Wichita Stealth game notes

Published on July 20, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Wichita Stealth (7-7)
At Laredo Law (3-11)
Date: Saturday, July 24, 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Laredo Entertainment Center (8,000)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss: Walt Coleman
Officials: Walt Coleman (Referee),
Rico Orsot (Umpire), Marc Bovos (Head Linesman), Mark Bailey (Line Judge), Frank LeBlanc (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: Wichita Leads the Series 2-0
Last Meeting: WICHITA 64, Laredo 34
Streaks: Wichita L-4, Laredo Lost 1
Coaches: WIC: Sean Ponder (7-7 in 2004, 11-12-1 overall 2nd season); LAR: Scot Maynard (3-11, 1st season)

TEAM WEBSITES: Stealth: www.wichitastealth.com
Law: www.laredolaw.com

THE STAKES: Wichita needs a win to stay in contention for the 2004 af2 playoffs.

THE SERIES: This will be final time that these two teams face one another in the 2004 regular season. Wichita leads the all-time series 2-0 over the Law.

THE Ifs:
If Wichita defeats Laredo, it would ...
· Give Wichita a 3-0 series record with Laredo
· Give Wichita a 3-5 road record in 2004
· Give Sean Ponder an 12-12-1 career record as head coach
· Give Wichita a one game win streak
· Snap a four game losing streak for Wichita
· Give Wichita the season series sweep over Laredo


WICHITA STEALTH (7-7, L-4)
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
7/10 @ Tulsa L 35-41
7/17 OKLAHOMA CITY L 42-62
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/24 @ Laredo 7:30 L-1 WIC 2-0
7/31 RIO GRANDE VALLEY 7:00 L-1 TIED 1-1

LAREDO LAW (3-11, L-1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 @ Rio Grande L 6-37
4/10 @ Wichita L 22-44
4/23 TENNESSEE VALLEY L 43-68
5/1 RIO GRANDE VALLEY L 38-58
5/8 @ Oklahoma City L 48-79
5/15 TULSA W 57-48
5/22 @ Rio Grande Valley W 42-40
5/29 @ Wichita L 34-64
6/5 OKLAHOMA CITY L 41-66
6/11 BOSSIER CITY L 63-78
6/19 @ Oklahoma City L 39-58
7/3 TULSA L 40-60
7/9 ARKANSAS W 50-47
7/17 @ Florida L 17-67
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
7/24 WICHITA 7:30 L-4 WIC 2-0
7/31 @ Tulsa 7:30 W-8 TIED 1-1
(All times 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.

LAREDO HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Scot Maynard brings over 20 years of experience at all levels of coaching to the Law, which will be his first head coaching position. The 41-year old Maynard worked the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator of the New York Dragons in the Arena Football League. While in New York, he worked with John Gregory, who coached such notables as Kurt Warner during his AFL days. Scot is also the son of NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Don Maynard

THE LAST TIME WE MET (A recap of the last meeting): The last time these two teams met the Stealth were coming home to the friendly confines of the Kansas Coliseum on a two-game losing streak and were in the midst of a quarterback change. Starting his first career af2 game, Stealth quarterback Jonathan Beasley went 12-of-22 on the night for 196 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Stealth to a 64-34 victory. Stealth offensive specialist Damon Thompson had five catches for 109 yards and four touchdowns on his way to earning Baby Ruth Real Deal Player of the Game honors.

HEY, DON'T I KNOW YOU? (A look at some familiar faces)
Stealth offensive/defensive lineman Anthony Knutson played in six games with the Law at the start of the season...Law wide receiver/linebacker Melvin Phillips played in seven games with the Stealth last year...Law offensive/defensive lineman, John Amaro began the 2004 season in training camp with the Stealth.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's match-up who rank among af2's statistical leaders in 2004:
STEALTH
Player Rank Category Stat
David Hurst T-2nd Fumbles Forced 4
Cliff Holloman T-8th Tackles For Loss 6.5
Daren Williams T-8th Tackles For Loss 6.5
Ty Ardoin 10th Tackles 59.5
HenryBryant T-6th Sacks 6.5
David Hurst T-6th Sacks 6.5
LAW
Player Rank Category Stat
Traco Rachal T-2nd Interceptions 7
Rocky Perez 4th Rushing 18.2

LOOKING BACK: The Stealth started out quickly as they scored on their first play from scrimmage and led 7-0 over the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz. The Stealth led 17-14 in the second quarter before the Yard Dawgz began to reel off 27 consecutive points on their way to a 62-42 victory over the Stealth. With the loss, the Stealth fall to 7-7 on the season and have now dropped four straight games. Backup quarterback Heath Ridenour replaced Jonathan Beasley in the fourth quarter and led the Stealth on three scoring drives. Ridenour finished the game 9-of-10 for 114 yards and one passing touchdown. He also added two rushing touchdowns on the night.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how WICHITA and LAREDO stack up:
Statistical STEALTH LAW
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 17th 44.2 20th 38.6
Scoring Defense 8th 43.8 23rd 58.1
Total Offense 16th 242.8 20th 233.7
Total Defense 4th 230.5 18th 258.7
Pass Offense 14th 231.8 20th 212.1
Pass Defense 8th 216.1 16th 230.7
Rushing Offense 23rd 11.0 9th 21.6
Rushing Defense 6th 14.4 23rd 28.0
Scoring 17th 554 22nd 464
Scoring (Kicking) 18th 65 15th 72
Pass Rating 15th 102.3 14th 104.9
Pass Def. Rating 11th 104.8 22nd 114.8
Kickoff Returns 21st 17.2 16th 19.0
MFG Returns 10th 19.7 T-12th 17.8
Turnover Margin T-13th -5 14th -6
Field Goals % 20th 3-14 (.214) 14th 10-34 (.294)
PAT Kicking % 16th 56-78 (.718) 17th 42-59 (.712)
Sacks By 3rd 32 T-9th 18
Sacks Against 16th 27 20th 62
First Downs T-11th 208 17th 191
Opp. First Downs 1st 175 12th 211
Penalty Yards 2nd 593 6th 687
Opp. Penalty Yds 18th 852 11th 787
Red Zone Offense 15th 48-66 (72.7%) 24th 53-87 (60.9%)
Red Zone Defense 4th 46-71 (64.8%) 24th 69-84 (82.1%)

WICHITA STEALTH INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Anthony Knutson Hamstring Short Term IR

STEALTH PLAYER MILESTONES THIS SEASON:
· Ty Ardoin and Brian Livingston both have passed Michael Seahorn for most tackles in a career. As of this week, Ardoin has 105.5 tackles and Livingston has 100.5.

· Henry Bryant broke the Stealth single game record for sacks with his four sack performance in week 11 versus the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz.

· Damon Thompson broke the Stealth single season scoring record in the game versus Oklahoma City on July 17th.

· Damon Thompson broke the Stealth single season touchdown and receiving touchdown record in week #16 versus Oklahoma City.

UPCOMING STEALTH PLAYER MILESTONES:
· Anthony Griffin is one touchdown away from becoming the all-time single season rushing touchdown record holder.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: (Notable quotes):
SEAN PONDER, On last week's game vs Oklahoma City:"We had some key breakdowns in the game that let Oklahoma City take the momentum and we could not recover."

On the upcoming game with Laredo: "This is a huge game for us. We need to get back on the winning track and keep our playoff hopes alive."

ADVANCE BOOKING: (A look at upcoming Stealth games):
The Stealth will conclude the 2004 regular season next week on July 31st when they come home to face the Rio Grande Valley Dorados. The season series is tied 1-1 with the Dorados.

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 8th in scoring defense (only allowing 43.8 points per game), 4th in total defense (230.5 yards per game), 8th in pass defense (216.1 yards per game), and 11th in pass defense rating (104.8 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 eleven games with the Stealth, Thompson has caught 65 passes for 1,033 yards and 27 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. He has been named a game award winner four times this season. The most recent was in week nine versus Laredo when he was named the U.S. Army Ironman of the Game.

SACK MASTER: Stealth offensive/defensive lineman Henry Bryant joined the Stealth on May 24, 2004 and has made an immediate impact on the defensive pass rush of the Stealth. Bryant has already shot to the team lead in sacks with 6.5 with only eight games under his belt.

FIRST DRIVE OF THE GAME: This season the Stealth have taken their first drive of the game and scored eight out of fourteen times. Below is a chart detailing how the Stealth have fared on their first drive in each game thus far this season.

STEALTH FIRST DRIVE OF THE GAME
Date Opponent Result Game Outcome
4/3 Peoria Turnover (Downs) WON
4/10 Laredo TOUCHDOWN WON
4/16 @ Peoria TOUCHDOWN WON
4/24 Green Bay TOUCHDOWN WON
5/8 @ Rio Grande Valley Missed FG WON
5/15 @ Quad City Turnover (Fumble) LOST
5/22 @ Oklahoma City Turnover (Downs) LOST
5/29 Laredo TOUCHDOWN WON
6/5 @ Tulsa Field Goal LOST
6/12 Oklahoma City Turnover (Interception) WON
6/19 Tulsa Turnover (Interception) LOST
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley TOUCHDOWN LOST
7/10 @ Tulsa TOUCHDOWN LOST
7/17 Oklahoma City TOUCHDOWN LOST

PRESSURING THE QUARTERBACK: This season the Stealth have had an even or better sack total than their opponents in all but one of their victories. The chart below details each game and the sack ratio for the Stealth over their opponents.

STEALTH SACK RATIO PER GAME
Date Opponent Sack Ratio Game Outcome
4/3 Peoria +2 WON
4/10 Laredo +6 WON
4/16 @ Peoria +2 WON
4/24 Green Bay -2 WON
5/8 @ Rio Grande Valley Even WON
5/15 @ Quad City +1 LOST
5/22 @ Oklahoma City -6 LOST
5/29 Laredo +2 WON
6/5 @ Tulsa -2 LOST
6/12 Oklahoma City +4 WON
6/19 Tulsa -1 LOST
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley Even LOST
7/10 @ Tulsa -2 LOST
7/17 Oklahoma City +1 LOST

TALE OF TWO HALVES: This season, the Stealth have outscored their opponents 333-300 in the first half and have been outscored by their opponents in the second half 286-313. The chart below details the point differential of the Stealth in each half of every game compared to their opponents.

STEALTH POINT DIFFERENTIAL BY HALF
Date Opponent First Half Second Half Game Outcome
4/3 Peoria +19 +1 WON
4/10 Laredo +24 -2 WON
4/16 @ Peoria +1 +20 WON
4/24 Green Bay +8 +7 WON
5/8 @ Rio Grande Valley -1 +8 WON
5/15 @ Quad City -27 -7 LOST
5/22 @ Oklahoma City -11 -17 LOST
5/29 Laredo +5 +25 WON
6/5 @ Tulsa -10 -3 LOST
6/12 Oklahoma City +28 +7 WON
6/19 Tulsa -13 -15 LOST
7/3 @ Rio Grande Valley +14 -29 LOST
7/10 @ Tulsa +7 -13 LOST
7/17 Oklahoma City -11 -9 LOST

THE STARTER IS?: This week the Stealth will be starting their third quarterback of the season. The last time they played Laredo on May 29th Jonathan Beasley took over for Aaron Sparrow and now it is Heath Ridenour replacing Beasley. Ridenour will be getting his first start of the season and the first of his career. Last weekend versus the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, Ridenour came in the game in the fourth quarter and led the Stealth to three scoring drives. He finished the night 9-of-10 for 114 yards, one passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns.

RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS: The 2004 af2 season has been a highly contested race for the playoffs from the beginning of the season. With two weeks left in the regular season below is a look at the playoff standings to date. The top six teams in each conference will advance to the playoffs with the top two teams receiving a first round bye.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE

1. Tulsa (11-3) – Current Southwest Division Leader
2. Bakersfield (10-4) – Current West Division Leader
3. Quad City (9-6) – Current Midwest Division Leader
4. Oklahoma City (10-5)
5. Louisville (8-6)
6. Peoria (8-6) – Currently holds better win % over common opponents with Hawaii
7. Hawaii (8-6)
8. San Diego (7-7) – Currently holds better win % over common opponents with Wichita
9. Wichita (7-7)

AMERICAN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE

1. Cape Fear (11-3) – Current Northeast Division Leader
2. Tennesse Valley (10-4) – Current Mid-South Division Leader
3. Florida (9-5) – Current South Division Leader
4. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (11-3)
5. Birmingham (9-5)
6. Memphis Xplorers (8-6)
* All Teams listed in the American Conference have clinched playoff spots except Memphis which only needs a win or a Columbus loss to clinch*

STEALTH FLIGHT PLAN: (A look at the Stealth schedule this week)
Wednesday: 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Thursday: 7:00 am – 9:00 am PRACTICE (Kansas Coliseum)
Friday: 5:00 pm – PRACTICE (Laredo Entertainment Center)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m. KICKOFF!!! (Laredo Entertainment Center)

RECENT STEALTH ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
7/8 ASSIGNED Larry Randle
7/8 ACTIVATED FROM LONG TERM IR Jeff Macrea
7/8 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR Cliff Holloman
7/8 PLACED ON RE-CALLABLE RE-ASSIGNMENT Markevius Woods
7/1 ACTIVATED FROM LONG TERM IR Christopher Highshaw
7/1 PLACED ON RE-ASSIGNMENT Carl Richardson

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
15 @ Tulsa Damon Thompson-Wichita
16 OKC Joe Phears-Oklahoma City

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
15 @ Tulsa Corky Martin-Tulsa
16 OKC Al Hunt-Oklahoma City

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
15 @ Tulsa Ty Ardoin-Wichita
16 OKC Daron Franklin-Oklahoma City

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
15 Troy Bergeron-Columbus Brandon Campbell-Peoria Eric Mahanke-Bakersfield
16 Shawn Withy-Allen-Hawaii Robert Carey-Manchester Steve Gorrie-Florida

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