2015 Wichita Force season

The 2015 Wichita Force season is the team's first season as a professional indoor football franchise and first as a member of Champions Indoor Football (CIF).[1] One of nine teams in the CIF for the inaugural 2015 season, the Wichita Force is owned by Wichita Indoor Football LLC, led by managing partner Marv Fisher.[2] The Force play their home games at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas, under the direction of head coach Paco Martinez.[3][4]

2015 Wichita Force season
OwnerWichita Indoor Football LLC
Head coachPaco Martinez
General managerAshley Lawless
Home fieldIntrust Bank Arena
Results
Record8-4
League place3rd
Playoff finishLost Semi-finals (Revolution) 27-39

Season summary

The Force's announced schedule for the 2015 season was not directly affected when the New Mexico Stars abruptly postponed their entry into the league on February 21, just one week before the season began.[5] On March 3, the Albuquerque-based Duke City Gladiators were announced as a late entry into the league, partially replacing the Stars in the CIF schedule with a plan to play 11 games in 2015.[6]

Off-field moves

After the 2014 season ended, the Champions Professional Indoor Football League announced it was merging with teams from other leagues to form a new league, Champions Indoor Football.[7] The Wichita Wild franchise folded after eight seasons and a new ownership group launched the Wichita Force as an expansion franchise in the CIF with the Wild's head coach and a significant number of their former players.[2][3]

Awards and honors

Each week of the regular season, the CIF named league-wide Players of the Week in offensive, defensive, and special teams categories. For Week 1, the CIF named running back Tywon Hubbard as one of two Special Teams Players of the Week.[8] For Week 2, the CIF named kick returner Clarence Anderson as the Special Teams Player of the Week.[9] For Week 6, the CIF again named kick returner Clarence Anderson as the Special Teams Player of the Week.[10] For Week 9, the CIF named kicker Ernesto Lacayo as the Special Teams Player of the Week.[11] For Week 11, the CIF again named kicker Ernesto Lacayo as the Special Teams Player of the Week.[12] For Week 13, the CIF yet again named kick returner Clarence Anderson as the Special Teams Player of the Week.[13] For Week 14, the CIF named quarterback Emmanuel Taylor as the Offensive Player of the Week.[14]

Schedule

Key:   Win   Tie   Loss   Bye

Regular season
Week Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location
Score Record
1 Saturday February 28 7:05pm Salina Bombers L 61–64[15] 0–1 Intrust Bank Arena[4][16]
2 Friday March 6 7:05pm at Omaha Beef W 45–42[17] 1–1 Ralston Arena[18]
3 BYE
4 Saturday March 21 7:05pm at Amarillo Venom W 43–30[19] 2–1 Amarillo Civic Center[20]
5 Saturday March 28 7:05pm Sioux City Bandits W 42–35[21][22] 3–1 Intrust Bank Arena[23]
6 Friday April 3 7:05pm Omaha Beef W 59–42[24][25] 4–1 Intrust Bank Arena[26]
7 Saturday April 11 7:05pm at Texas Revolution L 21–48[27] 4–2 Allen Event Center[28][29]
8 BYE
9 Saturday April 25 7:05pm at Salina Bombers W 45–32[30][31] 5–2 Bicentennial Center[32]
10 Saturday May 2 7:05pm at Sioux City Bandits L 42–56[33][34] 5–3 Tyson Events Center[35]
11 Friday May 8 7:05pm Dodge City Law W 52–49[36][37] 6–3 Intrust Bank Arena[38]
12 Saturday May 16 7:05pm Salina Bombers W 46–40 (OT)[39][40] 7–3 Intrust Bank Arena[41][42]
13 Saturday May 23 7:05pm Sioux City Bandits L 45–55[43][44] 7–4 Intrust Bank Arena[45][46]
14 Saturday May 30 7:05pm at Omaha Beef W 52–43[47][48] 8–4 Ralston Arena[49][50]

Post-season
Round Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location
Score Record
Semi-final Thursday June 11 7:00pm at Texas Revolution L 39–27[51][52] 0–1 Allen Event Center[53][54][55]

Roster
2015 Wichita Force roster
Quarterbacks
  •  8 Emmanuel Taylor
  • 23 Jonathan Wright

Running Back

  • 22 Tywon Hubbard

Wide Receivers

  •  9 Clarence Anderson
  •  6 Rashad Daniels
  • 11 Brian Murph
  • 10 Brett Soft
  •  2 Dontel Watkins
Offensive Linemen
  • 53 Brett Cavanah
  • 76 Darren Marquez
  • 66 Wes Yarbough

Defensive Linemen

  • 51 Latavious Davis
  • 92 Brandon Jenkins
  • 99 Matt Moss
  • 50 Brandon Russell
Linebackers
  •  1 Jason Catchings
  •  3 Chris Hemphill

Defensive Backs

  •  4 Kiaree Daniels
  • 24 Kendrick Harper
  • 21 Evan Ray
  • 12 Dorrian Roberts

Kickers

  •  5 Connor Frazell
Injured Reserve
  •  7 Joe Kassanavoid QB

Transfer List

Refuse to Report

  • Currently vacant

Roster updated June 11, 2015
21 Active, 0 Inactive

→ More rosters

Standings
2015 Champions Indoor Football
W L PCT PF PA
z-Sioux City Bandits 93.750697536
y-Texas Revolution 84.667638475
x-Wichita Force 84.667553536
x-Amarillo Venom 75.583647598
Dodge City Law 75.583635578
Salina Bombers 65.545538483
Duke City Gladiators 44.500403389
San Angelo Bandits 110.091388627
Omaha Beef 111.083395672

x = clinched playoffs, y = clinched home playoffs, z = clinched top seed

Playoffs
Semifinals Champions Bowl I
      
3 Wichita 27
2 Texas 39
2 Texas 61
1 Sioux City 76
4 Amarillo 52
1 Sioux City 83

References
  1. Adame, Tony (June 11, 2015). "Wichita's top 10 indoor football players". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  2. Suellentrop, Paul (August 21, 2014). "Indoor football to return with same players, coach – but with new name, owner, league". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  3. Heck, Josh (March 2, 2015). "Wichita Force launch new era of indoor football". Wichita Business Journal. Wichita, KS: Advance Publications. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  4. Lutz, Jeffrey (February 23, 2015). "Force indoor team prepares for Saturday opener at Intrust Bank Arena". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  5. Christ, Bob (February 22, 2015). "NM Stars owners pull plug on season". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, NM. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  6. "CIF Enjoys Relief and Balance with Replacement Team in New Mexico". Champions Indoor Football. March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015 – via Our Sports Central.
  7. Krieger, Dan (September 22, 2014). "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". Our Sports Central. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  8. "CIF Players of the Week - Week 1". Champions Indoor Football. March 4, 2015. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  9. "CIF Players of the Week - Week 2". Champions Indoor Football. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  10. "CIF Players of the Week - Week 6". Champions Indoor Football. April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on April 25, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  11. "CIF Players of the Week - Week 9". Champions Indoor Football. April 29, 2015. Archived from the original on April 25, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  12. "CIF Players of the Week - Week 11". Champions Indoor Football. May 13, 2015. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  13. "CIF Players of the Week - Week 13". Champions Indoor Football. May 27, 2015. Archived from the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  14. "CIF Players of the Week - Week 14". Champions Indoor Football. June 4, 2015. Archived from the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  15. Lutz, Jeffrey (February 28, 2015). "Salina rallies past Force football team in inaugural game". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  16. Davidson, Bob (February 28, 2015). "Bombers open today at Wichita". The Salina Journal. Salina, KS: Harris Enterprises. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  17. Perera, Tim (March 7, 2015). "Offense comes to life a little too late for Beef". Omaha World-Herald. Omaha, NE: Berkshire Hathaway. p. 2C. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  18. Lutz, Jeffrey (March 5, 2015). "Force forced to adapt after quarterback injury". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  19. Steed, Kale (March 22, 2015). "Wichita tops Venom in home opener". Amarillo Globe-News. Amarillo, TX: Morris Communications. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  20. Steed, Kale (March 20, 2015). "Venom set to open home schedule". Amarillo Globe-News. Amarillo, TX: Morris Communications. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
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  22. "Bandits fall to Wichita". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, IA: Lee Enterprises. March 28, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
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  25. Adame, Tpny (April 3, 2015). "Wichita Force grabs fourth straight win". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
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  27. "Wichita Force @ Texas Revolution - April 11, 2015 @ 7:00pm". Champions Indoor Football. April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015 – via ScoreStream.
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  29. "Force to face Texas Revolution". The Newton Kansan. Newton, KS: GateHouse Media. April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
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  31. Davidson, Bob (April 25, 2015). "Bombers fizzle". The Salina Journal. Salina, KS: Harris Enterprises. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  32. Lutz, Jeffrey (April 24, 2015). "Force tries to work through three injured quarterbacks". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  33. Poe, Barry (May 2, 2015). "Bandits win third straight, tied for second in league". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, IA: Lee Enterprises. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  34. Freund, Mark (May 2, 2015). "Bandits clip Wichita; Stampede roll Lincoln". Sioux City, IA: KTIV. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  35. "Wichita Force ends three-game road trip at Sioux City". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. May 1, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  36. Seminoff, Kirk (May 8, 2015). "Force knocks off league-leading Dodge City 52-49". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  37. Curtis, John (May 9, 2015). "Law early miscues lose to Force". Dodge City Daily Globe. Dodge City, KS: GateHouse Media. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  38. Adame, Tony (May 7, 2015). "Force returns home for season-defining stretch". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  39. "Bombers lose to Force". The Salina Journal. Salina, KS: Harris Enterprises. May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  40. Adame, Tony (May 16, 2015). "Force rallies to win on 49-yard interception return in overtime". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  41. Davidson, Bob (May 16, 2015). "Bombers not sure what to expect". The Salina Journal. Salina, KS: Harris Enterprises. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  42. Lutz, Jeffrey (May 15, 2015). "Tywon Hubbard is a reliable back for the Force". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  43. "Bandits down Wichita; move into first place". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, IA: Lee Enterprises. May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  44. Lutz, Jeffrey (May 23, 2015). "Force drops out of league lead with loss to Sioux City". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  45. Budlong, Jeff (May 22, 2015). "Bandits ready for first-place showdown with Wichita". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, IA: Lee Enterprises. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  46. Lutz, Jeffrey (May 22, 2015). "Force football team thriving on winning late in games". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  47. Perera, Tim (May 30, 2015). "Veteran QB is solid in his final game, but Beef lose again". Omaha World-Herald. Omaha, NE: Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  48. "Force wins regular-season finale". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. May 30, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  49. Rubek, Nick (May 29, 2015). "Beef have chance to save face in season finale". Omaha World-Herald. Omaha, NE: Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  50. Lutz, Jeffrey (May 29, 2015). "Force heads into indoor football finale trying to secure playoff spot". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  51. "Texas eliminates Force from CIF playoff semifinals". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  52. Grant, Ethan (June 11, 2015). "Revs win first-ever playoff game, move on to Champions Bowl I". Allen American. Allen, TX: Star Local News. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  53. "Revolution to host Force in playoff opener". Allen American. Allen, TX: Star Local News. June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
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