Post by Gene on Jun 8, 2007 14:55:51 GMT -5
Express faces revamped RiverRats
Reading, which expects to have a lineup Saturday night that has barely changed since the season started, opens the playoffs against an overhauled Pittsburgh squad.
By Brian Rippey
Reading Eagle
6/8/2007
Berks County, PA - The Pittsburgh RiverRats roster has been a work in progress throughout the team’s inaugural season.
The team the Reading Express defeated 35-28 in its season opener Feb. 10 in Belle Vernon was much different than the one Reading downed 57-40 a month ago in the Sovereign Center.
The Express (14-2) will see yet another edition of RiverRats (7-7) Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Sovereign Center in the American Indoor Football Association Northern Conference semifinals.
Former Penn State players Yaacov Yisrael and Gerald Smith joined the RiverRats late in the season as wide receivers and Wilson grad Rick Ziska, who kicked at Lafayette, was the team’s placekicker for the final game of the regular season.
“They changed their roster so many times we don’t really care,” Express coach Kelly Logan said. “They were allowed to change their roster last week, and that’s it. We know what they have. They already played one game. They didn’t look that good to us.”
The RiverRats, who had won 5-of-7 to recover from an 0-3 start, were routed 69-26 by the Huntington Heroes in their regular season finale May 25.
But an offense that is led by all-star quarterback David Dinkins and receivers Beau Gibbs and Marko Thomas lit up the scoreboard the previous week in an 86-72 win over Erie.
The Express rang up a franchise-record 83 points Saturday in their regular season finale against Danville.
The Express offense, run by all-star quarterback Tom Stetzer, could be even more potent this week with the return of receiver Shawn Foxworth, who missed the last seven games with a knee injury.
He will rejoin all-star receivers Carmelo Ocasio, who has 25 touchdown receptions, and Ian Cooper, who has caught 21 TD passes.
The Express also expects to have linebacker Matt Sola return from a foot injury that sidelined him for four games.
That will give the team basically the same starting lineup it opened the season with four months ago and one that looks very similar to the team that hosted the conference championship game last year.
“We started with the same team, and we’re going to leave with the same team on June 23,” said Logan, referring to the AIFA championship game date in Florence, S.C. “We’re not changing anything.”
The Express also plans to use the same approach against the dangerous Dinkins, who was the league MVP in Erie in 2005 and ruined the Express’ inaugural game last season as the starter for the Freeze.
In last month’s game, Reading constantly pressured Dinkins and kept him scrambling behind the line of scrimmage.
“That’s the key, making him run but making him have to throw after he starts to run,” Sola said. “If we box him in, keep him behind the line of scrimmage running and make him beat us with his arm, that’s pretty much a closed case. He hasn’t been able to prove he can to that.
“If he beats us with his arm, kudos to him. But we’re not going to let him beat him beat us with his legs.”
Dinkins has thrown for 1,917 yards and 47 touchdowns in 14 games. Those numbers pale in comparison to Stetzer’s 3,080 yards and 70 touchdowns in 16 games.
“Dinkins is just another quarterback who’s coming to our arena,” Logan said. “When we first played him in 2006 in our first game we said Dinkins was a good quarterback. But now who is he?”
•Contact Brian Rippey at 610-371-5070 or brippey@readingeagle.com.
Reading, which expects to have a lineup Saturday night that has barely changed since the season started, opens the playoffs against an overhauled Pittsburgh squad.
By Brian Rippey
Reading Eagle
6/8/2007
Berks County, PA - The Pittsburgh RiverRats roster has been a work in progress throughout the team’s inaugural season.
The team the Reading Express defeated 35-28 in its season opener Feb. 10 in Belle Vernon was much different than the one Reading downed 57-40 a month ago in the Sovereign Center.
The Express (14-2) will see yet another edition of RiverRats (7-7) Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Sovereign Center in the American Indoor Football Association Northern Conference semifinals.
Former Penn State players Yaacov Yisrael and Gerald Smith joined the RiverRats late in the season as wide receivers and Wilson grad Rick Ziska, who kicked at Lafayette, was the team’s placekicker for the final game of the regular season.
“They changed their roster so many times we don’t really care,” Express coach Kelly Logan said. “They were allowed to change their roster last week, and that’s it. We know what they have. They already played one game. They didn’t look that good to us.”
The RiverRats, who had won 5-of-7 to recover from an 0-3 start, were routed 69-26 by the Huntington Heroes in their regular season finale May 25.
But an offense that is led by all-star quarterback David Dinkins and receivers Beau Gibbs and Marko Thomas lit up the scoreboard the previous week in an 86-72 win over Erie.
The Express rang up a franchise-record 83 points Saturday in their regular season finale against Danville.
The Express offense, run by all-star quarterback Tom Stetzer, could be even more potent this week with the return of receiver Shawn Foxworth, who missed the last seven games with a knee injury.
He will rejoin all-star receivers Carmelo Ocasio, who has 25 touchdown receptions, and Ian Cooper, who has caught 21 TD passes.
The Express also expects to have linebacker Matt Sola return from a foot injury that sidelined him for four games.
That will give the team basically the same starting lineup it opened the season with four months ago and one that looks very similar to the team that hosted the conference championship game last year.
“We started with the same team, and we’re going to leave with the same team on June 23,” said Logan, referring to the AIFA championship game date in Florence, S.C. “We’re not changing anything.”
The Express also plans to use the same approach against the dangerous Dinkins, who was the league MVP in Erie in 2005 and ruined the Express’ inaugural game last season as the starter for the Freeze.
In last month’s game, Reading constantly pressured Dinkins and kept him scrambling behind the line of scrimmage.
“That’s the key, making him run but making him have to throw after he starts to run,” Sola said. “If we box him in, keep him behind the line of scrimmage running and make him beat us with his arm, that’s pretty much a closed case. He hasn’t been able to prove he can to that.
“If he beats us with his arm, kudos to him. But we’re not going to let him beat him beat us with his legs.”
Dinkins has thrown for 1,917 yards and 47 touchdowns in 14 games. Those numbers pale in comparison to Stetzer’s 3,080 yards and 70 touchdowns in 16 games.
“Dinkins is just another quarterback who’s coming to our arena,” Logan said. “When we first played him in 2006 in our first game we said Dinkins was a good quarterback. But now who is he?”
•Contact Brian Rippey at 610-371-5070 or brippey@readingeagle.com.