Sports stats



Destroyers and VooDoo to kickoff the first AFL game since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina

March 5, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Destroyers (1-0), presented by Germain, will travel to take on the New Orleans VooDoo (0-1) on Friday, Mar. 9 at New Orleans Arena with kickoff set for 8 p.m. (ET). The game will be the first Arena Football League game played in New Orleans since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

THIS WEEK: The Columbus Destroyers will visit the VooDoo for the third all-time meeting between the two teams. The VooDoo hold a 2-0 advantage over the Destroyers with both games played in New Orleans. The teams last took the field on April 16, 2005, a 64-28 victory by the VooDoo. In that game, Damien Groce led all Destroyers receivers with eight catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns. The 2007 VooDoo are led by future AFL Hall-of-Fame quarterback Andy Kelly. Now in his 14th AFL campaign, Kelly holds the all-time AFL passing records for completions (3,646), attempts (5,863), yards (40,233) and touchdowns (776).

PRACTICE SCHEDULE: The practice schedule for this week is below. Practices times and locations are subject to change. All practices at the Columbus FieldHouse are open to the public. Practices/Walk-Thru's at Nationwide Arena are closed to the public.

Day Event Time Place

Tuesday, Mar. 6 Practice/Conditioning 9:45-a.m.-11:35 a.m. Columbus FieldHouse

Wednesday, Mar. 7 Practice 9:25 a.m.-11 a.m. Columbus FieldHouse

Thursday, Mar. 8 Walkthrough Practice 9 a.m.-9:50 a.m. Columbus FieldHouse

LAST WEEK: The road to ArenaBowl XXI is now underway and the Columbus Destroyers (1-0) took the right step as they defeated the Nashville Kats (0-1), 58-56 at Gaylord Entertainment Center last Thursday night. Destroyers quarterback Matt Nagy completed 23-of-35 passes for 245 yards and seven touchdowns. Damien Groce led all Destroyers receivers with 11 grabs for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receivers David Saunders and Darcey Levy also caught for two touchdowns each. Saunders extended his streak to 13-consecutive games with a touchdown reception.

BYE WEEK: Following this week's game at New Orleans, the team will have its bye week. They will resume full practice at the Columbus FieldHouse on Tuesday, Mar. 20 in preparation for their home opener against the Chicago Rush.

DEFENDING CHAMPS COMING TO TOWN: The defending ArenaBowl champion Chicago Rush will visit Columbus on Saturday, Mar. 24, at 7 p.m. on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena. The Rush are led by, Columbus native, quarterback Matt D'Orazio. D'Orazio graduated from St. Francis DeSales in 1995 and Otterbein College in 2000.

GETTING OFF TO A FAST START: In eight wins in 2006, the Destroyers averaged 25 points in the first half. Last Thursday in Nashville, the Destroyers put up 31 points against the AFL's fourth rated defense behind quarterback Matt Nagy's four touchdowns and great field position provided by kick returnees Josh Bush and Damien Groce,. The club is now 5-4 in season opening games, 3-2 in Columbus.

DEFENDING THE CROWN: Reigning AFL Defensive Player of the Year, Jerald Brown, picked up right where he left off as he intercepted Kats quarterback Clint Stoerner once in the end zone during last week's opening night win at Nashville. A season ago, Brown finished second in the league with 11 interceptions and 133 interception return yards.

ON THE AIR: This week's game at New Orleans can be heard on your home for Destroyers football, the new WNNK 107.1 FM with the broadcast tandem of Steve Sefner (play-by-play) and Greg Frey (color commentator). Tune in at 7:30 p.m. 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.

GAME PROMOTIONS: Buckeye Football Alumni night will take place on Saturday, Mar. 24 when the Destroyers host the Chicago Rush. Fans can meet former Buckeye football players Mike Vrabel, Luke Fickell, Mike Tomczak, Gary Barry and Maurice Hall. Also, support the "2nd and 7 Foundation" by bringing books to donate to Columbus-area second graders. Dispatch/Mix 97.1 Family Night packages are available for the home opener for the Destroyers as well. Receive four tickets, four hot dogs, four Pepsi's, four popcorns, one foam football and four Dispatch Ice Haus skate passes for as low as $66. For more information visit www.ColumbusDestroyers.com.

TICKET INFORMATION: Single game tickets are now on sale at the Nationwide Arena Box Office, ticketmaster outlets and The Blueline locations at Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton and Chiller North for as low as $12. Season tickets are available starting at $99 by calling (877) COLS-AFL and for a limited time fans may purchase a special season ticket package that includes two tickets, two replica AFL footballs and two Destroyers hats for $198. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for group rates by calling (614) 246-HITS.

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 5, 2007


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.

Other Recent Columbus Destroyers Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central