For the second straight week the Destroyers to face one of AFL's unbeaten teams

Published on April 2, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Destroyers (2-2), presented by Germain, will travel to take on the Dallas Desperados (5-0) at American Airlines Arena on Thursday, Apr. 5 with kickoff set for 8:30 p.m. (ET).

THIS WEEK: The Destroyers will take on the Dallas Desperados in the Lone Star State. The game will mark the first Eastern Division contest for the Destroyers in 2007. The Desperados hold a 5-1 advantage in the series as this will be the seventh time the two teams have met. Twelve-year AFL veteran quarterback Clint Dolezel leads the Dallas aerial assault. The East Texas State graduate is second all-time in the AFL with 784 touchdowns on 3,209 completions and 38,155 yards. The Desperados 10th-rated passing attack (274 yards per game) features wide receiver Will Pettis. Now in his fifth campaign with the Desperados, Pettis is tied for fourth in the AFL with 43 receptions for 460 yards and 16 touchdowns.

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, April 3 Practice/Conditioning 10 a.m.-12:35 p.m. Columbus FieldHouse

Wednesday, April 4 Walkthrough Practice 9-9:50 a.m. Columbus FieldHouse

LAST WEEK: The Destroyers jumped out to an early lead, fell behind late and rallied for a 62-61 win to hand the Georgia Force their first loss of the season in front of 12,103 fans on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena Friday night. Destroyers' quarterback Matt Nagy, playing against his former team, was named Offensive Player of the Game after completing 20-of-30 passes for four touchdowns, while rushing for two more. Destroyers' defensive lineman Ken Jones was named Defensive Player of the game as he recorded 1.5 sacks for a combined loss of 10 yards and added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Also earning notice was Destroyers' defensive back Jerald Brown, who had two interceptions and three pass breakups to go along with 4.5 tackles (3UT-3AT). With the Destroyers trailing 54-48 in the fourth quarter, they went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Nagy snuck in the corner of the end zone to knot the game 54-54 with 1:26 remaining. After a failed onside kick attempt by Columbus, Force quarterback Chris Greisen scored from a yard out to give the Force a 61-54 lead with 0:46 left.

COMING UP: The Destroyers will welcome the Austin Wranglers to Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena on Saturday, Apr. 14. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Wranglers have started 1-4 this season following a 10-6 season, earning the franchise their first trip to the AFL playoffs a year ago. Austin is led on offense by second-year quarterback Adrian McPherson. The Florida State Seminole is fifth in the league in rushing with 81 yards on 23 carries and scored three times in 2007.

DEJA VU: Last week against the Georgia Force, Destroyers kick returner Josh Bush returned a kickoff 56-yards for the score. The return marks Bush's second consecutive return for touchdown in as many weeks. In Week Five against the Chicago Rush he returned a 58-yard effort. Damien Groce gave the Destroyers their third kickoff return for touchdown on the season during the third quarter against the Force, a 56-yard return.

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? The Destroyers special teams are providing a much needed boost to the team's overall game. The kick returners are among the AFL leaders. Damien Groce (12 returns for 353 yards and one touchdown) and Josh Bush (13 returns for 309 yards and two touchdowns) have supplied great starting field position for the offense in the first four games of the season. The two have combined for 662 yards on 25 kick returns. The kick return average of 22.1 yards per return leads the AFL.

MR. RELIABLE: David Saunders leads the team with 28 receptions for 234 yards and six touchdowns this season. He has caught a touchdown in 15-consecutive games dating back to the 2006 season. Since the streak started on Mar. 3, 2006, against the New York Dragons, Saunders has amassed 93 receptions for 956 yards and 24 touchdowns.

DESTROYERS ON TELEVISION: The next edition of Columbus Sports Network's weekly magazine show, Destroyers Digest, will air on Thursday, Apr. 5, at 6:30 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. Scheduled to appear on this week's show is Head Coach Doug Kay, QB Matt Nagy, WR Josh Bush, WR Damien Groce, WR Marcus Knight, DL Ken Jones, DB Rober' Freeman, DB Jerald Brown and LB Leroy Thompson.

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

GAME PROMOTIONS: Heisman Trophy Winner night will take place on Saturday, Apr. 14, when the Destroyers face the Austin Wranglers. The only two-time Heisman Award winner Archie Griffin and the newest winner, Troy Smith, will be holding a question and answer session in the lower bowl of the arena from 5-5:45 p.m. prior to the Destroyers game. Fans can come through the McConnell Street entrance for this session, but must have a ticket to the game to attend. All fans in attendance will receive a poster featuring all six Heisman winners from The Ohio State University. The poster is officially licensed by the Heisman Winners Association and was created by Ted Watts. A renowned sports artist, Watts illustrates images of all the Heisman winners, which are on display in the College Football Hall of Fame. 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 non-perishable food item from Giant Eagle 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 for as low as $12. Season tickets are available starting at $99 by calling (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 2, 2007


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