The Colorado Crush can make a little more hay and a little more history today at the Pepsi Center.
All the defending ArenaBowl champions have to do is beat the Las Vegas Gladiators to become the first team in club history to start the season with three victories.
The last time the Gladiators came to the Pepsi Center, Crush offensive specialist Damian Harrell set an Arena Football League record, catching a touchdown pass in his 42nd consecutive game.
That broke the mark of 41 held by Eddie Brown of the Albany and Indiana Firebirds.
Since, Harrell has continued making history, extending the mark in nine straight games. He had five touchdown receptions in a 61-59 victory over the Georgia Force in Atlanta last Sunday, pushing the number to 51.
“I haven’t been keeping count because I don’t like to chase stats, but I do think it’s kind of neat,” Harrell said. “That’s what I’m here for, to score touchdowns. That’s what I’m in the offense for. When we get into the red zone, I’m supposed to make a play.”
The Gladiators (1-1) lost their opener 64-46 at Austin, but recovered with an impressive 51-48 victory over San Jose at home last week.
What Harrell is to the Crush, Marcus Nash is to the Gladiators. With seven touchdowns this season, the former Bronco who was Denver’s top draft pick in 1998, is the third-leading scorer in the AFL with 42 points. Harrell leads the league with nine touchdowns for 54 points.
“They’ve got a good, balanced attack,” Crush coach Mike Dailey said. “I like Craig Whelihan, their quarterback. He had some time in the NFL with the Chargers, and they’ve got a good corps of receivers. The Nash kid was a first-round draft choice by the Broncos, you know, so they’ve got two pretty good players right there.
“They’re dangerous on offense, and on defense they really fly around and do a good job. You know, the AFL really has a lot of parity right now.”
The Crush’s first two victories both went down to the wire, starting with a 65-56 over Chicago in the home opener.
Crush/Today
Who: Las Vegas Gladiators (1-1) at Colorado Crush (2-0)
What: Arena Football League game
When: 1 p.m.
Where: Pepsi Center
TV/radio: FSN/KHOW 630 AM
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
