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All the Elite League news that's fit to print, assembled by one person with entirely too much time on his hands (anyone now hearing Styx lyrics in their head is my kind of people...)

Week 7 Recap

Crush 10, Wild 8...Nicholas Hoch ran for 14 yards on the final play of the third quarter and defense held Milwaukee to minus-12 yards on their final two possessions to ensure there would be no late-game heartbreak for the home fans. Armando Lang with 150 yards of offense for Canton, which moves into a three-way tie atop the Parcells Division with the Wild and St. Louis as a result of the win.

Bombers 17, Bandits 16...Sim beats Sim for Brooklyn's first win of the season. Eddie Elias with 189 yards of offense and a TD for the Bombers. Mark Smith countered with a combined 186 yards rushing/receiving for Santa Fe as both teams now reside at the 1-6 mark.

Riptide 19, Witches 14...it was death by kicker and turnover in the second half as Timothy Beltran split the uprights from 53 and 55 yards away to hand the Witches their first loss of the season while improving to 5-2 overall. Johnathan Embree was 25-for-31 for 218 yards, 2 TD's and an interception in the loss for Salem.

Golden Pterodactyls 10, Talons 6...Albert Hite returned an interception 52 yards for a score midway through the fourth quarter to lift Star City to a 10-6 victory in a key Walsh divisional contest. Defensively, the Talons did everything needed to win, holding the GP's to 6 first downs and just 135 yards of offense, but offensively the team threw three critical interceptions, including one well inside Star City territory in the final two minutes to extinguish a potential go-ahead drive. It was the first loss of the season for Tallahassee, while Star City moves within a half-game of the divisional lead at 5-1-1.

Phantoms 44, Assassins 13...A huge second half propelled Parlor City to a 44-13 blowout win that dropped yet another team from the ranks of the undefeated on Wednesday night. Harry Knopp threw for 424 yards as the Phantoms scored 30 unanswered points to break open an early back-and-forth affair. Props to Lloyd Ver on the Phantoms defense, finishing his night with two sacks. Michael Hardnet threw for 332 yards, 121 of it going to Fordham General in the loss for Columbus City.

Wallabies 25, Coyotes 3...Perth trotted out a radically revamped lineup and, look mom, I did something right! in a 25-3 win over winless simmed Mt. Washington, which barely topped the century mark on offense. Adam Donnelly with six field goals for Perth.

Tennessee 19, Burn 0...Ronald Davidson caught a late first half touchdown pass, then ran for a second score in the fourth quarter as Tennessee blanked the Burn by a 19-0 count. The real props of the night, however, go to Tennessee's defensive unit, which held Boise to 200 yards of offense and forced five turnovers, including a quartet of interceptions. Alfred Diaz was a maniac from his middle linebacking position, ending the contest with 12 tackles.

Geechee 30, Dragons 17...Everett Lor's two fourth-quarter field goals added some insurance space on the scoreboard as the Geechee dropped the Dragons by a 30-17 final count. Terry Fields pulled in a pair of first-half TD passes as Charleston opened a 24-10 lead at intermission. John Whitney had 319 yards passing on a 32-for-45 night. Glendora had a 406-yard night from Russell Gargano, but also saw their QB toss a pair of interceptions in Geechee territory. John Claypoole with 155 yards receiving in the loss as, in a 4.5 rarity, both teams topped 400 yards of offense.

Crusaders 35, Hefty Buffalo 16...California struck for a trio of third-quarter touchdowns to transform a one-point game at halftime into a decisive road victory over Fort Drum. Efficiency was the key as James Vincent finished just 14-for-19 passing the ball, but produced 3 touchdowns and 222 yards in those efforts to finish with a 151.75 quarterback rating. Two of those scoring throws went to Mark Lofton, who finished with 102 receiving yards. On the opposite side of the field, Scott Phillips had 207 receiving yards on eight catches as QB Gregory Stallings threw for 371 yards in the loss. The Crusaders are now the final unbeaten team remaining in the league.

Snappers 29, Wampas 9...Natchitoches scored on six of its first seven possessions to easily outpace the Aspen Wampas by 20. Props to Robert Yorke for booting five field goals for the Snappers, who also got 161 receiving yards and a score from Leroy Donald. The Snappers improve to 3-4 overall while the Wampas, 0-6-1, continue to look for their first victory.

Islanders 16, Americans 3...Cries of Ku Kia'i Mauna echoed about the stadium as the Hawai'i Islanders defeated Rochester by a 16-3 final count. The defense came up huge for Hawai'i in the fourth quarter as the Islanders twice held the Americans on downs inside the red zone to maintain their 13-point advantage. The victory pulls the Islanders within a game of the Brown Division lead at 4-3. Rochester continues to be the lead dog in that chase, now 5-2 overall.

Twisters 16, Bulldogs 10...Ronald Anderson returned an interception for a score and the Twisters limited Bennington to just five first downs on the night in a 16-10 win. Les Gould hit Robert Chavez with a 73-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that accounted for roughly one-third of the Bulldogs' total offense in the contest. That strike pulled the team within 13-10 at the time. Arkansas added a 50-yard kick with just over 3 minutes to play, and the Twisters' defense locked down when it appeared Bennington might be driving for a late-game score to get the ball back on downs. Arkansas improves to 2-5 on the year. The Bulldogs are 1-6 overall.

Stampede 17, Event 16...James Palmer hit Joaquim Rush with a 3-yard TD pass with 1:27 remaining to complete a second-half comeback and send St. Louis home with a one-point victory over the Maine Event. The first half was all Event as the host team carried a 13-0 lead into the halftime locker room, but the team could get very little moving offensively in the second half. Palmer, who finished 33-for-38 passing for 289 yards, efficiently kept St. Louis moving the ball in the second half. The first score, a 4-yard TD pass to Michael Barth came off a fumble recovery by the Stampede defense, but it was the attrition of the Event defense that resulted in scoring drives of 47 and 80 yards in the fourth quarter and provided the final 10 points of the game. St. Lous out-gained Maine 159-20 over the final 15 minutes. Both clubs are now 4-3.

Spartans 26, Red Rocks 6...On a night where they gained just 238 yards, the Toronto Spartans made efficient use of the field position they were provided to comfortably defeat Coos Bay by a 26-6 final count. Mark Dahl dove in from a yard out for a score in the first half while Dewayne Gaulke hauled in a 25-yard TD reception in the second half. Toronto improves to 6-1 while Coos Bay slides to 2-5 for the year.

Kings 6, Maurauders 0...Tad Jensen hit from 59 (!!) and 46 yards out to give the Kings all the points they would need in a narrow shutout victory. Neither team topped 200 yards of offense in the contest as 120 of Lyon's 197 yards in the game came on their two scoring drives. Reno's offense, meanwhile, saw the Kings' side of the 50 just once in the game as they reached the 33 before punting. Lyon moves to 4-3. Reno is now 0-6-1.

Cobras 20, Thunder 10...Rancho Cucamonga held Tacoma to just 33 yards rushing in the contest to rack up a 20-10 victory. Michael Mullins powered across for a first-quarter Cobra score and Dwight Albert pulled in a 14-yard pass for a score late in the third quarter for RC's touchdowns. Stuart Fizer had a short TD dive for the Thunder's only trip into the end zone on the night. The Cobras are now 4-3 while the Thunder drop to 0-6-1.

Great job Red! awesome reviews. Dragon management dropped the ball vs the Geechee, if you saw the lady I was with from yesterday afternoon on, you'd completely understand, lol.

Love it and Yes I hear Styx...

Week 8 recap -- HALFWAY HOME

Half the season is in the books with the California Crusaders still cruising along with an unblemished record. Meanwhile five of the eight divisions currently have one or fewer games separating the top two (or more…looking your way Brown Division) teams. Here’s your Week 8 rundown…

Spartans 23, Wampas 6…Shawn Auer, Carlos Prado and William Loch all had rushing TD’s for the Spartans, who fell just shy of 500 yards of offense on the night. John Ruckman added a QB sack for a safety as Toronto improved to 7-1 on the year.

Kings 10, Twisters 6…a pair of Andrew Matthews long-range field goals in the second half wasn’t enough for Arkansas to overcome a 10-0 halftime deficit. Bobby Wilson hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass from Brian Williams in the final 2 minutes of the first half for the game’s only trip into the end zone. Lyon up to 5-3. Arkansas slides to 2-6.

Phantoms 27, Bulldogs 6…Parlor City jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead and cruised from there in this Shula Division showdown. Harry Knopp hit Charles Raymond and Francis Boyd with TD passes as part of a 263-yard passing night and the team also got a short coring run just before intermission from Thomas Soto. Bennington struggled mightily, gaining just 143 yards in the contest.

Geechee 21, Riptide 13…Charleston’s John Whitney finished with three TD passes while the Geechee defense kept San Diego from crossing midfield in the second half of this Gibbs Division clash. Whitney finished just 23-for-46 but produced 368 yards on those limited completions. More importantly, he avoided turnovers, which proved costly to San Diego counterpart Noah Nichols, who had 281 yards to show for the game. Terry Fields with 206 yards receiving for the Geechee, who improve to 7-1. San Diego slides to 5-3.

Snappers 37, Event 14…Natchitoches scored on 7 of its first 8 possessions in the game to send the Event spiraling to their third consecutive defeat and keep the Brown Division standings insane. Jason Rodriguez was 28-for-33 for 376 yards and a pair of touchdown tosses in the win. Leo Griffin was a favorite target, hauling in 203 yards of passing and one of the TD’s. Both teams are 4-4 currently in a division where all four teams are within a game of one another.

Tennessee 17, Islanders 7…Third quarter TD passes to James Morgan and Tommie Shick helped quarterback Jeffrey Swiger swing the tide of momentum in Tennessee’s favor in this cross-divisional contest. On the night, Swiger finished with 309 yards through the air. Larry Sequeira hauled in a 65-yard pass early in the contest for the only Hawai’I score.

Red Rocks 16, Cobras 14…Willie McCaffrey’s 56-yard boot as time expired lifted Coos Bay to a 16-14 victory and sent the 52,192 Ocean Floor fans into a frenzy. It was a fitting decision for a Red Rocks effort that saw their team possess the football for more than 40 minutes on offense, but which had fans wondering if they would ever get points to show for that time of possession dominance. Brian Armstrong had 312 yards passing on a 36-for-42 effort. With the win, Coos Bay closes to within a game of the Cobras for second place in the Landry Division as both teams try not to lose sight of California.

Witches 23, Americans 17…James Scott’s interception near the goal line in the final two minutes turned away a late Rochester drive and preserved a 23-17 victory for Salem. The Americans seemed on the verge of a late-game rally after Alexander Thomas connected with Michael Love on a 65-yard free play completion (Salem was offsides on the snap) that took the ball inside the Witches 1. On the following play though Joshua Hymes burst through the middle of the line to get strong pressure on Thomas, who threw a fluttery ball off his back foot that Scott was able to run under and return 25 yards. The Witches were able to successfully run out the clock from there. Jared Smith had 116 yards rushing for Salem, which moved to 7-1. Rochester dropped to 5-3 with the loss.

Assassins 26, Coyotes 7…Columbus City held Mt. Washington to just 150 yards of offense to comfortably stay tied for the Gibbs Division lead at 7-1. Fordham General had 199 combined rushing and receiving yards, including a TD run in the contest for the Assassins. Half of the Coyotes’ offensive output came on a 75-yard TD pass from Leo Slagle to Marcus Fitzsimmons early in the second quarter. Aside from that play, the Assassins kept the 0-8 Coyotes mired throughout the game.

Dragons 27, Wild 16…Glendora outscored Milwaukee 20-3 in the second half to storm to victory. Russell Gargano had a pair of third-quarter TD passes to help transform a 13-7 halftime deficit into a 21-13 lead. Milwaukee trimmed the gap to 21-16 late, but two Stephen Riley field goals and a key goal line stand with less than 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter kept Glendora safe. The Dragons sit at 6-2 midway through the season.

Crusaders 19, Stampede 7…California used a stifling defense and ball control to improve to 8-0 on the season. John Germaine had 125 combined rushing and receiving yards while James Vincent threw for 270 yards and a score. The Crusaders scored 13 points on their first 3 possessions to grab control of the contest. That was more than enough for a defense that had surrendered fewer than 130 yards until giving up a 72-yard touchdown drive in the waning minutes of the game. The Stampede move back to level at 4-4, one game back in the Parcells Division.

Hefty Buffalo 17, Thunder 6…Gregory Stallings threw for a pair of first-half touchdown passes to give Fort Drum an early lead that they never relinquished in this showdown with Tacoma. Stallings was an accurate 31-for-35 for 216 yards in the contest. Scott Phillips had 115 combined yards and a score as Ft. Drum improves to 2-6 and the Thunder stay one of four teams searching for a W still.

Crush 31, Bombers 15…Joseph Burke threw TD passes to three different receivers as the Crush rolled to victory in a game that only looks close by virtue of 10 fourth-quarter points from Brooklyn. Burke was the picture of efficiency, completing 11 of 15 passing opportunities for 239 yards. Kevin Sanchez added 114 yards on the ground as the Crush improved to 5-3 overall.

Wallabies 23, Burn 6…For the second consecutive game, the Perth defense gave up barely more than 100 yards to an opponent, but the game was too close for comfort until Ross Fanning dove in for a 1-yard TD run on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend the Wallabies’ lead to 17-3. The win was the fourth in a row for Perth, which finds itself back at the .500 mark after a miserable first month of the season.

Golden Pterodactyls 20, Bandits 6…Christopher Wilson added a pair of 50+-yard FG’s to his stat column, but it wasn’t enough to lift Santa Fe past a determined Star City squad. Erik Easter hit Ryan Moreno for a 62-yard strike to open the second quarter and Richard Hines had a late TD run to finally allow the GP’s to breathe easy in the contest on a night where both defenses shined. William Henke had 11 stops for Star City, which is now 6-1-1, half a game back in the Walsh Division. The Bandits dropped their sixth straight contest.

Talons 36, Marauders 7…Tallahassee outgained Reno 564-122 as the Talons stormed to victory. Robert Hayden and James Castillo both rushed for over the century mark in the contest, finishing with 144 and 101 yards, respectively. The pair also had one TD run apiece. Hayden also found himself on the receiving end of one of two Talon TD passes in the contest. Michael Belli (131 receiving yards) hauled in the other. The Talons improve to 7-1.

Great work again Red!
One thing to note in the Talons game - backup QB Peters got his first start of the season after a dreadful performance from the starter last game. QB controversy is brewing in FLA.

I love the weekly recaps Red!!!

Week 9 recap

Crusaders 27, Dragons 24…Lloyd Braun’s 45-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Crusaders to a 27-24 win and their ninth victory in as many tries this season. The late-game heroics were only made possible thanks to a 10-yard TD pass from James Vincent to John Germaine just seconds earlier, which tied the game with 76 ticks left on the clock. California’s defense held Glendora, which took the aggressive route and attempted to pass rather than allow the clock to elapse and take their chances in extra time. The move saved a pair of timeouts for the Crusaders’ offense, which moved the ball 43 yards in three plays for the winning score. Vincent finished with 215 yards and 3 TD’s passing for the Crusaders. Dragons starting QB Russell Gargano had 385 yards and 2 TD’s in the loss for the Dragons.

Red Rocks 29, Marauders 14…Brian Armstrong needed fewer than 4 minutes to connect on a pair of TD passes for Coos Bay to lift them to victory. Armstrong found Leroy Rivera for a 75-yard connection on the second play from scrimmage and added a shorter TD pass to James Johnson before the first quarter clock ticked below 11 minutes. Reno never got closer than nine points from there. Rivera had a combined 232 yards of offense out of the Red Rocks’ backfield.

Wild 35, Stampede 6…Milwaukee’s defense ran wild in a 35-6 thrashing of the Stampede. St. Louis was in the game until late in the first half, trailing just 10-6 with fewer than 3 minutes to play until intermission after William Tice’s 25-yard field goal. Disaster struck in the waning seconds of the first half for Stampede fans though. George Gandy had a 39-yard field goal with fewer than 20 seconds remaining in the half. With just 4 seconds remaining, the Stampede lined up for a punt that seemed a mere formality to closing out the first half. That was until Jon Jackson burst through to block the kick and scoop up the loose ball to race into the end zone, giving the Wild a 20-6 edge instead. Gandy added five field goals in the second half. For the Wild, it was a rough night. The team struggled for just 40 yards of offense in the second half, fewer yards than it gained on 3 of its 5 first-half drives. The Wild were often their own enemies as well with starting QB James Palmer tossing 5 interceptions in the contest. Jose White had two of those picks.

Tennessee 21, Bombers 3…Tennessee held Brooklyn to just 124 yards on the night and tallied three touchdowns in the second quarter to secure the win. Jeffrey Swiger connected for a trio of touchdowns, including a pair to Todd Shields, as he finished with 279 yards through the air in the victory.

Crush 16, Cobras 13…William Mertens’ 37-yard kick with six seconds remaining helped the Crush escape a scrappy Cobra side 16-13. Canton dominated the game from a mobility standpoint, getting 19 first downs in the contest to Rancho Cucamonga’s 4, but was dangerously close to finding itself heading to overtime in the game.

Hefty Buffalo 34, Coyotes 9…Gregory Stallings threw TD passes to three different receivers and Bill Brunette returned an interception 16 yards for a score to help Fort Drum dominate the Coyotes on the scoreboard. Mt. Washington remains winless at 0-9.

Geechee 27, Assassins 9…John Whitney threw a trio of first-half touchdown passes to help the Geechee survive a second-half sequence that saw the team go fumble-fumble-missed FG in a win over Columbus City. Whitney finished 22-for-37 for 318 yards in the contest. John Wilson had 104 yards receiving with a score while teammate Terry Fields narrowly missed joining him over the century mark with 95 yards and a score of his own.

Riptide 20, Bandits 5…Claudio Chambers ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries and Noah Nichols was an efficient 12-for-13 for 131 yards as San Diego delivered defeat to Santa Fe. Chambers scoring runs came from 6 and 42 yards out. Santa Fe was held off the scoreboard until sacking Noah Nichols in the end zone for a safety late in the third quarter of the game.

Talons 47, Burn 10…Gerald Peters threw for 236 yards and two scores as Tallahassee rolled to a one-sided victory. Anthony Dunn and James Castillo added rushing touchdowns as the Talon offense had a great night. Jason Moreira had 92 yards and a TD for Boise in the loss.

Thunder 13, Wampas 6…In a game featuring two teams looking for their first wins of the season, it was Tacoma going on the road to continue Aspen’s bitter march. Shawn Keeton’s 41-yard TD pass on the second play after the 2-minute warning lifted the Thunder in front for good. George Weiss with 107 yards on the ground in the loss for Aspen.

Golden Pteradactyls 18, Wallabies 9…On a night of stellar defense that saw both teams register safeties, force 3 turnovers and limit their opponents to 157 yards of offense, it was Star City that took the most advantage of the opportunities presented to secure the win and snap Perth’s 4-game winning streak. Erik Easter’s 39-yard pass to Ryan Moreno with 7 minutes remaining in the contest put the GP’s in front by two scores and was more than enough against a Perth offense that twice got held on downs and also turned the ball over in the fourth quarter.

Event 16, Bulldogs 0…Maine held Bennington to just 135 yards of offense and Harold Cuthbertson drilled 3 field goals in the win. Myron Deen added a 2-yard scoring reception off Steven Jimenez to account for the Event’s scoring. Jiminez was 22-for-31 for 244 yards passing in the contest. Defensively, the Event finished the night with 4 sacks.

Americans 16, Twisters 6…Alexander Thomas’ 76-yard scoring pass to Galen Manwaring put Rochester in front for good. Daniel Dehner’s three field goals extended the lead and a defense that forced opposing quarterback Jasper Sheppard to toss three interceptions as the Americans posted a 10-point victory.

Islanders 37, Snappers 28…John Lamm rushed for 143 yards and three TD’s as Hawai’I stormed to gather a win in the up-for-grabs Brown Division. The game wasn’t as close as the scoreboard would indicate as the Islanders held a 37-7 lead until early in the fourth quarter when Donald Blevins stripped Islander QB Kenneth Gonzales of the football and returned the errant pigskin for a TD. Jason Rodriguez added a pair of TD passes in the final 2:30 to help bring the final margin back to respectability and ensure that the over cashed in Vegas.

Phantoms 17, Witches 13…Parlor City burst to a 17-0 halftime lead, then did just enough in the second half to avoid any voodoo from the Salem Witches, who admirably closed the gap. Harry Knopp threw two TD passes for the Phantoms and finished his night with 259 yards to his credit. Christopher Huff had 10 tackles on the other side of the ball for Parlor City.

Spartans 25, Kings 3…Milton Sheets kicked 6 FG’s a distance of 230 yards as Toronto cruised to a win. Backed by a defensive effort that saw Lyon manage just 135 yards of offense and a TD pass from Nathaniel Finley in the fourth quarter, Sheets’ effort was more than secure down the stretch as the Kings managed just a 46-yard kick to avert the shutout.

Week 10 recap -- LATE SCORE LIFTS CALIFORNIA. AGAIN.


Crusaders 30, Geechee 29…Paul McCartney hauled in a 63-yard touchdown with 26 seconds to go to crush both the souls and the upset dreams of the Charleston Geechee by a 30-29 final count. The victory also keeps California’s record unblemished for the year. Having watched a 21-14 lead evaporate in the second half, the Geechee looked on the verge of escaping California with a win once John Whitney found John Wilson with a 1-yard score with 1:26 to play. To their credit, the Crusaders needed just 4 plays and 60 seconds to go 75 yards for the game-winning score though. Terry Fields pulled in a pair of TD passes for Charleston as the Geechee gave a stellar effort on the road. Whitney finished with 270 yards passing on a 29-for-38 performance. The Geechee slip to 8-2 overall.

Assassins 34, Bulldogs 0…George Spradlin ran for 158 yards and a pair of TD’s to lift Columbus City past Bennington in shutout fashion Wednesday night. Michael Hardnett added 210 yards and a score through the air as he finished 20-for-27 slinging the ball. The Assassins are now 8-2 overall this season.

Islanders 26, Wild 23 (OT)…Thomas Wilson picked off a pass and returned it 13 yards to set up a relatively easy 38-yard game-winning kick by Karl Demelo as Hawai’I worked extra minutes to come away with a victory. Milwaukee was driving late in the contest but was forced to settle for George Gandy’s 22-yard field goal as time expired to force the overtime, which was fitting given the back-and-forth nature of the scoreboard in the game. Interceptions were the crushing detail for the Wild though. In addition to Wilson’s overtime heroics, Islander fans also leapt to their feet to begin the second half as Thomas Clark picked off and returned for a 30-yard touchdown the first pass of the third quarter. Jay Rother with 122 yards and a receiving TD for the Islanders, now 6-4. The Wild return to level at 5-5.

Witches 13, Event 0…Franklin Ray rushed for a 6-yard TD and William Bingham added field goals of 31 and 54 yards as Salem shut down Maine. David Madson had two picks for the Witches who also received 110 rushing yards from Jared Smith in the contest. Salem is now 8-2 overall. The Event slip down to 5-5 with the defeat.

Phantoms 37, Twisters 26…Harry Knopp threw TD passes to three different receivers as the Parlor City Phantoms got out to a quick start before enduring a bit of a late challenge by the Twisters. Parlor City led 30-9 entering the fourth quarter, but watched as Arkansas needed less than 5 minutes to trim the gap back to 30-20 after Jasper Sheppard’s TD pass was completed to Michael Hatcher. Knopp finished with 345 yards through the air, but was also plagued by a trio of interceptions. Forrest Craig ahd 102 yards receiving for the Phantoms, now 9-1 on the year.

Wallabies 36, Bombers 0…Ross Fanning raced 19 yards along the ground for one score, then pulled in a 61 yard reception for another as Perth blanked the Bombers. It was duds all night long for Brooklyn, which managed just 72 yards of offense in the contest. Fanning finished with 131 yards of offense in the game. Paul Perez picked off two passes for Perth on the defensive side of the ledger.

Red Rocks 24, Thunder 12…J’s were wild for Coos Bay as Jon Jinks and James Johnson each recorded touchdown receptions to help the Red Rocks double up Tacoma. Leroy Rivera had 190 yards of offense in the contest for Coos Bay, now 5-5 and winners of three straight games.

Snappers 20, Stampede 16…Reggie Griffith’s 9-yard TD reception with just over 6 minutes remaining proved to be the difference as the Snappers edged the Stampede in a contest of teams battling to get back to the .500 mark. St. Louis had driven to the Natchitoches 20 late in the contest before its final possession was stopped on downs. The game winning TD was Griffith’s second touchdown reception of the night. His only other catch on the night came on a 52-yard strike late in the third quarter. Jerry Bradshaw had 107 yards of offense and a TD in the loss for the Stampede.

Cobras 13, Coyotes 9…Lorenzo Fox caught the game winner with a minute to play as Rancho Cucamonga slipped past Mt. Washington’s valiant, but ultimately futile, effort to win its first game of the season. In losing, the Coyotes failed to take advantage of four Cobra turnovers. RC also had one drive stopped prematurely on downs but still managed to own a 375-141 yardage advantage as they improved to 5-5.

Dragons 38, Riptide 5…Russell Gargano threw for 258 yards and 3 TD passes as Glendora blew out San Diego. Operating with a 21-5 halftime advantage, the Dragons closed the deal with 17 fourth quarter points, including Kevin Short’s 35-yard pick-six. Sebastian Steinberg had two interceptions for San Diego in the contest.

Burn 22, Bandits 17…an interception and a turnover on downs spoiled Santa Fe’s hopes of securing victory in the late fourth quarter against Boise. Jeremy Burnett’s 75-yard pass to Lonnie Green had pulled the Bandits within a score with 12 and a half minutes still remaining in the contest, but Santa Fe came away empty handed on two trips inside Burn territory in the game’s waning minutes to come up short. Alexander Eads had the only touchdown of the night for the Burn, who also got 5 FG’s off the toe of Nathan Rizzo.

Kings 20, Wampas 9…a spirited halftime tirade, likely laced with much profanity, helped remind Lyon players who they were and inspired a rally against the winless Wampas. Behind the strength of three William Wayt FG’s and a defense that intercepted Lyon QB Brian Willaims on 4 of the Kings’ first 5 possessions, Aspen carried a 9-0 lead into the midgame locker room. Matters changed radically in the second half. Lyon scored 10 points on its first two possessions, then added another TD and field goal in the fourth quarter. Aspen, meanwhile, was held to just 11 second-half yards as 5 of the team’s 7 possessions in the third and fourth quarters resulted in 0 or fewer yards. Keith Casey rushed for 134 yards and a TD for Lyon.

Spartans 38, Tennessee 6…Nathaniel Finley threw for 5 TD’s, including a trio in the fourth quarter as Toronto stormed to its ninth victory in 10 contests this season. Finley’s late-game flurry helped the Spartans produce 24 points in the final period to build a narrow lead into blowout status by the time the final gun sounded. Finley finished the night 36-for-53 for 378 yards. Dewayne Gaulke was on the receiving end of 3 of the scoring plays, ending with 114 yards worth of catches.

Golden Pterodactyls 13, Marauders 7…Donald Trujillo rushed for a 4-yard score and Roy Castro booted field goals of 48 and 44 yards to help Star City hold off Reno. It was the dinosaurs’ dynamic defense that limited the Marauders to just 132 yards of offense in the contest, but that same defense also played a big part in Reno’s only score of the night, a 19-yard reception by Michael Williams with just over 4 minutes to play. That TD was made possible only by a bizarre drive that was kept alive by a fumbled punt and three defensive pass interference penalties. Trujillo ended with 110 yards of offense as Star City improved to 8-1-1.

Talons 21, Americans 20…Anthony Dunn’s 1-yard TD dive with less than 4 minutes to play made the difference in a 21-20 nail biting victory by Tallahassee. Robert Hayden had 100 yards of offense and a TD reception in the win for the Talons, who improved to 9-1. Alexander Thomas had a pair of TD passes for Rochester, which slides to 6-4 and remains tied for the lead in the Brown Division.

Crush 25, Hefty Buffalo 11…Kevin Sanchez finished with 163 yards of offense and 2 TD’s, one on the ground and one via the air, to help lift Canton past Fort Drum. Joseph Burke finished 15-for-27 for 188 yards and 2 TD passes in an efficient outing for the Crush signal caller. Hefty Buffalo counterpart Gregory Stallings was 39-for-49 for 276 yards, but couldn’t get anything in the end zone as the Buffalo points came via 3 Leonard Womack field goals and a Robert Montoya tackle for safety. Credit to the Canton defense, which held Fort Drum to -14 yards rushing in the contest.

The old ****-pucker special. Rochester was moving the ball really effectively all-game and they had a great chance to take the W with the ball at midfield in the 2-minute drill, but Talon SAF Nicholas Rosenbaum saved the game with a diving interception. We had our hands full on this one!

Good addition -- I had meant to mention the interception and apparently didn't write it down in my haste to get it posted so I could collapse in bed.