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Blitz Bid Farewell to Record Setting Season

August 16, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bakersfield Blitz News Release


#5 Peoria Pirates 38 @ #2 Bakersfield Blitz 36

When Blitz QB Chad Elliott's 39-yard pass landed in the arms of OS Steve Wofford with just under half a minute to play in the fourth quarter, the Bakersfield Blitz looked to be headed to the National Conference Championship Game in Tulsa this weekend. But 20 seconds later, Peoria Pirates K Henrik Juul-Nielson booted a 28-yard field goal to steal the victory away from the Blitz, 38-36, in front of 5,094 fans at Centennial Garden. The loss spoiled a dramatic comeback for the West Division Champion Blitz as they overcame a 21-3 deficit at the half to eventually take the lead in the final minute. QB Chad Elliott threw for 330 yards and five TDs in the loss, and WR/LB Eric Mahanke pulled in 12 catches for 153 yards and a pair of scores for Bakersfield.

Attendance

The Blitz broke the single game Arena Football attendance record in Bakersfield twice during the 2004 season – on Opening Night (7,117) and the final game of the regular season (7,578). Overall, the Blitz drew nearly 50,000 fans during the regular season and playoffs. They averaged 5,398 fans per game during the regular season, ranking in the Top 10 among all af2 teams and a 22% increase from last season.

Season tickets

Season ticket renewals and ticket packages are on sale now for the 2005 Blitz season. Contact the Bakersfield Sports Entertainment office at 716-2548 for more information.

Bakersfield records

Technically, the 2004 Bakersfield Blitz established new marks in every category, as they were an expansion team this season. The Blitz records from 2002 and 2003 moved with the organization to Fresno as a part of the Central Valley Coyotes. However, the following marks were set in Bakersfield over those two seasons and broken in 2004.

Player Category Stat Former Record Team Wins 11 9 (2002)
Eric Mahanke Receptions 110 107 (Steve Wofford, 2002) Receiving Yards 1,455 1,248 (Wofford, 2002)
Chad Elliott Passing Yards 3,859 3,725 (Elliott, 2002)
Steve Wofford Kickoff Return Yards 869 776 (Wofford, 2002)
Nick Onaindia Rushing TDs 9 7 (Julian Yearwood, 2002)

Other af2 playoff action

Peoria advances to the National Conference Championship Game against the top seed in the conference, the Tulsa Talons this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. (PST). Tulsa advanced by holding on against the Louisville Fire, 49-42 on Saturday night at the Tulsa Convention Center.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers defeated the Cape Fear Wildcats 40-37, the third victory of the season for the Pioneers over Cape Fear, and will host the Florida Firecats in the American Conference Championship Game on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. (PST). The Firecats opened up a 31-0 lead on the road against the Tennessee Valley Vipers on Friday night, but needed a goal line stand in the final minute of play to hold on for the upset, 62-58.



arenafootball2 Stories from August 16, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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