Good game, Snappers. We need to work on ball handling it looks like. And maybe check my roomie QB for sudden onset color blindness.

BLOWOUTS ABOUND AS REGULAR SEASON REACHES MIDWAY POINT

There were some close games this evening in the EFL. There were many other not-so-close ones as we look around the league…

Dragons 66, Bandits 0…David Puddy threw for 536 yards and scattered 7 TD passes among six different receivers as Glendora rolled to 7-1 on the season. Santa Fe missed on a pair of field goal attempts to avoid being shut out.
Red Rocks 28, Wild 9…Touchdowns on 3 consecutive possessions to close out the first half moved Coos Bay into control. A bend-but-don’t-break defense kept them there throughout the second half, despite 22 Wild first downs in the contest. Elmer Montgomery ran for 105 yards and Brian Armstrong had 2 TD passes despite just 8 completions.
Crusaders 26, Thunder 11…California owned a 461-164 (does this count as a palindrome?) yardage edge to gradually pull away from the Thunder despite a trio of turnovers. Jacob Perez threw for 330 yards and 2 TD’s as the Crusaders improve to 5-3 on the year.
Cobras 23, Stampede 3…Touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game gave Rancho Cucamonga a lead it would never relinquish. Larry Dearth threw for 220 yards and one of the TD’s while Michael Mullens ran the other one in as part of a night where he gained 70 yards on 14 carries.
Geechee 33, Wallabies 16…Good news: Perth held Charleston QB Edward Jackson to just 40 percent passing. Bad news: He averaged 33+ yards per completion as the Geechee outscored Perth 16-0 in the second half to pull away for the win. Jackson finished with 398 yards through the air and 2 scores. Terry Fields caught one of those strikes and finished with 104 receiving yards to lead both teams. (GG voegma)
Witches 20, Americans 19…William Bingham’s 25-yard field goal as time expired ended a back-and-forth second half in Salem’s favor and moved both clubs to 6-2 on the season. After firing out to a 10-0 lead early, the Americans watched Salem rally to tie the contest at the half before the teams flipped the lead throughout the second half. Johnathan Embree threw for 295 yards, 147 of which found the arms of Roy Hitt. Hitt also hauled in a pair of TD’s.
Assassins 43, Marauders 7…Michael Hardnett threw for 328 yards and 5 TD’s as Columbus City powered its way out to a 37-0 halftime lead and threw it into cruise control from there. Richard Hines was one of five receivers to haul in a scoring catch, leading the team with 76 yards on 7 receptions.
Riptide 20, Bombers 13…San Diego managed just nine first downs, but thanks to a defensive effort that held Brooklyn to just 190 total yards of offense, they proved more than enough. Wesley Greenwell ran for 104 yards while Robert Burkett threw for 134 and a score in the win. Defensively, San Diego intercepted Bomber QB Philip Mattingly twice in the contest.
Burn 16, Event 13…Tad Jensen’s 39-yard kick with less than 2 minutes to play made the difference as Boise edged past Maine as time expired with the Event knocking on the edge of field goal range. Stuart Fizer narrowly missed a 100-yard night, finishing with 96 rushing yards and a TD for the Burn. The lone Maine TD came courtesy of a 99-yard kickoff return from Samuel Archibald.
Crush 27, Hefty Buffalo 3…Phillip Ary caught two of Keith Scott’s three first-half TD passes as Canton led 24-0 at halftime and never found itself challenged after intermission. Scott finished with 337 passing yards. Ary had 155 yards of receptions and running back Kevin Sanchez made things a triple threat attack with 102 rushing yards on a night where Fort Drum managed just 105 total yards.
Golden Pterodactyls 30, Aspen 0…Star City kicker Roy Castro likely set an EFL record in Week 8 by connecting on TEN field goals to account for all Golden Pterodactyl points in the contest. Erik Easter had 210 passing yards for Star City to help position the team for all those kicks.
Phantoms 37, Kings 3…Parlor City score on five of its first six possessions and owned more than a 16-minute edge in time of possession as the Phantoms floated past Lyon. Leroy Rivera rushed for a pair of touchdowns. Tony Strait threw for two more as part of a 336-yard night distributing the ball. Joseph Lee had 120 receiving yards.
Bulldogs 41, Twisters 19…Bennington exploded for 27 points in the second half to storm past Arkansas 41-19 in a contest where they trailed 16-14 at intermission. David Sisk threw for 369 yards and 5 TD’s, all but one in the second half to key the win. Frank Turner caught 3 of the scoring throws, ending the night with 213 receiving yards. Props to Jasper Sheppard who threw for 342 yards for the Twisters in the defeat.
Snappers 19, Islanders 0…Jason Rodriguez hit Rick Stowell with a 12-yard TD pass to open the scoring and Robert Yorke closed it out with four field goals as Natchitoches posted a shutout win. Turnovers were the Islanders’ enemy as the team gave it away six times in the contest. Rodriguez finished with 290 passing yards.
Talons 51, Tennessee 6…James Herrin unleased 427 passing yards and 6 TD’s on an overmatched Tennessee squad that was outgained 614-185. Robert Hayden hauled in 173 yards of receptions and accounted for half of Herrin’s TD total.
Spartans 19, Coyotes 10…Milton Sheets’ 56-yard field goal just before intermission broke a 10-10 tie in Toronto’s favor. The Spartans’ placekicker would go on to add two more successful kicks in the second half to enable his side to slowly distance itself from Mt. Washington. The Coytoes were help in offensive check once again, fighting for just 163 yards of offense and needing a 34-yard Thomas Wise interception return to account for their only TD of the night.

GG Islanders, some games the turnovers are rampant!

Good game CrazyRazor. Good luck the rest of the way.

GG Arkansas

GG Tennessee

MIDSEASON CHECK-IN

The Blind Squirrels had their say at the start of the season and now we get to check in on how the little fuzzy-tailed rats are doing in their selections as we set up the second half of the season.

Halas Division: Lyon (6-2), Toronto (5-3), Reno (1-7), Aspen (0-8)
The Call: The preseason crystal ball said for Toronto to win the auto-berth by taking the division.
The Reality: At the midway point the Spartans sit one game off the pace for both the Halas title and a potential wild card spot. Week 11 is the moment of truth as Lyon visits Toronto to try and salvage a split of the regular-season meeting between the teams. Even a win in that contest might not be enough though. Toronto has games against 6-win teams in Rochester and Salem as well as contests against San Diego and Charleston in the back half of the schedule. Lyon, by comparison, has just one opponent in addition to Toronto that managed 5 wins in the first half of the season. Reno and Aspen appear to be looking toward the future.

Brown Division: Rochester (6-2), Maine (4-4), Natchitoches (4-4), Hawai’I (3-5)
The Call: The blind squirrels said Maine would take it, but at this stage the Event are playing just .500 ball and find themselves needing to make up two games in the back half of the season.
The Reality: It is hard to see Rochester losing this division. The Americans, who were a preseason wild card pick, have a back-half schedule featuring only one game against a team with a winning record currently. Compare that to Maine’s slate that features 4 games against teams at 6-2 or better and it is hard to see that two-game gap melting. Natchitoches and Hawai’I meet in Week 11 in a game where the winner can still entertain hopes for this season but the loser is likely done for the year. The Islanders have struggled at times with turnovers, but have a pleasant streak of six games against foes with 4 or fewer wins to give rookie QB Curtis Brown a better chance to settle in before hitting Star City and Rochester to close things out.

Shula Division: Parlor City (7-1), Salem (6-2), Bennington (4-4), Arkansas (1-7)
The Call: The preseason tag was applied to Salem and the Witches are within a game of the division lead and would be in with a wild card if we went straight to the playoffs today. With games in Week 10 and 12 against Parlor City, Salem very much controls its own road to the title still.
The Reality: It won’t be easy for the Witches, who have six games against teams with winning records to come. Meanwhile, we were highly doubtful when the Phantoms were picked to miss the playoffs, and that prediction looks downright insane after the way Parlor City sliced through the front half of the season with only a hiccup against Coos Bay. If they can deliver against Salem the schedule over the back half should empower the team to reclaim the Shula trophy. Bennington, at 4-4, already has more wins than it managed in any of the three previous seasons. The Bulldogs should be able to add to that total as they run through the back of the schedule, but probably not enough to challenge the frontrunners. Arkansas would need a miracle.

Walsh Division: Tallahassee (7-1), Star City (6-2), Boise (3-5), Tennessee (0-8)
The Call: Tallahassee was tabbed to win the division and they’re sitting in the pole position midway through with only an overtime blemish against undefeated Canton marring their record.
The Reality: Undoubtedly some heads turned in the preseason when Star City was called as a wild card team, but here we are and the Golden Pterodactyls are 6-2 and would, in fact, be a wild card qualifier for the playoffs if we froze things right now. But with games against the Talons in weeks 9 and 11, there’s no reason the big birds shouldn’t be aiming higher than a mere wild card spot. Boise will need to step things up if they hope to close the gap while Tennessee is hoping to get off the slide with a back-half schedule that won’t provide many easy opportunities.

Knoll Division: Glendora (7-1), Perth (4-4), Brooklyn (1-7), Santa Fe (0-8)
The Call: Glendora was picked to be the class of the Stripes Conference and, while they do have a loss to Rochester, the Dragons feature one of the scariest, most high-powered offenses in the EFL this season.
The Reality: With a 3-game lead, it is hard to see a scenario where the Dragons surrender the lead of the division. Circle Week 15 on the calendar though as Glendora and Canton are scheduled to square off. Since the wild card chase is far more chaotic here in the Stars, the Perth Wallabies sit just one game off the postseason pace. Perth also features one of the more sadistic back-half schedules and better figure out how to play defense to stay in the chase. Brooklyn and Santa Fe are looking for brighter days.

Landry Division: California (5-3), Coos Bay (5-3), Rancho Cucamonga (4-3-1) Tacoma (2-6)
The Call: We tabbed the Crusaders to win it and for Coos Bay to follow as a wild card recipient. It could happen.
The Reality: Buckle up for the back half of the season! The Crusaders and Red Rocks will tangle in weeks 12 and 14 in games that could clarify or further muddle matters. California does not play a game against a team with a losing record in the back half of the season. Coos Bay also has a series of tests, though not quite as strenuous as the Crusaders’ slate. Which bring us to the Cobras, currently a half-game out, with one game against both division leaders remaining (and a tiebreak edge on Coos Bay).

Parcells Division: Canton (8-0), Milwaukee (5-3), Fort Drum (3-5), St. Louis (2-6)
The Call: Milwaukee was the pick, and does have a record that would put them on the number needed to reach the playoffs via a wild card slot, but there’s a 3-game chasm (technically 4 since the Crush have swept the season with the Wild) sitting there if they want to win the division.
The Reality: The Crush have been one of the big stories from the front half of the season. Canton has never won more than 10 games in a season but looks like it will get above that standard this year. Four of their wins are by less than a touchdown, so they’re not blowing everyone out of the water, but they are finding ways to win. The Wild will be trying to stay on postseason pace with a back-half schedule that includes both Glendora (in Week 9) and Tallahassee (in Week 16). Fort Drum and St. Louis need a major back-half win streak to maneuver into position for this season’s playoffs.

Gibbs Division: Charleston (5-3), San Diego (5-3), Mt. Washington (4-3-1), Columbus City (4-4)
The Call: Charleston as the winner, Mt. Washington as a wild card.
The Reality: Easily the race to watch coming down the stretch as all four teams are very much alive for both the title and a possible wild card. The Geechee, who have the best offense-to-defense ratio right now, will only face two teams with losing records over the back half of the season, but also don’t see a team with better than a 5-3 mark. San Diego has five games against winning opponents as they look to challenge for a title one season after a 6-10 mark. Mt. Washington, in pursuit of the first postseason game in franchise history, has four games against winning records (and a fifth against a 4-4 team). Columbus City has seven games against winning opponents and looks to have the steepest route to the top. Be very surprised if this division is settled before Week 16.

GG CBN

Good game, Tennessee. Probably the best 0-9 team there is. Gave us a scare!

NO WINNER BETWEEN GEECHEE, COYOTES

Edward Jackson hit a pair of 53-yard field goals in the fourth quarter to temporarily give Charleston a lead, but missed twice in overtime when he could have delivered victory for the Geechee. The result was a 20-20 draw against Mt. Washington.
Young Dodson ran for a 35-yard TD as Charleston battled back from a 17-7 halftime deficit to carry a 20-17 edge into the fourth quarter. Charles Gonzalez connected from 48 yards out with just under 2 minutes to play to force the overtime for the Coyotes. Everett Diaz ran for 104 yards and a TD for Mt. Washington. Fred Coleman added 269 passing yards, finding Curtis Sheridan 15 times.
Charleston is now 5-3-1 on the year. Mt. Washington moves to 4-3-2. Elsewhere…

Americans 40, Event 7…Rochester recorded the touchdown hat trick, scoring on offense, defense and special teams in a 40-7 blowout of Maine. After Maine’s only score midway through the first quarter, Ronald Kowalewski took the ball 101 yards for a touchdown in response. In the fourth quarter, Robert Nelson returned an interception 28 yards for a score. Alexander Thomas threw for 270 yards and 2 scores for the Americans’ offense.
Lyon 13, Wampas 6…Lyon scored 10 early points and used its defense to make it stand up in a 13-6 win over the Wampas. Donald Dubois rushed for 105 yards in the contest for Lyon.
Crusaders 26, Assassins 23…Jacob Perez hit William Wilks for a 36-yard touchdown on the with 1:51 remaining to lift California past Columbus City. Steven Howard’s 43-yard try as time expired sailed wide for the Assassins, who missed an opportunity to move over the .500 mark. Perez had 360 yards and 2 TD’s for the Crusaders. Michael Hardnett countered with 300 yards and 3 TD passes for the Assassins, including 2 to Matthew Race, who led all receivers with 128 yards.
Red Rocks 18, Cobras 10…Elmer Montgomery ran for a 9-yard TD, Carl Martin tackled Michael Mullens in the end zone for a safety and Coos Bay kicker Robert Ponce added field goals of 43, 42 and 53 yards to lift the Red Rocks to 6-3 on the season. It was a defensive contest throughout the night as the two teams combined for just 17 first downs and 440 yards of combined offense.
Talons 51, Golden Pterodactyls 0…Tallahassee solved the riddle of the Star City defense and kept the dinosaurs’ offense extinct for most of the night in a one-sided win. James Herrin threw for 420 yards and 5 TD’s on a night where the Talons had nine consecutive possessions end in points. Anthony Dunn caught 9 passes for 165 yards and one of the scores. The Talons’ D surrendered just 85 yards and 4 first downs in the contest.
Crush 34, Wallabies 19…Keith Scott threw for three third-quarter touchdowns as Canton broke away from a narrow first half lead to emerge with a comfortable win over the Wallabies. Scott finished with 287 yards, 131 of which went to Thomas McDaniel. Michael Gee with 365 yards and a TD in the loss for Perth. (GG Canton…remember me if you run the table!)
Witches 27, Thunder 18…Edmond Walker hauled in a pair of touchdown passes as Salem comfortably won in spite of four interceptions thrown by Jonathan Embree in the contest. Embree still finished with 282 yards in the game, but his miscues enabled Tacoma to score 15 of its 18 points in the contest.
Islanders 24, Tennessee 15…Carlton Borges had a 40-yard pick six and Scott Johnson iced the game with a 1-yard dive late as the Islanders scored a nine-point win. Borges’ interception return gave Hawai’I a 17-9 lead. Tennessee pulled within 17-15 on a short TD flip from Jerry Belk with 11:30 remaining in the contest, but the subsequent 2-point conversion to tie things up failed. With 4:05 remaining and the Islanders still clinging to a 2-point lead, Tennessee gambled to go for a fourth-down play near its own 30. The Islander defense held, setting up the clinching score.
Stampede 13, Hefty Buffalo 12…Francisco Turner’s 5-yard touchdown catch on the first play of the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in St. Louis’ 1-point win. The Stampede defense added a final period performance that kept Fort Drum confined to its own half of the field throughout the final 15 minutes. QB James Palmer finished with 173 passing yards and 2 TD’s through the air.
Snappers 12, Burn 9…Eric Hasler’s return of a fourth quarter interception to the Boise 9 set up Robert Yorke’s second short field goal of the final period and proved to be the difference maker in a 12-9 Natchitoches victory. The kick gave the Snappers a 12-6 lead at the time, but Boise halved the gap on Tad Jensen’s 52-yard field goal with just over 5 minutes to play. The Burn would see the football just one more time, however, coming up just short of possible game-tying field goal range in the final 2 minutes.
Dragons 33, Wild 10…David Puddy’s three first-half touchdown passes helped stake Glendora to a 27-10 halftime lead that was never challenged in a lower-scoring second half. Puddy finished with 346 yards through the air, nearly half of them to Brenton Pena, who had two TD receptions in the game.
Phantoms 31, Twisters 12…Tony Strait had four touchdown passes as Parlor City vaulted to a 24-0 halftime lead and never looked back against Arkansas. Strait finished with 425 yards through the air. Jackie Schaffer hauled in two of the TD throws to finished with a game-best 129 yards receiving.
Bombers 24, Bandits 3…Philip Mattingly threw for three touchdowns, including a pair to Manuel Lawrence as Brooklyn kept Santa Fe searching for its first win of the season. Mattingly was an impressive 21-for-23 throwing the ball for 225 yards. Eddie Elias added 101 rushing yards as a workhorse out of the backfield.
Bulldogs 22, Marauders 20…Andre Obando’s 47-yard field goal with less than 5 minutes remaining crushed the hopes of Reno fans and lifted the Bulldogs to 5-4 on the year. For much of the night, it looked like the Marauders might steal the ‘W’ in spite of being outgained by a 478-176 margin. Four interceptions thrown by the Bulldogs helped lead to 13 Marauder points in the game. They also heavily tarnished a 420-yard quarterbacking night by Bennington QB David Sisk. John Thomas added 192 receiving yards as Sisk’s primary target.
Spartans 51, Riptide 10…Toronto scored touchdowns on its first 3 possessions to vault to a lead that San Diego simply never challenged. Willie Coyne was an impressive 30-for-41 for 477 yards and 5 TD’s in the contest for the Spartans. Adam Bennett hauled in three of the scoring throws as part of a 7-catch, 207-yard night receiving.

P.S. -- Please vote in the Christmas poll thread as I seek input on whether or not to pause the league for 24 hours on Christmas day. (which falls on our Week 16 midweek spin)