PLAYOFF POOL GROWS TO FOUR

We still have a quarter of the season remaining to be played, but four of the 12 playoff slots have already been spoken for as two-time defending champion Parlor City, Tallahassee and Glendora all locked up spots in the playoffs. The Phantoms handed Salem its third consecutive defeat in a 30-12 decision that locked up the playoffs. Tallahassee had a similarly comfortable 34-10 win over Tennessee while Glendora rolled via a 63-0 beatdown of Santa Fe. The trio joins undefeated Canton in the playoffs. The Crush improved to 12-0 via a 20-6 win over Boise (and you will never know how hard I fought leading with this game just so I could run a “Crush and Burn” headline…)

Crusaders 40, Red Rocks 35…in probably the most entertaining game of the night California took charge in the Landry division by outlasting Coos Bay. The Crusaders scored 24 points in the first quarter and held a 27-0 lead at the half. The gap was 33-14 entering the fourth quarter before the Red Rocks struck with a flurry, starting with Timothy Scroggins’ 85-yard punt return for a touchdown. Lance Poe added a 5-yard TD reception with less than 2 minutes to play to trim the gap to five points, 33-28. Marc McNamee’s 7-yard TD run after a failed onside-kick attempt appeared to seal the deal for the Crusaders, but Brian Armstrong’s 41-yard TD pass to Arthur Alcaraz pulled the Rocks back within five. And things were just getting interesting, because Coos Bay made good on its second onside kick attempt, advancing the ball all the way to inside the California 7 before time expired from the clock.
Americans 22, Wallabies 3…Rochester scored 16 points in the final quarter to bust open a defensive showdown and score the win. Alexander Thomas had 283 yards passing and the Americans’ defense feasted on Perth’s passing game to the tune of 3 interceptions.
Islanders 38, Bulldogs 28…Curtis Brown threw for three fourth-quarter touchdowns to help rally Hawai’I to a 10-point win. Brown finished 24-for-39 for 360 yards and 4 TDs (plus one pick). David Sisk countered with 338 yards and 2 TD’s for Bennington, but ultimately was done in by four interceptions.
Event 17, Bombers 10…Jacob Parish’s 53-yard catch-and-score with 13 minutes remaining made the difference as Maine snapped its skid with a win over Brooklyn. Parish finished with 153 all-purpose yards in the contest, split fairly evenly between rushing and receiving.
Thunder 12, Cobras 9 (OT)…A botched extra-point attempt in the final 80 seconds of regulation spoiled a fourth-quarter rally for Rancho Cucamonga, who endured another 8 minutes of play before Tacoma’s Ralph Mucci drilled a 33-yard kick to leave the Cobras Thunder-struck. Mark Becerra’s 11-yard TD reception seemed destined to give the Cobras the win, in spite of being held scoreless until the final period, but Herman Kramer, who kicked a 51-yard field goal earlier in the period, pushed the extra point wide. Frederick Minor’s extra-time interception set up the game-winning kick for Tacoma.
Golden Pterodactyls 17, Hefty Buffalo 10…In spite of just 2 first downs and 149 yards of offense, Star City found a way to win thanks to William Henke’s tackle for safety, John Austin’s punt block TD and a 67-yard lightning bolt tossed from Erik Easter to Ryan Moreno. The team was also the beneficiary of a stellar defensive performance that held the Hefty Buffalo to just216 yards of offense on their side of the ledger.
Wild 33, Stampede 10…John Richardson threw Milwaukee to a quick 14-0 lead and the Wild never looked back in claiming the win. Richardson finished with 305 yards, although he would not connect on another scoring toss for the rest of the night. Duncan Cisco had a 100-yard kickoff return for the lone Stampede touchdown.
Spartans 28, Marauders 6…James Meade returned a fumble 20 yards to open the scoring and Willie Coyne threw TD passes in the second, third and fourth quarters to help Toronto to victory. Coyne finished with 295 passing yards. Adam Bennett hauled in two of the scores.
Riptide 23, Wampas 6…Wesley Greenwell ran for 118 yards on 23 carries while QB Robert Burkett managed the game well with a 16-for-19 performance that netted 161 yards and a TD for San Diego.
Geechee 30, Assassins 17…Charleston flipped the script at halftime to stun Columbus City in the second half. Michael Hardnett’s 11-yard TD pass just before intermission gave the Assassins a 17-3 lead, but fans of the team could only watch in disbelief as the club was outscored 27-0 in the second half by the Geechee. Quarterback Edward Jackson hit Jeffrey Hughes for touchdowns of 40 and 8 yards in the second half to help accomplish the turnaround. Charleston scored on five of its six second-half possessions.
Coyotes 16, Kings 13 (OT)…Mt. Washington jumped to an early 13-0 lead in the first quarter, thanks in part to a Thomas Wise pick-six of Kings QB Brian Williams. Coyote fans then watched their team bleed away the entire margin, culminating with Wendell Jessen’s 30-yard field goal at the end of regulation to force overtime. But after holding Lyon without a first down in two extra time possessions, the Coyotes were able to position the ball for a 56-yard game-winning kick by Charles Gonzalez.
Snappers 19, Twisters 9…Nine points late in the fourth quarter allowed Natchitoches to breathe easy and pull away for a win against Arkansas. Jason Rodriguez was 30-for-40 with 274 yards and a TD for the Snappers, who also got a TD run from Terry Melvin in the game.

Those blind squirrels ..................I tell ya they give me no respect.............no respect I tell ya!

GG Hawaii

That'll learn 'em!

And to you. Hope we can keep it up.

WILDCARD WATCH...

As we turn toward the stretch run, a look at how the race for the wild card (and division titles) shape up. I chose to cut off the analysis at teams who are currently .500 or better, even though some below that mark are still mathematically still in the chase. If I omit mention of you and you go on an amazing 4-game run to get into the playoffs, I promise it wasn't done out of spite and that I will write amazing things about you when you appear on the bracket. Also, this keeps me from having to analyze my own sorrowful team...

STARS CONFERENCE

Toronto (8-4) and Lyon (8-4) are tied atop the Halas Division. The Spartans have the tiebreak by virtue of a sweep of the regular season meetings, leaving Lyon as the top wild card team in the conference at present. Lyon has a slightly easier road coming home, with its four remaining opponents boasting a collective 18-30 record while Toronto's opposition carries a 20-27-1 mark.

In the Brown Division, Rochester (10-2) is two and a half games up and getting nearer and nearer to a divisional title. With an opposition schedule that is sub-.500 the rest of the way (20-25-3), it is a margin that appears comfortable. Natchitoches (7-4-1) would earn the second wild card spot out of the Stars Conference right now while Hawai'i (6-5-1) lurks just one game back. There's bad news for Snappers fans, however. Out of all the teams in the postseason hunt in the Stars, theirs is, by far, the most ruthless four-game closing schedule with opponents winning 75% of their games to date.

While the other two divisions are wrapped up already, Star City (7-5) and Salem (7-5) each lurk a half-game off the wild card pace. Salem's remaining opponents are 23-24-1. Star City's foes hold a 30-17-1 mark.

STRIPES CONFERENCE

Milwaukee (8-4) is the top wild card team at present with a schedule that has it facing teams a combined 23-25 so far.

The Landry Division sees California (9-3) leading Coos Bay (7-5) by two games after a thrilling 40-35 win this past week. They'll meet again in Week 14. Looking long-term, the Crusaders' remaining opponents are collectively tougher (29-16-3) than are the Red Rocks' (24-24). Coos Bay is one of three teams (see below) tied for the final Stripes wild-card slot at present.

Then we come to the Gibbs Division, where Charleston (8-3-1) has managed a game and a half lead. With a final stretch of foes sitting at 18-30, that gap might be enough to carry them through to a divisional title. But there are three other teams, all at .500 or better, who beg to differ. San Diego (7-5) and Mt. Washington (6-4-2) are each part of the three-way tie for last wild card spot. The Riptide have a slightly tougher remaining schedule (20-25-3) than do the Coyotes (19-29). Collumbus City (6-6) is just a game off the postseason pace, but must climb that hill against a schedule currently sporting a 32-14-2 record.

Good game, Marauders. So many mistakes down the stretch that it shouldn’t be any surprise it ended that way.

GG Arkansas

Greetings sports fans, Renu is busy getting laid right now and it's been three days straight on ecstacy and threesomes.

Phantoms report that WR Mitzel is back from that horrible injury...............just in case any of you fans missed it.

Now any other team should chime in and report about their team if they wish. It will be fun;)

Wish I had Renu's luck.
The Coyotes offense finely woke up against a very tough Riptide defense, but their still is a fight for the playoffs.