Friday, July 2, 1999

Hammerheads host key
tangle with Terminators

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

The Hawaii Hammerheads have a chance to alter their destiny tomorrow night at the Blaisdell Arena.

The franchise, financially struggling in the front office but red-hot on the field, hosts the Indoor Professional Football League's first-place team, the Texas Terminators (9-2).

The Hammerheads are 7-4 and in second place after holding off the Rocky Mountain Thunder, 28-17, in Colorado Springs last weekend. Chris Paogofie's interception on Hawaii's one-yard line and return for a touchdown in the closing seconds set the stage for a showdown with Texas.

Winning this home game is critical for Hawaii, which will be on the road for two of its last four games. Texas will be at home for three of its last four.

The Terminators arrived Wednesday stinging from a 32-27 upset last weekend at the hands of the Mississippi Firedogs before 4,321 fans at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.

"Hawaii is the hottest team in the league right now," said Terminators head coach Duane Duncum last night. "We are going to play a totally different team from the one we beat twice earlier this season."

The Hammerheads were beaten by the Terminators, 36-21 and 49-34, on consecutive weekends in April at the Travis County Expo Center in Austin, Texas.

"The Hammerheads are a very physical team - they're like pit bulls," said Duncum. "We are very physical, too, but they beat us up a little back then."

Duncum recalled how Paogofie knocked running back Gerald Bickham over the boards in one of the games.

"We're a small team that hits harder than the weight our frames carry," said Hawaii head coach Guy Benjamin. "Some coaches see our size and think they're going to outphysical us, but our little guys come up and knock the (stuffing) out of them."

Texas is led by a man Paogofie might be assigned to cover all night.

Quarterback James Brown, a 6-foot, 195-pounder who was the all-time career passing leader for the Texas Longhorns and won MVP honors at the Blue-Gray Classic, has thrown 34 touchdown passes for the Terminators this season.

"We are going to try to play a lot more man-to-man on the receivers," Eddie Klaneski said. "We'll have three corners in the game covering their three receivers, and we will have two safeties to cover the run."

Brown's favorite receiver is Demo Odems, who leads the league with 760 yards and 15 touchdowns.

"We have to stop their quarterback, because he likes to run away if you don't contain him," said Niko Vitale, who plays corner and safety.

Brown ran for four touchdowns in the two games against Hawaii.

Although he is one of Hawaii's key defensive starters, Vitale continues to lead the league in scoring with 17 touchdowns for 112 points.

He was moved to shore up an undermanned Hawaii defense.

Since the Texas trip, Tim Carey has taken over at quarterback for Brian Ah Yat, who is now with the Canadian Football League.

Ah Yat threw six touchdown passes against Texas. Carey has thrown 12 touchdown passes in the last seven games and a league-leading 68.6 percent completion average.

The Terminators lead the league in offense, averaging 41.2 points a game while Hawaii is second with 38.0.

"They'll score on you, and you make a turnover and blow a couple of things - boom - the game's over. So we have to play error-free, and we have to get some special teams help. Eddie (Klaneski) has to break one or two returns this weekend."

Texas is also first in scoring defense, allowing only 25.4 points a game. Hawaii is third at 35.1.

Texas has the best passing offense (176.7 yards a game) and Hawaii has the best rushing offense (67.4).