Wolves out to finish 2004 with a win
July 29, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Manchester Wolves News Release
MANCHESTER, N.H. (July 29, 2004) - The Manchester Wolves (arenafootball2) host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers this Friday night (July 30) at the Verizon Wireless Arena in the Wolves' 2004 season finale. Tomorrow's "Fan Appreciation Night" festivities include a special halftime concert performance by Manchester teen pop duo Fantasy.
The event begins at 5 p.m. with a special pre-game concert courtesy of Spiderbiteradio.com, featuring popular local music acts, Purge Di & Sean McCarthy. The action inside the arena kicks off at 7:30 p.m. The first 1,000 fans through the doors will receive a FREE souvenir football, courtesy of The Workout Club & Wellness Center, Rock 101 WGIR FM and WGIR AM 610. And that's not all. The next 2,000 fans entering the arena will receive a FREE Wolves t-shirt.
The Wolves are directed by quarterback Chris Sanders, who is the unquestioned leader of the offense. Sanders currently ranks among the league's elite in passing yards (2nd - 3,939), total offense (2nd - 4,061 yards), total offensive touchdowns (5th - 78 - 15 rush, 63 pass), rushing touchdowns (T-4th - 15) and passing touchdowns (6th - 63). With 61 yards passing against the Pioneers, Sanders will become just the tenth player in af2 history to break the 4,000-yard passing plateau in a single season. The veteran signal caller has also set seven team passing records this season (4 career, 3 single-game). Rookie receivers Reggie Robinson (64 catches, 882 yards, 15 TDs) and Henry Frazier (54 catches, 802 yards, 13 TDs) are the primary targets for Sanders. On defense, the Wolves need a big game from veteran DS Allistair Sebastien (50.5 tackles, four INTs, 18 breakups) and rookie DS Robert Carey (53.5 tackles, three INTs, 11 breakups). Manchester's chances will also improve if players like OL/DL Marc Hayes and OL/DL Abdul Wiggins are able to put pressure on Pioneer QB Tim Hicks.
"This is our last game of the year, we're at home, and we want to finish strong," Wolves Head Coach Ron Hill said. "It's going to be a heck of a game because Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is a super team, but we want to show these great fans how much we appreciate them and go out with a win."
The Wolves (5-10) face a formidable foe ahead in the well-balanced W-B/Scranton Pioneers, a team that has been nearly unbeatable this season. The Pioneers (12-3), winners of three straight games, currently rank as the No. 1 team in the arenafootball2 league rankings, as voted on in the most recent weekly af2 Coaches' Poll.
W-B/Scranton is led on offense by QB Tim Hicks and WR/LB Leroy McFadden. Hicks is the second-highest rated passer in the league with a 119.6 rating. He's completed 274-of-442 passes (62.0 percent) on the season for 3,485 yards and 78 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. McFadden has accumulated 27 total touchdowns on the year, 23 receiving, 3 rushing and one fumble return for a score. He also ranks third on the team in receiving (47 catches, 554 yards) and second in rushing (16 carries, 67 yards). The Pioneers are led on defense by defensive specialists Jamie Hattley and Kyle Grove. Together the duo has combined for 157 tackles, 10 interceptions and 34 pass breakups.
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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