[ARENA FOOTBALL]
The Hawaiian Islanders' inaugural season ended the way it started: with a win over division rival Fresno. Islanders end season with style
Star-Bulletin staff
Darnell Anceneaux threw for four touchdowns and ran for one more to help the Islanders to a 46-36 win at Fresno yesterday. The victory gave the Islanders (5-11) sole possession of third place over the Frenzy (4-12) in the four-team division.
Arceneaux, who was named the game's MVP, threw for 238 yards without an interception.
The Frenzy pulled within three points of the Islanders midway through the third quarter when Arceneaux and receiver Nian Taylor took over.
Arceneaux hit his new favorite target from 19 yards out with 1:09 left in the third then blew it open 2 1/2 minutes later by hooking up with Taylor from 12 yards out.
That Taylor scored the deciding points was appropriate, as the Islanders closed out the season winning three of their last five games -- a string that started when Taylor joined the team.
Taylor finished with 78 yards on five catches. It was his 12th touchdown this season. Mike Tillis was Arceneaux's man early in the game, catching seven passes for 89 yards and the team's first touchdown.
Arceneaux, the first player signed to the team, finished the season with 43 touchdown passes and only 13 interceptions but was held to negative yardage on the ground for just the second time, running eight times for minus-3 yards.
He entered the game as the league's leading rusher.
The Islanders only had 5 yards rushing in the game, but beat Fresno in the air 233-159.
Chris Paogofie and Taulia Lave also scored for the Islanders.
At Fresno, Calif. Islanders 46, Frenzy 36
Islanders (5-11) 14 10 13 9 -- 46 Frenzy (4-12) 12 8 8 8 -- 36 FIRST QUARTER
Frenzy -- Aaron Frazier 7 pass from Kenny Rose (kick failed).
Islanders -- Mike Tillis 20 pass from Darnell Arceneaux (Kimo Naehu kick).
Frenzy -- Lamont Webb 34 pass from Rose (run failed).
Islanders -- Arceneaux 8 run (Naehu kick).SECOND QUARTER
Frenzy -- Webb 1 run (Webb pass from Rose).
Islanders -- Chris Paogofie 2 run (Naehu kick).
Islanders -- FG Naehu 34.THIRD QUARTER
Islanders -- Taulia Lave 5 pass from Arceneaux (Naehu kick).
Frenzy -- Ahmad Bhatti 4 pass from Rose (Ron Atkins pass from Rose).
Islanders -- Nian Taylor 19 pass from Arceneaux (kick failed).FOURTH QUARTER
Islanders -- Taylor 12 pass from Arceneaux (kick failed).
Frenzy -- Atkins 35 pass from Rose (Webb pass from Rose).
Islanders -- FG Naehu 26.RUSHING -- HI: C. Paogofie 2-5, Robert Kemfort 1-3, Arceneaux 8-(-3). FF: Carlos Cox 2-5, Atkins 1-3, Webb 2-2, Rose 2-1.
PASSING -- HI: Arceneaux 18-30-0-238. FF: Rose 13-29-0-169.
RECEIVING -- HI: Tillis 7-89, Taylor 5-78, Arceneaux 1-27, Mike Winters 1-18, Kemfort 1-10, C. Paogofie 1-10, Lave 1-5, Tiki Sagapolutele 1-1. FF: Eric Mahanke 5-58, Frazier 3-22, Webb 2-49, Atkins 1-35, Bhatti 1-4, Carlos Cox 1-1.
Hawaiian Islanders