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Wichita Stealth game notes

July 7, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Wichita Stealth (7-5)
At Tulsa Talons (9-3)
Date: Saturday, July 10, 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Tulsa Convention Center (7,111)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss: Joe Pester
Officials: Joe Pester (Referee),
Chad Bowers (Umpire), Gary Calip (Head Linesman), Larry Smith (Line Judge), Scott Gasaway (Back Judge)
Radio: All Stealth games can be heard live on 107.3 FM "The Road". Jay Sanderson and C.J. will be calling the action all season long for the Stealth.
Series Record: Tulsa leads the all-time series 7-1
Last Meeting: Tulsa 62, WICHITA 34
Streaks: Wichita L-2, Tulsa W-6
Coaches: WIC: Sean Ponder (7-5 in 2004, 11-10-1 overall 2nd season); TUL: Ken Matous (9-3, 1st season)

TEAM WEBSITES: Stealth: www.wichitastealth.com
Talons: www.tulsatalons.com

THE STAKES: Wichita is trying to win their first road game since May 8, 2004 when they defeated the Rio Grande Valley Dorados 35-28 in Hidalgo, Texas. They are also trying to keep pace in the National Conference playoff race.

THE SERIES: This will be final time that these two teams face one another in the 2004 regular season. Tulsa leads the all-time series 7-1 and the 2004 series 2-0.

THE Ifs:
If Wichita defeats Tulsa, it would ...
· Give Wichita a 2-7 series record with Tulsa
· Give Wichita a 3-4 road record in 2004
· Give Sean Ponder an 12-10-1 career record as head coach
· Give Wichita a one game win streak



WICHITA STEALTH (7-5, L-2)
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
5/15 @ Quad City L 39-73
5/22 @ Oklahoma City L 25-53
5/29 LAREDO W 64-34
6/5 @ Tulsa L 49-62
6/12 OKLAHOMA CITY W 70-35
6/19 TULSA L 34-62
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley L 34-49
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/10 @ Tulsa 7:30 W-6 TUL 7-1
7/17 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 W-1 TIED 1-1
7/24 @ Laredo 7:30 L-5 WIC 2-0
7/31 RIO GRANDE VALLEY 7:00 W-1 TIED 1-1

TULSA TALONS (9-3, W-6)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 OKLAHOMA CITY L 63-70 OT
4/10 @ Macon W 49-40
4/23 PEORIA W 66-47
5/1 @ Oklahoma City L 60-62
5/8 BOSSIER CITY W 65-59
5/15 @ Laredo L 48-57
5/22 @ Arkansas W 61-53
5/28 RIO GRANDE VALLEY W 51-38
6/5 WICHITA W 62-49
6/12 @ Rio Grande Valley W 45-35
6/19 @ Wichita W 62-34
7/3 @ Laredo W 60-40
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/10 WICHITA 7:30 L-2 TUL 7-1
7/17 RIO GRANDE VALLEY 7:30 W-1 TUL 2-0
7/23 @ Oklahoma City 7:30 W-2 OKC 2-0
7/31 LAREDO 7:30 L-5 TIED 1-1
(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.
TULSA HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Ken Matous took over the Talons following Skip Foster's promotion to the AFL's Austin Wranglers. Matous brings over 23 years of coaching and educating experience to the Talons. He was offensive coordinator at Western Carolina University in 2002 and served as assistant coach with the AFL's Carolina Cobras in 2001.

THE LAST TIME WE MET (A recap of the last meeting): The Stealth lost their first home game of the season the last time these two teams met by a score of 62-34. The Talons jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter and the Stealth could not close that gap.
The Stealth were led by offensive specialist Damon Thompson who finished the night with five catches for 109 yards and three touchdowns. Stealth quarterback Jonathan Beasley was 16-of-44 for 223 yards and four touchdowns in the losing effort. The Stealth fell to 7-4 on the season and 5-1 in the friendly confines of the Kansas Coliseum.

HEY, DON'T I KNOW YOU? (A look at some familiar faces)
Talons player Bjorn Barre was in training camp with the Wichita Stealth at the beginning of the 2004 season.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders in 2004:
STEALTH
Player Rank Category Stat
David Hurst T-2nd Fumbles Forced 4
Henry Bryant T-5th Sacks 5.5
David Hurst T-5th Sacks 5.5
Cliff Holloman T-10th Sacks 3.0
Marc Bacote T-10th Sacks 3.0
Markevius Woods T-10th Sacks 3.0
TALONS
Player Rank Category Stat
Jonathan Knott 8th Scoring (Kicking) 72 pts
Bob Bees 4th Pass Rating 118.2
Bjorn Barre 6th Kickoff Return Avg 24.2
Jonathan Knott 3rd PAT Kicking 69-97 (71.1)
Bjorn Barre T-4th Fumbles Forced 2
Robert Reed T-4th Fumbles Recovered 2
Bjorn Barre 9th Passes Defended 16
Antonio Dingle 6th Sacks 5.0

LOOKING BACK: The Stealth started out quick against the Rio Grande Valley Dorados and lead 28-14 at halftime, but could only score six points in the second half as the Dorados reeled off 28 consecutive points to clinch the 49-34 victory from the Stealth.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how WICHITA and TULSA stack up:
Statistical STEALTH TALONS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 18th 45.2 2nd 57.7
Scoring Defense 6th 42.5 14th 48.7
Total Offense 18th 243.8 8th 268.6
Total Defense 4th 224.9 8th 242.1
Pass Offense 14th 231.7 T-5th 255.5
Pass Defense 5th 212.2 10th 228.8
Rushing Offense 19th 12.2 17th 13.1
Rushing Defense 2nd 12.7 3rd 13.2
Scoring 17th 486 2nd 618
Scoring (Kicking) 17th 56 9th 72
Pass Rating 13th 104.0 1st 116.1
Pass Def. Rating T-8th 103.1 9th 102.2
Kickoff Returns 22nd 16.8 17th 18.3
MFG Returns 13th 15.9 T-6th 20.7
Turnover Margin T-11th -3 T-4th +8
Field Goals % 19th 2-9 (.222) 23rd 1-8 (.125)
PAT Kicking % 18th 50-70 (.714) 19th 69-97 (.711)
Sacks By 3rd 30 6th 19
Sacks Against 16th 24 3rd 7
First Downs T-11th 183 5th 198
Opp. First Downs 1st 152 T-17th 204
Penalty Yards 2nd 474 21st 846
Opp. Penalty Yds 16th 749 5th 607
Red Zone Offense 10th 40-53 (.755) 11th 58-77 (.753)
Red Zone Defense 2nd 38-62 (.613) 17th 53-68 (.779)

WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Rico Ochoa Ankle Sprain Short Term IR

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: (Notable quotes):
SEAN PONDER, On last week's game at Rio Grande Valley: "We made too many mistakes. We played well the first half, but then we allowed them to take the momentum and run with it in the second half."

On the upcoming game with Tulsa: "Tulsa is a very tough place to play and we need to step up our game and be ready for them. "

ADVANCE BOOKING: (A look at upcoming Stealth games):
The Stealth will return home to the friendly confines of the Kansas Coliseum next week when they take on the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz on July 17th. The Stealth defeated the Yard Dawgz 70-35 in Wichita on June 12th. The Stealth will take to the road for the final time of the 2004 regular season on July 24th when they travel to take on the Laredo Law.

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. Fish and Dritlein have both been placed on long term injured reserve.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: After finishing the 2003 season ranked near the middle of the af2 in almost every defensive category, the Stealth have turned it around completely in 2004. Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Troy Biladeau has his defense near the top of every defensive category. The Stealth rank 6th in scoring defense (only allowing 41.9 points per game), 4th in total defense (226.5 yards per game), 5th in pass defense (213.6 yards per game), and 8th in pass defense rating (103.9 rating).

TOP GUNS: (A look at players to watch):
INSTANT OFFENSE: 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 nine games with the Stealth, Thompson has caught 53 passes for 825 yards and 23 touchdowns.

RETURNING ON A MISSION: Stealth wide receiver/defensive back Brian Livingston returns to Wichita for his second straight year and in pursuit of an af2 championship. Last year, Livingston led the Stealth in tackles, interceptions, and forced fumbles. This season he is second on the team in tackles and is tied for the team lead in interceptions. Earlier this season versus Rio Grande Valley, he was named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game and last week versus Laredo, he was named the U.S. Army Ironman of the Game.

STEALTH FLIGHT PLAN: (A look at the Stealth schedule this week)
Wednesday: 6:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Thursday: 6:30 am – 8:30 am PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Friday: 8:30 pm PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m. KICKOFF!!! (Tulsa Convention Center)

RECENT STEALTH ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
6/29 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR Rico Ochoa
6/29 ACTIVATED FROM LONG TERM IR Tim Conley
6/28 PLACED ON RECALLABLE RE-ASSIGNMENT Larry Randle
6/28 ASSIGNED Artavious Williams

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 Brian Livingston-Wichita
7 @ Quad Ronnie Gordon-Quad City
8 @ OKC Craig Strickland-Oklahoma City
9 Laredo Damon Thompson-Wichita
10 @ Tulsa Robert Reed-Tulsa
11 OKC Jonathan Beasley-Wichita
12 Tulsa Bob Bees-Tulsa
14 @ Rio Abel Gonzalez-Rio Grande Valley

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 Manwell Talbert-Rio Grande
7 @ Quad Bear Brown-Quad City
8 @ OKC Al Hunt-Oklahoma City
9 Laredo Brian Livingston-Wichita
10 @ Tulsa Bjorn Barre-Tulsa
11 OKC Marc Bacote-Wichita
12 Tulsa ShanJordan-Tulsa
14 @ Rio Ronshay Jenkins-Rio Grande Valley

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 Marc Bacote-Wichita
7 @ Quad Jamaal Cherry-Quad City
8 @ OKC James Landers-Oklahoma City
9 Laredo Christopher Highshaw-Wichita
10 @ Tulsa Ty Ardoin-Wichita
11 OKC Henry Bryant-Wichita
12 Tulsa Anton Ceaser-Tulsa
14 @ Rio Norman Mason-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
7 Chris Greisen-Green Bay Deronn Finley-Green Bay Ricky Leung-Wai-Central Valley
8 Brian Jones-Memphis Terence Samuel-Columbus Joshua Robinson-Hawaii
9 Anthony Payton-Louisville Nakoa McElrath-San Diego Lawrence Matthews-Peoria
10 Sherard Poteete-Bossier-Shreveport Robert Garth-Green Bay Mitch Galloway-Cape Fear
11 Tony Locke-Albany Henry Bryant-Wichita Travis McAlpine-Tennessee Valley
12 Bob Bees-Tulsa Jaime Hatley-Wilkes-Barre Carlos McNeary-Birmingham
13 Troy Bergeron-Columbus Marcus Bradley-Macon Adrian Cockfield-Columbus
14 Kevin Williams-Arkansas Eddie Moten-Rio Grande Valley Michael Duncan-Tulsa



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