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Blitz in Sole Possession of First Place

June 21, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bakersfield Blitz News Release


It will be a month before the Blitz plays in front of the hometown fans. This week they travel to San Diego for the first time this season, followed by a bye week and a trip to Hawaii. The next home game is Chad Elliott Bobblehead Night on Saturday, July 17th. The first 2,000 children, 12 and under, will receive a bobblehead doll of Blitz QB Chad Elliott. By that time, just three games will remain in the regular season. Game time this Saturday is 7:00pm.

Last week

BAKERSFIELD 33, Central Valley 26

Eric Mahanke pulled in three touchdown catches as the Bakersfield Blitz (7-4) defeated the Central Valley Coyotes (1-10) 33-26 in front of 4,441 fans at Centennial Garden on Saturday night. The first half was an offensive struggle as the two squads combined to put up points on just four of their first eight possessions. Bakersfield remains undefeated against Central Valley (3-0) with one game remaining on July 17th. Saturday's victory coupled by Hawaii's loss to San Diego, left the Blitz in first place of the West Division with six weeks remaining in the 2004 campaign.

In the huddle

· The Blitz have been racking up the sacks, totaling 23 for 112 yards in 11 games, averaging nearly 2 sacks a game. Heading the sack pursuit is OL/DL Kevin Carroll with 5.5 sacks.

· Blitz WR/LB Eric Mahanke has caught at least one touchdown in every game this season. He leads the team with 22 on the year and has amassed 997 receiving yards. Mahanke's 22 receiving touchdowns tie him with Columbus' Adrian Cockfield for the league lead.

· For the first time this season a Blitz opponent recorded negative numbers in the rushing category. The Blitz held Central Valley to a Blitz season low - 1 yards rushing.

Radio and Television

Tune in each and every Thursday night from the Holiday Inn Select for the "Indoor War Report" with Head Coach Rick Van Horne. The IWR is a weekly live talk show that discusses news and notes from the Blitz and the af2, and airs exclusively on KGEO AM 1230 with the "Voice of the Blitz" Kevin Bartl. Each show features a visit from Blitz players, prizes, and specials from the Holiday Inn Select, which is located next door to Centennial Garden.

All games, home and away, can be heard on KGEO AM 1230 with "Countdown to Kickoff" 15 minutes prior to kickoff. Home games are televised live on Bright House Networks Ch. 21, with a replay of the game starting at 1:00pm the following Sunday afternoon.

af2 Individual leader board
Player Category Stat Rank
Eric Mahanke Touchdowns 22 1st
Receiving yards 997 9th
Kevin Carroll Forced fumbles 3 t-3rd
Delvin Myles Forced fumbles 3 t-3rd
Chad Elliott Passing yards/game 249.6 9th
Total offensive yards 2,746 7th
Brian Walker Field goals 8 t-7th
Ben McCombs Tackles for a loss 6.5 t-3rd

This week's matchup: The Blitz rank in the top 10 in five different categories, their best being sacks, which they remain 4th in the af2 with 23 on the year. They dropped a spot to 7th in the league in sacks allowed, with just eleven on the season. They dropped out of the top 10 in pass offense. The Riptide rank in the top 10 in thirteen categories, the best of which is 2nd in Total Offense with 292.3 yd/gm.

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 coming in to the Bakersfield Sports Entertainment office located at Centennial Garden. The Garden box office is open Monday through Friday 10:00am - 5:00pm. For up-to-date information on the Blitz, log on to www.bakersfieldblitz.com.

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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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