Blaze Open Season Against Division Foe San Jose
Josh Fisher
Wednesday October 26, 2005
The Blaze was aligned in the West Division of the American Conference along with White’s former team, the Arizona Rattlers. The division also includes the Las Vegas Gladiators, Los Angeles Avengers and the SaberCats. The Blaze will play each team in this division twice during the regular season, meaning two memorable games with White facing the Rattlers. The first of those meeting comes on February 18 at America West Area in Phoenix. The two teams will meet at the Delta Center on April 7.
Utah opens its home schedule during Week 2 as they host the Dallas Desperados. The following week the New York Dragons will invade Salt Lake City. The Dragons are the only team from the National Conference that made the playoffs ton 2005 that will visit the Delta Center. Other non-division visitors include the newly revamped Nashville Kats and the expansion Kansas City franchise. The expansion bowl is set for May 12.
April 1 Utah heads for Tampa Bay and a battle with the Storm. White has had little success against the Storm, going just 4-7 against them during his time in Arizona. Utah will visit the defending ArenaBowl XIX champion Colorado Crush on April 21 and two weeks later visit Mike Ditka’s Chicago Rush.
Of the 11 teams on the Blaze 2006 schedule, eight had winning records in 2005, with six qualifying for the playoffs. White has gone 44-30 during his career against the teams on the schedule, having faced everyone except Arizona and Kansas City.
Josh Fisher has been a fan of the AFL for as long as he can remember. He followed the Arizona Rattlers since they began playing. Josh works for the University of Utah
as their head statistician. He is also the media contact for Klub Boom
Volleyball Club and the head volleyball coach at Park City High School.
