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Undefeated Soul visit Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena for Monday Night Game

April 16, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Destroyers will take on Eastern Division rival Philadelphia Soul on Monday, April 21, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. (ET) on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena. The Destroyers (2-5, 0-3) won their last home contest a 51-49 victory over the Tampa Bay Storm in Week 6 and are looking to win consecutive games at home for the first time since May 4 and 11, 2007 when they defeated New York and Grand Rapids, respectively . Below is a look ahead at this week's opponent, practice schedule, team news and notes and broadcast information.

DESTROYERS/SOUL PREVIEW: The Destroyers and Soul (7-0, 1-0) will meet for their ninth time in the history of the two franchises with the series tied at four games apiece. Columbus has had the upper hand the past two seasons winning three of four contests.

The two last teams met on in Columbus on April 23, 2007, on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday Night. The Destroyers were victorious 44-21 in front of 14,664 fans at Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena. In their last two visits to Columbus, the Soul has scored a combined 41 points (20 on Mar. 18, 2006).

The Soul is led by Columbus native and former Destroyers quarterback Matt D'Orazio. The Otterbein graduate, has led unbeaten Philadelphia to its last four victories with quarterback Tony Graziani sidelined with a knee injury. In four games he has completed 114-of-170 passes for 1,329 yards, 26 touchdowns and two interceptions, vaulting him as the AFL's highest rated quarterback (123.9).

Among his targets is one of the League's leading receivers Chris Jackson. The Washington State graduate, now in his ninth AFL season, ranks among the top-five in all receiving categories this season. He is the League's leading scorer (156 points), tied for second in receptions (65) and second in receiving yards (851).

PRACTICE SCHEDULE: The practice schedule for this week is below. Practice times and locations are subject to change. All practices at the Columbus FieldHouse (6124 Busch Blvd., Columbus, OH 43229) are open to the public. Practices/Walk-Thru's at Nationwide Arena are closed.

Day Event Time Place

Thursday Practice/Conditioning 11 a.m.-12:35 p.m. Columbus FieldHouse

Friday Practice/Conditioning 9:30-11:35 a.m. Columbus FieldHouse

Saturday Practice 9-11:40 a.m. Columbus FieldHouse

Sunday Walk-Thru 9-10 a.m. Columbus FieldHouse

ESPN FACTOR: The Columbus Destroyers are 4-1 in games broadcast on ESPN dating back to last season. Columbus played host to the Philadelphia Soul as part of Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday Night on Apr. 23, 2007, and won 44-21. The Destroyers were victorious over the Storm 56-55 in the Wild Card Round, defeated the Desperados 66-59 in the Divisional Round, and knocked off Georgia to claim the National Conference crown. The lone blemish on the Destroyers' spotlight on the Worldwide Leader in Sports was a 55-33 loss in ArenaBowl XXI-New Orleans to the San Jose SaberCats last July.

LANDRY'S LAUNDRY LIST: Defensive lineman Mike Landry was acquired on Mar. 4 after spending training camp with the New Orleans VooDoo. The fourth year AFL veteran has tallied 14.0 tackles (10UT-8AT) and leads the team with 5.5 tackles for loss (tied for fourth in the AFL) and 2.5 sacks. In fact, ever since the Shreveport, La. native donned a Destroyers jersey, he has tallied a tackle for loss in five-consecutive games and a portion of a quarterback sack in 3-of-5 contests.

ON THE AIRWAVES: This week's contest between the Destroyers and Soul can be heard on your home for Destroyers football, WNNK 107.1 FM with the broadcast tandem of Todd Walker (play-by-play), Rob Blackman (color commentator) and Archie (sideline reporter) on the call. Tune in at 7:30 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.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: Monday, April 21, is Nationwide Night "White Out" T-Shirt Night. The first 12,000 fans in attendance will receive a T-shirt compliments of Nationwide. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will display items on the Pepsi Parkway. Items include: a coat worn by Paul Brown; former Buckeye Cris Carter's helmet, shoes and 122nd reception football; Archie Griffin, Eddie George and Ted Ginn jersey's. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will be represented by Class of 1998 member Anthony Munoz, who will be signing autographs beginning at 7 p.m. The game between the Destroyers and the Philadelphia Soul will be shown to a national viewing audience on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday Night on ESPN2 (HD). Fans can also purchase tickets for All You Can Eat Night. The all-you-can-eat package includes hot dogs, bratwurst, popcorn, peanuts (bagged) and any 22-ounce Pepsi product, for only $30.

TICKET INFORMATION: The Destroyers 2008 home schedule features seven Saturday night games and one Monday night contest. 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 Chiller Easton, Chiller Dublin and Chiller North. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for group rates by calling (614) 246-HITS.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 16, 2008


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