Islanders fight past Wichita
By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer
There are friendly rivalries and there are heated ones.
The Hawaiian Islanders and Wichita Stealth have the latter and all it took was three meetings over a season and a half.
The Islanders (5-2) won, 61-55, last night before 3,197 at the Blaisdell Arena to take over sole possession of first place in the National West Division.
But the arenafootball2 game was marred by a fight in the second quarter, which led to four player ejections and Wichita (4-3) leaving the field for 10 minutes.
The incident occurred after Kimo Naehu kicked an extra point to put the Islanders up 21-16 five minutes into the second quarter.
Naehu was knocked down on the play, and Wichita's Kerry Linnear and the Islanders' Josh "Zeus" White pushed each other near midfield after the play.
"My leg was out there and he dove for it," Naehu said.
The Islanders' Morrie Roe knocked down Linnear before having his helmet ripped off by a Stealth player. A fan reached over the wall, which closely surrounds the field, and pulled the facemask of Wichita's Brian Livingston, who attempted to hit the fan by reaching over the wall.
Wichita head coach Bob Cortese said one of his players, who he declined to identify, was hit with a chair near the Stealth bench.
"The fans can't come over the wall and hit players with chairs," Cortese said. "I saw a player get hit with a chair while he was sitting."
Wichita's Jared Flint, who played for the Islanders last season, said he didn't see anyone hit with a chair, but he did see a fan throw one onto the field.
"Over there a guy threw a chair on the field," said Flint while pointing to the Stealth bench. "Anytime something like that happens security should be on it like that."
The Stealth immediately left the field and the Islanders soon followed.
Roe and Mike Tillis were ejected for the Islanders while Wichita's Linnear and Drew Mitchell were kicked out.
"They were taking cheap shots at us all game and you can only take so much of that," Roe said.
After the Stealth came back on the field, they were assessed a roughing the kicker penalty on the kickoff.
A key turning point in the game came following a 30-yard touchdown pass from Darnell Arceneaux to younger brother Anthony Arceneaux, which put the Islanders up 41-36 with 6:20 left in the third quarter.
On the kickoff, Michael Dritlein fumbled and the Islanders recovered at the Stealth 14.
The Islanders scored four plays later on a 10-yard pass from Darnell Arceneaux to Nian Taylor to make the score 47-36 with 3:35 left in the third quarter.
The Islanders scored touchdowns on their first five second-half possessions and reached a season high in points.
Darnell Arceneaux completed 12 of 24 passes for 201 yards and six touchdowns. Nian Taylor led the Islanders with four catches for 77 yards.
Wichita beat the Islanders, 31-27, last year, and 36-29 earlier this season. The will not meet again this regular season.
Stealth (4-3, 1-1) 13 17 6 19—55
Islanders (5-2, 3-2) 14 14 19 14—61
First Quarter
WIC—Brian Goolsby 6 run (Jason Corse kick)
HAW—Isaac White 9 pass from Darnell Arceneaux (Kimo Naehu kick)
WIC—Greg Kyler 41 pass from Anthony Buich (run failed)
HAW—D. Arceneaux 4 run (Naehu kick)
Second Quarter
WIC—FG Corse 44
HAW—Eddie Klaneski 56 kickoff return (Naehu kick)
WIC—Shoma Buchanan 6 pass from Buich (Corse kick)
WIC—Michael Dritlein 52 missed FG return (Corse kick)
HAW—Channon Harris 18 pass from D. Arceneaux (Naehu kick)
Third Quarter
HAW—Nian Taylor 13 pass from D. Arceneaux (Naehu kick)
WIC—Dritlein 9 pass from Buich (kick blocked)
HAW—Anthony Arceneaux 30 pass from D. Arceneaux (kick blocked)
HAW—Taylor 10 pass from D. Arceneaux (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
WIC—Buchanan 9 pass from Buich (Corse kick)
HAW—Chris Paogofie 1 run (Naehu drop-kick)
WIC—Dritlein 4 pass from Buich (kick failed)
HAW—Taylor 42 pass from D. Arceneaux (kick failed)
WIC—Buchanan 29 pass from Buich (kick blocked)
RUSHING—Wichita Stealth: Goolsby 6-22, Daren Williams 1-3, Dan Dawson 1-2. Hawaiian Islanders: D. Arceneaux 3-30, White 3-9, Paogofie 1-1.
PASSING—Wichita Stealth: Buich 26-35-0—292. Hawaiian Islanders: D. Arceneaux 12-24-1—201, Team 0-0-0—(minus 5).
RECEIVING—Wichita Stealth: Buchanan 9-96, Dritlein 7-85, Dawson 7-48, Greg Kyler 2-50; Ty Ardoin 1-13. Hawaiian Islanders: Taylor 4-77, Harris 4-62, White 2-12, A. Arceneaux 1-30, Darrell Jones 1-20.
