Blitz Alone in First Place

June 6, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bakersfield Blitz News Release


Bakersfield, Calif. – Chad Elliott threw for 399 yards and eight scores and the Bakersfield Blitz (6-3) rolled up 40 second half points as they defeated the Hawaiian Islanders (5-4) 52-44 in front of 5,103 fans at Centennial Garden on Saturday.

It was all defense in the first half as the two teams combined for just four touchdowns through 30 minutes. Elliott hit Nathan Munson and Nick Onaindia for touchdown passes while Hawaii QB Darnell Arseneaux scrambled for a pair of scoring rushes to answer. The difference in the first half was the kicking game, as the Blitz failed to convert on extra points on their first two touchdowns and Kimo Naehu was perfect for the Islanders, adding a 39-yarder at the buzzer for a 17-12 lead for Hawaii.

The offenses took over in the third quarter. Bakersfield and Hawaii exchanged touchdowns, three apiece, to make it 37-31 Hawaii after three quarters. Munson notched his second touchdown catch while Rennard Reynolds and Steve Wofford also caught scores for Bakersfield. Aaron Smith and Robert Kemfort caught touchdowns for Hawaii, and Anthony Arseneaux had a 58-yard kickoff return for a score.

Bakersfield took over in the final stanza. Elliott racked up 127 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Blitz outscored Hawaii 21-7 to take the lead en route to the win. Eric Mahanke extended his streak of nine games with a touchdown catch by pulling in two during the last 1:05 of the game. Elliott's 399 yards passing was the sixth-highest mark in the five-year history of the af2, and second highest of the season.

Hawaii has lost their last two games, while the Blitz improved to 6-3 on the season to move alone in first place in the West Division. They will head to the road next week to battle the Memphis Xplorers at 5:00pm (PST). The Blitz return home to host Central Valley on Saturday, June 19th for Visor Giveaway Night, sponsored by KERN 1410, Bright House Networks and 24 Hour Fitness. All dads get in free to that game to celebrate Father's Day, with the purchase of a ticket for their child, and anyone wearing LA Lakers gear can buy 2-for-1 tickets to celebrate their appearance in the NBA Finals. Kickoff is 7:00pm and the doors open at 6:00pm.

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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