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Destroyers Fall To Storm, Lose 34-32

April 30, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


TAMPA BAY - The Columbus Destroyers, presented by Germain, fell to the Tampa Bay Storm (2-6), 34-23, in front of 15,303 fans in attendance at the St. Pete Times Forum. Quarterback Matt Nagy's two-point conversion attempt with 0:27 remaining in the game was incomplete in the end zone intended for wide receiver Marcus Knight.

The Storm was in possession of the ball for 36:27 of the game. In six of eight possessions they were able to score. In the previous two weeks the Destroyers (4-4) were able to get six stops against the Austin Wranglers (Apr. 14) and eight stops last Monday night against the Philadelphia Soul (Apr. 23).

Nagy finished 18-of-30 for 204 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Damien Groce who was averaging 93.8 yards per contest was held to five receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns. B.J. Barre in his first game back off of the Injured Reserve list made a strong showing with five receptions for 57 yards and one touchdown.

After the Storm scored on the first play of the game as former Destroyers quarterback John Kaleo found T.T. Tolliver for a 29-yard touchdown, the Destroyers answered with a Nagy to Josh Bush touchdown from seven yards. The game was tied at the end of the first quarter at seven points.

The Destroyers opened the second quarter scoring as Nagy found Groce for a five-yard touchdown. The Storm got a field goal from Seth Marler from 23-yards to end the first half. During the drive that spanned 13 plays for over 10 minutes, Storm quarterback John Kaleo was rushed by Ken Jones and sprained his left wrist. Kaleo did not return to action. Storm rookie quarterback Brett Dietz made his AFL debut and completed 12-of-24 for 165 yards, two touchdowns and rushed for a one-yard touchdown.

After finishing the half 9-for-12 for 75 yards and two touchdowns, Nagy and the Destroyers offense struggled through the third quarter. Nagy found Groce all alone down the right sideline for a 39-yard touchdown. Dietz was able to spark the Storm for two touchdowns to end the third quarter as he found Terril Shaw from 11 and 27-yards. For his seven catch 72-yard performance, Shaw was named the Offensive Player of the Game. The Storm led at the end of the third stanza 24-20.

After trading the first two touchdowns of the fourth quarter, Nagy was intercepted by Defensive Player of the Game Khalid Naziruddin with 2:14 remaining in the quarter. The Storm used the turnover to convert three points as Marler connected on his second field-goal of the game from 20-yards. With 0:56 on the clock, Nagy led the Destroyers on a three play drive for 36 yards that culminated in a Nagy three yard naked bootleg to the left side for the score. With the score 34-32 the two-point conversion failed and the Storm offense ran the clock out for the eventual win.

The Destroyers return to action to Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena when they take on the New York Dragons on Friday, May 4, kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be shown on the Columbus Sports Network, the pre-game show beginning at 6:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast live on the Destroyers Radio Network and flagship station WINK 107.1 FM with the pre-game show beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The Destroyers will host Spiderman and Friends Night presented by Columbia Gas on May 4. Spiderman, Stinger (Columbus Blue Jackets), Cozy Cat (Columbia Gas), Moon Dog (Cleveland Cavaliers), Crew Cat (Columbus Crew), Chilly Bear (Chiller Ice Rinks), Iceburg (Pittsburgh Penguins), Maya and Miguel (WOSU), Patriot and Dodger (Columbus Zoo and Aquarium), plus other area mascots will all be in attendance.

Dispatch/Mix 97.1 Family Night packages presented by Wendy's are also available for May 4. Receive four tickets, four hot dogs, four Pepsi's, four popcorns, four Wendy's Frosty coupons, one foam football and four Dispatch Ice Haus skate passes for as low as $66.

The Huntington $10 Ticket Blitz continues for every home game during the 2007 Destroyers season. A minimum of 225 lower bowl seats will be available for $10 at the Nationwide Arena Box Office two hours prior to every home game. The regular price on lower bowl seats is $26.

The Destroyers and Giant Eagle are teaming up with the Mid-Ohio FoodBank to TACKLE HUNGER in Central Ohio. Last year, with the help fans, the Destroyers raised enough resources to provide over 27,000 meals to those in need. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to all Destroyers home games to receive a raffle ticket. In addition to the food drive, if fans bring a non-perishable food item from Giant Eagle they will receive a voucher for $3 off a regularly priced ticket.

WE BELIEVE that you can never get enough football. Single game tickets for the 2007 season are available starting at $12 by visiting www.ColumbusDestroyers.com. For information on season tickets call (877) COLS-AFL. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for group rates by calling (614) 246-HITS.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 30, 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.

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