Archive for the ‘Football’ Category

Coach Brennan Booth loves the game of football.  He has A1 league coaching experience but someday would like to head back to coaching high school ball.  If the opportunity presents itself, Booth, like many Thunder players, has expressed an interest to jump to A1 Arena League if and when the opportunity may present itself.

The Thunder named Booth interim Head Coach when the fired Mike Hold four weeks ago.  Unfortunately, Booth couldn’t create enough magic in that short of a time to retain the Head Coaching duties and Chris MacKeown was brought on to replace Booth as a permanent move.  Booth made enough of a positive impression with management to retain a coaching spot as Thunder Defensive Coordinator.  Former Tennessee QB Andy Kelly, who served as Offensive Coordinator under Booth was the odd man out and released by Thunder management.

Coach Booth keeps busy saying,  “I like to get a good workout in.  It’s a good way to rid aggression between practice and films “.  Booth also said he catches episodes of Rescue Me and The First 48 when he has a chance.  He has a special way with the players, and more importantly, their respect. 

Coach Booth roots for teams all over the place because he has been so many different places.  He said he is a huge Phillies fan and was proud when they won the World Series last year.  He also roots for the Atlanta Hawks, as he call Duluth, Georgia home for now.

I liked the way Coach Booth presented himself to the public.  He gave me his cell number and told me if there was ever a question or something I needed to call him, and he meant it.  After my initial meeting, I figured I would have to reintroduce myself several times, but the second time I met the guy, he walked up to me, shook my hand, and asked me how the website was going.

Class act, hope he stays with the Thunder at any capacity.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder showed heart and resiliancy in the second half of their game with the Kentucky Horsemen.  Ultimately, however, the Horsemen prevailed 61-39.  The Horsemen prevented new coach Chris MacKeown a victory in his debut and also sent Mahoning Valley away with their eighth consecutive loss.

Jared Lorenzen gave the Thunder defense fits as he passed for 195 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for another three scores on his way to being named Russell Offensive Player of The Game.  The high-powered Kentucky offense uses a semi-platoon system at quarterback with Lorenzen yielding snaps to Justin Rascati who threw for one score and ran for another, he also caught a few balls lining up at receiver en route to winning the JLS Ironman Player of The Game Award. 

Lorenzen drove the Horsemen down the field as they scored in two plays to make it 7-0.  Quorey Payne, as I guaranteed in his feature piece, returned the next kickoff for a touchdown to make it 7-7.  The Horsemen again scored to post a 13-7 lead as the extra point kick was blocked. 

The Thunder offense finally hit the field 20 points later and quarterback-center exchange problems on their first two plays gave the Horsemen the ball deep in Thunder territory, where they would again capitalize to take a 21-7 lead.  The combination of Blake Powers to Payne, which clicked all night, put Mahoning Valley back in the game at 21-13.  Lorenzen mowed some bodies on a one-yard TD to put the Horsemen up 27-13.

As the Horsemen mounted their next drive, a roughing the passer call erased  a Thunder interception in the Horsemen end zone.  Kentucky would eventually turn the ball over on downs.  The first quarter finally ended with Mahoning Valley trailing Kentucky 27-13.

The only score of the second quarter came on a Lorenzen to John Cooper touchdown pass and the Horsemen took a 34-13 lead to the locker room.  Cooper finished the game with 8 catches for 88 yards and the touchdown.

Blake Powers threw a pick on the Thunder’s opening second half drive.  Lorenzen drove the Horsemen down the field and went in untouched on a keeper making it 41-13.  Powers responded on the next drive finding Chris Schubert for a score.  The Horsemen again scored to push their lead to 48-20. 

Powers again found Payne to cut the lead to 48-26.  The Thunder attempted an onside kick, but failed to convert the attempt.  A third Jared Lorenzen TD pass extended the Horsemen lead to 55-26 on the first play of the fourth quarter.  Powers marched Mahoning Valley down the field and capitalized with a run for a touchdown to cut the Kentucky lead to 55-33.  Another onside kick attempt failed and the Thunder defense flexed its muscle keeping Kentucky out of the end zone. 

On the ensuing possession, Blake Powers showed where his heart was as he scrambled for a touchdown taking a very nasty hit at the goal line.  Powers hurt his right shoulder on the touchdown and his status for next week is uncertain.  With that score, Mahoning Valley cut the lead to 55-39.  Again, the Thunder attempted an onside kick unsuccessfully.  With 20 seconds left Lorenzen was driving the Horsemen again when an errant snap was scooped up by Michael Alston for what appeared to be a Thunder TD, but the play was flagged as Alston kicked the ball about fifteen yards downfield before he scooped it cleanly.

Lorenzen closed out the scoring throwing his fourth touchdown on the last play of the game, making the final score 61-39.

Blake Powers finished the game 23-42 for 259 yards and 3 TD’s but was intercepted twice.  He also rushed for 26 yards and two more touchdowns.  Quorey Payne had an outstanding gamecatching 11 balls for 143 yards and two touchdowns.  His 58-yard first quarter kickoff return tied a Thunder record for longest return in franchise history.  The tandem of Powers and Payne will thrive under Coach MacKeown’s new system.

“We shot ourselves in the foot early and we are making too many mistakes.  Playing a high-powered offense like this, you can’t afford to give them easy scoring chances, which we did.  We adjusted and played a better second half.  I was proud of the heart and fight shown by this team tonight.  We will break down the film in the morning and do what we have to do to become a better team for next week”, said Coach MacKeown after the game.  I asked Coach Mackeown if there would be wholesale personnel changes to which he replied, “No wholesale changes, I saw positives we will build on.  I was happy with the play of the O-line and the defense at times.  There is potential to win with what is here and we will turn it around, I am very optimistic from things that I saw tonight”.

The Thunder play at Milwaukee Friday.  I will get to practice this week and better acquaint myself with Coach MacKeown and his goals.  Coach Brennan Booth and Coach MacKeown will be a dangerous tandem in AF2 for the rest of the year.  

Blake Powers has had his ups and downs in the lifetime of a football player so far.  He was a starting quarterback at The University of Indiana, and still loves the school.  He visited his girlfriend there during the bye week.  His father was also a standout at Indiana and influenced him to attend IU on a football scholarship.  Powers enjoyed some success and broke most of Antwan Randle-El’s single season records but left his life as a Hoosier with a bitter taste in his mouth.  Powers was replaced as the starting quarterback and still wonders why.  He says “The guy they replaced me with was a better scrambler, and with the line we were using the quarterback was always getting flushed out of the pocket and running from the rush“. 

Powers aspires for more.  He knows that AF2 can be an opportunity to be noticed and has grasped the opportunity with both hands.  The Thunder situation is similar to what Powers faced as a Hoosier in the sense he is hurried and forced to throw or risk being sacked.  He gets hit almost every play and gets back up.  Davon Vinson is a better scrambler, but Powers is a pure passer.

In his spare time, Blake likes to play video games.  He has an XBOX 360 and is currently playing Wolverine and FIFA Soccer.  He lives with CJ Brewer who has to tolerate loads of Classic Rock.  Yep, Powers, in the predictable quarterback tradition, listens to the old hard stuff.  He says his favorites are Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.  If he could pick a dream concert Powers replied, “Without a doubt, Skynyrd has always been my band”.  Good news Blake, they are touring (what’s left of them anyway) with Kid Rock this summer.

Powers watches reality shows on VH1 and likes his daily hit of Sportscenter.  Interestingly enough, he said he likes to watch HBO documentaries and original programs.  Maybe we will see him on Oz someday, but lets hope not.

Powers said in his spare time he likes to go bowling.  He also picked Applebee’s as his favorite place to grub, but was really looking forward to the team dinner at a Mexican restaurant later that night.

Come and see Powers and The Thunder challenge the high-powered offense of The Lexington Horsemen this Saturday.  Powers is a native of Brandenburg, KY, so he will feel a little extra motivation to play well against Jared Lorenzen and The Horsemen.  Kickoff is set for 7:05 at The Covelli Centre.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder have named Chris MacKeown (Mack-Cue-Win ) as their new Head Coach.  Interim Coach Brennan Booth will retain his position as Defensive Coordinator.  The move comes just a few days away from a home game with Lexington at The Covelli Centre.

MacKeown has a surplus of coaching experience in both AFL and AF2.  In his ten years as a head coach, his teams have made the playoffs seven times.  He has led teams to conference finals four times and to the championship game once. 

Thunder GM Adam Tokash thinks Coach MacKeown brings the chance of turning things around faster than most other candidates would.  “Chris brings a tremendous amount of arena experience and a history of winning along with a track record of turning teams around.  We appreciate the effort of Coach Booth who did a nice job of righting the ship and getting the team headed in a positive direction. We’re confident the hiring of Coach MacKeown will result in a winning product for several seasons to come.”

I am happy Coach Booth was retained and thank him for his accessibility and demeanor whenever I had a question.  With MacKeown, Booth and Andy Kelly form a dangerous coaching triangle that will be tough to outsmart. 

The Thunder host Kentucky Horsemen this Saturday.  The Horsemen are coming off of a 83-48 win against Florida.  They have a quarterback named Jared Lorenzen, a former Kentucky starter, who is built like a tackle.  The Horsemen bring a 4-4 record to Youngstown.  Kickoff is at 7:05 at The Covelli Centre.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder played a better game at Manchester despite losing, 56-42.  This Manchester team lost to Wilkes Barre / Scranton by just three points a couple of weeks ago, so it appears that the Thunder are constantly making improvements and becoming more competitive under the watchful eye of interim coach Brennan Booth.  Booth failed to pick up his first win as the interim coach, but this game was filled with positives to build on for this weeks game with Kentucky.

Blake Powers started the game at quarterback and had a couple of touchdowns for the Thunder.  Under tremendous pressure almost every play, Coach Booth opted to go with Davon Vinson, who is faster and a better scrambler than Powers.  Vinson ended up throwing a touchdown pass and an interception and was 17-27 for 195 yards.

With the score tied, 7-7, Manchester’s kickoff was misplayed off of the screen and they recovered for a touchdown.  On their very next kickoff, Clarence Curry took one the distance for the Thunder to tie the game at 14.  Down 21-14, Mahoning Valley made the switch at QB, and Davon Vinson responded, driving the Thunder down the field to tie the game at 21-21.  However, Manchester controlled the rest of the half and had a key interception in the end zone to stop a Thunder threat.  Manchester took a 35-21 lead to the locker room at half.

The Wolves took the second half kickoff and drove successfully to take a 42-21 lead.  The Thunder matched points with the Wolves in the second half, punctuated by a terrific CJ Brewer 39-yard TD catch late in the game.  It just proves that this team will not quit when they are scoring with an unrealistic chance to win at that point. 

Quorey Payne was solid again catching 8 passes for 117 yards.

For Mahoning Valley, life on the road remained difficult.  This loss was the Thunder’s 16th consecutive road loss and seventh loss in a row.  The high powered Kentucky offense will prove to be a challenge for Mahoning Valley this Saturday at The Covelli Centre.  Come out and support the team!

The first player to be featured in a Mahoning Valley Thunder Profile is Quorey Payne.  The first time I met Quorey was after a home game in which he returned a kickoff for a touchdown which was called back because of an illegal block.  The next home game, Payne again returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and again, it was called back because of a penalty.  I joked with Quorey after the last game and said that the next home game, May 30 at The Covelli Centre, he would run one back and it would count.  In fact, I guarantee it.

Quorey Payne grew up in Florida and had a standout high school career before playing his college ball at Southern Illinois.  The former Saluki said he doesn’t follow his old college team much because his coaches are no longer there and he doesn’t really know any of the guys playing right now. 

Last week, Quorey did not return home to Florida during the bye week.  He opted to stay in Youngstown and try to make a few extra dollars moving furniture.  “Florida is just too far to drive, and I wanted to stay to keep working out”, said Payne.

Of all the Thunder players I have talked to, Quorey is the most polite.  Don’t get me wrong, the whole bunch of guys have been awesome.  It isn’t easy to put on a happy face to sign autographs for kids after the home games when you lose by 30 points, but Quorey and his team find a way to smile and get through it.  Payne is respectful, addressed every member of the media as “sir”, and is a very positive person.

In his spare time Quorey enjoys a good workout.  It is his ambition, to advance to a higher level of professional football someday.  The AF1 shutdown this year has only the CFL and NFL as possibilities.  AF1 might reload and come back next season.  Unfortunately for Thunder fans, Payne has 15 TD’s this year and is turning heads around the football world. 

Quorey watches The Ultimate Fighter and said a good fight on that show gets him “jumping all over the place” and pumped up.  We spoke briefly about last weeks episode when Team Bisping’s English fighter knocked out the teeth of Team Henderson’s American.  He is also an absolute addict for VH1 reality shows such as Tough Love and Rock of Love with Bret Michaels of Poison.  However, Sportscenter is dominant on his television and he says when the television is turned on, thats usually what is being broadcast through his one bedroom apartment.

Quorey likes to play video games and has a PS3.  “I like the NCAA and Madden games, but they aren’t out yet, I am waiting“.  Quorey said for now he is just having fun playing Street Fighter and Resident Evil 5.

Payne has interesting musical preferences.  He likes Anthony Hamilton, Usher, R Kelly, and Pretty Ricky.  He also admitted that he is a sucker for a good slow song.  In fact, he said he likes slow music better than anything.  I guess depending on his mood he would jam some beats before a game or during a workout, but slow music was his definitely his answer for my favorite music question.

Quorey just got out of a three year relationship and announced that he is currently single. 

I really like Quorey Payne.  He is the prototype of what the Mahoning Valley Thunder wanted to show off as a player to the general public.  He is well-spoken, polite, creative, and a spectacular athletic talent who will never quit. 

Don’t forget on May 30 against Kentucky at The Covelli Centre, I guarantee a kickoff return by Quorey Payne for a touchdown with no penalties.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder knew they had a tough opponent in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  The two teams met earlier this season and Wilkes-Barre posted an 80-43 rout.  The score was not much different at The Covelli Centre Friday night as The Pioneers posted a 73-37 victory over The Thunder.  What was different was the spirit that Mahoning Valley played with.  The score does not reflect the fact that the home team did not quit. 

The game started bad for The Thunder as Blake Powers tried a lateral that was fumbled and recovered by Wilkes-Barre on The Thunder 4-yard line.  Wilkes-Barre scored on the next play to jump out 7-0.  On the next play from scrimmage for The Thunder, Powers was intercepted by The Pioneers Micheaux Robinson who returned his pick to the Thunder 10-yard line.  Two plays later The Pioneers scored again to make it 14-0.  At this point, Wilkes-Barre had 14 points and 14 total yards on offense.

Mahoning Valley got on the board on a Derrick Schorejs field goal to cut the lead to 14-3.

Penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct were plentiful against The Thunder.  The feeling of frustration was obvious in some instances.  The Thunder wanted Wilkes-Barre to understand that they were there for pride and not to be disqualified for complacency and nonchalance.

Down 21-3, Mahoning Valley engineered a nice drive that resulted in a Blake Powers 1-yard TD run to cut the lead to 21-10.  Wilkes-Barre scored quickly on a 36-yard pass from Ryan Vena to J. J. Outlaw, and again on their next possession to take a 35-10 lead.   Powers then found C. J. Brewer for a 28-yard strike making the score35-17.   Wilkes-Barre, with some help from Thunder penalties, kicked a field goal to make the halftime score 38-17.

Quorey Payne finally got untracked in the fourth quarter.  He caught TD’s of 10 and 39 from Davon Vinson, who replaced Powers in the fourth quarter.  I really feel for Quorey Payne.  This guy, for the second home game in a row, returned a kickoff for a touchdown only to have it called back for a penalty.

Down 59-31 in the fourth, Mahoning Valley attempted an onside kick.  The attempt failed and The Pioneers got a quick touchdown out of it.  This is the point in the game where I realized that The Thunder were not laying down and were doing everything in their power to make positives to build upon. 

With the score at 66-37, Wilkes-Barre pumped one in, using timeouts to stop the clock for no good reason.  This was David flexing his muscles at Goliath, and a classless display, I was thrilled that they did this.  This will give The Thunder some incentive for the rematch with The Pioneers on June 27 in Youngstown.  Final score Wilkes-Barre 73, Mahoning Valley 37.

Ryan Vena is a great quarterback.  When he was rushed he made some incredible throws in very little spaces.  Vena finished the night 30-39 for 331 yards and 7 TD’s.  Irving Campbell caught 11 of Vena’s passes for 139 yards.  J. J. Outlaw caught 9 Vena passes for 106 yards and 4 TD’s.

For Mahoning Valley, Blake Powers was 12-24 for 114 yards with 2 TD’s and a rushing TD.  Davon Vinson was 2-2 for 49 yards and 2 TD’s and also had a run of 35 yards.  C.J. Brewer and Quorey Payne had a pair of touchdowns each for The Thunder.  Payne finished the game with 182 all-purpose yards.

The Thunder have a bye week before traveling to Manchester on May 22.  The next Thunder home game is set for May 30 against The Kentucky Horsemen.

I spoke with new coach Brennen Booth (above) after the game.  Booth was not furious about losing saying he saw many positives and was pleased that his team kept fighting.  He also told me that people knew they were playing for their roster spots tonight and that most stepped up to the challenge.  Look for a few transactions to be made next week as Booth will be working with a few guys looking to become Thunder players.

I will be doing features on Coach Booth, Quorey Payne and Blake Powers in the next couple of weeks.  I will also be doing a story about the many things The Thunder staff coordinates to make these home games very family friendly.  Everything and anything goes when there is a timeout.  After the game, players sign autographs and answer questions.  It really is a great night out and I encourage the entire valley to get to a game, you won’t be disappointed.  Much more on The Mahoning Valley Thunder in the near future right here at Paneech.com.

The 1-5 Mahoning Valley Thunder know things will get better sooner or later.  Unfortunately, sooner might not be until next week as The Wilkes-Barre Pioneers (5-1) come rolling into The Covelli Centre this Friday.  The game is on a Friday to accomodate WWE Wrestling at the center on Saturday.  Maybe new coach Brennan Booth can talk the WWE’s Big Show into playing defense for his AF2 team.

Mahoning Valley is winless in this lifetime against Wilkes-Barre in six tries.  Brennan Booth is winless as a head coach at 0-1.  It would be a great victory to change both of those facts if The Thunder were able to find a way to win this game.  Blake Powers and Quorey Payne are the best shot if The Thunder might be able to pull the upset.

The two teams met on April 18 in Wilkes-Barre with The Pioneers posting an 80-43 victory over The Thunder. 

Kickoff is set for 7:05, see you there!

Michael Vick made headlines this week as Tony Dungy did not pass go and went directly to jail for a visit.  Dungy supposedly went to the Leavenworth, Kansas prison to talk to Vick about what he would do after he gets out.  Vick gets out July 20 and will be on probation for three years.

Vick’s agent would not go into details about the meeting.  Dungy said he was going to talk to Vick about religion.  Meetings like this with positive figures like Dungy might sway Commissioner Roger Goodell into letting Vick back into the NFL. 

Hey Tony, when you are done in Kansas, think you can go see Maurice Clarett for a few minutes?

The Cleveland Browns suprised a few people when they took Brian Robiskie in the second round of the NFL Draft last week.  Robiskie was a good choice, but was that pick made too soon?  I feel that the former Buckeye is the kind of receiver who lasts awhile in the NFL.  He is a possession type receiver that will not have a bunch of catches of 50+ yards. 

What makes Brian Robiskie a solid receiver is his size and his great hands.  Robiskie is the guy who will run a slant and know he is going to get blasted, but try to make the catch anyway.  Robiskie is the Joe Jurivicius player the Browns need.

One of the arguments against taking Robiskie is that Cleveland owed his father something, so they took him pretty high.  This is a crock of crap.  Any Browns fan knows that management will not do anyone except themselves favors.  If they wholeheartedly felt Robiskie was going to be mediocre and semi-productive for a few years, they would not have wasted a pick on him.

I project Robiskie to score about ten touchdowns in the 2009 NFL season.  I am also saying he will be close to 1,000 yards receiving but may come up a hair short.  Much of his projection depends on the score as Cleveland passes more when down 20 or more, as well as, who the quarterback is.