2004, 29-10 overall 3rd season)

TEAM WEBSITES: Stealth: www.wichitastealth.com;
Steamwheelers: www.steamwheelers.com


THE STAKES: Wichita tries to become 6-0 for the first time in franchise history and keep their perfect road record in tact.

THE SERIES: The Stealth and Steamwheelers have played each other five times with the Steamwheelers winning four of those contests. Wichita defeated Quad City 57-38 on May 25, 2002 and came just inches short of a victory last season.

THE IFs:
If Wichita defeats Quad City, it would …
· Give Wichita a 2-4 series record with Quad City
· Give Wichita a 3-0 road record in 2004
· Give Sean Ponder a 10-5-1 career record as head coach
· Give Wichita a six game win streak
· Give Wichita their first ever 6-0 start


WICHITA STEALTH (5-0, W-5)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 PEORIA W 33-13
4/10 LAREDO W 44-22
4/16 @ Peoria W 47-26
4/24 GREEN BAY W 68-53
5/8 @ Rio Grande W 35-28
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
5/15 @ Quad City 7:30 W-2 QUA 4-1
5/22 @ Oklahoma City 7:30 W-2 First Meeting
5/29 LAREDO 7:00 L-5 WIC 1-0
6/5 @ Tulsa 7:30 W-1 TUL 5-1
6/12 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 -- --
6/19 TULSA 7:00 -- --
7/3 @ Rio Grande 7:30 -- WIC 1-0
7/10 @ Tulsa 7:30 -- --
7/17 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 -- --
7/24 @ Laredo 7:30 -- WIC 1-0
7/31 RIO GRANDE 7:00 -- --

QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (5-1, W-2)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 MANCHESTER W 71-32
4/10 @ Manchester W 45-42
4/17 TENNESSEE VALLEY W 47-29
4/24 @ Wilkes-Barre L 40-27
5/1 GREEN BAY W 47-26
5/7 @ Peoria W 47-20
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
5/15 WICHITA 7:30
5/22 @ San Diego 9:00
6/5 @ Louisville 6:30
6/12 WILKES-BARRE 7:30
6/18 @ Green Bay 7:30
6/25 @ Arkansas 7:30
7/2 PEORIA 7:30
7/10 @ Tennessee Valley 7:30
7/17 BIRMINGHAM 7:30
7/31 LOUISVILLE 7:30
(All times are Central)

STEALTH HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Sean Ponder begins his second season in arena football. He took over the Stealth last season after seven games. Ponder led the Stealth to their second consecutive playoff berth in af2. He brings over five years of college coaching experience to Wichita. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at Orange Coast Community College in California. At Orange Coast, he helped turn around a program that had not won over two games the past three seasons into a junior college powerhouse.

QUAD CITY HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Rich Ingold is in his third season as the Steamwheelers head coach after guiding them to a 2003 National Conference Midwest Division championship. Ingold has a 29-10 record in his two-plus seasons at the helm and has posted ten straight regular season home victories.

THE LAST TIME WE MET (A recap of the last meeting): Last season, it came down to two consecutive goal-line plays for the Stealth and they could not get the job done as the Steamwheelers stopped them short of the end zone and handed the Stealth their first home loss in 2003, 62-56.

HEY, DON’T I KNOW YOU? (A look at some familiar faces)
Stealth Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Troy Biladeau coached in Quad City during the 2001 season…He also coached Steamwheelers offensive/defensive lineman Chris Smith in Cape Fear during the 2003 season.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week’s matchup who ranked among af2’s statistical leaders in 2004:

STEALTH
Player Rank Category Stat
Aaron Sparrow 4th Pass Rating 116.4
Ty Ardoin T-3rd Interceptions 3
Aaron Sparrow 6th Passing Yards/Game 250.6
Aaron Sparrow 7th Total Offense 1,266
Dylan Pohlman 10th PAT Kicking 24-32 (75%)
David Hurst T-2nd Fumbles Forced 2
Daren Williams T-4th Tackles For Loss 3.5
Cliff Holloman T-5th Tackles For Loss 3.0
Marc Bacote T-3rd Sacks 2.5
Cliff Holloman T-4th Sacks 2.0
Markevius Woods T-4th Sacks 2.0
Jeff Macrea T-4th Sacks 2.0
STEAMWHEELERS
Player Rank Category Stat
Jeff Hewitt T-4th Scoring 78 pts
Jeff Hewitt T-4th Scoring (TDs) 13
Ryan Geisler T-6th Scoring (Kick) 32 pts
Tim Dodge T-6th Receptions 39
Tim Dodge T-2nd Receiving Yds/Game 110.2
Jeff Hewitt 5th Receiving Yds/Game 92.8
Matt Forbes T-2nd Interceptions 2
Jeff Hewitt 5th Kick Return Avg 24.6
Ronnie Gordon 9th Passing Yds/Game 239.5
Jeff Hewitt 3rd All Purpose Yds 1,168
Ronnie Gordon 2nd Total Offense 1,480
Ryan Geisler 7th PAT Kicking 29-38 (76.3%)
Matt Forbes 1st Fumbles Forced 3
Danny Thomas T-3rd Fumbles Recovered 2
Matt Forbes 2nd Passes Defended 15
Matt Forbes 2nd Tackles 31
Bear Brown T-4th Sacks 2.0
Brian Berg T-4th Sacks 2.0

LOOKING BACK: Last week, the Stealth found themselves in a defensive battle with the Rio Grande Valley Dorados. The Stealth pulled ahead of the Dorados at the start of the fourth quarter and never looked back as they held on to the 35-28 victory pushing their record to 5-0.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here’s how WICHITA and QUAD CITY stack up:

Statistical STEALTH STEAMWHEELERS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 16th 45.4 13th 47.3
Scoring Defense 1st 28.4 2nd 31.5
Total Offense 12th 260.0 13th 259.7
Total Defense 1st 192.8 3rd 209.0
Pass Offense 9th 243.4 8th 243.4
Pass Defense 1st 176.8 3rd 190.0
Rushing Offense 14th 16.6 16th 15.5
Rushing Defense 8th 16.0 9th 19.0
Scoring T-13th 200 6th 248
Scoring (Kicking) 11th 27 T-6th 32
Pass Rating 6th 112.6 13th 105.1
Pass Def. Rating 3rd 88.2 2nd 83.0
Kickoff Returns 20th 16.7 6th 21.6
MFG Returns 14th 13.7 T-7th 21.0
Turnover Margin T-8th 0.40 4th 1.17
Field Goals % T-12th 20% 15th 14.3%
PAT Kicking % T-11th 75% (24-32) 10th 76.3% (29-38)
Sacks By 3rd 15 4th 13
Sacks Against 6th 7 T-5th 6
First Downs 10th 75 T-7th 79
Opp. First Downs 3rd 56 T-11th 78
Penalties 4th 45.0 22nd 66.3
Opp. Penalties 2nd 35.2 21st 68.3

WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OS Jonathan Jackson Shoulder Long Term IR
QB Heath Ridenour Shoulder Long Term IR
DS Antoine Williams Ankle Long Term IR
WR/DB Alan Jones Long Term IR

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: (Notable quotes):
SEAN PONDER, On the victory over Rio Grande: “The offense made some mistakes, but we fought through adversity and came out and had a productive second half.”

On the performance of the Stealth defense: “Our defense played as well as we could have. They created turnovers at crucial moments and we were able to get some pressure on their quarterback”

REACHING FOR RECORDS: (A look at upcoming milestones): Stealth quarterback Aaron Sparrow surpassed the 1,000 career attempt mark in the game versus Green Bay and surpassed Kane Claunch for 9th place on the all-time passing yardage list. He is also only 1,741 yards away from 10,000 career yards, and only 46 touchdown passes short of 200. There are only three other af2 quarterbacks who have thrown for 10,000 yards and 200 touchdowns. (Ricky Hebert, Craig Strickland, and Bryan Snyder). Listed below are the top ten passers in af2 history.

All-Time af2 Passers
Sherard Poteete Bossier City 12,164
Craig Strickland Oklahoma City 11,885
Bryan Snyder T. Valley 11,647
Ricky Hebert 10,779
Bob Bees Tulsa 9,587
Matt Sauk Louisville 9,580
Anthony Buich 9,479
Chris Windsor Columbus 8,522
Aaron Sparrow Wichita 8,259
Kane Claunch San Diego 8,226
Players with a team listed are still active
ADVANCE BOOKING: (A look at upcoming Stealth games):
The Stealth will conclude their three game road swing next week when they travel to take on the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz in a Southwest Division match-up. The Stealth will return home for a re-match with the Laredo Law on May 29th. The Stealth defeated the Law 44-22 on April 10th.

FLY-BY’s: (A look at team trends and tidbits):
STEALTH RETURNERS: The Stealth return eight members from a team that recorded the franchise record for wins last season. They return defensive specialist Ty Ardoin, offensive/defensive lineman Dustin Fish, offensive/defensive lineman Cliff Holloman, wide receiver/defensive back Brian Livingston, fullback/linebacker Jeff Macrea, fullback/linebacker Daren Williams, offensive/defensive lineman Markevius Woods, and offensive specialist Michael Dritlein.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: After finishing the 2003 season ranked near the middle of the af2 in almost every defensive category, the Stealth have started the 2004 season off with a bang on the defensive side of the ball. Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Troy Biladeau has his defense near the top of every defensive category. The Stealth rank 1st in scoring defense (only allowing 28.4 points per game), 1st in total defense (192.8 yards per game), 1st in pass defense (176.8 yards per game), and 3rd in pass defense rating (88.2 rating).

SHUTTING THEM DOWN: So far this season the Stealth have shut out their opponents in eight of the twenty quarters they have played. Last season, they only had four quarters of shut out football all season long.

THEN THERE WAS ONE: Entering last weekend, there were two teams that remained undefeated in the af2, until the 0-4 Albany Conquest surprised everyone and shocked the #1 ranked Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers and handed them their first loss of the season 52-45. The loss by the Pioneers make the Wichita Stealth the only undefeated team left in af2.

“THE REAL DEAL”: Following his performance in the game versus the Green Bay Blizzard, Stealth quarterback Aaron Sparrow was named the af2’s Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Week. Sparrow turned in the eighth best passing night in af2 history, and a Stealth franchise record, throwing for 382 yards against the Blizzard. The af2 record is 459 yards by Shane Stafford of the Tallahassee Thunder at the Birmingham Steeldogs on June 2, 2000.

TOP GUNS: (A look at players and match-ups to watch):
Stealth QB Aaron Sparrow: Sparrow brings two years of af2 experience to Wichita and looks to break the 10,000 yard passing mark for his career this season. Sparrow has also thrown for 154 touchdowns in his 37 game af2 career. Sparrow was named the offensive player of the year in 2000 as well as All-af2 quarterback.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK, Stealth offensive specialist Damon Thompson: The Stealth offense was strengthened the week of the Green Bay game when they were assigned offensive specialist Damon Thompson. Thompson played last season with the Richmond Speed and finished the season fourth in the af2 in receiving yardage with 1,569 yards and 27 touchdowns. In two games with the Stealth, Thompson has caught 16 passes for 188 yards and six touchdowns.

Stealth WR/DB Brian Livingston: Livingston returns to Wichita for his second straight year. Last year, Livingston led the Stealth in tackles, interceptions, and forced fumbles. This season he leads the team in tackles and is tied for the team lead in interceptions thus far. Last week versus Rio Grande Valley, he was named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game. Along with Sparrow, Livingston was also named to the 2000 All-af2 team as a defensive specialist.

Stealth defense versus Quad City receivers, Jeff Hewitt and Tim Dodge: This week features the best pass defense in the league versus two very experienced receivers. So far, this season the Stealth pass defense has only given up 176.8 yards per game, while the duo of Hewitt and Dodge have been averaging 203.0 yards per game between the two of them with 19 touchdowns. The Stealth defense has only given up 21 touchdowns in their five games.

STEALTH FLIGHT PLAN: (A look at the Stealth schedule this week)
Wednesday: 6:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. PRACTICE (The Sports Zone)
Thursday: 6:30 am – 8:30 am PRACTICE (The Sports Zone)
Friday: 6:30 pm PRACTICE (The MARK, Moline, Illinois)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m. KICKOFF!!!

RECENT STEALTH ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
5/5 ACTIVATED FROM SHORT TERM IR Daren Williams
5/5 TRANSFERRED TO LONG TERM IR Christopher Highshaw
4/29 ACTIVATED FROM SHORT TERM IR Ervin Holloman
4/29 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR Jimmy Hamilton
4/29 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR Michael Dritlein
4/21 ASSIGNED Damon Thompson


GAME AWARD WINNERS

BABY RUTH REAL DEAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Peoria Aaron Sparrow-Wichita
2 Laredo Anthony Griffin-Wichita
3 @ Peoria Michael Dritlein-Wichita
4 Green Bay Damon Thompson-Wichita
6 @ Rio Grande Brian Livingston-Wichita

ARMY IRONMAN AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Peoria Daren Williams-Wichita
2 Laredo Marc Bacote-Wichita
3 @ Peoria Brian Livingston-Wichita
4 Green Bay Brian Livingston-Wichita
6 @ Rio Grande Manwell Talbert-Rio Grande

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Peoria Cliff Holloman-Wichita
2 Laredo Cliff Holloman-Wichita
3 @ Peoria Marc Bacote-Wichita
4 Green Bay Ty Ardoin-Wichita
6 @ Rio Grande Marc Bacote-Wichita

af2 WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Week Offensive Defensive Ironman
1 Jeff Hewitt-Quad City Karleton Thomas-Rio Grande Valley Jerrian James-Tennessee Valley
2 Randall Lane-Green Bay Jerry Turner-Birmingham Al Hunt-Oklahoma City
3 Matt Burstein-Cape Fear Justin Thomas-Louisville Leroy McFadden-Wilkes-Barre
4 Aaron Sparrow-Wichita Demetrius Forney-Louisville Bjorn Barre-Tulsa
5 Chris Sanders-Manchester Matt Forbes-Quad City Steve Gorrie-Florida
6 Bo Smith-Bossier Takuya Furutani-Louisville Anthony Jordan-Birmingham

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