Wheeling Wildcats Announce Shawn Liotta Head Football Coach
Continental Indoor Football League
On August 5, 2008 Shawn Liotta was named the first Head Football Coach to lead the expansion Wheeling Wildcats of the Continental Indoor Football League. Liotta comes to Wheeling after serving as the Head Football Coach/Director of Football Operations of the Erie RiverRats of the AIFA. Liotta leaves the AIFA as the third winningest coach in league history with a 17-11 Record and two consecutive playoff berths, including an 11-3 record at home. Coach Liotta's teams have constantly finished in the top of most offensive statistical categories over the past two seasons, and his ability to attract top level talent from the NFL,CFL, and AFL has been well documented. In 2008 Liotta led the Expansion Erie team to a 10-4 Regular Season Record, a playoff berth. Liotta's presence in Erie in 2008 led to one of the greatest single season turnarounds in professional indoor football history, despite the team relocating to Erie only one month prior to the 2008 season. The 2007 Erie Freeze Franchise suffered through a 1-13 record, and eventually ceased operations following the 2007 season. In 2008 with Liotta leading the Erie Franchise, the team finished with a 10-4 Regular Season Record, which was a +9 win differential over the previous season. Coach Liotta will bring an up-tempo innovative offensive system, an aggressive opportunistic defense, and efficient special teams play to Wheeling for the 2009 campaign.
Liotta was named as the first Head Football Coach for the expansion Pittsburgh RiverRats of the American Indoor Football Association on August 4, 2006. Coach Liotta, in his first year as a professional head coach, led the 2007 RiverRats to a 7-7 record and a playoff spot in the team's first year of existence. In recognition of his successful year, he was selected as the Head Coach of the North Squad for the league's All-Star game, which the North won by a score of 58-45. Liotta finished as a runner-up for the 2007 AIFA Coach of the Year Award. The highlights of the RiverRats' 2007 season included a convincing 62-33 win over the defending league champion Canton Legends, and an 86-72 victory against the Erie Freeze, where Coach Liotta's club set the record for most points scored in an AIFA game.
Liotta has coached players to school records in almost every possible offensive category in his tenures as a coach at the high school and collegiate levels. Liotta is currently in his fourth season as the Head Coach at West Shamokin High School (Rural Valley, PA). Prior to West Shamokin, Liotta was the Head Coach at Line Mountain High School, where he became one of the youngest Head Varsity Football Coaches in the country at age 23. While at Line Mountain, Liotta directed one of the top passing offenses in the entire state, and shattered most school records for the Eagles. Liotta gained experience at the collegiate level at Duquesne University as an Assistant Coach/Running Backs from 2002-2004. During his tenure, Duquesne captured the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship, and the 2002 and 2003 MAAC Championships. Liotta was heavily involved in recruiting efforts and assisted with the school's annual "Pro-Day" Combine. Prior to Duquesne, Liotta served as an Assistant Offensive Coordinator at Springdale High School. While at Springdale in 2002, Liotta's offense featured the first 1,000 yard rusher in school history, and the team made the playoffs for the first time in 29 years. From 2002-2003, Liotta worked for the Metro Index Scouting Service, assisting with scouting and player evaluations for the high school, collegiate, and professional level. Liotta is a 2002 graduate of Robert Morris University and resides in Lower Burrell, PA with his wife Allison.
Shawn Liotta- Professional Indoor Football Career Highlights
- Improved an Erie Franchise from a 1-13 record to a 10-4 record in one season
- Third Winningest Coach in AIFA History (17-11)
- 11-3 Record at home over the past two seasons in Pittsburgh and Erie
- Two different QB's as First Team All-Stars the past two seasons (Rod Rutherford/Dave Dinkins)
- Teams have placed in the top of league statistics in multiple categories
- 2007 team set AIFA league record for points scored in a single game (86)
- Have won games with six different starting quarterbacks over the past two seasons
- Former players have advanced to NFL Europe, CFL, and the AFL over the last 2 years
- Head Coach of 2007 AIFA North All-Star Game, North won game 58-45
- 14 players on the 2008 Erie RiverRats Roster were on NFL, CFL, or AFL rosters
- 13 NCAA Division I players on 2008 Erie RiverRats Roster
- 17 players on 2008 Erie Roster were former Professional Indoor Football All-Stars
Shawn Liotta - Coaching Bio
2009- Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator, Wheeling Wildcats (CIFL) 2008- Head Coach/Director of Football Operations, Erie RiverRats (AIFA) 2007- Head Coach and Director of Football Operations, Pittsburgh RiverRats (AIFA)
2005- Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator, West Shamokin High School
2004-2005 Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator, Line Mountain High School
2003-2004 Assistant Coach/Running Backs, Duquesne University (NCAA Division I-AA)
2002-2003 Scout/Evaluator, Metro Index Football Scouting Service
2002 Offensive Intern Coach, Duquesne University (NCAA Division I-AA)
Professional Indoor Football has returned to Wheeling, WV for the 2009 Season. The Wheeling Wildcats will open training camp in February 2009 as they begin their quest for the 2009 CIFL Championship under the direction of Head Coach Shawn Liotta. The team is currently setting tryout dates for the upcoming season which will be announced shortly. Coach Liotta would like to invite any interested players to contact him at coachliotta@hotmail.com for more information on upcoming workouts. The Wheeling Wildcats are a professional indoor football team which will compete in the Continental Indoor Football League in 2009. Visit www.wheelingwildcatsfootball.com for more info on season tickets, tryouts, appearances, and corporate sponsorship opportunities.
UIF to Merge with Intense Football League for 2009 Season
The United Indoor Football League (UIF), of which the St. Charles based RiverCity Rage Football Team is a member, will merge with the Intense Football League (IFL) for the upcoming 2009 season. The newly formed league will be called the Indoor Football League with a 14-game regular season to begin in March 2009.
"I am proud to be a part of the merger between the UIF and IFL," said RiverCity Rage owner and Chairman of the UIF Expansion Committee Jeff Sprowls. "The Intense Football League has been a very stable and professional league since its inception. This is a great step forward for the league and all of indoor football and it will be very beneficial to the RiverCity Rage and all of the league's teams to broaden our national appeal to even greater heights."
The eight-team UIF currently features teams in Wichita, Kan., Bloomington, Ill., Sioux City, Iowa, Omaha, Neb., Fort Collins, Colo., Sioux Falls, S.D., Billings, Mt., and the RiverCity Rage in St. Charles, Mo. The nine-team IFL currently features six teams in Texas, one in Louisiana, and two in Alaska - Fairbanks and Anchorage.
A total of 17-teams will participate in the new league and at least three additional cities have applied for franchises in the new Indoor Football League. The league could be as large as 20-teams for the 2009 season.
The league will hold its first formal meeting in mid-September in Omaha at which key details such as conference and divisional alignments, expansion plans, playing rules, and league office structure will be decided.
"This is a move that will bring both credibility and stability to indoor football," IFL Communications Director Paul Winfrey said in a prepared statement. "The IFL and UIF are two of the sport's most stable business organizations. Combining strengths and resources will create a partnership that will insure the long-term growth of the sport."
For information on RiverCity Rage football, contact the Rage Front Office at (636) 896-4285 or log on to www.ragefootball.com.
The first-year Austin Wranglers led all teams with two players placed on the af2's All-Ironman Team, the League office announced today. This is the first time in the af2's nine-year history that the league has given special recognition to its top two-way players.
Austin's All-Ironman honorees were WR/LB MEL LONG and FB/LB KAMAU JACKSON. Long, a league veteran in his sixth season (first with Austin), ranked second among Wrangler receivers with 97 catches for 1,010 yards and 24 touchdowns. On the defensive side from the jack linebacker position, the 6-2, 190-pound Toledo alum finished second on the team in interceptions (4) and tied for second in the league with three interception return touchdowns. Long also registered 35 total tackles (24 solo, 22 asst), including one tackle for loss and six pass breakups. Jackson, in his fourth af2 campaign, ranked sixth overall among the league's top rushers with 295 rushing yards. He also recorded a team-high 12 rushing touchdowns. The 6-1, 310-pound Mississippi State alum also made an impact on defense with 31 total tackles (23 solo, 16 asst), including 4.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Both players were also named to the National Conference All-af2 First Team on Wednesday
The Manchester Wolves, arguably the hottest team in the arenafootball2 league playoffs, hope to ice the Blizzard in Green Bay on Saturday night in the American Conference semi-finals round.
The seventh-seeded Wolves (10-7) advanced to the second round by upsetting the second-seeded and South Division champion Wildcats in South Georgia last weekend with their high-powered offense and a tenacious defense which caused a critical turnover with under a minute on the clock and then knocked away what would have been the Wildcats game-winning touchdown as time expired. If the Wolves are to advance to the championship round, they know they'll have to bring their best against the third-seeded and Midwest Division champion Blizzard (12-5) in Green Bay's home arena.
"This Bob Lansee team, and any team he has coached, is one of the best teams in the af2 and one of the most fundamentally sound teams out there," Wolves Head Coach Danton Barto said of his counterpart. "They have by far the best pass rush I've seen in this league since 2005. We're really going to have our work cut out for us and need to play our best football if we want to continue on and come out of Green Bay with a win."
Green Bay placed a league-best eight players on the All-af2 First and Second teams and also lead the af2 with six players on the First Team. All three of their offensive linemen, center Raymond McNeil plus linemen Stephenol Santos and Aqua Etefia, made it as did defensive lineman Joe Sykes.
When Sykes tees off on opposing quarterbacks for the Blizzard, he is like an avalanche coming down the mountain. He led the af2 in sacks (19.5), tackles (22), and forced fumbles during the regular season and then set a league record in the first round of the playoffs with five sacks, five solo tackles, and two forced fumbles. Overall, the Blizzard had 10 sacks in that one game.
Nonetheless, the Wolves big three up front of center Darnerius Watson, guard Daniel Oliphant, and tight end Rich Ranglin have played superbly as well in protecting quarterback James Pinkney. Oliphant, who has been called by Barto 'the undeniable presence on the offensive line" this season by Barto, was named to the All-af2 second team.
In a classic case of the immoveable object meeting the irresistible force, every time the Wolves and Blizzard face off on the line of scrimmage there will be an all-out war in the trenches as the Wolves defensive linemen are playing their best football as well.
The Wolves offense, featuring All-af2 First Team wide receiver/linebacker Bradly Chavez, has been almost impossible to stop during Manchester's steak which has seen them win nine of their last 10 games and five straight. The trifecta of starting receivers, who also include Emery Sammons and Steven Savoy, has three players who have each surpassed over 1,000 receiving yards this season for a Wolves record.
The Wolves receivers are smart, sure-handed, and very tough to tackle after they catch the ball, but Green Bay's defensive backs are excellent as well. Both Donnie Amadi and Nate Green made the All-af2 Second Team and Rusty Midlam is always around the ball, so the match-ups in the secondary will also be a key to which team advances to the American Conference championship round next week.
The game in the Resch Center in Green Bay is slated to kick off at 8:30 PM (ET) and can be viewed on NIFTYtv.com or heard on WFEA AM 1370 in Manchester. The winner will move on to match up against the victor of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (No. 1 seed) vs. Tennessee Valley Vipers (no. 4 seed) contest on Saturday, August 16.
Texas Copperheads' kicker NICK GATTO has been named the SFC Kicker of the Year, as selected by a vote of arenafootball2 head coaches and members of the media.
Gatto, in his second season with the Copperheads and third af2 season overall, led all kickers in field goals made in 2008 with 17. Gatto also finished second in FG attempts (43) and third in PAT percentage (90.6) amongst af2 kickers during the regular season. The Arkansas State alum converted 17-of-43 field goals (39.5 percent) and 58-of-64 point after touchdowns during the 2008 campaign. Gatto led Texas in scoring with 109 points. Earlier this week he was named to the National Conference All-af2 First Team for the second consecutive season.
Gatto's first af2 experience came in 2005 with the Quad City Steamwheelers. He currently ranks third in league history with 43 field goals made and ninth all-time in scoring amongst kickers with 315 career points.
Gatto got his start in Arena Football in 2002 with the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators. His three-year AFL career (2002-04) included stints with the Dallas Desperados, Chicago Rush, Detroit Fury and Grand Rapids Rampage.
Gatto is the fourth recipient of the af2 Kicker of the Year Award. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's DAVID DAVIS won the honor in 2007 while Oklahoma City's A.J. HAGLUND took home the award in 2006. Louisville's DANNY KIGHT was the inaugural winner in 2005.
The 2008 af2 playoffs continue this weekend with the American and National Conference Semifinals this Saturday, August 9. On the American Conference side of the bracket, the No. 1 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers host the No. 4 Tennessee Valley Vipers at 7:30 p.m. ET and the No. 3 Green Bay Blizzard host the No. 7 Manchester Wolves at 8:30 p.m. ET. On the National Conference side, the No. 3 Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings host the No. 7 Amarillo Dusters at 8:00 p.m. ET and the No. 1 Spokane Shock host the No. 5 Central Valley Coyotes at 10:00 ET.
The Amarillo Dusters will travel to Bossier City Louisiana this weekend to face the Southwest Division Champion Bossier Battlewings in the conference semi-finals of the 2008 playoffs. This will be the second time the Dusters will have to play the Battlewings this season. The two teams played earlier in the season in Bossier City with the Dusters pulling out a 53-45 victory.
"They had five players make the First-Team All-af2 team," said head coach Chris MacKeown, "so that tells you how talented they are."
The winner of this game will move on to the National Conference Finals where they will face off against the winner of the game between the Central Valley Coyotes and the Spokane Shock.
"We're going to have to contain their offense and try to get some defensive stops," MacKeown said. "They rank near the top of every offensive category so we have our work cut out for us."
QB Julian Reese, who was just named to the All-Ironman Team, will lead the Dusters. The Dusters trio of wide receivers will be Jim Lukowiak, Craig Fulton Jr., and Bobby Chase will also start. The offensive line consisting of Rob Nelson, Josh Kline, and Randy Degg, round out the offensive starters.
The Battlewings have won six of their last seven games and are 10-7 overall. They are led by starting QB Gary Cooper who ranks sixth in the entire league in total offense with an average of 265.5 yards per game.
The players to keep an eye on for the Battlewings include WR Chavis McCollister who was named to the First Team All-af2 squad. The Battlewings also boast a solid pass rush led by defensive lineman Marvin Byrdsong that can put pressure on the quarterback.
Duster fans can watch this playoff game at the Dusters official watch party at Beef O'Brady's on 34th and Coulter. Radio coverage of the game can be heard on KPUR 107.1 FM.
Dusters 2009 season tickets are on sale now. Call the Dusters Box Office at 350-7277 to reserve the best seats possible. This is Dusters Country!
Jones to Start at QB For Wolves in af2 playoffs in Green Bay on Saturday night
Brian Jones, who started two games at quarterback for the Manchester Wolves earlier in the regular season before being placed on long term injured reserve, has been activated and will call the signals when the Wolves (10-7) take on the Blizzard (12-5) in Green Bay in the arenafootball2 league American Conference semifinals on Saturday night.
Jones (6-2, 212) replaces James Pinkney, who led the Wolves through their remarkable turnaround from 1-6 to the second round of the playoffs. Pinkney broke his leg during last week's upset win over the Wildcats in South Georgia.and has been moved from the roster to the IR list.
Jones, a starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League in 2007, was assigned to the team on April 16 and started the Wolves first home game of the season on April 18. He also started the following week against the Pioneers in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but suffered a serious shoulder injury on his throwing arm that required surgery and was placed on long term IR.
In the two games he was active, Jones completed 48 of 75 throws for 688 yards with 12 touchdowns against two interceptions. He also rushed a net five yards on eight carries and scored three touchdowns.
Jones has been rehabilitating his shoulder at his home in Memphis, Tennessee. While he hasn't been with the team in some time, Jones is very familiar with the offensive schemes and philosophy of Head Coach Danton Barto. He was the Gladiators head coach last season and Jones will also be reunited with current Wolves defensive back Dahnel Singfield and defensensive linemen Joe Crea and Chris Eggleston. The three played for Barto in Memphis in 2005 when the Xplorers won the ArenaCup.
In his rookie AFL season with the Gladiators last year, Jones played in 15 games and started six of them, including the season finale. He completed a team-high 152-of-238 passes for 1,824 yards and 25 touchdowns. This season, he was in training camp with the AFL's Columbus Destroyers and had a brief stint with the New Orleans Voodoo of the AFL.
"He's an AFL-caliber starting quarterback," Barto said when Jones joined the team last April. "He's a pro from top to bottom. He doesn't turn the ball over and he makes completions." Jones, who played for the University of Toledo from 2001-02 after transferring from Shasta Junior College, graduated as the Rockets' all-time leader in pass completion percentage (68.9). He led Toledo to a 9-5 record and a spot in the Motor City Bowl against Marshall University in 2002.
He will wear jersey #18 when the seventh-seeded Wolves (10-7) line up against the third-seeded Blizzard (12-5). Kickoff is slated for 8:30 PM (ET) and the game may be heard on WFEA 1370 AM and seen on NIFTYtv.com.
News 8/8
News 8/8
Linear Mode
