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Destroyers Weekly

March 4, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Destroyers, presented by Germain, will play in their eighth consecutive game away from Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena when they take on the Dallas Desperados on Friday, March 7 at American Airlines Center. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. (ET). Below is a look ahead at this week's opponent, practice schedule, team news and notes, broadcast information and a look ahead to Week 3.

THIS WEEK, BACK TO "BIG D": The Destroyers will continue their 2008 road schedule as they visit Dallas to take on the Desperados on Friday. The Destroyers ended the Desperados season with a 66-59 victory in the National Conference Divisional Round on July 7, 2007. Dallas set a League record for most wins in a regular season (15) last year.

The Desperados lead the series between the two teams winning seven of nine contests. The last two regular meetings between Columbus and Dallas have been settled by nine points. On April 5, 2007, the Desperados erased a 30-point deficit and won 53-51 on a Todd Sievers 16-yard field goal at the end of regulation. At Nationwide Arena on May 26, 2007, fullback Harold Wells scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:01 remaining in the game to cut the Desperados lead to 49-47. Desperados quarterback Clint Dolezel led Dallas to a game winning drive with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter, as he found Andrae Thurman from six yards for a touchdown.

Dolezel is one of the League's most prolific passers in history. In 151 games played over 14 seasons, he has completed 3,521-of-5,344 passes for 41,811 yards and 872 touchdowns. He is the League's all-time passing touchdown leader and is second all-time in completions, attempts and passing yards.

THE SECRET IS IN THE DEFENSE: The Destroyers are second in the AFL with the least points allowed since 2006. Three of the top five teams have qualified for the ArenaBowl.

MAIN TARGET: Destroyers quarterback Matt Nagy and newly acquired wide receiver Derek Lee have been reunited in Columbus. Nagy and Lee hooked up 10 times this past weekend against the Colorado Crush. The former Georgia Force teammates (2005-06), have the fourth highest active streak of completions with 217.

QB-WR Receptions since 2006

511 John Dutton to Damian Harrell

440 Mark Grieb to James Roe - ACTIVE

332 Clint Dolezel to Marcus Nash - ACTIVE

299 Shane Stafford to Lawrence Samuels

295 Joe Germaine to Siaha Burley

258 John Dutton to Willis Marshall

235 Andy Kelly to Thabiti Davis

230 Clint Dolezel to Will Pettis - ACTIVE

226 Shane Stafford to Freddie Solomon

221 Sherdrick Bonner to Randy Gatewood

217 Matt Nagy to Derek Lee - ACTIVE

ROSTER MOVES: On March 4, the Destroyers signed linebacker Saul Patu (6-3, 260, Oregon) and defensive lineman Michael Landry (6-3, 309, Southern)... On March 4, the Destroyers released defensive lineman Kelvin Kinney and linebacker Leroy Thompson; and waived fullback Brad Greetis.

ON THE AIRWAVES: This week's contest between the Destroyers and the Desperados can be heard on your home for Destroyers football, WNNK 107.1 FM with the broadcast tandem of Steve Sefner (play-by-play) and Rob Blackman (color commentator) on the call. Tune in at 8 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.

WEEK 3 - HOME OPENER VS. CLEVELAND GLADIATORS: The Destroyers will kickoff their 2008 home schedule against division rival Cleveland Gladiators in the "Battle of the Buckeye State" presented by Columbus Worthington Air on Saturday, March 15. Kickoff on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena is slated for 7 p.m. The teams will be playing for the "Battle of the Buckeye State" Trophy. Before kickoff, the team will raise the 2007 National Conference Championship Banner. The first 10,000 fans will receive a 2008 Destroyers magnet schedule. During the post game autograph session, presented by Nationwide, fans will be able to win a $10 gift certificate in the Giant Eagle Ham Toss.

TICKET INFORMATION: The Destroyers 2008 home schedule features seven 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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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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