War Cats Rip Texas 48-0 By: Joey McCaslin A team from Arkansas destroyed a team from Texas wearing burnt orange on Saturday night June 07, and Frank Broyles and Darrell Royal were no where to be found. The Arkansas War Cats (1-1) of the World Football League defeated the Texas Bulldogs (0-2) in their inaugural home game 48-0 at David Gates Stadium in Rogers, AR. The crowd of 1500 plus were treated to a game of outdoor professional football for the first time in Arkansas history. The War Cats were backed with a spectacular game from former Southern Arkansas University running back, Don Simpson, who rushed for 160 yards on 10 carries with three Touchdowns scored. Simpson's first score came early in the 2nd quarter on a 15 yard run, after a penalty had negated his 70 yard TD run a few plays before. His two scores in the third quarter, including a 70 yard display of spin moves and punishing stiff arms, pushed the game into a "mercy rule" situation with 5:36 to go in the 3rd quarter. War Cat head coach and former University of Arkansas standout Raymond House spoke about Simpson's performance after the game. "I could tell that he was really focused before the game," House said. "I knew that if we put him in the right situation he was going to make plays. He really showed a lot as offensive captain tonight." The ground game was the stable for the War Cats as they racked up 328 yards on 30 attempts. Starting Quarterback Derek Van Voast, a former defensive back for the Razorbacks, showed blistering speed getting to the corner on option runs and chipped in 70 yards on the ground. Arkansas defense stifled the play of Texas quarterback Eric Haywood all night and setup the War Cats for their first points of the season with a couple of key defensive plays in the first quarter. Another former Razorback, linebacker Wes Oneal, sacked Haywood near the goal-line with under four minutes to go in the 1st quarter and set-up a precarious punt situation for the Bulldogs. Tulsa native Jared Hetherington, 6'5'' 255lbs, made Texas pay as he broke through the line and blocked the punt. Wide receiver Stephen McDonald scooped up the blocked punt and scored to put the War Cats up 7-0. Iron-Man Jason Campbell stole the show on Saturday kicking, punting, and playing all-pro defense. Campbell, who only kicked while at the University of Arkansas, made 6/7 pats, kicked off into the end-zone, averaged 40+ yards on punts, made some bone-jarring hits of defense, and intercepted the ball three times. "That guy is a multi-purpose star. He does it all better than anyone" Coach House praised Campbell. War Cat President James Burkheart was pleased with the first home game and encourages others to come out in two weeks on June 21st as the War Cats take on the San Antonio Warriors. "Everybody from the coaches, players, training staff and support staff really did a wonderful job. Our fan participation was awesome and we expect double that next time." Burkheart says. War Cats routed in first game From Staff Reports Posted on Monday, June 2, 2008 Email this story | Printer-friendly version   TULSA, Okla. - The Arkansas War Cats lost their inaugural World Football League game 37-0 on Saturday to the Oklahoma Thunder. The War Cats (0-1 ) trailed 30-0 after the first quarter and couldn't get anything going offensively. "The guys seemed a little bit shell-shocked," War Cats head coach Raymond House said. "They got a frightening wake-up call initially during the game. I attribute that to preparation and that's something that myself, as a head coach, can definitely get better on. "A lot of adrenaline was pumping initially and guys were extremely gassed the first couple of series." House said he was pleased that his defense came on strong later in the game, only allowing one touchdown over the final three quarters. "I appreciate the guys' effort all the way through the end," House said. "As discouraging and tough as it was, they calmed down and definitely completed for the rest of the three quarters." House praised former Central Arkansas standout Stephen Agnew for his play at cornerback and safety Saturday night. Defensive back Steve Agnew takes down Oklahoma's QB for a sack. "(Agnew ) definitely showed up and made some hits, made some big plays," House said. "I thought he really did a good job adding some energy to the defense." Offensively, House said the team is still adjusting to offensive coordinator Shawn Bradford's scheme. "Offensively as a whole, we've got a new offensive coordinator and we're still trying to get his system," House said. "I totally expected a rough spot, but I think as time goes on and they start to grasp the concepts, we'll definitely be a better offensive team. Our focus this week is attention to detail and trying to simplify everybody's job on both sides of the ball." Running back Don Simpson is pulled down after a 12 yd carry. Simpson, who had a 47 yd touchdown run called back on a penalty finished the game with 11 carries for 48 yds. The War Cats will practice Tuesday and Thursday this week in preparation for their home opener Saturday against the Texas Bulldogs at David Gates Stadium. The game is being touted at the first professional outdoor football game in Arkansas. Former Razorback Brandon Kennedy carries the ball during the first quarter of the game. Here come the War Cats : Rogers-based football team starts season tonight in Oklahoma By Tom Glave Sports Writer // tomg@nwanews.com Posted on Saturday, May 31, 2008 Email this story | Printer-friendly version   ROGERS - Derek Van Voast was told northwest Arkansas would be a hotbed for football. He'll find out soon enough as the new Arkansas War Cats start their season today. Based out of Rogers, the War Cats are one of nine teams in the resurrected World Football League. The War Cats' home opener against the Texas Bulldogs on June 7 - at Rogers' Gates Stadium - is being touted as the first professional outdoor football game in Arkansas. Tickets will be on sale today from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Gates Stadium for that opener and the War Cats will meet fans between 10 a.m. and noon before leaving for their season-opener against Tulsa's Oklahoma Thunder. The first 50 fans to purchase season tickets receive a War Cats T-shirt. "It can't get here fast enough," said Van Voast, the War Cats' general manager and quarterback, of the new season. "(I was told ) the hotbeds for football right now are Las Angeles, Calif., and northwest Arkansas. Because they both have money, they both love football and there's no teams there." Van Voast is no stranger to semi-professional football or northwest Arkansas. After graduating from DeQueen, Van Voast was at the University of Arkansas during Houston Nutt's first season. He later transferred to Arkansas Tech before returning to the Razorbacks but finished his final year of eligibility as a backup to Ahmad "Batman"Carroll. Van Voast then played minor league football for several years. He was named the North American Football League's athlete of the year and was inducted into the Minor League Football News Hall of Fame last year. There are several more Razorbacks on the inaugural roster as well as on the sidelines - including War Cats' head coach Raymond House and assistant coaches Dahron Moss and Lucas Jackson. Former Razorback running back Brandon Kennedy is part of the War Cats' powerful backfield. Arkansas' Wes O'Neal will lead the linebackers while Stephen Agnew (University of Central Arkansas ) is a "force to be reckoned with"in the backfield, House said. "We're still trying to get a feel for it and find the best combination as far as scheme," House said. "Things may change and we may put guys in different positions." House is returning to football after taking a year off. An All-State player at Little Rock McClellan, he played defensive tackle at Arkansas and signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 2003. He made the roster at the end of that season but was released in 2004. He then played one year for the Ottowa Renegades in the Canadian Football League. He was the head coach for the short-lived Arkansas Stars, an indoor football team based in Fayetteville that lasted only a season. Moss, who played in the CFL and Arena 2 after college, is the War Cats' defensive coordinator and Jackson will coach the linebackers. Shawn Bradford, who has experience coaching in the semi-pro level, is the offensive coordinator and Ken Peacock will assist him. The War Cats hope a successful season - on the field and in building a fan base - this first season will help them remain in northwest Arkansas. That goal is more important than making it to the league championship game - dubbed the World Bowl. "I would be lying if I said we weren't shooting for that championship," Van Voast said. "But I do know as a GM my ultimate goal - I don't care if we're 0-10 - is to have a quality showing, good fan base and to be professional. That's what's going to survive. "Our hope this year is to keep the stadium full and build a good fan base and keep it professional all the way around."   WFL chief hopes to restore reputation By Tom Glave Sports Writer // tomg@nwanews.com Posted on Saturday, May 31, 2008 Email this story | Printer-friendly version   ROGERS - Chip Pierce is out to redeem the name of semi-pro football. With more than 600 so-called semi-professional teams playing in more leagues than you can count across the country, that brand of football doesn't always have the best reputation. Pierce hopes the return of the World Football League can fix that. "Out of those 600-some semipro teams, there are probably 50 that are good, well-run organizations," Pierce said. "The rest are just fly-bynight deals. My idea was to take the best of the best and put them on one platform and have it run professionally. "The original WFL folded in 1975 before finishing its second season and the name laid dormant until Pierce resurrected it. He had spent a couple of years working on building a solid semi-pro league and decided to buy the rights to the WFL in November. The league begins today with nine teams - including five in Pierce's home state of Texas - but he expects that to expand in the future. "We have about 53 teams that want in right now," said Pierce, who is also owner and head coach of the Southeast Texas Demons as well as the WFL's CEO. "We're not taking any team. We're looking at organizations, who owns them, how they're run, the reputation." His ultimate goal is to have between 34 and 40 teams in a nationwide, competitive league. "We're going somewhere but it's going to take time," Pierce said. "It's not something that we want to happen overnight. We really want to make sure all of our steps are solid so we can put that quality product on the field." One of the teams will be the revival of the Shreveport (La. ) Steamer - a team in the original WFL - that Pierce and Arkansas War Cats owner James Burkheart will own. The WFL follows NFL rules on the field and off, including contracts, roster size and salary cap (currently around $ 50, 000 max per player ). "These players get paid in this league but it's not NFLcaliber pay," Pierce said. "No matter how you look at it, it's semi-pro football. Our goal is to revamp that (image ) and bring a quality product and put it on the field. " The WFL hopes to give players an opportunity to take a step towards professional football in the NFL, Canadian Football League or Arena Football League. Pierce hopes support from the NFL will help legitimize the WFL. Mike Cofer, who kicked for Indianapolis, New Orleans and San Francisco, has thrown his support behind the WFL while former NFL player Robert Hubble and current NFL official Tommy Moore conduct referee clinics for the new league. Former NFL and college players are scattered around the WFL's first set of teams. Former Houston Oiler Eugene Seale coaches the Demons linebackers while former Tennessee Titan Anthony Decquire is on the roster. Tulsa's Oklahoma Thunder has several Oklahoma and Oklahoma State players - including former Sooners running back Kejuan Jones. Boys and Girls Club: This season the War Cats will be donating 100 complimentary child tickets to the Boys and Girls Club in Rogers for each of their 2008 Home games. The War Cats are proud supporters of such a great organization.    TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE WAR CATS NEWS, CHECK OUT OUR NEWSLETTER!!!