Thunder ready for league’s top team

Mahoning Valley takes on the unbeaten Pioneers tonight on the road.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — With strong performances tonight, Thunder wide receivers Chris Archie and DeMarcus Mathes could achieve milestones in the team’s 11th game of its inaugural af2 season.

Archie leads Mahoning Valley’s arena football team with 908 receiving yards. Not far behind is Mathes with 883 yards.

With solid efforts, they could both top the 1,000yard mark in the same game.

But it won’t be easy because the Thunder (5-6) are playing the undefeated Wilkes Barre/Scranton Pioneers (11-0) on the road at Wilkes Barre’s Wachovia Center.

“It would be cool, it would be something special if both of us went over the 1,000-yard mark together,” Archie said. “A lot of people ask us if it’s a competition between us, but we don’t look at it like that.

“We just look at it as two receivers who want to have great production,” Archie said. “So we push each other.”

Second meeting

Tonight’s game at 7 is the second between the Thunder and Pioneers. On May 12 at the Chevrolet Centre, the Pioneers jumped out to a 35-7 lead en route to a 56-26 victory.

“Obviously, they are a great team,” said Thunder coach Mike Hold of the Pioneers. “We’re going to have to play the kind of game that we play against Quad Cities [when] we got five turnovers and we didn’t turn it over.”

Two weeks ago, the Thunder defeated Quad City, 63-34. Last weekend was the team’s second open week of the season.

With five games remaining and the Thunder tied with Manchester and Stockton for the final playoff berth in the American Conference, the margin of error is getting smaller.

Mathes isn’t ready to concede anything, even against the af2’s best team.

“They just play good as a whole, they play well together,” Mathes said. “They have a bunch of veterans who know the game, but I think they’re ripe for the picking right now.”

Key will be turnovers

Hold said the key will be turnovers.

“They’re plus 26 in turnover margin — that’s ridiculous,” Hold said.

The Thunder will be boosted by the return of quarterback Glen Gauntt and lineman Alex Eaton. Gauntt hasn’t played since he injured his thumb playing Florida on May 19.

Scouting the Pioneers hasn’t been as much of a challenge as it could be.

“The nice thing for us in [their] personnel hasn’t changed whereas ours has quite a bit since we saw them last, especially up front,” Hold said. “So if anything, it’s better for us because they haven’t changed anything.

“The bad thing for us is that when they aren’t changing personnel, it means they’re doing pretty damn good.”

Archie said, “When you get to play a team a second time and obviously if they keep the same personnel, you know their habits and tendencies.

“So the second time around, it’s like you have a cheatsheet because you already know what they’re going to do.”

With the postseason chase on, Mathes said, “it feels like the homestretch but we’re all coming together at the right time right now. We’re in the playoff hunt so it’s a good time.”

Led way in first meeting

Archie was the leading receiver in the first game against the Pioneers, catching eight passes for 105 yards. Mathes caught seven passes for 47 yards.

“I was just one or two steps too slow,” said Mathes, who said the final score was a bit misleading. “We’ve watched the film — a couple of plays here or there and we’re in that game. We just didn’t make plays.”

If Mathes and Archie play well enough to reach their milestones, Mathes has a plan.

“I set pretty high goals for myself and to get 1,000 yards was one I wanted to achieve,” Mathes said. “For me to know that I’m getting close makes me want to raise the bar.”