The coaches and quarterbacks who led their teams to the ArenaBowl in August headline the rosters for Saturday’s AFL China exhibition game at Blaisdell Arena.
Arizona Rattlers coach Kevin Guy and Clint Doelzel of the Philadelphia Soul will lead the West and East teams, respectively, in the game, which will also feature several players with Hawaii ties.
Kamehameha graduate Brennen Carvalho earned first-team All-Arena honors this season for Philadelphia and will be the center for the East in his return to the islands before the teams continue on to China next week.
Saturday’s game, scheduled for 4 p.m., will be the first of two exhibitions held by AFL China, with the second set for Nov. 10 in Beijing.
The rosters were assembled with current Arena Football League players and participants from AFL China tryouts held in Honolulu earlier this year.
Guy led the Arizona Rattlers to their second straight AFL championship with a 48-39 win over Philadelphia on Aug. 17.
Arizona quarterback Nick Davila threw for 315 yards and six touchdowns in the ArenaBowl and will accompany Guy to Hawaii as part of the West’s roster. Davila was a second-team All-Arena selection after finishing second in the league with 4,847 passing yards and 110 touchdowns.
The Rattlers will also be represented by defensive linemen Anttaj Hawthorne and Marcus Pittman and defensive back Arkeith Brown.
Doelzel will call plays for Philadelphia quarterback Dan Raudabaugh, the AFL’s third-leading passer with 4,699 yards. Raudabaugh’s 96 touchdowns ranked fourth in the league.
Former University of Hawaii kicker Kenton Chun is part of the West roster, and Kimo Naehu, who played for the Hawaiian Islanders, will kick for the East. Former UH linebacker Josh Rice will also play for the West.
The game will be preceded by an ESPN Fan Fest in the arena parking lot starting at 10 a.m. and a concert featuring Jordis Unga, Jasmine Trias and Nesian N.I.N.E. at 1 p.m.
Tickets range from $25 to $55 and are available at the Blaisdell box office and Ticketmaster outlets.
