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Columbus Destroyers Weekly

March 17, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Destroyers, presented by Germain, will play in their third game away from Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena when they take on the Utah Blaze Friday, March 21 at EnergySolutions Arena. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. (ET). Below is a look ahead at this week's opponent, practice schedule, team news and notes, broadcast information and a look ahead to Week 5.

THIS WEEK, FIRST LOOK AT BLAZE: Both the Destroyers and Blaze enter the contest winless in 2008. The Week 4 matchup will be the first-ever meeting between the two franchises.

Coming off their second season in the Arena Football League, the Blaze look to make their third consecutive playoff appearance this season. Led by Head Coach and General Manager Danny White, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, the Blaze have a combined regular season record of 15-20. White ranks second all-time in League history with 156 career victories as a head coach and was inducted into the AFL Hall-of-Fame in 2002.

At the helm of the Blaze offense is former Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine. Last season, he set the League's All-Time record for passing yards in a season with 5,005. The Mesa, Ariz. native also threw for 107 touchdowns last season, tying him for second in League history.

Germaine's main target is three-year AFL veteran Aaron Boone. In 2006, the University of Kentucky graduate was named to the AFL All-Rookie team as he caught 66 passes for 748 yards and 19 touchdowns with the Philadelphia Soul and Kansas City Brigade.

CAREER DAY: Two Destroyers players reached career-marks against the Cleveland Gladiators last Saturday night. The Destroyers offense exploded for a season-high 57 points and put up 398 yards on offense, falling three yards short of the franchise mark set on July 14, 2000 vs. Los Angeles. Quarterback Matt Nagy set a career-high for passing yards with 351. Fullback Harold Wells carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards, both career highs, and tied a career-high with two receiving touchdowns.

THE MAGIC NUMBER "60": The Destroyers all-time record when they score 60 or more points in a contest is 14-0. Last season they were able to score over 60 points on five occasions including their second and third highest point totals for a single-game in franchise history (74 at New York - June 23 and 72 vs. Austin - April 14).

The Destroyers also hold the longest active streak in the AFL for consecutive games holding opponents below 60 points. The streak is currently 19 games, including the 2007 playoffs. The Los Angeles Avengers are second on that list with nine games in a row.

CONSECUTIVE GAMES HOLDING OPPONENTS UNDER 60 POINTS

DESTROYERS 19

Los Angeles Avengers 9

Kansas City Brigade 4

Philadelphia Soul 3

New Orleans VooDoo 3

Dallas Desperados 2

ON THE AIRWAVES: This week's contest between the Destroyers and Blaze can be heard on your home for Destroyers football, WNNK 107.1 FM with the broadcast tandem of Todd Walker (play-by-play) and former Ohio State quarterback Greg Frey (color commentator) on the call. Tune in at 8:30 p.m. (ET) as the Destroyers pre-game show gets underway with a one-on-one interview with Destroyers Head Coach Doug Kay, player interviews and insider information.

WEEK 5 - THE ORLANDO PREDATORS: The two-time ArenaBowl champion Orlando Predators will make their first visit to Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena since 2006. The Destroyers overall record against the Predators all-time is 1-5. The Predators are led by, AFL Hall-of-Fame quarterback, Head Coach Jay Gruden. Gruden ranks eighth on the League's all-time head coaching victories with 74. Quarterback Shane Stafford leads the Predators offense. The seven-year AFL veteran quarterback set Predator franchise records for passing yards (4,317) and touchdowns (76) last season.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: The Destroyers will play host to the Orlando Predators on Saturday, March 29 at 7 p.m. The first 6,000 fans in attendance will receive a Rally Towel courtesy of ADT. In addition, the first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a 2008 Bombshells poster presented by A.D. Farrow Co. Harley-Davidson. Fans can also purchase tickets for All You Can Eat Night. The all-you-can-eat package includes hot dogs, bratwurst, popcorn, peanuts (bagged) and a 22-ounce Pepsi product, for only $30.

TICKET INFORMATION: The Destroyers 2008 home schedule features seven Saturday night games and one Monday night contest. For a limited time, fans can purchase two season tickets, two AFL replica footballs and two Destroyers hats for ONLY $222. The package can be purchased by calling (877) COLS-AFL. Single game tickets start at just $15 and are on sale now at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, ticketmaster Ticket Centers, ticketmaster.com and all FSN Ohio Blue Line team stores located at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing, Chiller Easton, Chiller Dublin and Chiller North. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for group rates by calling (614) 246-HITS.

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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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