Week 13 recap – And then there were five

The post-season picture just got a lot clearer in some cases as four more teams clinched spots in the afterlife. Glendora, Charleston, Tallahassee and Toronto fans call all make playoff plans of joining California among the final 12 teams standing.

Cobras 17, Thunder 6…Aaron Smith and Jerry Rawls each hauled in touchdown receptions to lift Rancho Cucamonga to a 17-6 victory over the Tacoma Thunder. Anthony Ford threw for 254 yards in the contest with Smith pulling down 110 of those yards in the form of 4 receptions. The Cobras improved to 6-7 overall and keep their slim playoff hopes alive for another week.

Marauders 7, Wampas 3…Matthew Schrock ran for a 1-yard TD midway through the second quarter to lift Reno past Aspen and deny the Wampas a chance at victory. On a night where Aspen fans thought their team might break through, the Wampas couldn’t break through much of anything, finishing with just 142 yards of offense against the Reno defense, almost half of which came on a late fourth-quarter drive to the Reno 27 that was turned away on downs.

Dragons 24, Tennessee 5…Glendora wrapped up a divisional title with a 19-point win over Tennessee. John Claypoole and Richard Payne each ran for a TD for the Dragons. Russell Gargano threw for 308 yards, but also a trio of interceptions for Glendora. George Cooper with a sack for a safety for Tennessee.

Burn 13, Golden Pterodactyls 6…Phillip Ary hauled in a 6-yard TD reception early and the Boise defense worked late into the game to limit Star City to just 174 yards to secure a 13-6 victory. Jose Engelhardt enjoyed a 14-for-19 night slinging the ball for the Burn, who improve to 6-7 overall. Star City slips to 8-4-1, just a half-game ahead of two challengers for the final wild card spot in the Stars Conference.

Talons 26, Spartans 13…Tallahassee owned the second half to the tune of 23-0 to rally for a win in a contest that was also perhaps a preview of a possible Stars Conference playoff contest. James Castillo’s 50-yard TD reception started the comeback in the second half and Robert Wilmot’s 4-yard burst on the ground lifted Tallahassee into the lead. Justin McCord sealed the deal with three fourth-quarter FG’s. It was an ugly game at times with both QB’s throwing four passes to the opposition. Turnovers led to 33 of the 39 points scored in the contest. Thanks to action elsewhere in the league, the Spartans also earned a playoff spot as their 11-2 record ensures they will not be caught in their division as well.

Crusaders 20, Kings 16…Duncan Meyer ran 75 yards for a score as part of a 15 carry, 137 yard night out of the backfield to help the Crusaders win another narrow one and run their record to 13-0 with a 4-point win over the Lyon Kings. Meyer’s heroics, which included 39 receiving yards, were needed on a night when QB James Vincent struggled to complete just 12 of 32 passes. Lyon’s final possession ended short of the end zone, timing out on downs just inside the Crusader 25.

Stampede 30, Hefty Buffalo 20…Jerry Bradshaw scored back-to-back fourth quarter touchdowns, enabling St. Louis to rally for a 10-point win over Fort Drum. Trailing 20-16, Bradshaw hauled in a 3-yard TD pass with just under 8 minutes to play to give the Stampede the lead. Less than 4 minutes later, he broke free for a 40-yard sprint to the end zone to ice the game. It was part of a 3-TD night for Bradshaw, who also scored on a 13-yard rush in the second quarter for the first Stampede touchdown of the game. Bradshaw finished with 101 yards rushing and another 19 in receptions. Teammate Duncan Cisco brought 105 yards of rushing and 39 receiving yards out of the Stampede backfield as they improved to 6-7. Gregory Stallings threw for 343 yards and a pair of scores for Fort Drum.

Wild 25, Red Rocks 23..Willie McCaffrey’s 59-yard FG attempt as time expired was online, but dipped just beneath the crossbar, to deliver a wild 25-23 victory to Milwaukee in a game that featured a range of emotions in the final minutes. With Milwaukee up 22-16 late, Leroy Rivera ran for a 4-yard score for Coos Bay to lift the Red Rocks to a 23-22 lead. The Wild advanced 43 yards in 7 plays to give George Gandy a 50-yard attempt, which he hit with 45 seconds to play. The win lifts the Wild into a tie for the Parcells Division lead with an 8-5 record.

Snappers 24, Islanders 7…Natchitoches got the better of Hawai’I in a critical Brown Division battle. Louis Wilson scored on runs of 87 and 4 yards while Emilio Curiel returned a fumble 30 yards for a score to improve the Snappers to 8-5 on the season and keep the team in the hunt for both the divisional title or a wildcard spot. Wilson finished with 120 yards in the contest as the game’s biggest offensive threat. Albert Harshaw added 10 tackles for the Snappers. The loss drops the Islanders to 7-6, making their route to the postseason that much harder, but still possible.

Event 22, Crush 14…nineteen consecutive points helped the Event to deliver on their GM’s desire for a victory as expressed to the media before the game. Steven Jimenez didn’t throw a scoring pass, but still steered the Maine offense to 320 yards and positioned the team for its 5 FG kicks on the night. Maine improves to 6-7 with the win. The Crush, who have dropped back-to-back contests, are now tied with the Wild for the lead in the Parcells Division.

Americans 19, Phantoms 7…with its entire division hot on its tail, Rochester delivered a badly needed win over a quality opponent with a 19-7 victory. Jerry Hale’s 39-yard TD reception from Alexander Thomas was the only visit the Americans made to the end zone. Rochester relied heavily on the leg of kicker Daniel Dehner, who booted 4 FG’s. The Americans missed their shutout by mere seconds in the contest as QB Harry Knopp continued to struggle with finding the correct team with his passes. Knopp threw another four picks, bringing his tally to 12 over the past three games. Rochester improved to 9-4. Parlor City slips to 11-2. Both teams lead their respective divisions by one game.

Twisters 16, Witches 13…Arkansas bent, but refused to break in a 16-13 upset of Salem on Wednesday night. Joshua Allen ran for a 4-yard score and Andrew Matthews connected for a trio of field goals as the Twisters fashioned a 16-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. Salem countered with a quick 65-yard TD pass to Edmond Walker to pull within three on the scoreboard, but the Witches were hexed by a late-game missed field goal and interception and failed to complete the comeback. Jeremy Franklin just missed rushing for the century mark, ending his night with 97 yards for the Twisters. Walker had 125 receiving yards for Salem.

Riptide 17, Wallabies 6…San Diego woke up in the nick of time to rally past Perth by a 17-6 count. Sebastian Steinberg’s 18-yard pick six with 9:30 remaining woke the Riptide, who hadn’t moved the ball inside the Wallaby 40 the entire night up to that point. That changed with just under 5 minutes to play as Robert Burkett make a great read to get Isidro Turner loose for an 86-yard TD reception that elevated the score to 14-6 Riptide. Timothy Beltran added a late 43-yard score set up by a desperation turnover on downs. The win was critical for the Riptide, now 8-5, as they remain tied for the final wild card slot in the Stripes Conference.

Assassins 32, Coyotes 10…Columbus City held Mt. Washington to just 63 yards in a comfortable 32-10 divisional victory. Michael Owen ran for 118 yards and a TD while Michael Hardnett was 29-for-33 for 230 yards and a score as Columbus City improves to 10-3, one game back in the Gibbs Division, but sitting pretty for a wild card slot at the very least.

Bandits 16, Bombers 0…Bandits blank Bombers in an act of Sim-on-Sim violence that featured very little violence. Or offense. Props to Santa Fe’s Charles Pagan for a 7-yard TD reception. Brooklyn mustered just 110 yards in the contest, 71 of which came on a single 14-play possession late in the fourth quarter.

Geechee 31, Bulldogs 3…Charleston outgained Bennington 507-86 to easily punch their playoff ticket last night. Richard Shewmaker rushed for 194 yards and 2 TD’s while QB John Whitney threw for 287 yards and two more TD’s. Both Whitney scoring throws found their way into the hands of Carlos Best, who was an absolute beast with 136 receiving yards in the contest. Alan Cooper added two sacks in a dominating all-around performance (except for placekicking) by the Geechee.

Week 14 recap—LATE TD LIFTS CRUSH

Crush 20, Americans 16…Joseph Burke hit Louis Fields with a 9-yard TD pass with 26 seconds to play to lift Canton over Rochester in a contest that leaves both teams with 9-5 records. Burke had 309 yards passing in the game while his counterpart on the Americans’ side, Alexander Thomas, ended his night with 305 passing yards, including 119 to Jerry Hale, who also pulled in a score. Canton holds a 1-game lead in the Parcells Division while Rochester now slips into a tie in the Brown Division.

Crusaders 12, Red Rocks 6…Lloyd Braun out-kicked Willie McCaffrey in a 12-6 victory for California that sends the Crusaders to their 14th win in as many tries this season. The upset conditions appeared to be set up for Coos Bay, but the Rocks fired a trio of costly interceptions inside the game’s final 17 minutes. The first of those picks set up the Crusaders’ final FG. The two after occurred at the Cal 19 and 18 when it appeared the Rocks were preparing to steal the contest.

Geechee 23, Wild 17…John Whitney connected with Terry Fields for a pair of lengthy TD’s to help lift Charleston to a six-point win over the Wild. Fields finished with 145 yards in receptions as Whiney threw for 239 yards and a pair of interceptions to go with the scoring throws. The Geechee have now won four in a row and retain a one-game lead in the Gibbs Division. The Wild slip to 8-6 and now trail Canton by a game for the Parcells Division crown.

Assassins 20, Witches 17…Harold Hill’s 34-yard FG with 5 seconds remaining completed a fourth-quarter rally for Columbus City and lifted the Assassins to victory in this pairing of 10-3 teams. Salem had established a 17-10 lead in the game midway through the fourth quarter as Jared Smith ran in from 2 yards out and William Bingham followd just after the 7:30 mark with a 28-yard chip shot FG kick. Columbus City wasted no time in tying the game though. Matthew Race did just that after catching the ball on the Assassins’ first play after the kickoff, outrunning the Salem secondary for a 75-yard TD. Race finished with 153 receiving yards and 2 scores in the game. Craig Puga’s late-game interception set up the game-winning kick for the Assassins.

Wallabies 20, Bombers 10…Zachary Johnson scored on a 16-yard pick six to breathe life into Perth and enable the Wallabies to burst for 20 points in the fourth quarter to avert an embarrassing upset bid by the Bombers. Despite struggling for just 5 first downs in the game, the Bombers carried a 10-0 lead into the final period. Ross Fanning added a 12-yard TD run with 6:30 to play to put Perth on top for good.

Twisters 23, Bulldogs 3…Jeremy Franklin carred the ball for 100 yards on 31 carries and Steve Phillips added a 69-yard TD reception as the Twisters shut down the Bulldogs in a meeting of divisional foes. Jasper Sheppard finished 15-for-19 for 205 yards in the contest for Arkansas, which owned a 348-127 edge in offense.

Phantoms 24, Islanders 6…Manuel Williams kicked what has to be an EFL record-challenging eight field goals to lift Parlor City to victory over Hawai’i. The Phantoms dominated the contest, outgaining the Islanders 443-134, but never were able to get into the end zone against a defensive unit that refused to break inside the red zone. Jackie Schaffer had 11 receptions for 127 yards for the Phantoms as part of a 265-yard night for QB Harry Knopp.

Snappers 28, Event 17…Louis Wilson ran for 15 yards and the Snappers scored 15 points in the final quarter to rally past the Maine Event for a 28-17 win that elevates them to 9-5 and into a tie for the Brown Division lead. Natchitoches has now won 5 consecutive contests. Jason Rodriguez was 23-for-28 for 230 yards in the passing department with a TD. Earl Daub had a pair of interceptions in the game for the Snappers.

Stampede 24, Thunder 13…Jerry Bradshaw and Duncan Cisco ran for short second-half touchdowns to steer the St. Louis Stampede to a 24-13 win over the upset-minded Tacoma Thunder. James Palmer had a 252-yard throwing night for St. Louis on 31-of-39 accuracy. Cisco finished with 112 combined yards rushing and receiving. Tacoma countered with 243 yards by QB Shawn Keeton, which included a first-half TD throw to Aaron Cooper.

Hefty Buffalo 28, Cobras 13…William Jones’ tackle for safety began the scoring for Fort Drum and 16 consecutive fourth quarter points ended it as the Hefty Buffalo thundered past the Cobras. Wendell Jessen’s 38-yard FG gave the Cobras a 13-12 lead with less than 14 minutes to play, but the Hefty Buffalo got an 11-yard Steven Atkinson TD reception and a 4-yard Scott Phillips TD run in the final minutes of the game. A 55-yard Leonard Womack FG was sandwich between those scores for Fort Drum.

Riptide 22, Coyotes 3…San Diego held Mt. Washington to just 51 yards of offense to cruise to their ninth win of the season. Wesley Greenwell finished with 159 yards of combined offense as he both ran for a TD and hauled in a TD reception in the contest to account for the game’s only two trips into an end zone. Donnie Garcia added a pair of sacks for San Diego who, at 9-5, have a 1-game advantage in the race for the Conference’s final wildcard spot.

Dragons 41, Bandits 27…John Claypoole rushed for 110 yards and 2 TD’s while Russell Gargano threw for 293 yards, 3 TD’s and a pair of interceptions as Glendora powered past Santa Fe in a game where the final score does little to showcase the dominance of the winning side throughout much of the game. The Dragons carried a 41-6 lead into the final 15 minutes of play before Santa Fe struck with a pair of Mark Smith TD receptions in the final 5 minutes to pull the game closer. Jeremy Burnett had 307 yards through the air for the Bandits.

Kings 21, Burn 3…David Emerson hauled in an 87-yard TD reception from QB Brian Williams and John Adams added a sack for safety as the Lyon Kings continued to remain in pursuit of a possible wild card berth with a 21-3 victory. The Kings owned a 334-159 advantage in overall yardage on offense. Williams finished with 233 passing yards, 114 of which ended up in Emerson’s hands.

Tennessee 34, Wampas 20…Mason Rybolt threw a trio of first quarter touchdown passes, including two to Erwin Brown to help Tennessee leap out to a 20-0 lead and cruise to a 34-20 whomping of the Wampas that was actually many times worse than that. Aspen mitigated the damages late only via a pair of Ronald McDowell TD reception sin the final 4 minutes. Rybolt finished with 458 yards and 4 TD’s in all as Tennessee attempted just one rushing play the entire night, that being a game-ending kneel-down. Howard Price had 13 receptions for 187 yards in the contest.

Spartans 26, Marauders 9…Nathaniel Finley threw a pair of first-quarter TD passes, including a 75-yarder on the game’s first play from scrimmage to give Toronto a hot start on the way to a solid win over Reno. Finley finished with 428 yards from scrimmage on 32-of-44 throwing. Russell Vera had 107 yards in receptions, including that TD grab. Toronto improves to 12-2 as it continues to jockey for playoff position and a possible first-round bye in the postseason.

Talons 16, Golden Pterodactyls 6…Gerald Peters threw a short TD pass to Jack Curry in the first quarter and sturdy defense took over from there as Tallahassee handed Star City its fourth consecutive loss, dropping the GP’s to 8-5-1 and suddenly casting doubt to the franchise’s playoff hopes. Star City has not scored more than a touchdown in any game in that stretch.

Let's add 2 more Interceptions for Harry Knopp this year and this is quite a different year for the former rookie sensation from last year.....who somehow ranked among the top 5 in the running for QB MVP. This year there seems to be more coke dust falling out of his locker. He still thinks it's ok to leave the strip club at 6:30am on game day. He doesn't look like he cares where he fires the ball. He had no comment after the game when Knopp was asked if he thinks all of those Interceptions are letting his defense down. Stay tuned in the coming weeks and the playoffs to see If the Phantom 2nd year QB can turn it around and save their season.

The sad thing is, by having "only" 2 interceptions, it could be argued that he has already turned it around compared to the prior weeks...

Week 15 recap -- Playoffs still unsettled as final week approaches

While we don’t know the order yet, we do know 10 of the 12 playoff spot owners now. In the Stripes Conference, Glendora, California, Charleston and Columbus City are all in. Either Canton or Milwaukee will walk away as the Parcells Division champion and also reach the bracket while the loser of that division has to hope they own a tiebreak edge over the San Diego Riptide, who remain in contention. It is very much the same situation over in the Stars Division. Toronto, Parlor City, Salem and Tallahassee are known to be in. Either Rochester or Natchitoches will be in as the champion of the crazy Brown Division, but the divisional runner-up has to win a possible tiebreak with Lyon before finding its way onto the bracket. Sadly, none of the teams fighting for a playoff berth face each other to settle matters on the field in Week 16, although the Crush and Snappers do meet in a game that should feel like a playoff contest given the high stakes for both sides. Before we get there, however, a look at Week 15’s results…

Talons 16, Bombers 12…Tallahassee owned a 370-137 yardage advantage, but still had to live through a nervous second half before taking a 4-point win over Brooklyn. Trailing 13-6 at the half, the Bombers kicked a pair of FG’s in the third quarter to draw within 1 with some 17 minutes of game time remaining. Despite having the ball for four more possessions, the Bombers were never able to advance across the midfield stripe again. Anthony Dunn scored both Talon TD’s, once on the ground and the other through the air as he finished with 139 combined yards.

Assassins 23, Riptide 6…Columbus City vaulted to a 20-0 halftime lead and limited the San Diego Riptide to just 5 first downs as they rolled to victory and dealt the Riptide’s postseason chances a bit of a blow. Michael Hardnett threw TD passes to Matthew Race and Elijah Johnson as part of a 244-yard night to guide the Assassins.

Cobras 30, Bandits 24…Jessie Wilson ran for a TD and caught another as part of a 145-yard night for Rancho Cucamonga as the Cobras held off Santa Fe. The Bandits vaulted to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, but 27 consecutive Cobra points through the middle two quarters eventually flipped the script. The Bandits pulled to within 6 points with just over 3 minutes to play, but made the ill-fated decision to kick the ball deep. Their offense never took the field again as the Cobras successfully ran out the remaining time.

Wild 45, Americans 10…Curtis Robertson and Kenneth Sorrell each caught a pair of TD passes as the Milwaukee Wild blasted the Rochester Americans in a meeting of two teams fighting like mad for a spot in the playoffs. In the case of the Wild, the argument made was rather convincing. Otis Castillo finished 31-for-49 for 282 yards, 4 TD’s and an interception under center for the Wild. James Wood added 161 yards and a rushing touchdown as Milwaukee rolled to 567 yards of offense in the contest.

Hefty Buffalo 10, Snappers 6…A missed FG and a late-game turnover on downs at the Fort Drum 15 proved costly as the Snappers missed a stellar opportunity to move into ownership of the divisional lead with a 10-6 loss to the Hefty Buffalo. James Ellis had a short TD dive for the only visit to the end zone that either team saw. The Hefty Buffalo built a 10-0 lead with a FG on the first play of the second quarter and simply held on from there. Scott Phillips finished with 99 combined yards in the contest for Fort Drum.

Dragons 20, Golden Pterodactyls 9…Glendora jumped to a 20-0 lead early in the second half and held on from there to bounce Star City, which began the year at 8-1-1, from playoff contention. John Claypoole had 127 receiving yards and a TD for the Dragons. Brenton Pena added a TD run from 2 yards out on his only carry of the night.

Bulldogs 15, Coyotes 5…Andre Obando kicked five FG’s to lift Bennington past Mt. Washington in a meeting of teams that have seen their struggles this season. Juan Johnson made his only tackle of the night count, registering a safety with it for the Coyotes, whose last hope for a win this season will come when the team travels to face 1-14 Brooklyn in Week 16.

Crusaders 60, Wampas 3…California did things to the Wampas that I’m pretty sure are illegal in at least 12 states during a 60-3 blowout of Aspen. Duncan Meyer ran for a pair of scores while QB James Vincent finished 20-for-27 with 388 yards and 3 TD’s in the victory. Mark Lofton had 141 receiving yards and a pair of TD receptions. All that stands between California and regular-season perfection is a home date with the 13-2 Toronto Spartans in Week 16.

Red Rocks 13, Kings 5…Coos Bay limited Lyon to just 5 first downs and 117 yards of offense to pull a narrow win out of their hat in Week 15 action. James Johnson scored the game’s only TD just over 10 minutes into the contest when he ran it in from a yard out. Willie McCaffrey added a FG just before the half for a 10-0 lead that lingered until Stephen Richter tackled Leroy Rivera in the end zone for a safety. The Kings added a 57-yard FG with just under 10 minutes to play but never crossed their own 30 again in the contest. McCaffery added a late kick for Coos Bay.

Islanders 13, Event 10…Karl Demelo’s 19-yard chip shot kick with just under 10 and a half minutes to play proved to be the game winner as Hawai’I edged Maine 13-10. John Lamm hauled in a 54-yard TD reception in the first quarter as Hawai’I jumped out to a 10-0 lead before the Event got on the board late in the period. Steven Jiminez connected with Jacob Parish on a 74-yard strike early in the third quarter to draw Maine level, but the team could never get the break it needed from there, watching its final two drives of the game stall near enticingly close to field goal range around midfield.

Crush 19, Stampede 17…William Mertens’ 51-yard FG with less than a minute to play lifted the Crush to a 19-17 victory and enabling the team to maintain its 1-game lead over the Wild in the Parcells Division race. Canton jumped to a 10-o lead in the first quarter, only to see the Stampede tie it back up with 5 minutes to go in the third. A pair of Mertens kicks returned the Crush to the lead before a 65-yard Jerry Bradshaw TD reception from Bob Thomas threw the Stampede in front by a point with 5 minutes to play. Thomas finished with 274 yards passing for St. Louis as Bradshaw recorded both TD receptions for the team as part of a 161-yard receiving night. Joseph Burke countered by going 26-for-30 for 231 yards and a score for the Crush.

Spartans 27, Thunder 6…Nathaniel Finley went 42-for-56 for 383 yards and a trio of TD passes to lead Toronto convincingly past the Thunder. Forrest Martin got the scoring started for the Spartans on a 3-yard TD catch. After exchanges of field goal kicks moved the scoreboard to 13-6 in Toronto’s favor entering the fourth quarter, Finley took over. First it was a 23-yard strike to David Becerra. Next, a 4-yard throw to Carlos Prado with less than 2 minutes to play cemented the win.

Maurauders 6, Burn 5…Jame Austin struck out with the bases loaded as Reno edged Boise in…what’s that? Wrong sport you say? Fine…he fumbled the ball after a Boise completion took the ball near midfield with less than a minute to play, extinguishing all hope the Burn had of pulling off a miracle finish. Matthew Schrock had 108 yards rushing on 22 carries for Reno, which won for the third time this season.

Wallabies 29, Tennessee 10…Michael Gee threw for a pair of scores and Adam Donnelly kicked five FG’s, including a 60-yarder just before the half to lift the Perth Wallabies to a 29-10 win over Tennessee. Gee finished 31-for-42 for 261 yards, but also threw a pair of picks in the contest. That proved to be more than enough as the Perth defense was again electric, holding Tennessee to 120 yards and forcing 4 turnovers.

Geechee 16, Witches 10…A stellar defensive stand inside their own 15 yard line in the game’s closing 2 minutes helped prevent Charleston from falling victim to Salem, which dropped its third consecutive contest but still wrapped up a wild card spot on the night. Richard Shewmaker accounted for more than half of the Geechee offense with 163 combined rushing and receiving yards, but it was John Wilson’s TD reception that accounted for the only Geechee trip into the endzone on the night. John Benner had a 9-yard reception for a score just before the half as Salem took a 7-6 lead into intermission.

Phantoms 27, Twisters 0…John Letson had 126 combined yards and a rushing score while Thomas Soto hauled in a 23-yard TD pass as the Phantoms scored a 27-0 shutout of the Twisters. Arkansas was limited to just 130 yards of offense in the contest and managed to cross midfield just twice in the game, once by virtue of an interception in the fourth quarter which resulted in the team’s only real scoring opportunity of the night, a 38-yard kick that sailed wide.

Week 16 recap – THE DANCE CARD IS SET

Rochester captured the championship of the Brown Division while Lyon emerged as the holder of the final wildcard spot in the Stars Conference. Milwaukee emerged as the top team in the Parcells Division, but pursuer Canton remains alive with the last of the Stripes Conference’s wild card spots. And just like that, the post-season is set!

Oh, by the way, California managed to run the regular season table, so let’s go to recap land!

Cobras 19, Stampede 10…Mark Becerra hauled in a 9-yard TD pass and Wendell Jessen split the uprights four times to help the Cobras to a 19-10 victory that left them with a level 8-8 record for the season. Jesse Wilson accounted for 194 combined yards for Rancho Cucamonga in the victory. Duncan Cisco ran in from a yard out for the only Stampede TD of the night.

Burn 10, Golden Pterodactyls 9…Nathan Rizzo’s 49-yard field goal in the final 2 minutes of the game lifted the Boise Burn to victory and brought the curtain down on a frustrating season for the GP’s. All 10 of Boise’s points came in the fourth quarter of the contest, with the Burn earning a touchdown on John Holm’s pick-six with less than 13 minutes to go. The win comes despite Boise managing just 151 yards of offense against a sturdy Star City defense. For Star City fans though, it will be an off-season filled with questions after an 8-1-1 start faded amid six consecutive defeats to close the season.

Talons 19, Dragons 3…Tallahassee won this cross-conference battle of playoff-bound teams. All 19 Talon points came in the second half. Robert Wilmot got things started with a 5-yard TD reception. Justin McCord followed with four FG’s. Jesse Hahn finished with 219 yards through the air for the Talons. For Glendora fans, the loss was a double dose of concerning news. On the one hand, there’s the loss that no team ever wants to enter the post-season with. But also of concern will be the health of starting QB Russell Gargano, who injured a foot in the contest. Gargano is listed as probable heading into the playoffs, but clearly seemed troubled as he threw a pair of interceptions without a touchdown in the contest.

Red Rocks 44, Hefty Buffalo 6…Brian Armstrong threw for four TD passes and Clifford Clements returned an interception 49 yards for a score as Coos Bay rolled by Fort Drum in a big way. Armstrong was simply stellar in his final outing of the year, throwing for 315 yards. Leroy Rivera had 2 TD receptions and 244 total yards in the contest as the Red Rocks wrap up the season at 8-8.

Tennessee 10, Marauders 3…The team with no nickname finished its year 6-10 thanks to a Mason Rybolt 24-yard TD pass to Erwin Brown in the first quarter and a Randy McFarren 45-yard FG in the second. From there, defense did the work as Reno was unable to mount a drive deep into Tennessee territory. The Marauders look forward to the draft after closing the year 3-12-1.

Wild 24, Thunder 18…James Wood is the man in Milwaukee this week after his 8-yard TD run in the final minute of the contest delivered a 24-18 win and, ultimately, a divisional title to the Wild. Tacoma, which ended its year on a 7-game skid, gave a game effort, going up 18-13 after Stuart Fizer’s 80-yard punt return for a touchdown with 13 minutes and change to go. George Gandy’s 46-yard FG pulled the Wild within 2 and set the stage for the late-game drama after Tacoma’s next possession stalled after crossing midfield. Wood finished with exactly 100 yards rushing while Otis Castillo threw for 257 yards.

Kings 41, Wampas 12…With the playoffs on the line, Lyon did exactly what one should do when facing a doormat. They put their foot on the throat and never allowed the cupcake to have a chance to hope. Brian Williams threw for 4 long-range TD passes as part of a 389-yard passing night, 217 yards and 3 TD’s of which found their way into the arms of Bobby Wilson. Keith Casey added 140 yards on the ground as part of a 612-yard night for the Kings.

Crusaders 38, Spartans 10…In a meeting of powerhouse teams, the Crusaders flashed their way to win No. 16 this season in a convincing fashion that included 9 points from the defense. Bobby Lile scored on a pick-six just after the 2-minute warning in the first half to help send California into the locker room with a 30-10 lead. Franklin Romanowski got in on the act late with a sack for safety. Duncan Meyer ran for 131 yards and a score for the Crusaders while Nathaniel Finley threw for 280 yards for the Spartans.

Snappers 17, Crush 14…Robert Yorke’s 36-yard FG with just over 4 minutes to play delivered a 17-14 win to the Snappers, but in a cruel twist of fate, the winners stay home to prep for the off-season while the losing team continues into the playoffs despite missing a 48-yard try in the final 80 seconds that could have forced overtime. Props to the Snapper defense, spearheaded on the night by Albert Harshaw (11 tackles) and Wayne Burns (10 stops). Both teams finish the regular season with 10-6 records.

Americans 34, Event 0…After a season of high drama in the Brown Division, the Rochester Americans removed all doubts as they seized the divisional crown with a 34-0 shutout of the Maine Event. Alexander Thomas threw for a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes while Michael Love and Guillermo Jordan each ran the ball in during the first half. Steven Jimenez was immediately taken team training facilities to be tested for color-blindness after firing 4 interceptions for the Event.

Phantoms 27, Witches 24…Salem rallied for 15 points in the final quarter but watched their final drive flame out on downs just outside of field goal range as Parlor City held on for a 27-24 win. Both teams will continue on in the playoffs, but for the Witches the win could have been valuable momentum. Harry Knopp threw for 377 yards and a trio of TD’s, but was again plagued by the interception demon as he misfired on 4 passes, including one that was returned for a TD by the Witches’ Joe Flynn during the late-game rally. Jackie Schaffer had two TD receptions for Parlor City. Salem enters the playoffs on a 4-game skid.

Twisters 27, Riptide 3…On an evening where the San Diego Riptide were playing for a possible playoff spot, the team picked a bad time to run into an inspired Arkansas Twister team. The Twisters limited the Riptide to just 148 yards of offense to win in a rout. Will McMillin threw three TD’s, including 2 to Jonathan Raker as he accounted for 326 yards of offense. Raker had 201 yards of receptions from 5 catches. Jeremy Franklin added 110 yards along the ground as the Twisters close out their year with a 6-10 mark.

Assassins 9, Wallabies 6 (OT)…Harold Hill’s 57-yard kick as overtime expired made the difference in this kickers’ derby that went to extra time. Perth’s Adam Donnelly hit on a 41-yard boot as regulation time expired to force Columbus City to play 10 extra minutes they probably didn’t want to have to endure with the playoffs on their horizon. Larry Dahl had 13 tackles and Richard Allen added a dozen for the Assassins’ defense. Jerry Belk set up the game-winning score by tossing a 33-yard pass to George Spradlin, who made a great move to get open.

Bombers 24, Coyotes 3…Eddie Elias caught a touchdown pass and also ran the ball into the endzone for a 25-yard score in the third quarter as the Bombers doubled their season win total and closed the book on an 0-16 season for Mt. Washington. Phillip Mattingly was 34-for-38 passing for 266 yards, which was more than enough as the Coyotes looked more than ready for the season to be done. The visitors stumbled for just 93 yards of offense in the contest.

Geechee 31, Bandits 6…John Whitney threw for a pair of touchdowns as Charleston tuned up for the playoffs with a solid victory over Santa Fe. Jeff Harmon added a touchdown run for the Geechee in the contest.

Islanders 12, Bulldogs 7…John Lamm broke free for a 70-yard touchdown run and Robert Barnett added a sack for a safety as Hawai’I toppled Bennington by a 12-7 count. In all, Lamm raced for 103 yards on 15 carries in the contest. Franklin Bonner had 100 yards receiving for the Bulldogs, which accounted for roughly two-thirds of the team’s offensive production on the night. He also scored the lone Bennington TD in the contest. Hawai’I ends its season with a 9-7 mark.

We are never going to win a LC when we have a Yosemite Sam wild gun slinger as our QB. Gotta find a way to calm him down. If you are playing against Parlor City, then Harry Knopp is your friend. The Phantoms tried to acquire Joe Flynn in the off season and failed. I just knew he was going to nail us and he indeed did..... with an interception in both games.

High drama in the Brown division for sure! Americans and Snappers both at 10-6, Islanders at 9-7 with the Event still close at 6-10. I know I split the divisional series with all three teams this season. Pretty crazy season.

And again, a big THANKS for Red and his weekly recap writeups! I don't know how he finds the extra time to go thru and evaluate each game and keep his finger on the pulse of each franchise. But I do appreciate and truly enjoy his efforts and the insights!

HOME TEAMS ROLL ON

The Wildcard Round of the playoffs wrapped up with plenty of happy home fans as all four of the divisional champions utilized home-field advantage to their credit to march onward into the Conference Semifinals.

Spartans 28, Kings 0
Toronto owned a pair of regular-season wins over the Kings, but saved their most dominant performance for the playoffs in a shutout victory. Shawn Auer ran for a 26-yard TD in the first half, then got on the receiving end of Nathaniel Finley’s second TD pass of the night in the third quarter to complete the scoring. Finley was 34-for-50 through the air for 216 yards and a pair of scores. That was more than enough as Lyon endured a stretch of six possessions in the second half where they only picked up one first down total. The Kings also misfired on a pair of field goal opportunities in the contest. James Meade led that snarling Spartan defense with 10 tackles. Toronto travels to the Phantoms now.

Americans 19, Witches 0
Guillermo Jordan and Scott Anderson each ran for touchdowns and Rochester’s defense turned in an all-American effort as the team took revenge for a 23-17 regular-season Salem victory in a 19-0 whitewashing of the Witches. It was blue collar football for the Americans, who relied on a ground game to control the clock. Rochester owned a 42:49-17:10 edge in time of possession. Don’t discount the defense’s role in that stat though. The Americans surrendered just 112 yards in the contest, a radical departure from the 393 yards the Witches gained in the teams’ first encounter. The Americans advance to face the Talons.

Dragons 37, Crush 9
The storyline entering the game was the uncertainty regarding the health of Glendora starting QB Russell Gargano, who had been dinged late in the Dragons’ regular-season finale. As it turns out, fans needn’t have worried. All Gargano did was throw for 412 yards and 4 TD’s as the Dragons devoured the Crush. Sean Salerno had 130 receiving yards and a pair of scoring receptions for Glendora, which fell behind 3-0 in the first quarter before uncorking 17 straight points to seize control of the scoreboard. The Dragons head to Charleston for a date with the Geechee in the semifinals.

Wild 17, Assassins 9
Otis Castillo threw touchdown passes to Rocky Barnes and Kenneth Sorrell as part of a 17-point second quarter that provided Milwaukee with all the points they would require in this one. The Assassins, held to fewer than 100 first-half yards from scrimmage, played their way back into the contest with field goals on their first three possessions of the second half. Harold Hill’s kicks from 26, 38 and 46 yards out at least gave Columbus City fans a little hope as the team drove in the game’s waning minutes. The Assassins’ final drive flamed out on downs inside the Wild 10 however, allowing Milwaukee fans to breathe a sigh of relief. Castillo finished with 220 yards through the air. Douglas Zavala came up big with two huge sacks for the Wild defense. Up next for the Wild is a trip to undefeated California.