Destroyers Weekly

Published on May 29, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Destroyers (6-6), presented by Germain, will travel to take on the Georgia Force (10-2) at Philips Arena on Saturday, June 2 at 7 p.m. (ET).

THIS WEEK: This will mark the seventh meeting between the two franchises in history. The Force hold a 4-2 advantage over the Destroyers. Earlier this season on Mar. 30, the two teams met on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena. The Destroyers were victorious 62-61 on a two-point conversion with 0:14 seconds remaining in regulation, when quarterback Matt Nagy found wide receiver Marcus Knight at the front pylon of the end zone. Nagy, playing against his former team, was named Offensive Player of the Game as he completed 20-of-30 passes for 191 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Defensive lineman Ken Jones was named Defensive Player of the Game as he compiled three tackles (1UT-4AT), 1.5 sacks totaling a loss of 10 yards and one fumble recovery. With a win in Week 13 against the Tampa Bay Storm, the Force have qualified for a spot in the ArenaBowl XXI playoffs.

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, May 29: Practice, 10:35 a.m.-12:05 p.m., Nationwide Arena

Wednesday, May 30: Practice, 10-11:35 a.m., Nationwide Arena

Thursday, May 31: Practice, 9:25-11 a.m., Nationwide Arena

Friday, June 1: Walk-Thru Practice, 9-10 a.m., Nationwide Arena

LAST WEEK: Down 14 points at halftime the Destroyers rebounded to a one-point deficit early in the fourth quarter only to see the Dallas Desperados (11-1) get two touchdowns to win going away, 56-47, in front of 14, 251 fans on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena this past Saturday night. The win gives the Desperados the Eastern Division crown for the second-straight year. The Destroyers five-game win streak on home turf was snapped with the loss. Quarterback Matt Nagy completed 29-of-43 passes for 270 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Wide receiver Damien Groce led all receivers for the second consecutive game as he hauled in 13 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. David Saunders made his first appearance since April 14 and extended his consecutive game streak with a touchdown reception to 18.

NEXT WEEK: The Destroyers will play in their final home contest of the 2007 regular season against the Kansas City Brigade (7-5) on Friday, June 8 on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. This will be the second meeting all-time between the two franchises. The Brigade defeated the Destroyers last season in Kansas City, 45-24. The Brigade will make their first appearance in Columbus vying for a spot in the American Conference playoffs. The Brigade are led by eight-year veteran quarterback Raymond Philyaw. On the season he has completed 288-of-410 passes for 3,372 yards, 62 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

THE ROAD AHEAD: The Destroyers have a tough schedule over the last four games of the season. Over the next four weeks, they will play teams that are currently in the ArenaBowl XXI playoffs, if the playoffs started today. The games include a visit to Georgia (June 2), home against Kansas City (June 8), prior to finishing up the season on the road against Eastern Division foes, Philadelphia (June 16) and New York (June 23). Those four teams have a combined record of 28-20. Since the return of quarterback Tony Graziani, the Soul have won two straight games scoring over 70 points in both contests, while the Dragons have won three straight games since falling to the Destroyers on May 4. The Dragons are averaging 66.7 points per contest in the past three weeks. This is the third time in Destroyers' history they have closed out with three of four on the road. The most recent was last season when the club won three of four.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: The Destroyers are second in the Eastern Division and with a 6-6 record are currently the fourth seed in the National Conference. Among the teams vying for the final playoff spots in the National Conference are the Orlando Predators (7-5, 3rd), the Philadelphia Soul (6-6, 5th), the New York Dragons (5-7, 6th), the Tampa Bay Storm (5-7, 7th) and the New Orleans VooDoo (4-8, 8th).

CENTURY MAN: With 11 receptions last week against the Dallas Desperados, wide receiver Damien Groce has hit the 100 reception mark for the season. He now stands 16 receptions away from tying his own franchise record that he set during the 2005 season and from tying the all-time franchise record for receptions in his career (Cornelius White, 232). On the season Groce has 1,165 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns. Groce has now reached the century mark twice in his career, the last was 2005 here in Columbus.

DESTROYERS ON TELEVISION: The next edition of Columbus Sports Network's weekly magazine show, Destroyers Digest, will air on Wednesday, May 30 at 6 p.m. The show provides in-depth coverage and analysis of the team and the AFL. CSN's lead anchor Ray Crawford is the host of the half-hour show. CSN's next Destroyers broadcast will be Friday, June 8 when they take on the Kansas City Brigade. Destroyers Playbook hosted by Ray Crawford will begin at 6:30 p.m. (ET) followed by all the exciting action of Destroyers football with Randy Rhinehart and Greg Frey at 7 p.m. (ET).

ON THE AIRWAVES: This week's contest between the Destroyers and the Force can be heard on your home for Destroyers football, the new WINK 107.1 FM with the broadcast tandem of Steve Sefner (play-by-play) and Rob Blackman (color commentator) on the call. Tune in at 6:30 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.

GAME PROMOTIONS: On Friday, June 8 the Destroyers will host the Rooster's Wing Bash (Starting a 4p.m.) featuring Roosters food, Budweiser Beer and a live performance from The Pike Band. Then see a special appearance by the Cleveland Cavaliers Girls who will sign autographs from 6-7p.m. on the Bud Light Terrace and perform at halftime. The Huntington $10 Ticket Blitz offers a minimum of 225 lower bowl seats to each home game for just $10. They will be available at the Nationwide Arena Box Office two hours prior to every home game. The Destroyers and Giant Eagle are teaming up with the Mid-Ohio FoodBank to TACKLE HUNGER in Central Ohio. Last year, with the help of 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, if fans bring a Giant Eagle branded non-perishable food item they will receive a voucher for $3 off a regularly priced ticket.

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, Chiller North and the Mall at Tuttle Crossing. Single game tickets for the 2007 season are available for as low as $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 May 29, 2007


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