Wheelers notebook: Q-C hanging on No. 8 spot
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By Eric Page | Friday, June 27, 2008 |
If the arenafootball2 season ended today, the Quad-City Steamwheelers would have a place in the American Conference playoffs.
Just barely.
At 6-6, the Wheelers are clinging to the eighth and final playoff slot, a game up on Manchester, and two games ahead of Peoria, Iowa and Albany.
Coming off a loss and with four games remaining against teams with a combined 31-17 record, the Steamwheelers can’t afford another slipup.
“We want to be in the playoffs,” first-year coach Troy Biladeau said. “The thing about it is you don’t know what the magic number is. I always tell these guys, ‘You’ve got to play 16 games, and at the end if we’re in, we’re in.’
“It’s getting to be the end of the season, though, and if we have a bad game or a couple bad games, there is no time to bounce back.”
The Wheelers already bounced back once this season, rallying back to .500 after a 2-4 start low-lighted by the worst losing streak in franchise history.
The team’s push for the playoffs starts tonight with a home game against the playoff-bound and Midwest Division-leading Green Bay Blizzard (9-3), to whom Q-C lost 52-35 earlier this season. Then comes a bye week, followed by back-to-back road games at Iowa and No. 2-ranked Spokane before returning home for the regular-season finale against Lexington.
Biladeau’s hoping the Wheelers still will have something to play for.
Tonight’s outcome will play a big part in determining that.
“This game is crucial,” Biladeau said. “If we want to be a playoff team, we need more wins. We need all the wins we can get.”
Peters expected to play
Veteran Steamwheelers wide receiver Kris Peters, who suffered a mild concussion in Saturday’s loss to Tennessee Valley, has been cleared to play tonight, Biladeau said.
“He’s practiced the last couple of days, and it looks like he’s going to be ready,” Biladeau said Wednesday.
After a slow start to the season, Peters has come on strong. He has 72 receptions for 1,061 yards and 23 touchdowns.
If Peters weren’t able to go, Biladeau said Jarrett Brooks would be inserted into the lineup. Brooks has played in one game this season, recording five catches for 33 yards.
In other injury news, Biladeau said defensive lineman Andrew Jilles is “very questionable” with an Achilles’ tendon injury, while Russ Monk, David Beverly and Jordan Davis are expected to play through mild dings.
Red, white and sold
Tonight is “Heroes Night” at the i wireless Center, with the Steamwheelers paying tribute to members of the military.
As a tribute, the Wheelers are wearing specially designed red, white and blue jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game, with proceeds going to charity.
“The jerseys are great,” Biladeau said. “It’s going to look like the Fourth of July in there.”
2000 Wheelers still the best
There wasn’t a party or an uncorked bottle of bubbly Saturday night when the South Georgia Wildcats held off the Spokane Shock 57-55, but the 2000 Quad-City Steamwheelers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they will remain arenafootball2’s only undefeated team for at least another year.
In their first season, the Wheelers went 19-0 en route to winning the first of back-to-back Arena Cup titles.
Spokane started this season with 11 straight wins before stumbling Saturday at home.
Turning 150
For any of you listening to tonight’s game at home, the voice of the Steamwheelers, Jim Albracht, will be calling his 150th straight game. And for those of you counting, that’s every game the Wheelers have ever played.
Coaches’ rankings
Team Record Pts.
1. Tulsa 11-1 430(14)
2. Spokane 11-1 427 (11)
3. W-B/Scranton 10-2 391 (4)
4. Green Bay 9-3 342
5. Florida 8-3 315
6. South Georgia 8-4 308
7. Tennessee Valley 8-4 291
8. Arkansas 8-4 271
9. Lubbock 8-4 252
10. Lexington 7-5 187
11. Central Valley 7-4 182
12. Louisville 7-5 172
13. Austin 6-6 106
14. Corpus Christi 6-6 76
15. Bos.-Shrev. 6-6 68
16. Boise 6-6 55
Around af2
n Peoria Pirates quarterback Justin Rascati is expected to miss at least two weeks because of a shoulder injury, according to the Peoria Journal Star. Rascati has started every game for the 4-8 Pirates. Donald Carrie will start Saturday’s game against Lexington, and the Pirates are looking at former Western Illinois quarterback Steve LeFalce to come in as a back-up.
n Former Rochester Brigade quarterback Matt D’Orazio led six former af2 players who have been named first-team All-AFL. D’Orazio, who started all 16 games for the Brigade in 2002, led the Philadelphia Soul to the best record (13-3) in the AFL. He led the league with a passer rating of 131.3.
Tonight’s game
Green Bay Blizzard (9-3) at Steamwheelers (6-6)
When/where: 7 p.m., i wireless Center, Moline
Radio: WFXN 1230 AM
TV: The game is available vis Web cast at steamwheelers.com
Last week: Tennessee Valley 55, Steamwheelers 35; Green Bay 69, Mahoning Valley 28
Statistics
Steamwheelers
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int.
Raterink 258 422 3,211 65 16
Rushing
Player Att. Yds. TD
Monk 23 37 3
Receiving
Player Rec. Yds. TD
Schmidt 102 1,375 30
Johnson 82 841 16
Peters 72 1,061 23
Tackles
Player Solo Assist Total
M. Jackson 40 39 59.5
Kevin Adams 46 17 54.5
Jordan Davis 43 23 54.5
Blizzard
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int.
Drafts 90 154 1,069 22 5
Rushing
Player Att. Yds. TD
Young 48 223 7
Receiving
Player Rec. Yds. TD
Burnoski 65 876 19
Gonzalez 37 431 5
Blalock 28 268 3
Tackles
Player Solo Assists Total
Green 56 22 67.0
Midlam 37 15 44.5
Kwaku 33 16 41.0
About the Blizzard
Ranked fourth in this week’s coaches’ poll, the Blizzard have won four straight games and seven of eight since a 2-2 start. The hot streak started with a 52-35 win over the Wheelers on April 25 in Green Bay. … The Blizzard rank 14th in the league in scoring (48.6), just ahead of the Q-C (48.2). The difference: Green Bay ranks third in the league in scoring defense, giving up just 37.9 points per game. Statistically, the Blizzard have the best defensive unit in af2, surrendering only 193.5 yards a game, more than 25 yards better than the second-best team and 70 yards better than the Wheelers, who rank 22nd in the league. … No team in af2 has made more field goals than the 14 Green Bay’s Bob Forstrom has put through the uprights. Forstrom is 14-for-31 on the season, compared to Q-C’s Derek Pearson, who is 0-for-5.
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