NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Wings Tuesday Notes

April 24, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Laredo Lobos (0-3, 0-1)

Bossier - Shreveport Battle Wings (3-0, 2-0)

Date: Friday, April 27

Kickoff: 7:30pm CDT

Site: CenturyTel Center (12,500)

National Anthem: Meagan Crews

Coin Toss: Ken Antee

OFFICIALS:

Referee: Ken Antee

Umpire: Ron Washington

Head Linesman: Britt Choate

Line Judge: Wayne Winkler

Back Judge: Christopher Cockrell

Radio: KEEL 710am - Darrell Rebouche

TV: None

Series Record: First meeting

Last Meeting: First meeting

Streaks: Lobos L3, Battlewings W3

Coaches: Jon Norris (3-0, First season), 12-7 as an af2 head coach.

Mark Stoute, 0-3 in 1st season in Laredo

THE SERIES: This is the first meeting between these teams. They will play again in Laredo in July, the final regular-season game on the schedule.

THE IFs:

If The Battlewings defeat Laredo, it would ...

- Give the Wings a 4-0 start for the first time in franchise history.

- Help the Wings maintain control of the division race.

- Give Jon Norris an 13-7 record as an af2 head coach

- Be their third division win in 2007.

- Give the Wings more wins than they had in 2005 or 2006.

HEAD COACHES:

Jon Norris, Bossier - Shreveport: (First season)

Jon Norris came to the BattleWings from the Austin Wranglers of the AFL where he served as the Defensive Coordinator and Line Coach. He made a demonstrative difference in Austin where in 2005 the offensive line gave up just 4 sacks which led the AFL. Norris spent 3 seasons with the Dallas Desperados in the AFL where he served as line coach and special teams coach. His line racked up some impressive stats, both offensively and defensively. Under Norris' leadership, Will Pettis led AFL with 88 kickoff returns for 1750 yards and 4 TD's. Norris moved to Dallas after a stint as assistant head coach and offensive and defensive line coach for the Oklahoma Wranglers. His Oklahoma defense finished 3rd in AFL with 21 sacks.

Norris served as head coach for the Tulsa Talons (af2) and led them to the playoffs in their inaugural season with an offense that averaged 52.7 points per game and a defense that led the league with 33 interceptions

Norris spent time in the NFL with the New England Patriots in 1984 and 1985. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1987 and 1988. Norris is married with two sons.

Mark Stoute, Laredo: (First season)

Stoute comes to Laredo after spending the 2006 af2 season as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator with the American Conference Champion Green Bay Blizzard. Stoute's presence helped the Blizzard offense to a No. 1 league ranking in rushing offense and rushing touchdowns. The unit also ranked among the af2's elite in total offense.

Before his stint with Green Bay, Stoute served as the fullback/linebackers coach and special teams coordinator for the AFL's Tampa Bay Storm in 2005. IN 2004, he was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Indiana Firebirds where he also worked as the director of player personnel, helping mold QB Adrian McPherson into the league's Rookie of the Year.

In 2003, Stoute served as the head coach of the Mohegan Wolves (af2). He took over a team that won just three games in 2002 and turned them into a 10-6 and went to the playoffs.

Stoute's Arena Football career began in 1995 when he was Assistant Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach for the Connecticut Wolves. A year later he switched over to the other side of the ball, taking over as offensive coordinator and receivers coach for the Charlotte Rage.

THE SCHEDULES:

LAREDO (0-3, LOST 3)

Date Opponent Result Score

4/7 BAKERSFIELD 7:00 L 52-58

4/14 At Rio Grande 7:30 L 49-72

4/21 TULSA 7:30 L 45-68

4/27 At Bossier-Shreveport 7:30

Date Opponent Time Streak Series

5/5 ARKANSAS 7:30

5/13 at Texas 7:00

5/18 RIO GRANDE 7:30

5/26 AT Lubbock 7:30

6/2 At Okla. City 7:30

6/16 TEXAS 7:30

6/23 At Corpus Christi 7:30

6/30 At Bakersfield 9:00

7/7 RIO GRANDE 7:30

7/14 At Arkansas 7:00

7/21 CORPUS CHRISTI 7:30

7/28 BATTLEWINGS 7:30

Bossier - Shreveport (3-0, Won 3)

Date Opponent Result Score

4/7 FT. WAYNE 7:00 W 67-52

4/14 TEXAS 7:00 W 52-0

4/21 At Rio Grande 7:30 W 52-48

4/27 LAREDO 7:30

Date Opponent Time Streak Series

5/5 At Corpus Christi 7:00 None 0-0

5/12 At Arkansas 7:00 L6 2-8

5/18 Manchester 7:30 None 0-0

5/26 SOUTH GEORGIA 7:00 L1 1-1

6/2 At Texas 7:00 W1 1-0

6/8 At Alabama 7:00 W1 1-3

6/16 Corpus Christi 7:00 None 0-0

6/29 At Amarillo 7:30 W1 1-3

7/7 ARKANSAS 7:00 L6 2-8

7/14 RIO GRANDE 7:00 W1 3-3

7/21 At WB/Scranton 6:00 None 0-0

7/28 At Laredo 7:00 None 0-0

RECENT ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):

Date Action Player

4/21 Injured reserve Kendrick Bournes

4/12 Activated Charlie Myles

4/12 Activated Greg Hodges

4/12 Reassignment Marcus Harris

4/12 Team Suspension Victor Carter

3/30 Team Suspension Greg Hodges

3/29 Recallable Assignment Adrian Burnette

3/29 Recallable Assignment Edmundo Martinez

3/29 Reassignment Ederrick Coleman

3/29 Reassignment Chris Highshaw

3/29 Reassignment Booker Jenkins

3/29 Reassignment Damian Huren

3/27 Assigned Terrence Jefferson

3/27 Assigned Tramissian Davis

3/18 Reassignment Patrick Craig

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Jon Norris, on the Lobos:

"I know their coach, and I can tell you this: they will be well prepared."

On Quincy Carter's attitude: "Quincy's like a kid playing a video game out there. He's having so much fun, and it's rubbing off on his teammates."

On the short week of preparation: "Playing on a Friday after a road game will be tough. We're backing off the contact in practice this week. The guys need to rest a little and heal from a few dings they got at Rio Grande."

On game planning for Laredo: "We still have a lot of stuff we haven't shown. We may need to show them a new wrinkle to be successful."

DIVISION STANDINGS:

Southwest

Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings 3 - 0 1.000 2 - 0 1.000

Rio Grande Valley Dorados 2 - 1 .667 2 - 1 .667

Texas Copperheads 1 - 2 .333 1 - 1 .500

Corpus Christi Sharks 0 - 3 .000 0 - 2 .000

Laredo Lobos 0 - 3 .000 0 - 1 .000

THE STAKES: The Battlewings hope to avoid an emotional letdown after a heart-stopping, last-second road win over Rio Grande Valley last Saturday. With the victory, the Wings claimed early control of the af2 Southwest Division race. The Lobos are a division foe. While they have yet to win, they have been competitive in every game and have shown an ability to score a lot of points. Their head coach is deeply experienced in arena football and is molding his new squad week to week. The recipe for an upset is in place. Wings coach Jon Norris knows this and is no doubt stressing preparedness to his team. The Battlewings continue to learn lessons about themselves. Last week, they learned they can come from behind to win.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders:

LOBOS

Player Rank Category Stat

There aren't any

WINGS

Player Rank Category Stat

Brian Hazelwood 4 Scoring (kick) 27 pts.

Brian Hazelwood 4 PAT kicking 21 of 23

Kendrick Walker T2 Interceptions 4

Kendrick Walker T6 Passes def 9

Ken Williams T8 Interceptions 3

Quincy Carter 2 Pass rating 124.3

Jason Schule 2 Rushing avg. 33.3 ypg

Jason Schule 2 Rushing yds 100

Quincy Carter 4 Passing yards 267.7 ypg

Quincy Carter 6 Total offense 269.0 ypg

Quincy Myles T2 Fum. Forced 2

Elex Reed T2 Fum. Forced 2

Elex Reed 1 Sacks 7.5

Elex Reed 1 Tackles for loss 8.0

BATTLEWINGS INJURY REPORT:

Pos. Name Injury Status

WR Tramissian Davis Hip IR

WR Terrance Jefferson Groin IR

DB Brent Withers Groin IR

LB Kendrick Bournes Knee IR

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Lobos and the Wings match up:

Statistical LOBOS WINGS

Category Rank Stat Rank Stat

Scoring Offense 16 48.7 ppg 5 57.0 ppg

Scoring Defense 30 66.0 3 33.3

Total Offense 23 208.3 2 312.0

Total Defense 28 298.7 6 218.0

Pass Offense 24 186.0 ypg 5 273.3 ypg

Pass Defense 7 179.5 ypg 5 163.5

Rushing Offense 14 22.3 4 39.0

Rushing Defense 11 18.7 10 14.0

Scoring (Non-Kick) 16 126 pts. 10 144 pts.

Scoring (Kicking) 19 18 pts. T4 27 pts.

Pass Rating 26 79.4 2 125.0

Pass Def. Rating 24 114.1 4 72.9

Kickoff Returns 8 19.6 13 17.4

MFG Returns T24 0.0 4 26.3

Turnover Margin T22 -3 T4 +5

Field Goals 16 2-7 T8 2-3

PAT Kicking 14 12 of 16 4 21 of 23

Sacks By 11 5 T2 13

Sacks Against T28 13 T6 2

First Downs 21 46 10 57

Red Zone Offense T24 11 of 17 T7 13 of 15

Red Zone Defense 19 11 of 14 T11 9 of 12

Opp. First Downs T8 48 7 47

Penalties 2 30.0 14 53.3

Opp. Penalties 6 70.0 27 35.3

LAST SERIES MEETING:

This is the first encounter between these two gridiron squads.

SERIES NOTABLES:

The Lobos are ranked last in the league in scoring defense, while the Battlewings are #5 in the league in scoring offense, averaging 57 points per game. Laredo has surrendered an average of 66 points per game so far this season.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

After a record-setting game against the Texas Copperheads, the Battlewings' defensive line was quiet in the Valley. RGV quarterback Josh Kellett was not sacked in last week's game.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

You might see more running than is typical in an Arena game. Wings FB Jason Schule has been one of the two most productive ground gainers in af2 this season, and Lobos coach Mark Bourne is well-known for his ability to establish an effective ground game.

DROPBACK:

Through three games in 2006, the Battlewings were winless and had been outscored 190-72.

Through three games in 2005, the Battlewings were winless and had been outscored 160-104.

Through three games in 2004, the Battlewings were 1-2, but had outscored opponents 154-150 following a 63-60 loss at Hawaii.

MILESTONES:

The Battlewings are seeking the second winning season in franchise history. The team's best season was 9-7. The Battlewings, in six af2 seasons, have yet to reach the playoffs.

FORWARD MOTION:

Next week, the Wings will be on the Texas coast for a game against the Corpus Christ Sharks, an af2 expansion team. The Sharks are a division opponent for the Battle Wings.

FAMILIAR FACES:

Several players return from the 2006 Battlewings squad, most notably a former Louisiana Tech Bulldog, lineman Quincy Myles. Myles is the senior member of the Battle Wings' squad.

Nic Codutti, who was acquired from the Amarillo Dusters in 2006, is anchoring the offensive line.

Former Mississippi State kicker Brian Hazelwood brings his big leg back to Bossier City.

Fullback Jason Schule returns after making an immediate impact when he joined the team late in 2006, and currently is #2 in the league in rushing average.

The most familiar face on the team belongs for former Evangel Christian Academy and Texas Longhorns star Phillip Geiggar, a defensive back. Geiggar spent time in camp with the AFL's Austin Wranglers. He had an interception return for a touchdown against Texas and grabbed another pick against RGV.

CLEAN LIVING:

The Lobos are the second-least penalized team in af2, with just 30 penalty yards.

"WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN:"

2006 Battlewings quarterback JJ Raterink is 4th in af2 in total offense. Playing for the Quad City Steamwheelers, Raterink is averaging more than 230 yards per game.

Oklahoma City QB Stan Hill, who joined the Wings at mid-season in 2006 and primarily backed up Raterink, is 9th in the league in total offense at 252 yards per game.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(Selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

2 FTW Quincy Carter

3 TEX Quincy Carter

4 RGV Quincy Carter

IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD

(Selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

2 FTW Kendrick Walker

3 TEX Kendrick Walker

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD

(Selected by media)

Week Opp. Player

2 FTW Elex Reed

3 TEX Elex Reed

4 RGV Kenneth Williams

• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...

arenafootball2 Stories from April 24, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central