Wolves aiming for franchise-best 11th win
July 8, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Manchester Wolves News Release
MANCHESTER, N.H. (July 8, 2005) - The Manchester Wolves are well rested after a week off and are looking to get back to their usual winning ways tonight as they host the W-B/Scranton Pioneers in an American Conference, East Division showdown at the Verizon Wireless Arena. The top-ranked Wolves (10-2) enter tonight's contest with a two-game lead in the East Division. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the Verizon Wireless Arena box office. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
Join us for "T-Shirt Night & Nascar Night," presented by Rock 101 and WGIR AM 610. The first 2,000 fans through the doors will receive a FREE Wolves "Keep Poundin" t-shirt. Tonight's festivities will also include having the official Rusty Wallace #2 Miller Lite Dodge car parked outside on the plaza for display.
The Wolves face a formidable foe ahead in W-B/Scranton, who enter tonight's game with a 7-5 record and are tied for third place in the East Division. The Pioneers are playing well at this point in the season, having won three of their last four games. W-B/Scranton's most recent victory was a 65-46 triumph at S. Georgia on Saturday, June 25. Veteran QB Bryan Snyder, who took over the starting job from Kyle Rowley officially two weeks ago, leads the offensive unit. His two main targets of late have been Rocco Forgione and Thomie Venisee. Forgione leads the Pioneers in all major pass catching categories, including receptions (77), receiving yards (963) and touchdowns (23). Six of Venisee's 11 touchdown grabs on the season have come in the past two weeks. He has 35 receptions overall for 413 yards. On defense, DS Jamie Hattley ranks second in the league in tackles with 81.5 and ranks among the af2 leaders in passes defended with 23. As a group, The Pioneers defense is very solid, ranking fifth overall in the league in scoring defense at 44.0 points per game allowed. W-B/Scranton leads the all-time series with the Wolves, 6-4. In their only other head-to-head match up this season, Manchester defeated the Pioneers, 46-33, on May 27 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The Wolves will counter with the dynamic duo of QB Jake Eaton and WR/LB J.J. McKelvey on offense. Eaton has been on target all season, connecting on a league-leading 71.5 percent of his passes. The former University of Maine signal caller is also among the league's top quarterbacks in passer rating (1st - 127.3) and passing touchdowns (3rd - 65). McKelvey has been Eaton's favorite target and leads the league with 103 receptions. He's also among the league's best in scoring with 232 points on 38 touchdowns (36 receiving) and two 2-pt conversions. As a group, Manchester's offensive unit ranks eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 50.8 points per game. On defense, William "Roc" Haith and Allistair Sebastien are impact players in the secondary. Haith leads the league in tackles with 94.0 and is among the top-5 in passes defended with 28. Sebastien is among the af2 elite in interceptions with six. The Wolves defense is ranked second in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 38.2 points per game.
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