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Columbus Destroyers game notes

May 10, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


DESTROYERS/RAMPAGE PREVIEW

This week's match-up between the clubs marks the eighth in history with the Rampage holding a 5-2 advantage in the series. The teams met to open the 2006 season on Jan. 29. The Destroyers were victorious 59-28 as the defense were able to stop the Rampage on six-of-eleven possessions in the win. Former Destroyers quarterback John Kaleo led the way completing 23-of-42 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns. The 2007 Rampage are led by QB Chad Salisbury (6-6, 240, Buffalo) in six games this season he's completed 131-of-198 passes for 1,378 yards, 31 touchdowns and five interceptions. Among his favorite targets is WR Timon Marshall. He leads the team with 67 receptions for 792 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Rampage are 17th in the AFL in total offense putting up 266 yards of offense and defensively are last surrendering 330 yards to opposing offenses.

Chris Ryan leads the ground game charge for the Rampage. He is the 10th leading rusher in the AFL as he's carried the ball 47 times for 107 yards and eight touchdowns.

DESTROYERS/DRAGONS RECAP

The Destroyers defeated Eastern Division rival the New York Dragons, 51-42, in front of 14,009 fans on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena. Offensive Player of the Game quarterback Matt Nagy completed 18-of-28 passes for 238 yards and five touchdowns. "Ironman" of the Game B.J. Barre was called upon to help the defensive backfield as Rober' Freeman departed the game early in the first quarter with a knee injury. Barre finished with a game-high 10.5 tackles and caught three passes for 66 yards and led the Destroyers with two-touchdown receptions. The AFL's sack leader Ken Jones was at it again as he was able to sack Dragons QB Aaron Garcia twice. Jones now leads the league with 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Dietz completed 12-of-24 passes for 165 yards, two touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown.

"WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE"

The 2007 Columbus Destroyers have tied a franchise mark with four wins on home turf on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena. The team joins the 2006 squad and the 2002 Buffalo Destroyers whom all won four games at home in their respective seasons. With a win this week against the Grand Rapids Rampage the team will set a new franchise mark.

The team has also won four consecutive games at home which is second to the 2002-03 Buffalo Destroyers who put together a string of seven consecutive wins at home.

BRINGIN THE "D"

The Destroyers defense is holding its opponents to an average of 47 points per contest, fourth best in the AFL. In 2006, the defense held its opponents to 44.8 points, second best scoring defense in the AFL.

The defense is among the league leaders when it comes to allowing opposing offenses to convert on third and fourth down situations. The Destroyers have combined to allow 36 first downs on 81 attempts (44%), fourth in the league. The Dallas Desperados lead the AFL on third and fourth down allowing opposing offenses a first down 37 of 95 attempts (38.9%).

TAKE IT AWAY NOW...

A season ago the Destroyers finished with the 2nd best give-away, take-away ratio in the AFL with a +14. This season the defense has 16 take-away's (nine interceptions and seven fumbles recovered) giving the team an overall +6 give-away, take-away ratio that rates them 5th in the league. Jerald Brown leads the team with three interceptions and David Saunders leads the team with two fumble recoveries.

The Chicago Rush lead the league with a +16 give-away, take-away ratio. The Rush are tied for the league lead with 15 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries.

JOLTING JONES

Ken Jones is the all-time franchise leader in sacks with 15.5 to his credit. Last season he eclipsed the mark of Kerwin Hairston by leading the Destroyers with five sacks in 2006. This season he leads the team and set a franchise record with 8.5. He sacked Rush QB Matt D'Orazio twice in Week 4, Georgia's Chris Griesen for 1.5 in Week 5, while stripping the ball and recovering it on one occasion, a pair of sacks on Apr. 23 against Soul QB Clint Stoerner and last week against the New York Dragons he was able to get a hold of QB Aaron Garcia twice.

Being able to get pressure on the quarterback is his specialty and he's making a statement against offensive lineman as he leads the AFL in sacks with 8.5 (8UT-1AT) and holds the league lead in tackles for loss with 12 (8.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles in the backfield).

PROTECTION AT ITS BEST

The Destroyers offensive line has allowed one sack in five games dating back against the Georgia Force on Mar. 30. In fact the sack-less streak included 158 pass attempts. In nine games the offensive line of Howard Duncan, Will Rabatin, Jason Hilliard and fullback Harold Wells have surrendered seven sacks on 307 attempts. Wells (Gardner Webb) and Duncan (Oklahoma University) are in their second season and are flanked by a pair of AFL rookies from the University of Louisville in Rabatin and Hilliard.

TOUCHDOWN MACHINE

Destroyers' wide receiver Damien Groce set an all-time AFL record with eight consecutive touchdowns scored spanning two games. He scored the final four touchdowns against the Austin Wranglers on Apr. 14 and led the game off with the first four Destroyers touchdowns Apr. 23 against the Soul. The previous record for consecutive touchdowns was held by Derek Lee of the Georgia Force in 2005 (Week 7-8) with seven. The previous franchise record was held by Sedrick Robinson in 2004, who scored four-straight against the Dallas Desperados on May 22.

CATCH HIM IF YOU CAN

Wide receiver Damien Groce torched the Wranglers secondary in Week 7, as he caught 13 passes for 129 yards and set a franchise record with five touchdown receptions. Against the Soul on April 23rd he hauled in a game-high nine passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, he leads the team with 70 receptions (T-13th in the AFL) for 822 yards (16th in the AFL) and 19 touchdowns. He also is third in the league with 25 kick returns for 582 yards (23.2 avg.) and one touchdown, giving him 1,455 all-purpose yards, which ranks him sixth in the AFL.

THE MAGIC NUMBER

The Destroyers put 72 points on the scoreboard, the second most points in franchise history, in a win over the Austin Wranglers in Week Seven. Since the Destroyers have moved to Columbus, they hold a perfect 7-0 record in games in which they score 60-plus points. Earlier this season the Destroyers defeated the Georgia Force in Week Five, 62-61.

The most points the Buffalo Destroyers scored in a game is 79. They accomplished that on the road at New Jersey on June 25, 2000.

AERIAL ATTACK

In Week Seven against the Wranglers, Destroyers QB Matt Nagy threw for a team record and set a personal best with nine touchdown passes.

Nagy bested the previous Destroyers record set by Ryan Vena who threw for eight scores against the Dallas Desperados on May 22, 2004.

DYNAMIC DUO

The tandem of Matt Nagy and Damien Groce has sparked the Destroyers offense in the first eight games of the season. The two have combined for 18 touchdowns through the air.

Nagy has passed to Groce for 718 yards on 63 receptions, that consists for over a third (37%) of the Destroyers offensive output in the first eight games.

Groce is accountable for 37% of the Destroyers scoring this season with 21 total touchdowns (18 receiving, 2 rushing, 1 kick off return).

DEFENDING THE CROWN

Reigning AFL Defensive Player of the Year Jerald Brown picked up right where he left off 2006 as he's intercepted five passes this season (tied for fourth in the AFL), including two in Destroyers' victories over the Georgia Force in Week 5 and two in Week 7 against the Austin Wranglers. A season ago, Brown finished second in the league with 11 interceptions and 133 interception return yards.

In addition to the five interceptions, Brown has amassed 29 tackles (23UT-12AT), one fumble recovery and holds for the team lead with 11 pass breakups (tied for sixth in the AFL).

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL?

The Destroyers special teams are providing a much-needed boost to the team's overall game, ranking among league leaders in kick returns.

Kick returners Damien Groce (20 KOR for 460 yards and 1 TD) and Josh Bush (20 KOR for 422 yards and 2 TD's) have supplied great starting field position for the offense at the midway point of the season. The two have combined for 882 yards on 40 kick returns and three touchdowns. The kick return average of 21.1 yards per return leads the AFL.

DÉJÀ VU

In Week Five against the Georgia Force the Destroyers kickoff returners were all over the field as they returned two the length of the field for touchdowns. In the second quarter Josh Bush returned his second in as many games from 56-yards and in the third quarter Damien Groce returned a Xavier Betita offering 56-yards for the score.

This is the first time the Destroyers have had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a game since May 9, 2004 against the Georgia Force. In history the Destroyers have now accomplished the special teams feat four times including Week Five, three of those have been at the hands of the Georgia Force.

SPREADING THE LOVE

Quarterback Matt Nagy found five different receivers for touchdowns against the Dallas Desperados in Week Six. Damien Groce, Tony Locke, David Saunders (2), Josh Bush and Howard Duncan were the recipients of the scoring strikes.

Nagy has now accomplished this feat twice in his career. The first coming on March 7, 2004, as a member of the Carolina Cobras he threw for six touchdowns in the game to five different receivers including current teammate, Damien Groce.

THE TOLEDO TACKLER

Toledo graduate, Brandon Hefflin, is second on the team (13th in the AFL) with 49 tackles at the midway point. Now in his third year with the Destroyers, Hefflin led the team in tackles in 2005 (76.5) and 2006 (84.5).

Hefflin made a strong showing in the season opener against the Kats, he corralled 9.5 tackles and one pass breakup. Against the VooDoo a week later, he made 10 stops, two tackles for a loss totaling three yards and forced one fumble. Last week against the Storm he led the squad with 7.5 tackles.

O-H-I-O

Five Destroyers players have ties to the Buckeye state.

DB B.J. Barre

- Grew up in Toledo, attended Whitmer High School and played at The Ohio State University one season.

DB Brandon Hefflin

- Attended the University of Toledo

OL Juan Porter

- Prepped at St. Ignatius High School (Cleveland) and played at The Ohio State University

DB Anthony Floyd

- Born in Youngstown

QB Josh Harris

- Prepped at Westerville High School and played quarterback at Bowling Green State University

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

The Destroyers 2007 coaching staff brings with it 37 years of coaching experience in Arena Football. Collectively the Destroyers coaches have won three ArenaBowl Championships (Head Coach Doug Kay, Tampa Bay Storm - ArenaBowl VII and Arizona Rattlers - ArenaBowl XI; Coach Mitch Matuska, Tampa Bay Storm - ArenaBowl XVII)

Offensive coordinator Skip Foster (2003) won an ArenaCup in arenafootball2 with the Tulsa Talons as head coach.

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