Bakersfield Wins Fourth Straight

Published on July 18, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Bakersfield Blitz News Release


Bakersfield, Calif. – The Bakersfield Blitz (10-4) earned a four-game season series sweep of the Central Valley Coyotes (1-13) as their defense surrendered a season low point total in a 45-19 victory in front of 5,521 fans at Centennial Garden on Saturday night.

The offenses struggled early, and neither team put up any points in the opening quarter. It was the second time this season (vs. Arkansas on May 1st), that the Blitz and their opponent combined for zero points in a quarter.

The Blitz scored early in the second quarter, with a two-yard touchdown run by Steve Wofford. That brought the footballs coming from the stands in the first ever Foam Football Toss, which collected foam football for donation to the Bakersfield Police Activities League. Central Valley tied the game on their next drive, with a touchdown catch by LaMonte Jones. Rennard Reynolds came back on the ensuing drive to regain the lead for good for the Blitz. His 18-yard touchdown catch and Nathan Munson's two-yard touchdown run gave the Blitz a 12-point cushion and a 19-7 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, the Blitz held Central Valley to just four downs on their first possession, and forced a long field goal try. Munson played the MFG off the net and zig-zagged 50 yards to the house for his second touchdown return of the season. After a second Coyotes touchdown, Wofford added his second of the game: a 23-yard touchdown pass late in the third for a 32-13 lead.

Bakersfield sealed it up with two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Ben McCombs barreled in for a one-yard scoring rush and Eric Mahanke notched his 26th scoring catch of the season to open up a 32-point lead. Central Valley scored one last touchdown, but the Blitz denied their two-point conversion effort to keep them below 20 points of the season – a Bakersfield best this year.

The win marked the first time a Bakersfield arena football team had won 10 games in a season and clinched at least a split of the division title. The Blitz awaits the outcome of the Hawaiian Islanders game, who hosted Louisville on Saturday night, and a loss by Hawaii would lock up the West Division crown and at the very least, a #3 playoff seed in the National Conference.

Pro-rated season tickets and group outings for the Blitz are on sale now by contacting the Blitz office at 716-BLITZ (2548) or by stopping by the Bakersfield Sports Entertainment office located at Centennial Garden. Log on to www.bakersfieldblitz.com and register for the Blitz e-mail list to stay up-to-date with the latest team information.

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