Posts Tagged ‘Mahoning Valley Thunder’

I am excited to announce that I have been media credentialed to cover the Mahoning Valley Scrappers for their 2009 season.  Big deal you say?  Actually it is.  With the growth of my websites hits multiplying by 5 in the last two months, this type of forum is perfect for coverage of minor league baseball.

Anyone who has followed the Mahoning Valley Thunder football team on this site has learned about the players, gotten game reviews, and had inside information through my profile features.  I plan on doing Scrapper profiles as well as game summaries and can post some interviews here as well.

Victor Martinez (above) was a Scrapper.  There are several others who played for this very team now playing in the majors.  Because it is a Cleveland Indians farm club, many current Indians played for the Scrappers.  There are also plenty of others who were once in the Indians farm system and were traded or left playing in te big league as well.

Current Indians players who were once Mahoning Valley Scrappers include : Trevor Crowe, Ben Francisco, Ryan Garko, David Huff, Aaron Laffey, Jensen Lewis, Scott Lewis, Chris Gimenez, and Tony Sipp.

Players on other teams include: CC Sabathia (Yankees), Josh Bard (Nationals), Ryan Church (Mets), Chad Durbin (Phillies), Kevin Kouzmanoff (Padres), Joe Inglett and Brian Tallet (Blue Jays).

An early notable off to a hot start is Bo Greenwell, 18 year-old son of former all-star Mike Greenwell. 

The Scrappers, much like the Thunder, are a very family-friendly organization.  Although they run a dollar beer night on Thursday and have a Playmate (Lisa Neeld) in future promotions, the Scrappers really aim for quality family entertainment.

Someone on this years team will make it to the big leagues, nobody knows who…  But by attending a Scrappers game, you can say you saw them when…

Things can’t get much worse for the Mahoning Valley Thunder.  Struggles on the road continued as the Thunder dropped to 1-10 losing 62-28 at Albany.  This loss extends the teams losing streak to ten straight and 18th straight road loss. 

The Thunder started new acquisition Brad Roach at quarterback.  Roach was rushed into action because Davon Vinson was banged up but could play if needed.  Roach threw interceptions on his first two drives.  Roach was pulled and Vinson was inserted only to set a franchise record by throwing seven interceptions.  Vinson did manage to find CJ Brewer twice for Thunder scores.

Albany player Alvin Ray Jackson had five interceptions in the game to set a new AF2 record.  Albany recorded 11 interceptions in the game.  He also caught two touchdown passes on offense.  Firebird QB Stephen Wasil threw for six touchdowns.

The Thunder go back to the board this week hosting Manchester.  Kelly Pavlik will be doing a book signing from 6-8 at The Covelli Centre, so get there early, meet the champ and enjoy some football.  See you there! 

New Thunder Head Coach Chris MacKeown is without a doubt obsessed with turning Mahoning Valley’s turbulent season into a smoother ride.  MacKeown has eleven years of arena coaching experience and a great track record to behold, a good sign for Thunder fans.  He kind of reminds me of a young Bill Parcells in the sense that he is called upon to turn bad into good, much like Parcells has done for a few NFL teams.

MacKeown grew up in Dayton, Ohio but now calls Amarillo, Texas his home.  When I asked him what he though of Youngstown so far, MacKeown said, ” In my short time here, I am shocked that people will come up to me in a restaurant to encourage me to win.  It says a lot about this area and its love for football and this team“.

When I asked MacKeown what his realistic goals are while he is in charge to which he replied, ” Realistically, the goal is to win a championship.  I want to win, make no mistake about it.  What I have to work with here is a good bunch of guys who will fight to the finish, the attitude and morale is still pretty high despite the 1-9 record“.  MacKeown also was very clear to point out that those who do not want to win will not be wearing a Thunder uniform for long.

In his free time, Coach MacKeown said he likes to get in a good workout.  He was quick to point out that his free time is scarce.  He spends time in his office creating ways for this Thunder team to do better.  In fact, Coach MacKeown said he doesn’t have hardly any free time.  He makes his job as head coach a daily and nightly task.

When I asked Coach MacKeown what he watches on TV, he chuckled and informed me that he doesn’t even have cable. 

With the recent loss of Blake Powers with a broken collarbone, MacKeown reflected on the progress Powers made in the Kentucky game.  He has no problems turning to Davon Vinson saying his biggest problem as a quarterback is that he sometimes calls the wrong play in the huddle.  He smiled again, as Vinson was within earshot and probably heard the comment, and picked up his new starter by saying, he is having a great week of practice and I like the pure athletic ability he brings to the table, he is going to have a good week.

To say that Coach MacKeown is all business is an understatement in so many ways.  Thunder fans, know that you have a general in the trenches, the guy is a proven winner and will not put up with anything less than success while he is here.  Coach Brennan Booth and MacKeown will make a great tandem and I hope these two gentlemen stay for awhile.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder trailed Milwaukee 28-7 in the second quarter of their AF2 game Friday.  The Thunder rallied back to tie the game at 34 apiece, but eventually ended up losing the contest, 58-47.  The Milwaukee offense scored 41 of their 58 points in the first and third quarter.  The Thunder failed to score in the final quarter to extend their road losing streak to 17 straight and their 2009 campaigns ninth straight loss. 

Milwaukee QB Todd Hammel threw for 337 yards and seven touchdowns without a fumble or an interception.  Hammel’s main target of the night was Antoine Burns who caught eight passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns.  Burns also added a rushing touchdown for the Iron.  WR Bryan Pray also did damage catching seven Hammel passes for 79 yards and a TD.

Quorey Payne was nothing short of sensational in the loss for Mahoning Valley.  Payne had two special teams touchdowns for the Thunder.  A 50-yard kickoff return and a 50-yard missed field goal attempt yielded big in Mahoning Valleys rally.  Starting QB Davon Vinson played well in defeat throwing for 222 yards on 20-34 passes.Vinson finished the game with five TD’s and one pick.  CJ Brewer stepped up and had twelve receptions for 107 yards and three TD’s.  Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Mahoning Valley offensively.  Brewer catching that many balls will force opposing defenses to better defend him leaving Payne a little operating space.  If a defense chooses not to worry as much about Brewer, than Vinson -to- Brewer will be a resounding tandem the rest of the season.

The Thunder get back on the bus Friday and head to Albany for their third meeting with the Firebirds on Saturday night.

Larry Harrison is one of those guys who can talk about anything.  I have seen him talk to management, coaches, fans, kids, media, and members of his Mahoning Valley Thunder team.  The fact that he can adapt his conversation level to suit who it is he is talking to makes him one of the most charismatic members of the 2009 Mahoning Valley Thunder team.  Larry is one of those people who has the gift of communication piped into his blood.

Harrison is enjoying his time spent in the greater Youngstown area, “I love it here, Youngstown is a football town and the people have been supportive.  I wish we were winning and this place would be full for home games“.  The Thunder are not winning, but Harrison is buying into the “never quit” attitude being pushed by new coach Chris MacKeown.  He has had an impact as a defensive lineman for Mahoning Valley.  I now expect to see him hurry quarterbacks the rest of this season the way he has in the last couple of weeks.

Interestingly, Harrison says his football role model is Reggie White, another charismatic guy that the fans liked.  Larry said he could only hope to be the kind of person Reggie White was both on and off the field.  I see the Reggie in Larry.

Larry watches Sportscenter and CNN.  He has a PS3 and is currently playing the newest Grand Theft Auto game and says he is addicted to first person shooter games.  Harrison admitted to me that his favorite thing to do to relax is sleep.  “I don’t watch that much TV, the best thing to me is a nice nap and a good night of sleep”.

Because Harrison grew up in Detroit, he has to have some Motown in his diverse musical preferences.  “When you grow up in Detroit, you gotta have Motown on at some point”.  Larry also likes Gospel, Blues, Hip Hop, and Rhythm & Blues.

Harrison said he likes to eat at Jeremiah Bullfrogs.  “We have meal card allowances, so the food is free, but it is delicious“.  Larry liked Bullfrogs so much that he said if family or friends came in to visit, he would take them there because it is a nice crowd and they would like the food too.

Hopefully Larry Harrison is a Mahoning Valley Thunder player for a long time.  He, like Quorey Payne, is one of those guys who politely leads by example and smiles when he gets it right.  He is polite and well-spoken and the kids love getting his autograph at the home games.

• Blake Powers broke his left collarbone and is out indefinitely.  In AF2, a player put on the disabled list must be inactive for at least four weeks.  Unfortunately for Powers, collarbones usually take six to eight weeks to mend.
• Davon Vinson has been named the starting quarterback.  “I have all the faith in the world in Davon, he is having a great week of practice “, said new Coach Chris MacKeown.
• Chris Schubert, Joe Kleinsmith, and Derrell Carlton were released by the Thunder.
• Jermaine Moye and Jon Loyte have been brought in.  Loyte is a lineman who played at Boston College, and Moye is a DB from U of Cal. in PA.  Loye will double up as the teams backup quarterback for now.

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!