Week 7 Preview - Blackjacks at Destroyers
June 5, 2019 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Atlantic City Blackjacks News Release
The Atlantic City Blackjacks (3-3) will head to Columbus to take on the Destroyers (0-6) to start their four-game road trip on Friday, June 7. The Blackjacks sit in second place tied with Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. Starting off the road trip with a win will be crucial to the teams push for the playoffs. Fans can watch live on NBCSP+, ESPN3 or the ESPN app, or listen to the call live on 97.3 ESPN at 7:00 p.m.
"We are excited about playing in Columbus this week," said Ron James, Head Coach of the Atlantic City Blackjacks. "It is a great football town with a rich history in our league. The Destroyers are a well-coached team that plays extremely hard. We will need to match their intensity for four quarters to achieve victory."
Atlantic City must go into Nationwide Arena on Friday and play at the same intensity they have been playing all year. The desperation level will be high with the Destroyers looking to get their first win in front of their home crowd. The first matchup to watch will be if the Blackjacks defensive backs can stop Destroyers receiver Fabian Guerra. The rookie is putting up some big numbers from week to week. On the year Guerra has 32 receptions, 412 receiving yards and nine touchdowns while missing one game. He is also a threat when returning kicks, on the year he is third in kick return yards with 346 and leads the League with two kick return touchdowns. If the Blackjacks can shut down Guerra, quarterback Grant Russell will have to look for other ways to put points up on the board.
The next area of play to watch for will be the Blackjacks' defensive line. The last time these two teams played each other was Week 2 and Monte Lewis had his three-sack game. Antron Dillon also had one sack and one forced fumble. Lewis' only sacks of the season came in that game and Antron Dillon played a huge part in the Blackjacks' victory in Week 6. The Destroyers offense will be in some trouble if Lewis and Dillon can put on a similar performance. Along with those two players, Donte Rumph and Lynden Trail have contributed in big ways this season. With a short week of practice and preparation, it will be interesting to see what player makes a big difference in Week 7.
The last aspect of play to lookout for will be if Randy Hippeard can have a better game than the first time he faced the Destroyers. In Week 2, Hippeard only threw for 143 yards and two touchdowns. The Blackjacks receivers had a quiet game as well with no player getting over 50 receiving yards. Kendrick Ings had the most with 44 yards. The run game produced three touchdowns with Antwane Grant, LaMark Brown and Hippeard each getting one touchdown. Leading the Destroyers in tackles with 27 is Larico Stevenson and Varmah Sonie has two interceptions. With the receiving core of the Blackjacks heating up, it will be a challenge for the Destroyers to have an answer in shutting down multiple players. Hippeard will have several options on Friday to do damage on the offensive side of the ball.
Fans can secure their season tickets for the Atlantic City Blackjacks now with a $50 deposit per seat ($75 for VIP seats) by calling 609-783-9494 or by going to ACBlackjacks.com. A team representative will contact those that have submitted a deposit within a week to select your specific seats, which will be done in order in which deposits were received.
Atlantic City Blackjacks 2019 Season Presented by Tropicana Atlantic City.
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