Blitz come to town to face Islanders
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
A chance for improvement.
• WHAT: Arena Football 2 • WHO: Bakersfield Blitz (1-0) vs. Hawaiian Islanders (1-0) • WHEN: 7:10 p.m. tomorrow • WHERE: Star Markets Field at the Neal Blaisdell Arena • TICKETS: $10 to $150 (call 532-7362 for information) • TV: Live on Pay-Per-View channel 77/Dig. 777 (Rebroadcast 8 p.m. Monday, April 15 on OC 16) • RADIO: Delayed on 1420 AM after UH men's volleyball
That's what tomorrow night's Arena Football 2 game will be for the Hawaiian Islanders, who won their inaugural game two weeks ago.
Game facts
"This game is more important than the first one," said head coach Guy Benjamin. "A measure of how well a team will do in a season can be gauged by how well they improve from the first game."
The Islanders (1-0) will face conference foes Bakersfield (1-0) tomorrow at the Neal Blaisdell Arena.
The team could use a win before heading on the road next week to face the league's defending champions Quad City on their turf.
And it wouldn't hurt to beat the Bakersfield Blitz since Hawai'i has to play them twice more this season.
"A win will set the tone for the next two times," said Benjamin, who declared the team's goal is to post a perfect record at home. "Nobody's coming to Hawai'i to have a vacation on us."
The Blitz may be one of the Islanders' toughest competitors this season. But Benjamin feels confident in his offense led by quarterback Darnell Arceneaux, who earned Offensive Player of the Week honors after a clutch performance against the Fresno Frenzy in the season opener.
"Darnell has got to play better in this game that the last game," Benjamin said. "And he's entirely capable of doing it."
The Islanders boast the league's top receiver. Wide out Darrell Jones leads the af2 with 12 receptions per game.
But Bakersfield has its own offensive threats.
Quarterback Chad Elliot, who completed more than 60 percent of his passes, is first in the league in passing yards with 341 and in total offense with 350 yards.
And Elliot has targets.
Wide out Ryan Sloth is tied for second in the league in receptions with 11. Steve Wofford is fifth with nine.
The key for the Islanders will be the pass rush.
"It's a quarterback game," Benjamin said. "We have to score a lot of points on offense ourselves. And we have to put a lot of pressure on the passer"
With both teams armed with gunning quarterbacks, Benjamin expects this game to be an air show — and an exciting matchup for fans.
The team's season opener March 30 drew more than 4,376, who witnessed the Islanders grab its first win, 50-47, against the Fresno Frenzy in a thrilling, down-to-the-wire game.
