The Hawaiian Islanders enter their first road trip of the arenafootball2 season shorthanded and with a short week of practice. Islanders embark
on first road tripBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comThe Islanders head into tomorrow's game with the Quad City Steamwheelers in Moline, Ill., without three players and with only two full practices following Sunday's season-opening victory over Green Bay.
"The biggest concern is we don't have enough practice time," Islanders coach Cal Lee said. "Playing on Sunday and leaving on Wednesday does not leave you many days of practice, and that's a concern. But that's the way the cards are dealt and you just have to make the best of it."
Kickoff at The Mark of the Quad-Cities arena is set for 3:30 p.m. (Hawaii time).
Islanders center Roy Ma'afala, tight end Taulia Lave and backup linebacker/receiver Robert Kemfort did not make the trip due to work commitments.
Josh White will move from fullback to tight end to fill Lave's spot in the starting lineup. Andy Ramos, last year's starting center, will step in for Ma'afala.
Tomorrow's game is the season opener for Quad City, which went 10-6 last season and split its meetings with the Islanders. The Steamwheelers scored a 69-39 win over the Islanders in last year's game in Moline.
The Islanders opened their second season in af2 with a 48-37 victory over Green Bay on Sunday, giving Lee a win in his professional coaching debut.
"Any time it's your first one, you've got a little more jitters and little more anxiety," Lee said. "I'm really pleased with the way the players reacted. We fell behind and they took on the challenge and never gave up and played much better along the way."
The Islanders defense will try to contain Quad City offensive specialist Ira Gooch, who led the Steamwheelers with 3,472 all-purpose yards and 37 touchdowns last season.
The Islanders counter with the combo of quarterback Darnell Arceneaux and receiver/defensive back Nian Taylor. Arceneaux tossed four touchdown passes, three to Taylor, in Sunday's win.
The experience of the Islanders' returnees will also be a key as the team looks to extend a three-game winning streak dating back to last year with a road win.
"You have to be efficient, be on top of your game and don't let the crowd bother you," Arceneaux said. "We're a veteran team, we know what to do and we've got veteran coaches that know how to play in hostile situations."
Hawaiian Islanders