Sports stats

Destroyers Weekly

June 18, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Destroyers (6-9), presented by Germain, will travel to take on Eastern Division Rival New York Dragons (5-10) at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, June 23 at 7 p.m. (ET).

THIS WEEK: A playoff birth in the Mitsubishi Motors National Conference Playoff picture is at stake this week as the Destroyers take on the Dragons. Entering the week, the Destroyers are in the sixth position and the Dragons are a game behind the Destroyers in the National Conference Playoff picture. The Destroyers defeated the Dragons, 51-42, in front of 14,009 fans on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena on May 4 earlier this season. Offensive Player of the Game QB Matt Nagy completed 18-of-28 passes for 238 yards and five touchdowns. "Ironman" of the Game wide receiver/defensive back B.J. Barre was called upon to help the defensive backfield as Rober' Freeman departed the game early in the first quarter with a knee injury. Barre finished with a game-high 10.5 tackles, caught three passes for 66 yards and led the Destroyers with two-touchdown receptions. Destroyers sack leader Ken Jones was at it again as he was able to sack Dragons QB Aaron Garcia twice. Jones is second in the league with 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Garcia was placed on injured reserve two weeks ago and will not play against the Destroyers. Backup quarterback Rohan Davey has stepped in and completed 31-of-65 passes (47.7%) for 402 yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions and sacked four times in two losses. In games that future AFL Hall-of-Fame quarterback Garcia has not played in this season the Dragons are averaging 44.8 points per contest (10 games). The Destroyers are sixth in the AFL the defense surrenders 50.0 points per game and is seventh in the league allowing an average of 283 yards to opposing offenses.

LAST WEEK: The Destroyers traveled to take on the Philadelphia Soul (7-8) in front of 17,284 at Wachovia Center last Saturday night. With :07 seconds remaining in the game Soul quarterback Tony Graziani found Charles Pauley from three yards for a 54-53 lead. The Soul added a two-point conversion to extend their lead and the final score 56-53. Soul wide receiver Larry Brackins finished with eight receptions for 113 yards and four touchdowns earning Offensive Player of the Game honors. Destroyers quarterback Nagy, playing in front of 325 close friends and family, completed 21-of-42 passes for 204 yards and seven touchdowns. He threw two interceptions in the game including one that led to the Soul winning drive late in the fourth quarter. After breaking a consecutive game streak with a touchdown reception at 19 against the Kansas City Brigade on June 8, wide receiver David Saunders bounced back against the Soul hauling in eight passes for 52 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie wide receiver Cole Magner appeared in his first Arena Football League game and made four receptions for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Josh Bush, filling in for Damien Groce on kick return duties, gave the Destroyers good field position as had six returns for 99 yards.

PLAYOFF SCENARIO: With a win this week against the New York Dragons, the Destroyers can earn the final spot in the National Conference playoffs. The Mitsubishi Motors National Conference standings are listed below...

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Dallas Desperados (14-1)**

Georgia Force (13-2)**

Orlando Predators (8-7)*

Tampa Bay (8-7)*

Philadelphia (7-8)*

COLUMBUS (6-9)

New York (5-10)

** Clinched division and first-round bye.

* Clinched playoff spot

# - If the Destroyers lose, they can still qualify for the last playoff spot if they lose by eight points or less. By virtue of a 51-42 victory by Columbus over New York on May 4, the Destroyers hold the tie-breaker. If the Destroyers lose by nine or more points the Dragons would earn the final playoff spot due to record against common opponent (New York 4-7; Columbus 3-8).

"SUNSHINE" ON A CLOUDY DAY: Destroyers wide receiver Cole Magner (known as "Sunshine" amongst his teammates) made his Arena Football League debut last Saturday night in a 56-53 loss to the Philadelphia Soul. In a valiant effort he caught four passes for 44 yards and two touchdowns. In comparison to other current Destroyers wide receivers, here is where his league debut performance ranks...

PLAYER (Team - Date) REC, YDS, TD's

Freddie Solomon (Tampa Bay Storm - Jan. 31, 2003) 10, 132, 3

COLE MAGNER (Columbus Destroyers - June 16, 2007) 4, 44, 2

Marcus Knight (Philadelphia Soul - Mar. 6, 2005) 3, 55, 1

B.J. Barre (Columbus Destroyers - Feb. 11, 2006) 3, 47, 1

David Saunders (Tampa Bay Storm - May 6, 2000) 3, 29, 2

Josh Bush (Grand Rapids Rampage - Feb. 8, 2004) 1, 6, 0

Damien Groce (Los Angeles Avengers - June 29, 2000) 0, 0, 0

DESTROYERS ON TELEVISION: The next edition of Columbus Sports Network's weekly magazine show, Destroyers Digest, will air on Wednesday, June 20 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.

ON THE AIRWAVES: This week's contest between the Destroyers and the Dragons 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.

TICKET INFORMATION: For information on 2008 Destroyers season tickets call (877) COLS-AFL. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for group rates by calling (614) 246-HITS.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 18, 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