Islanders helped
by tragic tie
The Hawaiian Islanders reached another goal last week, although the milestone came under somber circumstances.
The Islanders' 34-26 victory over San Diego last Friday combined with a tie between Wichita and Bakersfield gave the Islanders the National Conference West Division championship and the right to host a first-round game in the arenafootball2 playoffs on Aug. 1.
The game between the Wichita Stealth and Bakersfield Blitz was declared a 7-7 tie following the death of a Bakersfield player.
Both Wichita and Bakersfield needed to win the game to have a chance to catch the Islanders in the division title race going into this week's regular-season finales.
The Islanders (10-5) will be the third seed in the National Conference and host Bakersfield at 6 p.m. Sunday at Blaisdell Arena in the final game of af2's regular-season schedule.
If Hawaii wins this week, or if Wichita and Arkansas both win, the Islanders and Blitz will meet again in a first-round playoff game set for Aug. 1 at Blaisdell.
"It's always been a goal," Islanders coach Cal Lee said of the division title. "One of the goals was to get in the playoffs, and we did that. The other goal was to host the playoffs, which is even better. ... But it's a tragedy that the young person passed away."
Bakersfield's Julian Yearwood collapsed in the bench area during the first quarter of Saturday's game at Wichita and could not be resuscitated. The cause of Yearwood's death has not been determined.
Kudos for Klaneski: Hawaii defensive specialist Eddie Klaneski was named the af2 ADT Defensive Player of the Week for his role in a record-setting performance against San Diego last week.
Klaneski intercepted two passes, broke up two others and recorded five solo tackles in the Islanders' win at San Diego on July 18. He also set up two scores by returning four kickoffs for a total of 99 yards and returned a missed field goal 19 yards.
Klaneski was named the defensive player of the game for the sixth time this season and earned his first national award. He is the third Islander to win a national award this season. Nian Taylor won the national Ironman Award for Week 8 and Josh White won the award in Week 13.
San Diego's 26 points were the fewest allowed by the Islanders in franchise history. The previous low came on May 24 when Hawaii defeated Cincinnati 35-28.
Playoff tickets on sale: Season-ticket holders can purchase tickets for the Islanders' upcoming af2 playoff game today through Monday at the Blaisdell Center box office.
All unsold tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday. Ticket prices are $22.50 for suite level, $15 for the lower bowl, $10 for the upper level and $7 for students (ages 17 and under) in the upper level. A convenience fee will be charged.
Police honored: Sunday's game will be Police Appreciation Night, sponsored by Ohana Hotels and Resorts. The first 500 fans through the gates will receive a free hot dog and soda.
Elsewhere ...: In what was billed as the biggest game of the season in af2, Quad City (13-2) ended Tennessee Valley's run at a perfect season with a 63-34 rout last Saturday in Moline, Ill.
Quad City quarterback Tony Zimmerman completed 17 of 30 passes for 237 yards and eight touchdowns for the Steamwheelers, who have won 13 consecutive games. Tennessee Valley fell to 14-1.
