Wichita Stealth Remain Perfect at 4-0
April 26, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Wichita Stealth News Release
Wichita, Kan. - As we pass the first four games of the sixteen game af2 season, the Wichita Stealth are off to the best start in franchise history at a perfect 4-0. Through the first four games, the Stealth have limited their opponents to 28.5 points per game and have put together seven shutout quarters of football after having just four in all of 2003.
Stealth quarterback Aaron Sparrow has led the Stealth so far this season. Sparrow is 83-of-134 for 1,035 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is only 1,959 passing yards away from 10,000 for his af2 career and only 50 touchdown passes short of 200. There are only two other af2 quarterbacks who have thrown for 10,000 yards and 200 touchdowns in their careers.
Sparrow's targets this season have been a variety of talented athletes. On April 16th, the Stealth welcomed back offensive specialist Michael Dritlein to the team after he recovered from a torn ACL that dated back to last May. In his first game back with the Stealth, Dritlein caught eight passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the Stealth to a 47-26 victory over the Peoria Pirates.
The Stealth also welcomed another offensive specialist to the squad this week when they faced the Green Bay Blizzard. Damon Thompson made his Stealth debut and turned in an award winning performance in his first game in Wichita. Thompson caught 15 passes for 161 yards and five touchdowns. Other notable receivers this season have been Anthony Griffin (14 receptions for 190 yards and one touchdown), Jonathan Jackson (10 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns), Marc Bacote (10 receptions for 120 yards and three touchdowns), Brian Livingston (7 catches for 75 yards and one touchdown), and Christopher Highshaw (6 catches for 97 yards and three touchdowns).
"We have made great strides to bring in players to put points on the board," said Stealth head coach Sean Ponder. "The players we have now are playing at the best of their ability and it is paying off for us big time."
The Stealth defense is currently ranked at the top of numerous defensive categories. They are 1st in the league in scoring defense (28.5 points per game), 2nd in total defense (185.2 yards per game), 2nd in pass defense (165.2 yards per game), 2nd in pass defense rating (83.3 rating), 1st in sacks (14), and 2nd in red zone defense.
"This team is playing up to our expectations that we have set since day one," said Ponder. "We have met four of our goals already this season, but there are a lot of games left to play."
The Stealth are 3-0 at home this season and 1-0 on the road. They have a three game road swing starting May 8th when they face the Rio Grande Valley Dorados. The Stealth return home on May 29th versus the Laredo Law. The Stealth defeated 44-22 in Wichita on April 10th.
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