Thunder roster set with 22

Coach Mike Hold said most players will play both offense and defense.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
BOARDMAN -- Coach Mike Hold will take 22 players into the Mahoning Valley Thunder's first game against the of Tri-Cities (Wash.) Fever Saturday on Cortland Banks Field at the Chevrolet Centre.
The Thunder completed training camp Saturday.
Nineteen players will comprise the active roster with three others on the taxi squad, according to Hold.
"Everyone pretty much will have to play two ways," he said. "They need to flip over [from offense to defense and vice versa] in case something happens [like injuries].
"The linemen will play both offense and defense."
The receivers and defensive backs also will be interchangeable and maybe even play some linebacker, said Hold.
"We have some ideas of who will start but we are not sure what our rotation will be [on the offensive line]."
Hold said Glenn Gauntt will start at quarterback and the receivers will be Chris Archie, Kenny Johnson and DeMarcus Mathes. Brandon Eaton will be the starting center.
Only Gauntt and backup quarterback Mike Schneider and placekicker Derek Schorejs will not play both ways.
Lee to get look
Hold said the Thunder brought in a new player Monday, lineman Jamel Lee (6-foot-3, 280 pounds), who played at Youngstown State last fall.
"We will put him under contract at some point," said Hold. "He is not even on the roster right now. We brought him in to take a look at him and he could shake things up."
Two players have been suspended for two weeks: Lineman Mike Sacco and WR-DB Lew Daniels. The suspended players are not part of the 19-player roster and the three-player taxi squad.
Hold hopes the roster doesn't change much throughout the course of the season.
"We want to continue with what we start with," he said. "If you want to establish chemistry, you can't do that and make a lot of changes. If guys aren't playing well, you have to change guys. But we are starting with our crew and we don't want to change it.
"There will be injuries. We will constantly have guys coming in every week. We will bring guys in and try them out on two-week waivers."
"If it happens, it happens. We just adjust. But we go into the season thinking this is our roster. But I know from experience because of injuries and other reasons that the roster will change."