Stealth, Islanders Open Playoffs
Published on July 31, 2003 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
#6 WICHITA STEALTH (8-7-1) AT #3 HAWAIIAN ISLANDERS (10-6)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2003- NEAL BLAISDELL ARENA (6,443) 7:30 P.M LOCAL (1:30 a.m. ET)
The West Division Champion Hawaiian Islanders host their first-ever playoff game on Friday night when the sixth-seeded Wild Card Wichita Stealth come calling. These teams have met three times over the past two seasons, with Wichita holding a 2-1 series lead. These teams have never met in the postseason, and for Hawaii, this is the first game they've ever played beyond the month of July. Wichita and Hawaii have always played each other close, as the largest margin of victory in this series is seven points when Wichita beat Hawaii 36-29 on May 3 of this season. The home team has never lost in this series and Hawaii went 6-2 in Honolulu this season. ANTHONY BUICH takes the snaps for Wichita and is returning to the playoffs for the second straight season after guiding the Tulsa Talons to the semifinals last season. Buich has thrown 64 touchdowns this season, which ranked eighth best in af2. The Islanders counter with DARNELL ARECENEAUX, who is just two-games back from injury and struggled a bit last week against Bakersfield. JOSH WHITE provides a formidable rushing threat for the Islanders with his 302 yards and 14 touchdowns and may be the only noticeable advantage when you compare these equally effective offenses side-by-side. Both teams feature some playmakers on the defensive side of the ball as Wichita's BRIAN GOOLSBY has five sacks this season and Hawaii's EDDIE KLANESKI tallied 75 tackles and earned ADT Defensive Player of the Week honors two weeks ago. If Hawaii wins this game, they go on to face Tulsa next Saturday in Oklahoma, while the Stealth (if victorious) would travel to the Quad Cities for a Saturday night showdown with the No. 1 Steamwheelers.
OTHER FIRST ROUND GAMES:
Saturday, August 2
Mohegan at Cape Fear 7:30 p.m.
Florida at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Bakersfield at Arkansas 8:00 p.m.
All times Eastern
*Saturday game previews available on Friday
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