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Undefeated Force come to town as Destroyers QB Matt Nagy faces his former team

March 26, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Destroyers (1-2), presented by Germain, will take on the Southern Division leading Georgia Force (4-0) on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena on Friday, Mar. 30. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

THIS WEEK: The Destroyers will take on the Georgia Force for the sixth time in history. The Force hold a 4-1 advantage in the series. The last game played between the two teams was last year on March 10 in Columbus. The Force won 68-50. Current Destroyers quarterback and then Force signal caller, Matt Nagy, was nearly flawless as he completed 23 of 27 passes for 210 yards and seven touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown to his performance.

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, Mar. 27 Practice/Conditioning 9:45-a.m.-12:35 p.m. Columbus FieldHouse

Wednesday, Mar. 28 Practice 9:45-11:50 a.m. Columbus FieldHouse

Thursday, Mar. 29 Walkthrough Practice 9-9:50 a.m. Columbus FieldHouse

LAST WEEK: The Destroyers opened the home portion to their 2007 Arena Football League season at Nationwide Arena. They played host to the Chicago Rush and lost 55-47. Two costly turnovers that turned into 14 points proved to be the difference. Destroyers QB Matt Nagy competed 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, adding two touchdowns on the ground. Offensive Player of the Game, Rush QB Matt D'Orazio, completed 23 of 36 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran in for two scores. Rush wide receiver Bobby Sippio led all receivers with 10 catches for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Destroyers' Josh Bush tied an AFL record for longest kickoff return in league history. His 58-yard kickoff return for touchdown has been recorded 33-times in the league's 20-plus history.

COMING UP: The Destroyers will invade the Lone Star State as they take on the Dallas Desperados at American Airlines Arena on Thursday, Apr. 5 kickoff is set for 8 p.m. (ET). The game is the first Eastern Division game for the Destroyers this season. The Desperados are led by 12-year veteran quarterback Clint Dolezel. The East Texas State graduate, is second all-time in the AFL with 776 touchdowns on 3,182 completions and 37,807 yards. Dolezel leads the 11th ranked passing offense in the league averaging under 266 yards per contest. Main targets for Dolezel include Marcus Nash and Will Pettis. The two have combined to make 48 receptions for 634 yards and 12 touchdowns.

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? The Destroyers special teams are providing a much needed boost to the team's overall game. Field goal percentage and kick returns are among the AFL leaders. Kicker Peter Martinez is fifth in the league in Field Goal Percentage at 60% (3-of-5); he nailed a season high 43-yard field goal against the New Orleans VooDoo on Mar. 9. Kick returners Damien Groce and Josh Bush have supplied great starting field position for the offense in the first three games of the season. The two have combined for 409 yards on 17 kick returns. The kick return average of 24.1 per return is second in the league.

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Last week against the Chicago Rush, Josh Bush, etched his name into the AFL record books as he returned a kickoff 58-yards for the score. The feat has now been accomplished 33-times in the league's 20-plus seasons.

MR. RELIABLE: David Saunders has caught 21 passes for 169 yards and five touchdowns this season. He has caught a touchdown in 14-consecutive games dating back to the 2006 season. Since the streak started on March 3, 2006 against the New York Dragons, Saunders has amassed 86 receptions for 891 yards and 22 touchdowns.

CSN IS ON THE AIR: The Columbus Destroyers announced last week that seven of the club's Arena Football League games will air on Columbus Sports Network (CSN). CSN's weekly magazine show, Destroyers Digest, the premier will broadcast on Thursday, Mar. 29 at 6:30 p.m. and re-air on Friday, Mar. 30 at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The show will provide in-depth coverage and analysis of the team and the AFL. In the broadcast booth for CSN are Randy Rhinehart (play-by-play), Greg Frey (color commentator), Gary Berry (sideline reporter) and Ray Crawford (pre-game show and Destroyers Digest host).

ON THE AIRWAVES: This week's contest between the Destroyers and the Force can be heard on your home for Destroyers football, the new WNNK 107.1 FM with the broadcast tandem of Steve Sefner (play-by-play) and Rob Blackman (color commentator). Tune in at 6:30 p.m. 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: Motorsports Night presented by Marathon is on March 30. Vehicles scheduled to appear include the DuPont/Jeff Gordon #24 "Fire and Flames" Monte Carlo show car, Dale Earnhardt Sr. #3 "Last Lap of the Century" Monte Carlo, Kyle Petty's #45 Marathon show car, the "2007 Grand Prix of Cleveland" show car, the Michigan International Speedway pace car, the Kentucky Speedway show car, the SUBWAY show car and the Pepsi Amphi Car. Also, on display will be the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship trophy won by Germain Racing's Todd Bodine. Fans will also have a chance to win tickets to the Grand Prix of Cleveland and view other motorsports displays including a Harley Davidson presented by A.D.Farrow. All fans in attendance will receive a poster featuring the 2007 Bombshells presented by A.D. Farrow. The poster includes individual photos of all members of the Bombshells dance team and a schedule of the 2007 Destroyers season. At the conclusion of the game, the Giant Eagle Ham Toss will take place on the field in conjunction with the post game autograph signing. Fans will have a chance to win a $10 Giant Eagle gift card, redeemable for a ham at Giant Eagle, by throwing a football through a target. The Huntington $10 Ticket Blitz begins opening night and continues for every home game during the 2007 Destroyers season. A minimum of 225 lower bowl seats will be available for $10 at the Nationwide Arena Box Office two hours prior to every home game. The regular price on lower bowl seats is $26. The Destroyers and Giant Eagle are teaming up with the Mid-Ohio FoodBank to TACKLE HUNGER in Central Ohio. Last year, with the help 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 to the food drive, 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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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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