Wolves look to get hot against Fire
June 24, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Manchester Wolves News Release
MANCHESTER, N.H. (June 24, 2004) - The Manchester Wolves (arenafootball2) have made some changes this week and are out to get back on the winning track this Friday night (June 25) when they play host to the Louisville Fire in an important af2 battle at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
The show begins at 5 p.m. with a special pre-game concert courtesy of Spiderbiteradio.com, featuring popular local music acts, i and Sean McCarthy. The action inside the arena kicks off at 7:30 p.m. This Friday night is also "Blitz Bobblehead Night" where the first 3,000 fans through the doors will receive a FREE Blitz bobblehead doll, courtesy of Catholic Medical Center, Verizon Wireless and FNX Radio.
The Wolves (4-7) face a formidable foe ahead in Louisville, a team that boasts one of the league's most prolific passers in Matt Sauk. In 11 starts with the Fire (7-4), Sauk leads the af2 in passing yards per game, averaging 283.5 per game. The three-year af2 veteran also ranks second in the league in total offense with 3,117 total yards. Sauk is one of only five quarterbacks in af2 history to throw for over 10,000 yards in a career. With his main target James Scott out with an injury, however, Sauk will likely look to WR/LB Anthony Payton (56 catches, 623 yards, 13 TDs) and WR/DB Takuya Furutani (35 catches, 494 yards, 8.TDs). Veteran FB/LB Demetrius Forney is the Fire's short yardage specialist with a team-high eight touchdown runs on the season. Forney is also a force on Louisville's defensive unit with a team-high 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
The Wolves are led by quarterback Chris Sanders, who is the unquestioned leader of the offense. Last weekend Sanders had a strong game in the team's tough loss to Memphis, throwing for 315 yards and five touchdowns. Sanders also ran for two scores against Memphis. He currently ranks among the league's elite in passing yards per game (6th - 259.0 ypg) and total offense (T4th - 2,937 yards). He's also thrown a team-record 48 touchdown passes, shattering the old mark of 41 set in 2002 by Cable Davis. He's well on his way to pass Davis in a number of other passing categories as well, including passing yards in a season, completions and attempts. Due to the suspension of veteran receiver George Williams (conduct detrimental to team), rookie receivers Reggie Robinson (51 catches, 653 yards, 11 TDs) and Henry Frazier (37 catches, 564 yards, seven TDs) are now the primary targets for Sanders. Newcomer J.J. McKelvey should also see some throws come his way. In just his second arena football game (first home game) last Friday, McKelvey caught his first touchdown pass and recorded his first interception to earn ARMY Ironman of the Game honors. On defense, the Wolves welcome back veterans Allistair Sebastien (DS) and Kelvin Fuller (FB/LB) who should help the Wolves contain the Fire's potent offense.
"Louisville is a very good football team with some talented playmakers and a veteran quarterback," Wolves Head Coach Ron Hill said. "We have our hands full for sure, but we've had a good week of practice and the guys are ready to go."
Tickets are still available for this Friday's big game, so make plans to visit the Verizon for a night of great football and great entertainment. To get in the game, purchase your tickets today 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.
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