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Destroyers Fall To Cleveland Gladiators 59-57 In Home Opener

March 15, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, OHIO - Columbus Destroyers quarterback Matt Nagy hit wide receiver Derek Lee for a 33-yard touchdown to cut the Cleveland Gladiators lead to 59-57, but Nagy's pass to Lee on the two-point conversion fell incomplete as the defending National Conference champion Destroyers, presented by Germain, fell to Cleveland in front of 15,946 fans on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. The Gladiators (3-0) take home the "Battle of the Buckeye State" traveling trophy with the win. Columbus fell to 0-3 on the season, with the three losses coming by a combined 15 points.

Nagy completed 24-of-35 passes for 351 yards and seven touchdowns, while defensive back Rober' Freeman had seven tackles (6UT-2AT) and one tackle for a loss of two yards to take home Defensive Player of the Game honors. Cleveland's Otis Amey took home Offensive Player of the Game honors after leading all players with 238 all-purpose yards. He caught six passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns and added six kick returns for 167 yards.

The Destroyers' receiving corps was led by Lee, who had 11 receptions for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Calvin Russell added five receptions for 96 yards, while Rasheed Marshall had three catches for 39 yards and two scores. Fullback Harold Wells rushed for 48 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries and added two receptions for 23 yards and two scores.

Trailing 17-14 after the first quarter of play, Columbus wasted no time regaining the lead on its first drive of the second quarter when Nagy hit Lee for a two-yard touchdown to make it 17-14 in favor of the hosts. The Destroyers then held the Gladiators to a 26-yard field goal by Jason Ball that tied the score at 17-17 midway through the quarter.

Columbus marched the field capping a four-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown run by Wells to make it 24-17 with 4:55 remaining in the half. Cleveland pulled within 24-23 with 2:16 left, when quarterback Raymond Philyaw hit Amey for a 22-yard touchdown. The Destroyers came right back and scored with five seconds left in the first half when Nagy hit Wells from three yards out to make it 31-23 at halftime.

Cleveland opened the second half with back-to-back scores sandwiched around a defensive stop to take a 35-31 lead midway through the third quarter. The lead was short lived as the Destroyers answered with Nagy hitting Marshall for a 4-yard score. The Gladiators marched right back and capped a scoring drive with Philyaw hitting Amey for a 6-yard touchdown to make it 42-38 Cleveland after three quarters of play. Philyaw finished the game completing 19-of-28 passes for 209 yards and five touchdowns.

The clubs entered the fourth quarter trading scores with Cleveland leading 52-51 with 6:54 remaining after Ball hit a 19-yard field goal. Columbus was marching down the field until Nagy hit wide receiver Matt Thomas, who was stripped at the Cleveland 10-yard line. Ryan Bowers recovered the ball for the Gladiators at his own 5-yard line with less than four minutes to play. Philyaw marched Cleveland down the field and hit Robert Redd for a 17-yard touchdown to give the visitors a 59-51 lead with 43 seconds remaining setting up the Destroyers final drive of the game.

The Destroyers return to action on Friday, March 21 when they travel to take on the Utah Blaze. Kickoff at EnergySolutions Center is set for 9 p.m. ET. Live coverage on the Destroyers Radio Network and flagship stations WNKK-AM, 107.1 FM will begin at 8:30 p.m.

WE BELIEVE that Saturdays are meant for football. The Destroyers 2008 home schedule has six remaining 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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