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Hawaiian Islanders Game Notes

April 28, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Hawaiian Islanders News Release


QUICK FACTS:
HAWAIIAN ISLANDERS (3-1) at WICHITA STEALTH (3-1)
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CDT (2:30 p.m. HST)
Site: Kansas Coliseum (capacity: 9,686)
Officials: TBA
Radio: KUMU2 AM 1500
TV: (none)
Series Record: Wichita leads series 1-0
Streaks: Hawaii (Won 1); Wichita (Won 2)
Coaches: Islanders – Cal Lee (3-1, first season) Stealth – Bob Cortese (3-1, first season

THE STAKES: The top two teams in the Western Division will face off this week as the Hawaiian Islanders meet the Wichita Stealth. This will be Hawaii’s third road game in the last five weeks. Wichita is hosting their second game of a three game home stand.

THE SERIES: This is only the second meeting between these two clubs with the Stealth holding a 1-0 lead. Their only meeting came on April 27, 2002 in Wichita with the Stealth winning 31-27. The two teams will meet again on Friday, May 16 at the Blaisdell Arena.

THE IFs:

If the Islanders defeat the Stealth, it would …
• Give the ISLANDERS a 1-1 record with Wichita
• Give the ISLANDERS an all time record of 3-8 on the road.
• Give the ISLANDERS a 3-4 record all time in the month of April.
• Give Hawaii Head Coach Cal Lee a 4-1 record
• Give Hawaii a two game winning streak overall and six wins in the last seven games dating back to last season.

HEAD COACHES: Cal Lee was named head coach of the Hawaiian Islanders on October 23, 2002 giving fans across Hawaii an added excitement for the upcoming season. Lee is the most prolific football coach in Hawaii high school history. In 21 years as a head coach at St. Louis High School (Honolulu), his teams have compiled a 241-32-5 record which include 18 league titles and 15 state championships.

Bob Cortese begins his first season as an af2 head coach for Wichita. Cortese has spent four years in the Arena Football League with the Portland Forest Dragons and the Oklahoma Wranglers before coming to Wichita in 2002 as Director of Football Operations. Cortese engineered the offensive turnaround that helped the Stealth garner a berth in the af2 playoffs in 2002.

COACHES LUNCHEON AT BIG ISLAND STEAKHOUSE

Each Monday, join host Alema Harrington for The Coaches Luncheon at Big Island Steak House. Islander coaches and players gather for a roundtable discussion as they review and preview the 2003 opponents. See highlights from last week’s game as well a chance to meet your favorite player.

The Lunch runs from noon to 1 p.m. at the Aloha Tower Marketplace.

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES:

Head Coach Cal Lee on the Wichita: “At this point of the season, every game is important and when you play teams like San Diego and Wichita, you’ve got to play at your best because these teams will know what we want to do. Wichita has got some dangerous weapons on offense and we’ll work hard again this week to prepare for them.”

ISLANDERS’ WEEKLY:

Join host Alema Harrington for Islanders Weekly, an informative 30-minute look behind the scenes at the Hawaiian Islanders, the only professional franchise in the state. See highlights from last week’s game as well as a preview of upcoming opponents. You’ll also see interesting interviews with coaches, players and items that make the Islanders your only team in town.

The show airs Tuesday through Friday at 8:30 p.m. on Oceanic Cable 16.

KEY DATES IN TEAM HISTORY:

September 6, 2001 – The league offices of arenafootball2 announces Honolulu will be awarded a franchise for the 2002 season. Charles Wang and his daughter Kimberly will be the operators of the team. Hawaii becomes the ninth (of 10) expansion team named for the 2002 season.

January 7, 2002 – Former all-state quarterback Darnell Arceneaux is assigned to the Islanders making him the first player in team history.

January 19, 2002 - The Hawaiian Islanders hosts an open tryout at Central Oahu Regional Park. Over 30 players endured the soggy conditions and participated in the three-hour workout

February 4, 2002 – Islanders host Pacific Rim Training Camp where over 180 participants from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Samoa, and Fiji attended.

March 30, 2002 - Islanders defeat the Fresno Frenzy 50-47 before 4,376 fans at the Blaisdell Arena marking the first game, the first win and the first home win in team history.

June 14, 2002 – After suffering through a nine game losing streak, the Islanders defeat San Diego 53-34 as Darnell Arceneaux threw for three touchdowns and rushed for three more.

June 22, 2002 – Despite losing 56-48 at Bakersfield, quarterback Darnell Arceneaux rushes for an af2 record-tying five touchdowns.

July 20, 2002 – Hawaii rallies from a 21-0 deficit to upset the two-time defending af2 champion Quad City Steamwheelers 56-55 before 5,185 fans. Two days later, Nian Taylor was named National Ironman for the second consecutive week. Combined with his National Built Ford Tough award three weeks earlier, he becomes the first player to win three national awards in a four-week period.

July 27, 2002 – The Islanders defeat Fresno 46-36 for their first road win of the season. It was Hawaii’s first two game winning streak and four wins in their final six games.

October 23, 2002 – The Islanders announce that Cal Lee will become their new coach for the 2003 season.

March 12, 2003 – Training camp opens with 16 veterans making the 35-man squad. Islanders announced they sold nearly 1,200 season tickets compared to only 16 from last year.

March 30, 2003 – Exactly one year following the Islanders’ first season and first win against Fresno, Hawaii opens the 2003 with a 48-37 win over Green Bay and gives head coach Cal Lee is first win as an af2 coach.

FORWARD MOTION: The Islanders return home for back-to-back home games. On May 10, Hawaii hosts Bakersfield in their second meeting of the year. On Friday, May 16, Hawaii will host Wichita in a Friday night matchup. Folowing their two game homestand, the Islanders make their longest trip of the year when they face Cincinnati on May 24.

LAST SERIES MEETING: WICHITA 31, HAWAII 27 (Saturday, April 27, 2002, Wichita). The Stealth snapped their seven game losing streak dating back to 2001 with a 31-27 defensive battle in Wichita. The Islander offense sputtered completing only 11 of 30 passes for 154 yards and two key interceptions. Hawaii also lost its key weapon when offensive specialist Darrell Jones went down with an injury in the second quarter and did not return.

DROPBACK: HAWAII 51, SAN DIEGO 43 (Saturday, April 26, 2003, Honolulu) – In what appeared to be an early defensive struggle gave Hawaii the edge as Darrell Jones and Isaac White returned two interceptions for touchdowns as Hawaii held on to a 51-43 win over division-rival San Diego.

The Hawaii ground game was the main story as the Islanders recorded 70 yards on only 11 carries and scored three touchdowns.

Chris Paogofie netted 61 yards on the ground and scored two touchdowns. Teammate Vai Notoa had 12 yards rushing and a touchdown while Darnell Arcenaux completed 14-of-30 for 166 yards and a touchdown.

HAWAII’S SECOND SEASON TRAVEL LOG: The Hawaiian Islanders will embark on eight road trips for the 2003 season.

Here’s a list of destinations and their approximate miles from Hawaii to the city and back:
• Quad City (Moline, Illinois), 8,564 miles
• Bakersfield, California, 5,286 miles
• Wichita, Kansas, 8,714 miles
• Cincinnati, Ohio, 8,868 miles
• Little Rock, Arkansas, 8,607 miles
• San Diego, California, 5,222 miles
• Tulsa, Oklahoma, 7,843 miles
• San Diego, California, 5,222 miles
Total Expected Air and Bus Travel in 2003: ** 58,326 miles **

RUN BABY RUN! Hawaii is an impressive 7-3 when the team rushes for 50 or more yards in a game. Here is a list of games where Hawaii rushed for 50 yards or more. (Note: Hawaii has rushed for at least 50 yards in every game this season.)

Yards Date Opponent Result
85 3/30/02 Fresno Won
53 6/01/02 at San Diego Lost
59 6/14/02 San Diego Won
107 6/28/02 Bakersfield Won
115 7/12/02 at Arkansas Lost
61 7/20/02 Quad City Won
55 3/30/03 Green Bay Won
74 4/04/03 at Quad City Won
61 4/19/03 at Bakersfield Lost
70 4/26/03 San Diego Won

RUN vs. PASS If Arena Football is all about passing, Hawaii shouldn’t be 3-1. The Islanders’ balance running and passing attack has defensive coordinators scratching their heads. Here is a break down of rushing and passing touchdowns thus far this year.

TOUCHDOWNS
Date Opponent Rush Pass
3/30 Green Bay 2 4
4/04 at Quad City 3 4
4/19 at Bakersfield 3 3
4/26 San Diego 3 1
Total 4 Games 11 12

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

THE ISLANDER GROUND GAME BEGINS HERE: Opponents once thought that stopping Darnell Arcenaux on the ground means a win. Now with two viable fullbacks in the mix, stopping Hawaii’s ground game is a tall order.

FB/LB Chris Paogofie had another solid game for Hawaii as he rushed four times for a career-high 61 yards in Hawaii’s 51-43 win over San Diego. He currently leads the team with 107 yards and six rushing touchdowns. Teammate Vai Notoa rushed for 12 yards against the Riptide and is second on the team with 73 yards.

For the season, the Islanders have averaged an amazing 5.1 yards per carry and have scored 11 rushing touchdowns compared to 12 passing touchdowns.

IF THERE IS A FOOT, THERE IS A WAY TO SCORE: You won’t find one of Hawaii’s offensive weapons on first, second or on third downs.

Kicker Kimo Naehu has proved that the power of his leg is a valuable asset. Currently, Naehu leads af2 kickers with 37 kicking points as well as field goals with seven. He is also accurate hitting 64 percent of his field goals. He set a personal best with a 57-yard field goal against San Diego.

Naehu’s 37 points is second on the team in scoring and he represents about 19 percent of Hawaii’s offense.

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