Wolves inaugural 2004 season starts tomorrow with battle at Quad City

Published on April 2, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Manchester Wolves News Release


MANCHESTER, N.H. (April 2, 2004) - The Manchester Wolves play their first game of the 2004 season on the road tomorrow night (Sat., April 3) in Moline, Ill., against the Quad City Steamwheelers. The Wolves season opener against the Steamwheelers kicks off at 8:30 PM.

Fans who want to cheer on the Wolves from their homes in New Hampshire can listen to the action live on WFEA AM 1370. Local radio veteran Dick Lutsk will provide the play-by-play. The Wolves face a tough task ahead against a quality Quad City team, which heads into tomorrow night's game ranked as the No. 1 team in the arenafootball2 league, as voted on in the Week 1 af2 Coaches' Poll.

"Quad City is a talented and experienced arena football team, there's no doubt about it," Wolves Head Coach Rik Richards said. "We may be a little banged up, but this is it, the first game of the season. We'll be ready."

This Saturday's matchup at a glance - Manchester Wolves (0-0 at Quad City Steamwheelers (0-0)

Saturday's game is the first all-time meeting between the Wolves and the Steamwheelers. Quad City has been in the af2 since the league's inception in 2000. In that time, the Steamwheelers have posted a 61-10 record, playoffs included, making them the winningest franchise in league history. Last season the team started slow, losing its first two games by a combined four points. They finished strong, however, winning 14 straight games to finish out the regular season. This year the team is banking on the efforts of new starting quarterback Ronnie Gordon. Gordon has big shoes to fill to make up for the loss of 2003 af2 Offensive Player of the Year Tony Zimmerman, who last season threw an af2-record 93 touchdown passes. Zimmerman is currently the backup quarterback for the AFL's Indiana Firebirds. The Wolves are also expecting a big effort from their new starting quarterback, Chris Sanders. Sanders has had experience at both the AFL and af2 levels. Last season he started five games for the AFL's Buffalo Destroyers while in 2002 he appeared in three games with the Roanoke Steam. Sanders and the Wolves offense should also benefit from the Wolves solid group of receivers, which includes AFL veteran George Williams. On defense, the Wolves will look to three-year NFL veteran Vernon Crawford (New England Patriots) to disrupt the Steamwheelers offense.

The Wolves invite all area fans to "BE A PART OF HISTORY" as they kick off their inaugural season in New Hampshire next Saturday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. against the Quad City Steamwheelers at the Verizon Wireless Arena. That night will truly be historic as the Wolves will host the first arena football game ever played at the Verizon Wireless Arena. All fans through the doors on opening night will receive a FREE Manchester Wolves magnet schedule, courtesy of The Union Leader, 95.7 WZID, and Dunkin' Donuts.

Tickets for opening night are selling fast, but a number of great seats are still available. To get in the game, fans can purchase tickets at the Verizon Wireless Arena box office or through Ticketmaster at 603-868-7300, at Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Adult seats start as low as $14 in the upper bowl while youth (12-and-under) and senior (65-and-over) tickets start at just $9.50.

Season ticket packages for the Wolves are also still available for dream, lower bowl and upper bowl seats and start as low as $112.

For more information on obtaining season tickets for the Manchester Wolves, fans can contact the Wolves office at 603.627.WOLF (9653) or visit them on the web at www.manchesterwolves.com.

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