Thunder is rested to tackle top club

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is unbeaten.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — No one had a tougher week off from the af2 season than Thunder wide receiver Chris Archie.

What did he do following the Thunder’s 63-34 rout of the Quad City Steamwheelers June 17?

“Rest. Sleep. Rest. Sleep. Rest. Rest. Sleep, sleep, sleep. Rest,” said Archie before Tuesday’s practice at the Chevrolet Centre. “That’s about it. I didn’t get a chance to get out to do something special.”

What’s so tough about that? It’s what Archie, who leads the team with 908 receiving yards, didn’t do that hurts.

“I had a trip planned to Costa Rica, but my passport didn’t get here on time,” Archie said. “I paid $160 for a rush order and it didn’t get here. Now I’m waiting for a refund. So I just hung on out here and got some rest.”

Why Costa Rica?

“I have a good friend who is a flight attendant and she was going to fly me there,” Archie said. “She’s still there — she called me today and left a voicemail — ‘wish you were here.’ ”

Another receiver, DeMarcus Mathes, also concentrated on relaxing during the Thunder’s second open week of the season. He and lineman Mike Lane went golfing.

“The best thing was getting the feeling of my legs back underneath me,” said Mathes, who has 883 receiving yards this season.

Mathes said a break from practicing felt “weird” this late into the season. “But you also look forward to it because you have time to recover from any nicks and bruises,” he said.

Hold likes it

For coach Mike Hold, that’s the best part as his team prepares for the final five games of its inaugural season.

“It gave us the opportunity to get a couple of guys back,” Hold said. “Tex [lineman Brandon Eaton] and [quarterback Glen] Gauntt are back. And it gave the other guys who are nicked up the opportunity to heal.”

Hold agreed there’s two ways at taking a break after one of the team’s best performances.

“It’s kid of a Catch-22, I guess, because you don’t want to get stale,” Hold said. “The nice thing about it is this is a big stretch for us and we’re healthy.”

At 5-6, the Thunder are tied with Manchester and Stockton for eighth place — and the final playoff spot — in the American Conference.

Hold said the break “gave me a little time to get caught up on burning film and all the little stuff that takes up time.”

He also watched Arena Football League games.

“I watch them whenever I can,” Hold said. “I’ve got the FOX broadcasts on my satellite so I’m able to pick up a lot of games, not just the national ones. I just try to follow the guys that I know, see how they are doing.”

Faces toughest test

This week, the Thunder faces its toughest test of the season, traveling to Wilkes Barre, Pa., to play the undefeated Pioneers Saturday at 7 p.m..

Hold is happy he have a restocked arsenal to take into of the af2’s most challenging buildings.

“Gauntt is going to start,” Hold said. “[Backup] Mike [Schneider] has played damn good. [But] Glen is the guy.”

It will be Gauntt’s first game since he injured his thumb against the Florida Firecats May 19. So far, he’s completed 152-of-278 passes for 34 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Schneider is 64-of-110 for 1,055 yards and 18 scores.

Hold said the Thunder’s line has improved over the past month and that could be a factor.

“We struggled early in pass protection and that resulted in Glen’s injury and in Mike’s injuries,” Hold said. “But now, we’re pretty strong up front. Glen is going to have an opportunity to play well with a little pass protection.”