Burn?s Rhode leaves team

The Boise Burn will be without their most experienced quarterback when they take the field Saturday night (June 20th) against the Stockton Lightning. Today the team has announced that BJ Rhode has stepped down as the teams back up quarterback so he can spend more time with his family. In 2 seasons with the Burn, Rhode played in 12 games, throwing for 1,745 yards, 36 TD?s and 16 interceptions. In 2007, Rhode nearly led the Burn to a postseason birth in their inaugural season, after guiding Boise to 4 straight wins to end the season, missing the playoffs by 3 points on a tie breaker scenario. BJ was 4-3 (0-2 in 2008) as a starter over the past 2 seasons. Rhode says he will be available to suit for the Burn if Coach Leslie needs him in an emergency situation. Replacing Rhode as Royal Gill?s back up, will be rookie Kyle Pratt (6?1 198) from Utah. Pratt, a standout baseball player at Dixie State, did not play college football, but was brought in by Head Coach Lee Leslie who coached him in high school. Leslie, says he coached all 5 of the Pratt brothers who were all All-State football players and he has a ton of confidence in Kyle?s playmaking abilities. The Burn are set to take on the Stockton Lightning (2-9) Saturday June 20th. Kick off is at 8pm (MT). Boise will return home next Saturday to host the Tri-Cities Fever. Tickets are on sale now. Call 331-TIXS (8497) , or visit the Qwest Arena box office. Season tickets are also available by calling (208) 383-0080. For more information and to get a full schedule, visit the website. About af2 With its ninth season set to kick off on March 28 with a 29-team membership, af2 serves as a vehicle to bring Arena Football to small-to-midsize cities and as a developmental league with an unmatched history of sending players, coaches and officials to major professional football leagues each year. af2 operates under the same Mission Statement and Fans? Bill of Rights as the Arena Football League, which begins its 22nd season on Feb. 29. Log on to www.af2.com for more information.