Katy Copperheads Season Thread 2006

[austinturfcats]

Great Idea From Guard ---- From Now On All Katy Copperheads Info Will Be Placed Here In The Nifl 2006 Season

[austinturfcats]

Katy moves to 2-1 with easy road win


Courtesy The News-Star

Katy Copperheads head coach Bryan Blake promised that his team's defense would deliver a better effort after last week's 69-33 home loss to River City.

Indeed, the Snakes (2-1) made it high noon for Twin City quarterback Gary Cooper in a 45-30 victory at the Monroe (La.) Civic Center Saturday.

The Gators (0-2) had three consecutive possessions between the second and third quarters that ended in turnovers, allowing the Copperheads (2-1) to stretch a 21-18 lead to 35-18 less than midway through the third quarter.

With the Gators leading 18-14 late in the second quarter, Katy put together a quick drive, capped by one of quarterback Ryan Breedlove's four touchdown passes to give the Copperheads a 21-18 lead with 0:28 left in the half.

The Gators attempted a quick counter, but Cooper was intercepted on the final play of the half. He ended the game with 164 yards passing and a touchdown plus two scores on the ground.

The Copperheads opened the second half with a touchdown. Then the Gators fumbled on the ensuing possession. Two plays later, Katy was back in the end zone.

In his first start of the season, Breedlove threw for 121 yards on 11-of-23 passing with one interception and four TD tosses, while running back Bam Morris had seven carries for 37 yards and no scores.

[austinturfcats]

By BRIAN SIMMONS

bsimmons@katycourier.com

MONROE, La. — Katy coach Bryan Blake called the game bittersweet, but it earned his team a winning record.

The Copperheads used a strong third quarter to pull out a 45-30 victory over the Twin City Gators at the Monroe Civic Center.

"We still haven't played Copperheads football," coach Blake said.

"We made so many mistakes and we're lucky to win the game. We should put teams like that away. We kept them in the game the entire game."

The Copperheads improved to 2-1, while Twin City fell to 0-2.

Katy quarterback and former University of Louisiana at Monroe Indian Ryan Breedlove at times seemed determined to make his former college town remember his name in his first start as a Copperhead.

After a shaky first drive, Breedlove finished the night with 121 yards and four touchdowns on 11-23 passing. Blake stayed the course with Breedlove partly to keep the quarterback's confidence up, he said.

"It was a good time, coming back (to Monroe)," Breedlove said. "After that first drive — (Blake) could have pulled me after that one, but we settled down as a team. More importantly, myself, I settled down. I still made some mistakes, but we overcame it and the whole team really got us the victory."

Fellow former ULM Indian Jason Deml caught four passes for 38 yards and a touchdown, giving him four on the season.

Blake said he was trying to spark the offense, which had been struggling the past two weeks, so he went with Breedlove over Marc Saldana, who started the first two games. Blake plans to use both quarterbacks throughout the rest of the season, he said.

Some of the mistakes Blake spoke of were the 13 penalties for 87 yards that thwarted the offense all night.

The other mistakes were kinks the Copperheads are still trying to work on offense.

The first half saw Katy muster just 65 yards

"I told my guys at halftime, if we want to be mediocre, we can," Blake said. "But I hand-picked everybody in there and that's not what I brought them here for."

Copperheads receiver Darrick Wallace started the third-quarter surge by returning the half-opening kickoff to the Gators' 14-yard line. After a couple penalties against his team, Wallace got the ball again on a 21-yard touchdown catch.

Katy defensive end Anthony George recovered a fumble in Gator territory, then Kerry Henderson soon ran for a nine-yard score.

In less than five minutes, Katy's three-point halftime lead grew to 35-18.

At running back, Katy went with Bam Morris for the first half and Henderson in the second.

Morris finished with 37 yards on seven carries, while Henderson had 23 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts.

The Gators seemed to catch the same special teams bug Katy had for the first two weeks of the season. The Copperheads blocked two extra-point attempts and Twin City had a bad snap on another attempt.

Meanwhile, Katy kicker Whitney Hillin went 6-for-6 on extra points and nailed a 30-yard field goal.

The Gators played keep away during the first half, controlling the ball for about 16 of the first 22 minutes. Their first touchdown came on a 1-yard run by quarterback Gary Cooper. After missing the extra-point attempt, kicker Teddy Garcia squib kicked and the Gators recovered. With the help of a pass interference and personal foul call against Katy, Twin City marched back down the field to take a 12-7 lead on a two-yard run by Mike Mitchell.

Until the 5:12 mark of the second quarter, Katy's lone score came on a blocked field goal by Robbie Walker. LeBrandon Shepard recovered the ball in the end zone to put the Copperheads up 7-0 in the first quarter.

The Copperheads complete their two-game road trip with a contest at Beaumont on April 1.

[austinturfcats]

http://copperheads.lonestargridiron.com/

link to podcast of copperheads games

[austinturfcats]

http://www.tsrnsports.com/Broadcast/Broadcast-Schedule-2002.htm

LINK TO COPPERHEADS GAMES ON THE WEB

[austinturfcats]

Copperheadfans.com start Copperhead Tradition

(KATY, TX. – March 28, 2006,) Ribs dripping in barbecue sauce…hot wings slathered in sweet and spicy goodness…juicy brats with glaze. These are just a few good eats that can be found a Katy Copperheads tailgate party. Now, tailgaters can earn prizes for tailgating with copperheadhfans.com at the next home game versus the Arkansas Stars at the Merrill Center on April 8 at 7 pm kickoff. Tailgating will begin at 3 pm.

This is a tailgate for all Copperheads fans. We are doing this to celebrate the Copperheads inaugural season, and to promote the fan base and the great Texas tradition of tailgating. We will be set up in our regular tailgating style as if we were at Reliant at a Texans game, cooking and serving food. Everything the game day experience is in the lot, except we know have our own team in Katy! More information can be found on the Katy Copperheads at www.katyprofootball.com and at www.copperheadfans.net, which also will have extensive tailgating information forthcoming.

Over 2000 fans of the Copperheads may come to celebrate with us. FILO tailgaters from the Houston Texans will be hosting the first tailgate and welcome all to come and participate with us, either with their own setup or to see how tailgating is done. Canopies are planned in case of inclement weather.

Free game tickets will be given to the first five fans that arrive to the copperheadfans.com event.

Members of copperheadfans.com and the Copperhead coaching staff will also select the game MVP, who will a game bonus and special recognition from the fan club postgame.

“I spent many years smelling all the great tailgating going on prior to my favorite football games,” said copperheadfans.com member Doc Halliday. “Now I’m making up for lost time since last fall and I’m loving this contest since it’s all about putting together indoor football and grilling which makes for great tailgating.”

Tailgaters are as passionate about their food as they are their Copperheads. In fact, nearly half of all tailgaters set up shop in the parking lots of their favorite teams 6-10 times per season and 50 percent roll into the parking lot 3-4 hours before a football game, with plenty of time to grill up their secret recipes before the game.

This is a great opportunity to get involved with your favorite team the Katy Copperheads. Also prizes for the Super Fan will be given at the pregame function. Awards will be given in divisions for adults both male and female and will carry the honor of King and Queen Copperhead, also a children’s division for ages 10 and under will be given.




The Katy Copperheads will play a 14 game schedule in 2006 consisting of seven home and seven away games. The home games will be played in the Leonard E. Merrell Center on the following dates:

• Saturday, March 11th, 2006 (Beaumont)
• Saturday, March 18th, 2006 (St. Louis)
• Saturday, April 8th, 2006 (Arkansas)
• Saturday, April 22nd, 2006 (Montgomery)
• Sunday, April 30th, 2006 (Bozeman)
• Friday, June 9th, 2006 (Monroe)
• Saturday, June 24th, 2006 (West Palm Beach)
For more information please contact J. Ronald Oswalt at oswalt1@houston.rr.com.

[austinturfcats]

go to --- www.katyprofootball.com --- site as been revamped and will be updated daily ----- go copperheads beat drillers

[austinturfcats]

By BRIAN SIMMONS - KATY COURIER

bsimmons@katycourier.com

Off the field, the best bet to catch Copperheads linebacker Kailan Williams is the hotel where he stays or the gym working out.

Katy coach Bryan Blake said Williams takes care of his business and goes home.

That's a far cry from the wild man on the field who leads the NIFL in tackles with 25.

"Kailan is like a caged animal out there," Blake said.

Williams collected 10 tackles, including one for a loss, and forced a fumble against Twin City on Saturday. He also added a four-yard touchdown catch.

Williams came to Katy after playing for Blake in Lubbock last year. In 2004, he signed with the St. Louis Rams. He was with them for four months until he was released before the season started.

Williams, a Tucson, Ariz. native, then went back to Missouri State to finish up his degree.

The Copperheads have benefited from Williams' decision to pursue indoor football, as he has become known as the heart and soul of the defense to the coaching staff.

The transition to indoor football moved Williams to a safety-like linebacker from the safety position he played in college. Williams is 6-foot-1 and weighs 201 pounds, but is made for linebacker in the NIFL.

"There's very limited running plays you can have," he said. "It's either coming up the middle through the guards or coming outside. There's a few different ways to block them, but besides that, it's coming up the middle or outside. That's the reason for us having a smaller linebacker like myself."

Another adjustment Williams made when making the switch to the NIFL was being surrounded by walls on the field.

"The walls play a big factor," Williams said. "For the most part, I don't feel them during the game. After the game, you definitely do feel the collisions with the walls."

With the walls come the fans, who are much closer to the game in the NIFL, which Williams said he enjoys. He said it brings a whole new level of excitement to the game.

Along with the position of linebacker comes responsibility of leadership as well. Williams calls the defensive checks on the field.

"I feel that I have led by example, for the most part," Williams said. "I make the mistakes that everybody else makes, but I do try to lead by example. I feel that I have done a pretty good job. Obviously, there's room for improvement always, but I do feel like a leader."

The defense is coming along, Williams said. As with any new team, it's taken a while for the guys to get used to each other. Once they accomplish that, Williams said he feels the squad will be more consistent rather than covering well for four plays and giving up big yardage on the fifth.

"With the comfort factor, you expect a player to be where he's supposed to be and you know he's going to be there once you get to know him," Williams said. "Right now, we're not to that comfort level. We're not real sure, so we're trying to make plays for other people and I think that's where we're making mistakes."

As the Copperheads enter Week 4 of their first NIFL season, the defense is ranked 15th out of 22 teams in total defense, but gave up just 174 yards in Monroe last week, thanks in part to that game-breaking performance provided by Williams.

"You can tell he's been in an NFL camp before," Blake said. "He's a step ahead of everyone else."

[austinturfcats]

http://home.columbus.rr.com/cfrankings/nifl.html -- link to bradley - terry nifl rankings --- these are updates weekly

[austinturfcats]

Late-game interception, TD run pulls Drillers ahead of Copperheads

By: CODY PASTORELLA, Special to The Enterprise 04/02/2006

BEAUMONT - Down 46-42, the Katy Copperheads had the ball with 1:50 left to play in the fourth quarter at Ford Arena on Saturday night.

In a game where defensive stands were absent, the question was whether Katy would leave enough time for Beaumont to have another offensive possession.

But those thoughts came to a screeching halt when the Drillers' Shock Davis picked off Ryan Breedlove and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown that put Beaumont up 53-42 and ended all hope for Katy.

"The defensive line held their ground, everybody was good on coverage, and I was in the right spot at the right time," Davis said. "I read the quarterback's eyes and then went for the interception. Once I caught it, it was showboatin' time from there."

Davis was the Drillers' all-purpose man in his team's second meeting with Katy this season. When running back Rolland Hayes went down late in the fourth quarter while the Drillers trailed 42-40, Davis stepped in at running back.

He picked up 3 yards and a first down on his first carry. Then on his second touch out of the backfield, Davis went around the left side of the line for 5 yards, made a guy miss for another 15 and then cut back to his right for the final 6 yards to give his team a key 26-yard touchdown run.

"My offensive line did all the work," Davis said. "All I had to do was make one guy miss. The offensive line played perfect. That was excellent execution."

Davis also grabbed eight passes for 89 yards and one 26-yard touchdown pass connection from Demone Scott on the opening drive.

Scott threw for 188 yards on 16-of-24 with two touchdowns and one interception.

The story in the first half was the play of Hayes, who took home player of the week honors in the National Indoor Football League's first week. Hayes only tallied 37 yards this week as opposed to his 130 from two weeks ago, but he scored three times in the second quarter to help the Drillers keep pace.

A total of 63 points was scored in the first half. Katy owned a 34-29 lead at the break with much thanks to Breedlove, who piled on 199 yards on 14-of-32 passing with three touchdowns.

Breedlove shared the success with three Copperhead receivers. John Whitehead, Jason Deml and Darric Wallace all had more than 50 yards receiving with a touchdown a piece.

sports@beaumontenterprise.com
(409) 838-2806

[austinturfcats]

By NEIL STRATTON

Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle


With four games under their belts, the Katy Copperheads (2-2) have had time to get warmed up. Now, it's time to make a move.


"Obviously, the next three of four being at home is huge for us," said head coach Bryan Blake. "We're coming off a two-week road trip and a lot of injuries. But Bam (Morris) will be back this week, he's ready to go."


Morris, the center of Blake's ball-control attack, didn't make the trip to Beaumont for last week's 53-42 loss due to a hamstring pull suffered in Week 3.


"We held him out another week because it was still giving him trouble, and we wanted to have him for these next three games rather than for Beaumont," Blake said.


That's not all Blake has had to deal with as quarterback Ryan Breedlove broke the big toe on his right foot. He's probably lost for the season.


Game time is 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the Leonard E. Merrell Center. Blake added that ticket prices have been changed so that the entire second level of the Merrell Center is general admission, with tickets $10 for adults and $5 for children.

[austinturfcats]

Morris, Henderson lead 49-21 win over Stars
2006-04-09
By NEIL STRATTON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

It was a beautiful day in Katy Saturday, a bit windy but sunny with mild temperatures. That night, however, there was thunder and lightning.

Not everywhere, mind you, just in the Leonard Merrell Center, where the two-pronged rushing attack of Kerry Henderson and Bam Morris powered the Copperheads (3-2) to a decisive 49-21 victory over Arkansas.

"It turned out well," said head coach Bryan Blake of the team's run-oriented attack against Arkansas (0-3). "We were obviously running the ball successfully with both styles of backs. We have some split-backs formations, but they were running well and we just kept switching them out.

"I love to run the ball. You can score so fast in this league that if you can control the ball, you can win."

Of the Copperheads' seven touchdowns against Arkansas, five came via the ground, a very unusual ratio for the fast-paced, offense-oriented National Indoor Football League (NIFL).

Returning to action after missing last week's loss to Beaumont due to a pulled hamstring, the powerful Morris saw mostly spot duty in short-yardage situations and delivered. His two-yard touchdown run with 1:11 left in the first quarter gave Katy its first lead, and he was critical in the Copperheads' next score as he added a 12-yard run on third and seven to the Arkansas 3, then three plays later punched it in from a yard out. The touchdown and extra point gave Katy a commanding 21-7 lead. He played sparingly in the third quarter, scoring on a three-yard run with four minutes left in the period before shutting it down.

"He came to me in the third quarter and said 'Coach is that enough?'" said Blake. "And I said, 'What?' And he said, 'A big enough lead.' He said 'I need to stop,' and so we sat him down so he wouldn't make (his hamstring) worse. He said it wasn't bad, it was just a little tight, it was tightening up on him, so we got him out of there."

As it turns out, it was more than enough given Henderson's success cutting back against the grain repeatedly against the Stars. Henderson's sizzling 18-yard scoring run just over two minutes into the second half gave the Copperheads a 27-13 lead and a needed burst of momentum coming out of the locker room. It was just the first of several highlight reel-quality scampers in the second half from the speedy back.

He credited Morris with helping him see the holes in the Stars' defense.

"It stated off I was kind of rushing it, not letting the play develop and Bam took me aside," Henderson said. "He told me to either take some steps back or to just wait a little and let the play develop, and just visualize the blocks and go for it. Once he made me realize what I wasn't doing, then I started looking for that cutback and it was there."

Meanwhile, quarterback Shayne Shrader, in his first start of the season, held up reasonably well while handing off to Henderson and Morris and throwing mostly underneath. His biggest first-half mistake came when Katy was trying to take a two-touchdown lead with 41 seconds left in the second quarter. Arkansas' Donte King picked off a corner-route pass at the goal line, snuffing Katy's momentum and attempt to put another nail in Arkansas' coffin.

Despite the first-half mistake, Shrader avoided any more major mistakes and even threw a touchdown pass on the game's last play from scrimmage, hitting receiver John Whitehead on a four-yard pass reception with under five seconds left.

It was Shrader's first game action since 2003, when he played for Columbus, Ga., in the Arena Football League 2.

"I would say B-minus," he said when asked to grade his performance. "I was a little rusty coming out, but I worked the jitters out. I feel fine now. I'm ready to go."

He said he's not ready to proclaim himself the team's starter for the rest of the year.

"I'll leave that up to coach Blake," he said. "That's not my decision. I'm definitely the healthy one. A couple of times I tried to get down and not take too many hits. I want to be able to help this team."

The oddest play of the game came near the end of the third quarter and was a reprise of a play in Katy's opening-week win over Beaumont. With Morris having just scored the last of his three touchdowns with 3:31 left in the third quarter, Whitney Hillin came on to convert the extra point. The snap sailed high, however, and Hillin retreated almost the full length of the field to gather the ball with Arkansas defenders in hot pursuit. Hillin grabbed the ball and first looked to attempt an unlikely drop kick, but found his path blocked by an Arkansas defender. Instead, he looked downfield to find Katy defensive end Anthony George jumping and waving his arms at the Arkansas 2. Hillin fired a wobbling 28-yard strike to George, who hauled it in and rambled into the end zone for the two-point conversion. It was Hillin's second conversion pass of the season.

"To see it happen once in a season, that's surprising, but twice is unbelievable," said Blake. "The more amazing part is that George caught it. Whiney was about to drop kick it but couldn't get around that guy, so he threw it."

Katy visits Rapid City Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

[austinturfcats]

Katy faces offense-loving Rapid City

By BRIAN SIMMONS

bsimmons@katycourier.com

The Katy Copperheads are a run-based team that tries to control the clock.

The Rapid City Flying Aces try to see how many points they can score before that clock reads zeroes.

Those different philosophies clash in Rapid City, S.D. tonight at 7 at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

The Flying Aces (4-0) run a more Arena League-type offense — their game is all about lighting up the scoreboard.

That's obvious in the 81.2 points Rapid City scores per game. But that imposing number is more indicative of the style of football the northern NIFL teams play than an actual gauge of how good the team is.

Also, the Flying Aces' opponents have a combined record of 2-12 this season — the two wins came from Wyoming's 2-2 mark.

The Copperheads, ranked seventh in the NIFL in rushing, are 3-2 heading into just their second non-Pacific South division contest of the year.

Katy coach Bryan Blake saw RiverCity explode offensively against his squad in the fourth quarter of the Week 2 game — and it wasn't pretty as the Rage pulled away for a 69-33 win.

He said he knows his clock control game plan has to work all four quarters against Rapid City.

"We don't want to get into a track race with them," Blake said. But the Flying Aces don't want to play the possession game either.

"We have to come out and get them out of their game plan," Rapid City coach Dan Maciejczak said. "It's who can force the other team out of their

game that's going to win."

The coach led Everett to a 14-0 regular season in 2005 before losing in the playoffs. Everett joined the af2 in the offseason, so Maciejczak went to the expansion Flying Aces.

To beat Rapid City, Blake said the Copperheads need to play four full quarters — something he said they have yet to accomplish this season.

When Rapid City has the ball

The Copperheads are hoping this doesn't happen very much, but when it does, Blake said he expects linebacker Kailan Williams to be flying around the ball.

Aces quarterback Albert Higgs won the league MVP last year in Everett and is the centerpiece of the potent offense in Rapid City.

He is ranked fourth in the NIFL in passing yards per game at 166. He has chunked 22 touchdowns on 74 completions while throwing just three interceptions.

"Their biggest asset is their quarterback," Blake said. "We've got to figure out how to contain him. We've got to get to him before he has a

chance to get a good look down field. They make a lot of big plays."

On the ground, Rapid City features running backs Verna Owens and James Jones. Owens has 170 yards and seven scores on the season while Jones has 142 yards for nine touchdowns.

On the receiving end for Rapid City, the offense is pretty evenly spread out. Dante Dudley has caught 16 passes to lead the team, but the Flying Aces have four receivers with at least 10 catches.

This test comes a week after Katy put on its best defensive showing of the year, allowing just 21 points against Arkansas at the Merrell Center.

The Copperheads are ranked 18th in the league in pass defense, but have been improving, thanks in part to Williams coming through with game-breaking plays in recent weeks. Sammy Knight and Greg Yeldell are also two defenders that will need to play like they did last week to keep pace with the Flying Aces.

When Katy has the ball

Expect the Copperheads to run and run and run some more with Bam Morris and Kerry Henderson. The two backs were too much for Arkansas last week, as Morris pounded and Henderson slashed.

At quarterback, Marc Saldana is expected to start for the first time since March 18 after being replaced by Ryan Breedlove and then injuring a hamstring.

Third-string quarterback Shayne Shrader got the starting nod last week, but Blake said Saldana is healthy enough to go back out for his third

start of the season.

As highly-touted as its offense is, Rapid City's defense can get overshadowed at times. But if Katy's offense overlooks the Aces, there could be trouble for the Copperheads.

Rapid City allows just 15 points a game, including a shutout over Big Sky. However, those opponents ran the ball a combined 62 times in four games.

"We've got a good defense, but we haven't seen a team that runs the ball 30 times a game," Maciejczak said.

The Flying Aces give up 30 rushing yards a game and have not allowed a score on the ground.

The Copperheads have run the ball 87 times for 388 yards and 13 touchdowns behind Morris and Henderson.

Saldana aims to be a threat through the air against a team that has allowed 200 yards passing in their first four games.

On special teams

Rapid City attempted just one kicking extra point this season and missed it. The team prefers to pile on the points by going for two-point

conversions. The Flying Aces have not attempted a field goal yet. It should be interesting to see if the Copperheads adopt the two-point ideology if this game becomes a shootout. If it's up to Blake, that won't be a problem Katy is faced with.

Extra points were once again a problem for the Copperheads last week as one was blocked and another one had a bad snap that led to kicker Whitney

Hillin chunking up another desperation two-point conversion.

The kick return game might be fun to watch, as Rapid City's James Jones and Katy's Darrick Wallace go head-to-head. Wallace is sixth in return average with 21.2 yards a try.

Jones is ranked third in the league with 24.4, but has just returned nine kicks, mainly because there haven't been a lot of chances for him to do so as the team is seldom on the receiving end.

[austinturfcats]

Copperheads future looking bright
2006-04-20
BY J. RONALD OSWALT

copperheadfans.com

Despite last week’s loss to Rapid City, your expectations may still remain high for the Copperheads.

Being a football fanatic, you should have already followed all the carefully calculated changes for the team and the recent personnel moves due to injuries — primarily at the quarterback position.

But the Copperheads have gotten the toughest part of their season out of the way over and are primed for a long winning streak.

The Copperheads have only lost one game that records show they should have won (a road game against Beaumont).

Injuries to both quarterbacks hurt the team at the Ford Arena in that game.

Despite their win-one, lose-one rate this season, the Copperheads host the Montgomery Maulers this week and are home against another inaugural team, Bozeman Big Sky.

They should be able to put together their first winning streak in franchise history with consecutive wins to finish out April.

In come the Maulers

The Maulers have had their problems this season with losses to Lakeland, Fayetteville and last week’s 66-33 to the Florida Freenzy.

The Maulers enter this week’s game with a 1-3 record.

The Thunder, the Copperheads’ opponent next week, have played a much weaker schedule than the Copperheads and are winless, and most losses haven’t been pretty.

This insanity of win-one, lose-one scenario cannot continue any longer — nor can it. The season may be successful, but the law of averages is on Katy’s side now. Even the NIFL Indoor Bowl is still in their grasp.

But just like the Energizer Bunny, the streak may keep going, and going and going...

Remember, you heard it here first from copperheadfans.com — the Copperheads will win out in 2006 barring any more significant injuries to the quarterback position.

So mark your schedule in July, because the Copperheads may host a playoff game at the Merrell Center.

Copperheadfans.com notes

The Copperheads fan club made their first tailgating experience a successful one with the help of Midway Market, Mrs. Baird’s Bread, and Good Ol’ Boys.

Kerry Henderson was awarded the first game MVP postgame by the fans. He and other players greeted the fans at the postgame tailgate, which lasted late into the night.

The first awards were also handed out last Saturday. Tailgater of the Game was given to Doc Holliday, the title of King Copperhead was granted to season ticket holder Jesse Morgan, Gina Kocurek took Queen Copperhead and Kid Copperhead went to 5-year-old Hayden Oswalt. All were announced at the game and received trophies for that Copperhead spirit.

These awards are given to the ultimate fans each game at the copperheadfans.com party before each game.

All fans are encouraged to bring their grills and food each game four hours before each home game in front of the Merrell Center. There is no charge to attend. Fan T-shirts are available to purchase with the funds going to the MVP of that game.

Ron Oswalt is the head of the Copperheads fan club, www.copperheadfans.com, and can be reached at oswalt1@houston.rr.com.

[austinturfcats]

great site for all nifl fans visit www.indoorbowl.com

[austinturfcats]

Copperhead fans

By J. Ronald Oswalt

copperheadfans.com

Remember you read it here first last week — the Copperheads would go on a tear and start romping through their NIFL schedule.

Montgomery never knew what hit them after the 28-0 beating in the first quarter in rout to a 56-20 blowout.

Look this week for more fireworks against the Big Sky Thunder from Bozeman, Montana.

The Thunder is 0-5 in their inaugural season and has been outscored by a 314-62 margin.

The bye they had last week will not help and look for the Copperheads to top 50-plus points this week. My prediction — 63-12 — Copperheads in a squeaker.

Lack of crowd

On a personal note, after moving here six years ago, all I heard about was the loyalty and support for Katy football.

I have met a few of the diehards and they have become involved in the fan club.

The crowds have been supportive, especially the group from Cinco Ranch last week. But I expected sell outs every night. It hasn't happened. Is Katy just a high school/youth sports city or is it just taking time to get the word out about the Copperheads?

Katy has one of the top 10 teams in the league in only their first year of existence.

Visit www.copperheadfans.com and email me your opinions.

Odds and ends

Also, another informative Internet site to learn more about other teams in the league is OurSportsCentral. Log on at www.oursportscentral.com and click football, there is a forum directed just to teams in the National Indoor Football League.

Coach Blake displayed a new blonde hairdo last week aganist Montgomery, going back to his days when he coached the Beaumont Drillers. The streak started with the Montgomery win. Look for it to stay blonde through the regular season.

Update on fan favorite kicker Whitney Hillin. The All-Star kicker he was released after an overnight stay at an area hospital. He had his throat injured after a vicious late hit by a Mauler defender, which drew a flag. The recovery of Hillin should be great news to John Whitehead, which replaced him in the lineup as kicker but only saw time on kickoffs.

And now, the awards...

The father-son duo of Robert and Rex Gutierrez was selected as King and Kid Copperhead for the games' most supportive fans. Queen Copperhead Melissa McDonald and Rene Renteria, tailgater of the game, were also selected before Saturday's win.

Copperheads defender Kailan Williams was selected copperheadfans.com MVP for the Montgomery game. Donations from fans each game goes to the MVP.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for each tailgating fan event. It has grown big quickly and too large for just a few individuals. For more information, contact J. Ronald Oswalt at oswalt1@houston.rr.com. This week's tailgate starts at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

A limited number of Bam Morris signed mini-posters are available for purchase to benefit the MVP award. We are also planning on having a full pig roast for the last game of the season on June 24 against West Palm Beach.

Don't forget your chairs, grills, favorite grilled foods and side dishes, coolers and tents.

Ron Oswalt is the team's photographer and is head of the team's fan club, www.copperheadfans.com. Email him at oswalt1@houston.rr.com.

[austinturfcats]

Homestanding Copperheads move to 5-3 on season


By MIKE TENNEY


Houston Chronicle Correspondent


In a league where teams are supposed to go up and down the field and score points by the bushel, only one team did that Sunday at Leonard E. Merrell Center.

After nine different players scored offensive touchdowns and defensive captain Kailan Williams added one each on a blocked punt and an interception, Katy racked up 51 uncontested second-half points en route to a one-sided 86-14 victory over the winless Big Sky Thunder of Bozeman, Mont.

The win allowed the Copperheads to stay even with Beaumont for the top spot in the National Indoor Football League's Western Division. It also keeps alive their hopes of playing a home playoff game in July.

"That's what we're shooting for," said head coach Bryan Blake after the win. "We'd like to play a home game in the playoffs in front of our fans, who have been terrific and were great again today."

They had a lot to cheer. The Copperheads broke away from a 7-7 tie midway through the first quarter to cruise past their opponents, who came by bus from near the Canadian border to play the game.

"It is a long drive," said Copperheads receiver Jason Deml, who caught two of quarterback Marc Saldana's four first-half touchdown passes. Saldana split time with part-time starter Shayne Shrader, who threw two scoring passes of his own in the third quarter. "I'm sure they were tired or and we played well. Both offensively and defensively, we played well. You factor in things like that and games like this can happen, but we are still happy with the way we played."

The game started with the Thunder, shut out 61-0 earlier this year, running three plays and missing a long field goal, which the Copperheads played off the net and returned to their 16-yard-line. On first down, Saldana found a streaking Deml down the left sideline for a 34-yard touchdown pass. Kicker Whitney Hillin converted the first of his nine point-after tries and the home team was in front 7-0 with 12:01 to play in the first quarter.

The Thunder answered with quarterback Albert Bradley rolling to his left and finding Chester Lewis for a 31-yard touchdown strike. Chris Marariglia made the PAT kick to tie the game at 7 with 8:55 showing.

From there, it was all Copperheads.

On their next drive, Saldana threw a six-yard scoring pass to J.D. Clay after ex-NFL star Bam Morris ran the ball five consecutive times. The touchdown gave Katy a 14-7 lead with 5:04 left in the first.

The Thunder, which didn't help itself with 14 penalties, had an ill-fated fourth-down attempt from its own 17 go awry the next time it owned the ball, giving the Copperheads the ball. On Katy's initial play from scrimmage, Saldana hooked up with Deml on a 17-yard score on the way to a 21-7 first-quarter lead.

The Big Sky had a 24-yard field goal blocked three minutes into the second period and after a mad scramble for the ball, the Copperheads took over at the Big Sky 19. Two plays later, Morris leaped one defender and knocked down four more to reach the end zone from 18 yards out with 6:48 left in the first half. Soon, it was 28-7.

The Sky scored their second and last touchdown two minutes later, but just before the intermission, on a one-play, 15-yard drive, Saldana found John Whitehead alone with a pass in the end zone, giving Katy a 35-14 halftime lead.

The Copperheads would rack up 28 points in the third quarter and 23 more in the fourth as everyone saw a lot of playing time.

The Copperheads improved to 5-3 overall and go to Arkansas Saturday to play the Stars.

The Thunder falls to 0-6 on the year.

[austinturfcats]

anyone here want to start playoff predictions top 12 teams in order
then to six then to final four etc heres my pics

atlantic conference

1-lakeland
2-river city
3-fayetteville
4-osceola
5-cincinnatti
6-charleston

pacific conference

1-rapid city -- off field problems will kill this team
2-tri-city
3-katy
4-wyoming
5-beaumont
6-arkansas

final 3 of each conference

atlantic

1-lakeland
2-river city
3-fayetteville

pacific

1-rapid city -- off field problems will kill this team
2-tri-city
3-katy

indoor bowl ---- lakeland over tri-cities

[austinturfcats]

KATY - Head coach Bryan Blake has said his team needs to keep the winning streak alive and push toward the playoffs. He's said that his team is good enough to make the Indoor Bowl game this season.

Now, it seems, there's only one thing left for the Copperheads to do - go out and win more games and keep the team's first back to back win streak alive.

The Copperheads now turn their focus on the 2-4 Arkansas Stars. The Stars have recent wins over Lincoln/St. Joseph and Twin Cities in Monroe. In the Monroe game, the Stars racked up a total of 17 first downs and 53 points to the Gators' 12 first downs and 35 points. With Josh Waggle at the helm for most of the game, Chrys Chukwuma added 96 rushing yards to his career with an average of 8.7 yards per carry and 3 touchdowns. Waggle completed 16 of 27 attempts for a total of 204 yards and 3 touchdown passes. Darian Chestnut led the pack in receiving with 8 for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns.

"I think our team came back hungry last week in the second half. " Blake said, looking back to last week's 86-14 blowout win over the Big Sky Thunder. "Maybe at the first of the year they just assumed they were going to win 10 plus games. I think they found out it's not handed to them and they have to earn it. But, you know, ask me in about four or five weeks how much they're prepared and how well we've done."

Last week the Copperheads would rack up 28 points in the third quarter and 23 more in the fourth as everyone saw a lot of playing time. Big Sky was then outscored 51-0 in the second half.

The Copperheads beat their franchise high in points by 30, and set the team record for points allowed with 14 - six points less than last week's 20.

Much of the woe in the early part of the season is placed at the feet of being a first year team. Katy started new players on all sides of the ball and the team is starting to gel at the right time.

"It's part of nature, I guess," defensive coordinator Troy Esprit said. "So yeah, there were a lot of growing pains that took place in the first few months."

Perhaps part of the reason for the pervasive optimism around Katy - and the sense of urgency - is that the excuses of a month ago don't hold water this time around.

"I think we're going to get better, but I've got to see us do it every week," Esprit said. "They've got to prove it. They've got to play themselves into it. But I like our chances."

"I certainly think that adversity made us better," said quarterback Marc Saldana, named the starter last week after a injury in week three that has slowed the Copperhead signal caller.

Throw in a little wisdom on offense and defense, and the Copperheads might just have a recipe good enough to keep on playing into the first of July.

[austinturfcats]

By Alex Abrams

The Morning News - Arkansas


FAYETTEVILLE -- It was a fitting conclusion to a week in which the Arkansas Stars dealt with a slew of problems, ranging from disgruntled players to the resignation of their head coach and top assistant.


The Stars needed a last-minute deal and some last-minute help from the National Indoor Football League to get Sunday's game against the Katy Copperheads played at the Randal Tyson Track Center. But their troubles didn't end there.


Kickoff was delayed 27 minutes. The bleachers were mostly empty. And only one goal post was erected, all but forcing whichever team scored a touchdown on the south end zone to attempt a two-point conversion.


To make matters worse, the Stars (2-5) were short-handed and in no position to slow down former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Bam Morris in the 54-12 rout in front of an estimated crowd of 250.



"The guys that wanted to play, the guys that had it in their heart to play and didn't worry about all the negative stuff, didn't worry about the past and what happened, they came out and played hard and gave the fans a show," Stars running back Chrys Chuckwuma said.


Prior to kickoff, it was uncertain if the Stars would have even enough players to field a team. A number of players threatened to boycott the game because they had gone several weeks without getting paid.


As a result, the Stars had only 15 players available, well short of the 22 players allowed to suit up for an NIFL home game. The absences were noticeable as the Copperheads jumped out to an early lead and cruised to their third consecutive victory.


"I just feel sorry for those guys that weren't here because they worked hard," Chuckwuma said. "Sometimes, you've got to bite your tongue and come out and do what you've got to do.


"You can't jump off a ship with no life jacket."


The problem was compounded by the fact that coach Marshall Foreman resigned late last week after also being upset with not getting a paycheck. Then, the man expected to replace him -- top assistant Raymond House -- quit Saturday, citing personal reasons.

[austinturfcats]

Copperhead Merchandiseis now available at www.katyprofootball.com

[austinturfcats]

does anyone know of any other possible expansion teams for 2006 in the nifl

[sportznut]

anyone here want to start playoff predictions top 12 teams in order
then to six then to final four etc heres my pics

atlantic conference

1-lakeland
2-river city
3-fayetteville
4-osceola
5-cincinnatti
6-charleston

pacific conference

1-rapid city -- off field problems will kill this team
2-tri-city
3-katy
4-wyoming
5-beaumont
6-arkansas

final 3 of each conference

atlantic

1-lakeland
2-river city
3-fayetteville

pacific

1-rapid city -- off field problems will kill this team
2-tri-city
3-katy

indoor bowl ---- lakeland over tri-cities


Ronald.... You left out Billings in the Pac conference.. They may be the only team to beat the mighty Rapid city

[austinturfcats]

Copperheads Prepare for NIFL Texas Championship
2006-05-16
As the 2006 NIFL playoffs approaches, Katy prepares to increase its lead in the division and claim the title of Texas’ Best NIFL Team. Indoor football’s rivalry games are a season unto themselves.

Katy will travel to Beaumont on Saturday, May 20, 2006 for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff at the Ford Arena. The two teams have split the two previous games this season with the home team claiming victory each time. But now Katy is riding high on a three game winning streak where they have outscored their opponents by a whopping 196-46 margin. The Drillers are currently licking their wounds after a 65-12 loss at Montgomery which extended their losing streak to two games.

“I am extremely excited. Talk about instant rivalries, this is it,” Bryan Blake, the Katy Copperheads Head Coach said. “One of the trademarks of the NIFL is close, regional rivalries, having Katy and Beaumont so close is going to be a real advantage for all the teams in the NIFL. We are thrilled to be in the Southeast Texas area and believe that indoor football will be a fan favorite for years to come. This game only sparks interest and makes playing it because of playoff implications even that more fun.”

Katy-Beaumont also marks the first of many games of rivalry season. Rivalries and their traditional intensity are what separate Texas football from any other game. Other area sports has its historic battles, sure -- but the added urgency that comes from football teams only playing a few times a year makes football rivalries more exciting.

But we don't talk enough about why these rivalries are so intense. Aside from the fact that hating the other team feels nearly as good as loving your own, each rivalry has a snowflake-ish singularity.

It's always something else to play for, other than what really counts," he said. "We just want to win some ballgames right now. But when you develop a rivalry in that sense, I guess maybe you can go out there with a little more intensity."

Seats are still available for the Copperheads next home game on June 9, 2006 versus the Twin-City (Monroe) Gators. For ticket information visit www.katyprofootball.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

[austinturfcats]

Copperheads Ready For Texas NIFL Championship Game

Join the Katy Copperheads On The Road To Beaumont With The Drillers Road Krewe !!!!
Copperheadfans.com, the official fan partner of Katy Copperheads Football, has announced that they will have a joint tailgate party at Beaumont prior to the Copperheads-Drillers game. Fans interested in attending this pregame event are encouraged to contact J. Ronald Oswalt at (832) 754-7666 or at http://www.copperheadfans.com/.
The fan group will tailgate with the Drillers fan group called the Drillers Road Krewe at the Ford Arena around 3pm. We have already recruited this group to several of our tailgating events and we want to show them that Copperhead Spirit.
The Copperheads are currently leading the Pacific Conference South Division with a 6-3 record just ahead of the Beaumont Drillers. This game could have big possible playoff implementations.
The Katy Copperheads will play a 14 game schedule in 2006 consisting of seven home and seven away games. The remaining home games will be played in the Leonard E. Merrell Center on the following dates:

• Friday, June 9th, 2006 (Monroe)
• Saturday, June 24th, 2006 (West Palm Beach)
For more information please contact J. Ronald Oswalt at oswalt1@houston.rr.com.

[austinturfcats]

May 20, 2006, 11:07PM
Copperheads: Katy zips to fourth straight win, tops Drillers
Copperheads take command of South Division


Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Jason Deml had two touchdown receptions in the fourth quarter and Katy played a sterling second half after a sluggish first two quarters to rough up homestanding Beaumont 48-34.

The win over Beaumont (4-5), the Pacific Conference South Division's second-place team, all but guarantees that the Copperheads (7-3) will make the postseason in their first year of existence in the NIFL.

"Rivalry games are always tight in the first half," said head coach Bryan Blake, who formerly served as head coach of the Drillers. "At halftime, we told the players the best team would come out ahead at the end of the game. Now we're looking forward to the playoffs."

Though the Copperheads struggled in the passing game, a steady running game and several big plays made the difference. While quarterback Marc Saldana finished with only 7 completions among his 19 attempts and threw for just 68 yards, two of his connections went for scores. Both went to Deml, on five- and 18-yard hookups that put a stake in the hearts of the Drillers.

Running back Bam Morris was mostly contained throughout the game, but ripped off a 43-yard touchdown run in the first half that helped the Copperheads to a 14-14 tie at intermission. He finished with 14 carries for 83 yards. Fellow rusher Devin Rispress also added a score via the ground.

Katy didn't limit its scoring to the offense. Ace return specialist Darrick Wallace returned a missed Beaumont field goal 50 yards for a touchdown, while defensive back Victor Malone took an interception back 20 yards to paydirt.

Next up for Katy is a trip to Monroe, La., to face winless Twin City.

[OutlawsFan]

anyone here want to start playoff predictions top 12 teams in order
then to six then to final four etc heres my pics

atlantic conference

1-lakeland
2-river city
3-fayetteville
4-osceola
5-cincinnatti
6-charleston

pacific conference

1-rapid city -- off field problems will kill this team
2-tri-city
3-katy
4-wyoming
5-beaumont
6-arkansas

final 3 of each conference

atlantic

1-lakeland
2-river city
3-fayetteville

pacific

1-rapid city -- off field problems will kill this team
2-tri-city
3-katy

indoor bowl ---- lakeland over tri-cities
How can you leave out the #2 team in the NIFL? The Texas heat must be getting to you. Billings has knocked off both of your #2 teams as well as your #4 team in the Pacific (twice). Your sports handicapping skills suck.

[OriginalOutlaw]

I'm tired of shutting down posters who don't know anything about the the sport. Your team is generally not considered in the top 5 teams for a variety of reasons. If I gotta shut you up, I will. Here are the ACTUAL and REALISTIC rankings (for now). If your peanut can't understand these rankings, please shut down and and begin again next year:

1)Rapid City
2)Billings
3)RiverCity
4)Lakeland
5)Fayetteville

Rapid City - undefeated so far.
Billings beat RiverCity.
RiverCity beat Lakeland.
Lakeland beat Fayetteville.

Jeez, Katy even lost to RiverCity AT HOME by 36 points when the Billings Outlaws beat RiverCity IN ST. LOUIS!! And you don't include the Outlaws in the top 6 of the entire Atlantic Confernce? You are a pompous a$$ with no credibility. Get another job, you totally suck at this one...

[austinturfcats]

i forgot the outlaws or mavericks by mistake but we are definitely number 6 so go ahead and grab those big wins versus big sky and lincoln go copperheads

[OutlawsFan]

Yes, The Outlaws have wins over the likes of Big Sky and Lincoln. But at least they have wins over teams with winning records, RiverCity on the road being one of them. According to the Massey Rating, Katy has the second easiest schedule in all of the NIFL. So take your easy schedule (I see you play Twin City four times), continue to believe your team is good, and hopefully we'll see you in the playoffs. Go Outlaws!

[OriginalOutlaw]

Um, Copperhead, I need to point out that your team has not defeated a winning team this year. As a matter of fact, the combined records (to date) of the opponents you have actually defeated is 16-41. At least the Outlaws defeated some of the better teams in the league, RiverCity, Tri-Cities, and Wyoming. You would lose to any of these if they were actually on your poofy schedule.

[OriginalOutlaw]

OutlawFan, your trash is weak as well. Is that all you got?

[OutlawsFan]

OutlawFan, your trash is weak as well. Is that all you got?
Some people enjoy kicking puppies, I don't.

[austinturfcats]

i am so glad outlaw can add wins and losses -- we are a successful first year franchise and we can not claim to have won as many championships as billings --- how many indoor bowls have they won ----

[fwp]

Years 2 and 3 of the NIFL. It was widely believed that Ohio Valley played one of the weakest schedules in the league. There was much support for that as there were few competitive teams in the Atlantic.

The Pacific had a number of highly competitive teams and many were sure that the champion would come out of the Pacific.

Ohio Valley won the championship both years.

I believe they had a saying, "We don't make the weak schedule, we make the schedule weak." Something like that.

Last year, there were two undefeated, high flying teams going into the playoffs, neither of them played in the championship game. An up and down team from Rome that wasn't that highly regarded going into the playoffs, and a Tri Cities team that continued to improve so that they were peaking at the right time, made their run as the Fever won it all. Both teams were wild cards if I remember correctly.

There's a lot of season left.

[OriginalOutlaw]

Copperhead (Katy-Didn't) - Actually, you can't claim anything, at all. Beat somebody, ANYBODY. Then come talking.

[jimbo32712]

i get your gig outlaw...You are just in need of attention...Look at me everyone! Youre like the bum on the corner yelling at no one....Everyone sees you but no one should pay you any mind. Katy you can only beat who is put in front of you...Good luck to you next weekend.

[jimbo32712]

you all have a beautiful venue..

[OutlawsFan]

jimbo: are you bitter about something? Poking fun at venues now? Compared to a lot of venues in this league, MetraPark is actually a nice place to play. We even have pads and goalposts. Competing against the likes of Houston, Orlando, etc. with large populations is difficult, to say the least. So cut us some slack. fwp: Good memory. It's refreshing to see someone with knowledge of the league. I believe the second year Ohio Valley won the championship, they went undefeated. The first year, they beat Billings by three points or so, it was a very good game. There's only one way to gain respect, and that's to win.

[jimbo32712]

I said Katy has a beautiful venue...It is..Probably the nicest ive seen in the league...Dont read into things so much. Also ours is pretty nice too

www.myspace.com/osceolafootball

[OriginalOutlaw]

Tsk Tsk, Dumbo. You have a knack for shutting down these type of forums due to your rants. Your trash is week, bring some facts or go home. Nancy...

[OriginalOutlaw]

Dumbo is entitled to his opinions, even when he is wrong.

[austinturfcats]

cant wait until we play billings in the playoffs

[sportznut]

Billings fans.... I thought they were Oseola Outlaw Fans.... hahahahaha

Original outlaw, your earlier post about the combined scores of Katy's oponents has HUGE flaw in it. Plus , after giving the Billings schedule a close look.... Nasa We have a problem



W Wyoming Cavalry 20 at Billings Outlaws 56
L Billings Outlaws 41 at Tri-Cities Fever 44
W Big Sky Thunder 6 at Billings Outlaws 77
W Billings Outlaws 55 at Lincoln Capitols 6
W Billings Outlaws 65 at RiverCity Rage 58
W Lincoln Capitols 12 at Billings Outlaws 80
W Tri-Cities Fever 40 at Billings Outlaws 44
W Billings Outlaws 51 at Wyoming Cavalry 47
W Billings Outlaws 47 at Big Sky Thunder 12

The combined record of these teams are 18-26
The combined record of Katy's oponents are 26-32

where you came up with the 16-41, I have no clue unles you added the teams the played multiple times everytime they played, which you cant do.


Look at Billings wins, 2 wins vs Big Sky who is 1-8, 2 wins over Lincoln who is 0-9, 2 wins over wyoming that is 4-5... That is 6 of the Billings 9 wins....

katy has the same schedule, different teams but same records, a win over twin city who is 0-7, 2 wins over arkansas who is 2-5, 2 wins over BMT and a loss from a team that is 4-5. That is 5 of katy's 7 wins.....

Yes the River City common oponent is huge, Fuzzy warm kudos to yall for getting the win. But with 2 losses to Rapid City coming up for yall and katy runing the table for the rest of the season, Billings can only hope for a 3 or 4 seed in the playoffs....

[OriginalOutlaw]

I was hoping to spin you up, Copper. You don't get a lot of competition, just reminding you that there are others who can sling it. You have a good team, be proud of it. But meeting us in the playoffs will only send you home sad.

[OriginalOutlaw]

Sportznut, I was feeling bad about dishing the trash, but you have re-inspired me! Stand by, you caught me actually letting Copper know I appreciate his trash. You , however, will need some education. Gimme a minute, some of us have to work for a living...

[OriginalOutlaw]

Um, Sportznuts - if you would please re-check your facts, my quote was "the combined records (to date) of the opponents you have actually defeated is 16-41". I achieved my numbers through simple addition, though you may have attempted other means. Katy's web site didn't list the actual names of teams they played, so I had to research that St. Louis is actually RiverCity, Monroe is actually Twin City, and Bozeman is actually Big Sky. I can see why you are so confused. Here is the win-loss of the teams Katy defeated:

March 11 Beaumont (4-5) W 47-40
March 25 at Monroe (0-7) W 45-30
April 8 Arkansas (2-5) W 49-21
April 22 Montgomery (3-6) W 56-20
April 30 Bozeman (1-8) W 86-14
May 7 at Arkansas (2-5) W 54-12
May 20 at Beaumont (4-5) W 48-34

16-41 as my math puts it. And yes, you can add in teams played multiple times simply because they played a team with an actual record at a particular, unique time which made the Katy record what it is today. Since you choose to expand the conversation, I will point out that your 3 losses are by a combined 119-206 points. Our only loss was a hotly disputed one 41-44 at Tri-Cities, last years champs.

Your losses:
March 18 St. Louis L 33-69
April 1 at Beaumont L 42-53
April 14 at Rapid City L 44-84

Merely getting your butt destroyed by a team with a winning record is not something to hang your hat on. You lost AT HOME by 36 points to a team we beat ON THE ROAD. I really like that you are attempting to bring facts to your trash, but please make sure they have some substance in the future.

[sportznut]

I guees that is the way they do things up in the great vast spaces of the north country.. But if you want to do it that way,we can add the multiple times that Billings played Lincoln and Bigsky to your totals and the numbers would be even closer to Katy's... we can do that if you want. The total i came up with for Billings and katy we using the records once...

Now you may think that since i just started posting here i may need some education..... hahahahahahahahhahahaahhahhahahahaha

You wanna keep some good educated smack going, Lets get it on.... I was the NIFL top poster in posts for the 2004 season and amoungst the leaders last season also... I just found this one thanks to my good friend copperheadfan. I have taken the copperheads as one of my favorite teams along with the team i am fanatical about, the BMT. Drillers... co founder of the DRK.... like i said, ready to go... we can go... FWP.... better warn him

[OriginalOutlaw]

"Oh, Mr. Sportznut, please don't pick on me. I didn't realize you were the top poster child for 2004." Copper, do you really need to bring in the "big guns" to pick on a Montana boy? Let's get down to it. Nutz, posting a thousand trashes doesn't make you good at it. Since the math was too difficult, I did it for you. We did play some crappy teams, just as Katy-did (Come on, that was funny). The teams that Billings beat had an overall 48% winning percentage (including crap teams multiple times). Katy defeated teams with an overall 39% winning percentage (including crap teams). But, heck, playing crappy team blowouts skew the results, let's just look at quality wins. The top 2 wins for the Billings Outlaws were against RiverCity (7-1) and Tri-cities (6-3). Katy's top wins were both against one losing team - Beaumont (4-5). Oops, Nutz, that happens to be YOUR team! Now I gotta do a little research on your precious BMT. I'm sure you won't like what I find...

[austinturfcats]

i don't need to bring in the big guns --- they attend our games they may be from beaumont but they bleed teal and gold not silver and black ---- being a first year team we are great and i believe the outlaws can't stop bam morris --- so go copperheads and off to the indoor bowl we go

[sportznut]

Ok broke back boy.... I know our team is bad... I see it every game, but that doesnt stop the fact that i will run smack for them, until the season ends. I would think that our north country 2 step coming up.. home games vs. Wyoming and Tri Cities would have you pulling for my Drillers. That could truely affect where your Billings ( real or not) outlaws are slotted.

Katy doesnt have the win over big teams, That is a fact. I gave you warm fuzzy kudos for the win over River City.... Katy dropped that ball at home. Fact.... I am telling you that the Katy team that is on the field right now is a different team then the one River city faced and even Rapid city faced.Played now they would be a different game. Am i saying they would win? who knows but it would go right down to the wire... Cant change what happened, But when the playoffs come around, Look out for a deep katy Playoff run! I hope that run goes through Billings because that will be a fun week!

and he is right, I was not asked into this battle, I enjoy some good run and since i have interest, good interest in Katy, I thought i would Get involved.

[OriginalOutlaw]

Wow, Nutz, you rolled over for a belly-scratch before I even got a chance to kick you like a puppy. You are correct, there are circumstances that I would root for your team. As for Katy, they have 4 games left against 2 teams with one combined win. Jeez, how does that happen? They will benefit from an easier schedule than Sister Mary's of the Deaf and Blind. But that will soften them up when they play an actual opponent. I smell first-round loss.

[sportznut]

Sister Mary's of the Deaf and Blind.

But the chicks are really hot at that school

[OutlawsFan]

What, in the Wide, Wide, World of Sports, is Bam Morris doing in the NIFL? Nothing against the NIFL, I love it. But, come on. Anyhew, Nutz, you're nuts. Katy plays Twin City four times ("pot calling kettle black"). Katy has the second easiest schedule in the NIFL (Massey Ratings). Until they beat ANYBODY with a winning record, your logic means squat. Great Osceola Football joke, we haven't heard that one before. Again, let me inform the uneducated. Billings Outlaws have been playing since 2002. Why couldn't you guys beat Katy? That would have better than beating Wyoming or Tri-Cities. Your Deaf & Blind one was pretty good.

[kristin411]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_451488.html

There's a story on here that tells what happened with him..

[sportznut]

Bam is getting his life back together. He lives in Houston and from what i heard, worked out at the same place as someone involved with the team. He wanted to make a run for reinstatement back into the NFL and thought he could get into some kind of football shape by playing in NiFL. He tried out for an AFL team this offseason but since they make their RB's play LB also, that was out. I will tell you, Katy let or yes i will concede this to you, River City took it to katy... BUt if katy has a lead, They will RUN Bam and run the clock 3 to 4 yards a pop and the clock doesnt stop.... That is smart footbal. You just have to make a stop on defence, which the early katy team couldnt do. This past week, we had to return 2 kickoffs for 50 yard both times to even keep the game within 14 points.

Katy Plays Twin City 3 times, Mar. 25, 2006, May. 27, 2006,and Jun. 9, 2006..... I dont know where you got 4 times from? So actually my logic is pretty sound on that part. I agree, Katy's best win is over BMT 2 times. Fact is a fact. But i am telling you, watching this team's progression and improvements as the season has went on, AND the possible addition of a player that will make everyone go DAMMM.. How did they pull that off... But that may or may not happen. I would say, dont count Katy out....

Billings people, time for a chill pill.... It was a jab at yall but i am telling you my outlaws comment is mostly directed at the league for letting this situation ahppen, You guys are just caught up in it and make easy targets for us... nothing personal .

I will tell you why we didnt win over Katy at home last week. They really are a GOOD team that is coming into their own. Good Coaching and players that listen and follow the gameplan. They also will do what they do and then let Bam take them home. They have an Outstanding return guy too, Wallace, and he gives them great field position. Qb.. may get a serious, serious upgrade in the upcoming weeks, but they are doing the job. WR... He may not get alot of press or acolades but Deml is a very exciting player that has made some unbelievable catches this season. The line, It is easy to block when the defense has to worry if BAM is going to get the ball and have to watch out not to get run over by him, then Opps, he doesnt have the ball and the dline is blocked. They have a linebacker that is quick, reads the play and gets to it fast and man can he hit. DB's started off slow this season but with some players they added as the season has went on, they have a solid corp that roam and make plays. They came ready to win and thats what they did... I agree, that would have put us back into the drivers seat for this weak division, but now we have to watch our back and hope we dont get caught by arkansas... Yes it is ad but yes i am still a diehard!

But have you seen the women at that school..... and they dont talk back either

[OutlawsFan]

Alright, now you're cracking me up with the D&B jokes. Cool deal for Bam, hope it works out for him. Picking on Billings is pretty easy, getting used to it but a lot of people out there don't know the real Outlaws story. Half the people in Florida think we stole their name. Obviously my higher math is off, three times a charm, I guess. Still doesn't take away from the fact that Katy now officially has the easiest schedule in the NIFL. Should guarantee a home playoff game for you. It's too bad this league allows teams to throw ringers in late in the season. We lost our killer QB (Chris Dixon) while everyone else is loading up. The nature of the beast.

[OriginalOutlaw]

Nutz, you are actually making sense. Why the fire and brimstone from earlier? I like that you bring some facts to your trash. 2004 Poster Boy or not, you've got promise.... =)

[OriginalOutlaw]

I'm off to find Osceola-Boy, Dumbo. His team has lost the last 2 weeks to 2 of the sorriest teams in the NIFL. After proclaiming superiority. What a dink. Nutz, Copper, till we meet again...

[sportznut]

And we will! Have fun defending the name of outlaws

[sportznut]

Nutz, you are actually making sense. Why the fire and brimstone from earlier? I like that you bring some facts to your trash. 2004 Poster Boy or not, you've got promise.... =)


Making a big splash as i jumped in the pool, and seeing just who didnt wanna get wet

[austinturfcats]

katy gets forfeit this weekend versus monroe --- the gators must be done

[preeths]

Is this confirmed?

[austinturfcats]

i have heard they are getting new investors and will continue with road games only for the rest of the season

[austinturfcats]

COPPERHEADS READY TO STRIKE GATORS BUT GAME CANCELLED
2006-05-24
Saturday, May 27, 2006, the Katy Copperheads game versus the Twin City Gators at Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, Louisiana has been cancelled. Katy will be awarded a forfeit and this will raise their overall record to 8-3. The Copperheads are currently riding a 4-game winning streak and hold first place in the Pacific Conference’s South Division after their 48-34 second half blowout of the Beaumont Drillers on the road last week.

The Copperheads racked up a total of 10 first downs and 94 yards rushing behind the strong running of Bam Morris against the Drillers this past weekend. Katy outscored Beaumont 17-0 in the third period to put the game on ice. With the win Katy claims the rights to the NIFL Texas Championship.

The Gators have had problems recently with the resignation of their Head Coach. The Copperheads claimed a 45-30 win at Monroe on March 25 in their only meeting of the season. The Copperheads will resume play June 9th at home in the Merrell Center against same Monroe Twin Cities Gators team. The Gators will complete the remainder of their road schedule.

Katy Head Coach Bryan Blake said, “We must stay focused over the next two bye weeks and prepare for our next home game. You have to be ready to play every week, any team can pull an upset, we actually lost at Beaumont in week four.”

You can cheer the Katy Copperheads on to victory at their next home game on Friday, June 9, at 7:05 p.m., at the Merrell Center. Tickets are available at the Copperheads team office and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. PLAYOFF TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE SOON!!!

The Katy Copperheads will play a 14 game schedule in 2006 consisting of eight home and six away games. The remaining home games will be played in the Leonard E. Merrell Center on the following dates:

- Friday, June 9th, 2006 (Monroe)
- Sunday, June 18th, 2006 (West Palm Beach relocated to the Merrell Center)
- Saturday, June 24th, 2006 (West Palm Beach)

For more information please contact J. Ronald Oswalt at oswalt1@houston.rr.com.

[Reichert]

....because coach/owner Blake is getting sick and tired of the shenanigans in this league.

I believe the Copperheads will be in the Intense league next season, but if for some reason they want to fork over the extra money to be in af2 they will be more than happy to take in both the Katy arena and the Katy/West Houston market for af2.

Both the 5,500 seat Merrell Center (brand new, by the way) and the Katy/WH market (with over 350,000 people within 10 miles of the Merrell Center) are too good for the likes of the NIFL, which appears to be fading very fast, anyway.

My bet is on the Copperheads going Intense in 2007.

[austinturfcats]

Copperheads vs Beaumont and preview 5/21/06

By Dana Roark – KATY SUN - HCN

Don’t call the Katy Copperheads an expansion team anymore. At least they aren’t playing like a first-year team after last weeks 48-34 win over Beaumont. The victory was the fourth straight for the Copperheads and clinched both the division title and a berth in the playoffs which begin in July.
“It feels great against Beaumont after everything I’ve been through with them,” coach Bryan Blake, who received a water cooler dousing on the sidelines, said. “I’m definitely happy. It was an intense game being a rival game. We pulled away in the fourth quarter but they got two late touchdowns which made the score closer than it really was.”
Blake is a former coach for the Drillers and starting quarterback Marc Saldana was released by Beaumont in 2005.
The Drillers dropped to 4-5 in the Pacific South division, second to Katy’s 7-3 overall record and 5-1 log in the division. Katy won two of its three matchups this season against Beaumont.
A long road trip continues this week as the Copperheads face the 0-7 Twin City Gators in Monroe in another division matchup. Katy beat the Gators 45-30 in week three behind four touchdown passes from Ryan Breedlove, who was starting in place of the injured Saldana.
But the Gators have had structural problems of late, canceling last weeks Fan Appreciation game and apparently replacing its entire coaching staff during the week. Also, Katy’s June 17 road game with the West Palm Beach Phantoms has been rescheduled as a June 18 home game at the Merrell Center due to West Palm’s venue agreement falling through before the start of the season. The Phantoms have not been seen in Palm Beach this season, playing all its games on the road.
Saturday against Beaumont, Saldana went all the way against his former team and finished with seven completions for 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns to wide receiver Jason Deml for five and 18 yards in the fourth quarter.
“We’re still struggling in our passing game,” Blake said. “We had lots of dropped balls and Marc’s stats don’t look real good from that. We easily had five drops against Beaumont.”
The running game still is consistent as Bam Morris again led the way with a season-high 83 yards on 14 carries against Beaumont. One carry was a 43-yard touchdown late in the second quarter that had fans in the Ford Arena buzzing.
“He’s not hurt,” Blake said, talking about a hamstring injury that sidelined the former NFL running back for several games. “He doesn’t feel like he’s at 100 percent like he did when he was playing in the NFL. But on his touchdown run, he hit that hole so fast he was gone just like that. It was neat to look around and see the fans talking about him, wondering how a guy that big can be so quick.
“I’m definitely lucky to have him on our team.”
If Katy finishes the regular season with an 11-3 mark, the Copperheads will be set to host at least two playoff games in July, which would be played on Monday nights due to scheduling commitments already in place at the Merrell Center.
“I expect to finish 11-3,” Blake said. “The guys say don’t worry about it. Overall, it’s been a fun year.”

[austinturfcats]

these rankings are better but i believe copperheads are much better than
tri-cities and wyoming we should be number 6

latest Bradley Terry rankings:

National Indoor Football League

Thru 05/21/2006

Rank | Team | Record | Round-Robin Winning Percentage | Bradley-Terry Points

1. Rapid City, SD (9-0) 0.902 100.000

2. River City, MO (7-1) 0.843 55.170

3. Billings, MT (8-1) 0.833 50.165

4. Lakeland, FL (8-1) 0.829 48.674

5. Fayetteville, NC (8-1) 0.815 43.141

6. Tri-Cities, WA (6-3) 0.684 16.647

7. Wyoming (4-5) 0.597 9.714

8. Katy, TX (7-3) 0.593 9.450

9. Osceola, FL (6-4) 0.564 7.962

10. Cincinnati, OH (5-4) 0.532 6.631

11. Charleston, SC (4-3) 0.515 6.029

12. Florida (3-5) 0.500 5.534

13. Montgomery, AL (3-6) 0.412 3.338

14. Beaumont, TX (4-5) 0.403 3.166

15. Greensboro, NC (2-5) 0.392 2.965

16. Dayton, OH (2-5) 0.347 2.280

17. Palm Beach, FL (1-6) 0.305 1.758

18. Tennessee (2-5) 0.290 1.595

19. Arkansas (2-5) 0.245 1.176

20. Big Sky, MT (1-8) 0.237 1.112

21. St. Joseph, MO/Lincoln, NE (0-9) 0.087 0.276

22. Twin City, LA (0-7) 0.073 0.226

Fictitious Team 5.520

[austinturfcats]

May 25, 2006, 10:16AM
Cancelled game makes for extended layoff in schedule


By NEIL STRATTON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Katy will get plenty of time to rest up and do some midseason healing after Saturday's game at Twin City in Monroe, La., was cancelled.

The Copperheads were slated to make their second trip to Monroe, La., before the game was forfeited by Gators officials, who have had to deal with venue issues as well as the resignation recently of their head coach.

"We've had a lot of expansion teams come in, and some are struggling financially, but they're things we're dealing with," said Copperheads head coach Bryan Blake, who has been associated with the league for all of its nine-year existence. "But this league has been around for going on nine years, and we're still moving forward, and we're going to get into the playoffs, and they'll get it solved."

Katy's previous venture to the Bayou State ended with a 45-30 defeat of the Twin City Gators March 25. The victory boosted Katy over the .500 mark and gave the team needed momentum on the heels of a 69-33 loss to St. Louis the week before.

The Copperheads (8-3 after the forfeit) had been winners of four straight games entering this weekend's contest. They are in sole possession of first place in the Pacific Conference's South Division.

"I think we've just improved every week," said Blake. "One thing that we stressed before the season started was that we improved every week. Our defense has really stepped it up in the last couple weeks. We also have made some changes to our roster, and our guys are playing better than we have in the past.

"Defensively, we're pretty strong, and offensively we can run the ball on anybody, though we've got to pick and choose where we throw thefootball."

Blake admits that his Copperheads use a different method than most indoor football teams choose.

"We've got a completely different game plan from anybody else in this league," he said. "Most of the teams are throwing the ball 80 to 90 percent of the time, but it's good when our running game is working.

"In 2003, it was early, maybe 2001 or 2002, the Ohio Valley Greyhounds won the champiornshp two years in a row, and they had a ball-control offense. They would just line up in the 'I' formation and just run it right at you. They had one undefeated season, and I just kind of patterned us after that."

It helps when you have a former NFL running back in the backfield, as well as two speedy scatback types who complement him so well.

"(Fullback Bam Morris) broke a 43-yard touchdown run last week, right up the middle," Blake said. "We've been using him a lot on short yardage, and he picked up a key fourth-down run for us, too (last week). It was fourth and about a yard, and we were trying to decide if we'd run a play action pass or not, and he said, 'Let's run it. If we can't get a yard, we don't deserve to win the game anyway.' And we did, and we got about a yard-and-a-half."

Tailbacks Kerry Henderson and Devin Rispress add a slashing style to complement the pounding dealt out by Morris.

"Bam will get in there and run on short yardage and score, and Devin's played a lot the last few weeks," Blake said. "Kerry and Devin are that other style of runner."

[OriginalOutlaw]

I know of a particular defense which could shut him down. Just ask the Aces. Go Outlaws!

[austinturfcats]

i am shocked in the upset but they cant stop bam

[50AndN]

ok copperhead fans, again this is only an unsubstantiated rumorm i've heard the phantoms are ownerless, but are willing to travel to katy to play if (and this is a big if), the katy ownership will help subsidize the trip. i'll let you read between the lines here, otherwise you guys get 2 more forfeit wins and an even longer wait for the playoffs.

at this rate, i do believe that the copperheads will be in the IFL in 2007.

[Gusher]

Just ship the uniforms I am sure we can put together a team here that will give up 70 points.

[OriginalOutlaw]

Katy only has 3 headlines to choose from:
Katy wins by forfeit again!
Katy defeats losing team again!
Katy gets the crap beat out of them by a team with a winning record again!

[sportznut]

They are supposed to have another home game against twin City which just may not be around anymore either... 2 home games left vs. teams that may not travel.... They look like they will finish 11-3 without playing another game Look like they may end the season with the same record as Billings afterall

[OriginalOutlaw]

Nutz, did you have to take your socks and shoes off to get into double digits? Katy had the easiest schedule in the entire history of the NIFL. Half their wins will be by forfeit. They even got to play sissy loser teams like Beaumont. They must be awfully proud of that...

[austinturfcats]

we just play the games the nifl gives us ---- dont hate us for following the rules

[OriginalOutlaw]

Copper, I don't hate Katy. I just find it annoying that the Outlaws play tough teams over and over while Katy skates along playing the entire year without one single quality win. Plus, I simply enjoy tweaking Nutz's nerves...

[sportznut]

No, the team with the easiest schedule ever was the 2004 Tri City Diesel.... Cake walk with a Capital C

It is going to give me so much pleasure when Billings gets knocked out in the first round they play

[OriginalOutlaw]

The 2004 Tri-City Diesel played 4 games all year against an opponent that wound up with a winning record. But, they won 2 of those games and lost the other 2 by a combined 18 points. A far cry from playing only 2 winning teams the entire year and getting destroyed in both of those games. Do some better research, Nutz. I didn't have to try very hard to prove you wrong - again.

[Reichert]

What's happened to Katy isn't their fault...the scheduling was done for most of the teams to help with travel issues, etc. And to further compound matters the league is such a joke with franchises folding that indeed it's a matter of the Copperheads continuing to operate contributing as much to their record as anything they've done on the field.

I seriously think they didn't sign up for these shenanigans when they joined the league. While Blake has continued to put on a good public face about all of this it's well known that quietly he's seething over the canceled games, scrapped road trips, folding franchises, and in one case playing a game with only one set of posts up.

As I've noted before, the team, the market, and the arena are all too good for the NIFL. Katy/West Houston is a booming market with a very nice new arena (The Merrell Center has to rank as one of the nicest venues in the NIFL) and fans who will support a winner. This team is either going Intense or af2 next year...and if they don't the locals will refuse to put up with another year of this garbage. There are just too many other sporting options nearby.

[OriginalOutlaw]

Copper, you are right, it isn't Katy's fault. I just like putting a burr under Nutz' saddle. But, you already knew that. Actually, Katy has a shot at the number two seed (or even number one) if certain teams falter. We have the luxury of being in control of our own destiny, but that road will be difficult indeed.

[sportznut]

I think we can all agree that the league messed up royally this season...

[OriginalOutlaw]

Nutz, I actually have to agree with you on that. But what are the options? Katy has to be happy with their fortune, but Billings, Rapid City, Tri-Cities, and Wyoming continue to beat the crap out of each other repeatedly. Katy did get in the way a couple times but drew back a bloody stump both times. Would a weighted system help? How would you do it? I know Katy isn't at fault for their schedule. But teams who play AND DEFEAT very tough teams should have that accomplishment mean something. Especially when playoff home games come into play.

[sportznut]

stop taking on these expansion teams that do not have a clue... That process really needs to change.

[austinturfcats]

Blake's crew has shot at opening postseason here


By MIKE TENNEY
Chronicle Correspondent

If it's the first day of June, then it must mean a couple of things.

School's out for another year, the days are about to get even hotter, and the Katy Copperheads are returning to the Merrell Center to play their final three games of the National Indoor Football League Season.

After an extended road trip that has seen them not play a home game since the last week of April and a canceled game with the Twin City Gators in Monroe, La., they continue to lead the South Division of the NIFL Pacific Division and are getting ever close to their goal.

"We want to give the folks of Katy a home playoff game," said head coach/owner Bryan Blake. "That's our No. 1 goal. We want to play a playoff game in front of our own fans because they've been so good to us and I think they would really turn out for a professional football playoff game in Katy."

"Our fans have been great and we'd love to play a home playoff game in front of them," said Copperheads receiver Jimmy Deml. "The way they've responded to the team and the way they support us, they deserve for us to play a playoff game here in our own stadium."

The Copperheads were rewarded a forfeit victory over Twin City, which will finish the regular season but only play its two road games. Exactly why that is and why Saturday's game with the Copperheads was called off was not explained on the NIFL website, which posted the news.

The Copperheads, who are now 8-3 and owners of a three-game lead over second-place Beaumont in the South Division, must keep winning to secure a home playoff game.

The schedule definitely shakes out in their favor.

Twin City is 0-7, and West Palm Beach, Katy's opponent for the last two games of the season, is 1-7. Furthermore, the Phantoms are near the bottom of the league in just about every offensive and defensive category.

[Reichert]

Any word on what the Copperheads are averaging for home attendance?

[austinturfcats]

i would say between 2500-3750 --- the schedule hasn''t helped us much down the stretch

[Reichert]

According to the NIFL website Katy is averaging only around 950 per game in attendance.

[austinturfcats]

the crowds are much better than that

[austinturfcats]

the copperheads now have jerseys, footballs, coaches caps etc at www.katyprofootball.com if anyone collects merchandise like me

[austinturfcats]

Copperhead Fans Mark Your Calendar For the Next Home Game Versus Monroe Gators --- More To Follow Soon --- Details will be posted on copperheadfans.com soon

[austinturfcats]

ESPN2’s morning show, “Cold Pizza” will be in Katy, Texas on June 9th, 2006 for the Copperheads matchup against the visiting Twin City (Monroe) Gators. ESPN2 launched Cold Pizza on October 20th, 2003, as part of its 10th anniversary celebration. The two-hour, weekday morning show airs live from New York City between 10am - 12pm ET and encores between 12pm - 2pm ET each day with live news updates.

Cold Pizza features hosts Jay Crawford and Dana Jacobson, along side with Woody Paige and Skip Bayless. Guests and regular contributors from the sports world, and various walks of life, appear regularly to offer their insights. Cold Pizza combines a unique blend of sports, pop culture and lifestyle features - all customized for ESPN viewers.

Cold Pizza also features live, on-location reports from the field, as well as, interactive elements that encourage viewer participation in unique ways. ESPN2 launched Oct. 1st, 1993 with 10 million homes. It is currently available in 85.6 million homes. The Copperheads are the focus of an inside story on indoor football. The Copperheads are currently one of the nation’s most successful first year franchises in league history.

If you haven’t seen it yet – “Cold Pizza” is the morning show with everything -- including Copperheads Football! Besides filming the game and interviewing team members, staff and fans, the “Cold Pizza” crew will also report on their adventures at this important NIFL matchup as Katy tries to improve its seeding heading into the playoffs. Look for this story to air in an upcoming show on ESPN2. This may be a “chance of a lifetime” for fans to star on their favorite sports network.

Katy fans are expected to turn out in record numbers for this national event in Texas. Tickets should be at a premium for this NIFL game at the Merrill Center. Several Copperhead players have NFL experience and will once again showcase their talent Friday night.

The Copperheads face the Twin City Gators Friday, June 9th at the Merrill Center. Kickoff is at 7:05 pm. The Copperheads have been in hibernation since their May 20th blowout of Beaumont and are ready to breakout against the Gators.

Blake added, “We are very excited to host ESPN and showcase our team and the City of Katy. I am very proud of what my team has accomplished this season and can’t wait for the playoffs to start.”

The Copperheads, who are now 8-3 and owners of a three-game lead over second-place Beaumont in the South Division, must keep winning to secure a better playoff seeding.

The Katy Copperheads will play a 14 game schedule in 2006 consisting of seven home and seven away games. The remaining home games will be played in the Leonard E. Merrell Center on the following dates:

Friday, June 9th, 2006 (Monroe)

Saturday, June 24th, 2006 (West Palm Beach)

Monday, July 10th, 2006 (Home Playoff Game TBA)

For more information please contact J. Ronald Oswalt, Media Relations Director at oswalt1@houston.rr.com. Photos in Press Release are courtesy of www.osportsphoto.com

[fwp]

Twin City Gators?

[austinturfcats]

thy will finish final two road games --- i expect this team to end up in hattiesburg, or biloxi mississippi next year

[sportznut]

is anything standing in Biloxi yet? from katrina?

[austinturfcats]

COPPERHEADS:Long layoff over with Gators in town Friday

By MIKE TENNEY

Chronicle Correspondent


When the Katy Copperheads resume National Indoor Football League play Friday night against the Twin Cities Gators out of Monroe, Louisiana at the Leonard Merrell Center at 7 p.m., they should be a well-rested team.


"We haven't played a game in almost (three) weeks, so I'm sure the guys will be anxious to get back out on the field," said Katy head coach/owner Bryan Blake Monday afternoon, just a few hours before their first formal team practice in over a week. "I know that's a long layoff to have this late in the season, but we had some injuries that have now had some time to heal and I think we're refreshed again.


"I think the time off has probably allowed us to get our legs under us a little bit. You know we had played nine straight weeks prior, so I think the layoff may do us more good than anything because we probably needed the time off. We hadn't had a bye week like just about all the other teams had, so I think this time we've had off may help us more than it hurts us."


When they fire it back up Friday night before what Blake believes could be the biggest crowd of the season at the Merrell Center, they will be go back to fighting for a playoff spot in the Pacific Division in which six of the 10 teams will make the postseason.


"The number one seed will play the six seed and so on," said Blake of the playoff format. "If the playoffs were to start right now, we'd play either Beaumont or Wyoming. That's why I went up to Beaumont Saturday night and watched those two teams play because we might be playing either one of them in the playoffs. But our goal right now is just to focus on ourselves and focus on securing that playoff berth because we're hoping to play a home playoff game on July 10."


The Beaumont Drillers defeated the Wyoming Calvary 62-59 on a last-second field goal.


"It was a good game," said Blake. "But it gave me a chance to watch both of those teams and see how we match up. I'm very familiar with Beaumont because I coached up there with them, but I hadn't seen Wyoming, so it was good to have a chance to see them. I haven't seen most of those northern teams, so to be able to go check them out in person was good."


The Gators bring a 1-7 mark into the game Friday and they have seen their share of troubles as a first-year team in the league. They are a team with a new coaching staff and currently without a home after the league announced they will play their last two road games to finish out the season, but no more in Monroe.


"I know they're a struggling team and when you're playing a struggling team, you've got to take advantage of them," said Blake. "It's a game we need to win to keep our hopes of having a high playoff seed alive, so it's a game we need to come out and play well in. I know they've had some turmoil with their coaching staff walking out on them a couple of weeks ago, but we've got our situation to worry about so nobody's going to take it easy on anybody."


On Friday, the Copperheads will also go Hollywood with ESPN's Cold Pizza coming to Katy to tape a day in the life of a NIFL team. They will interview Copperheads running back and former NFL star Bam Morris, along with Brandon Jennings, who played for the Oakland Raiders and then shoot footage of the game versus the Gators to run some time next week on the nationwide morning show.


"I think it's going to be great for the league and for the Copperheads and for Katy," said Blake. "I mean this isn't the biggest town in the country, but these people love football and they'll support it and that's what we want to show. We want to let the nation see our product and how fun and entertaining it is, but we also, from a personal franchise standpoint, want people to see the passion the people in Katy have for football, especially if it's good football."


The Copperheads are presently 8-3 on the season and have three home games left on the regular season schedule. After the Gators, it's two home games against the Palm Beach Phantoms to close it out. If they win all three, they're in the playoffs with a high seed and will have at least one home playoff game.


"That's what we're working for," said Blake. "I think if we just play like we're capable of playing, I don't think these teams will give us that much trouble. They're both down. And we've been playing well and now we've had some rest, so I think we'll come out with a big effort these last three games."


If the NIFL playoffs started today, the Copperheads would have the second seed in the Pacific Division, behind the unbeaten Rapid City (South Dakota) Flying Aces."When we flew up there and played them earlier in the season, they handled us pretty good," said Blake. "We really got whipped up front, but we've changed a lot of our linemen out since then, so if we get the opportunity to play them again, hopefully, we can make it a different game.


"But they're a good team, no doubt about it."

[austinturfcats]

TAILGATE WITH THE COPPERHEADS
Area Businesses and Katy Chamber Partner For Ribbon Cutting
Katy, Texas – June 7, 2006 – Join the Katy Copperheads at their next tailgating event on June 9th, 2006 at 4 p.m. prior to the Katy-Monroe game at the Merrill Center.
Copperheadfans.com, the official fan partner of Katy Copperheads Football, has announced that fans interested in attending this pregame event are encouraged to contact J. Ronald Oswalt at (832) 754-7666 or at http://www.copperheadfans.com/.
This event has been graciously sponsored by the Katy Chamber of Commerce and Absolutely Magazines. We have already had several tailgating events in 2006 and we want to continuing to show them that Copperhead Spirit. Along with ESPN being present there will be free game ticket giveaways, discounted Copperhead merchandise and even a Space Jump for the kids.
The Copperheads are currently leading the Pacific Conference South Division with an 8-3 record two games ahead of the Beaumont Drillers.
The Katy Copperheads will play a 14 game schedule in 2006 consisting of seven home and seven away games. The remaining home games will be played in the Leonard E. Merrell Center on the following dates:

• Friday, June 9th, 2006 (Monroe)
• Saturday, June 24th, 2006 (West Palm Beach)
• Monday, July 10th, 2006 (Home Playoff Game)
Tail Gate Party & Ribbon Cutting
AbsolutelyMagazines!
4:00 PM
Merrell Center
Katy Copperheads Discount Prices, Game Tickets Given Away,
Sports ESPN will be attending!




Directions: When going west on I-10 from Houston,
Take the Pin Oak Rd. exit onto the feeder.
Stay on feeder and go through Pin Oak Rd. intersection.
Turn right onto FM 1463 and Merrell Center will be one block on the left.

For more information please contact J. Ronald Oswalt, Director of Media Relations, at oswalt1@houston.rr.com.

[herb1]

So two easy forfiet home games just what your Fans and Sponsors were looking for when they got involved here huh lol ??????

What a MESSSSSSs

[austinturfcats]

but overall year one has been very successful --- just take the good with the bad and roll on

[sportznut]

But they keep coming out! Guys, the majority of the indoorfans do not ream messageboards or even keep up with what is going on with the league. They show up to watch their team play. These teams feilding replacement teams, alot of the home fans dont realize that this is not the real team.....

[austinturfcats]

my predictions

June 9 Twin City @ Katy 7:05 PM copperheads by 50
June 9 Lincoln @ RiverCity 7:00 PM rage by 50
June 10 Osceola @ Cincinnati 7:30 PM marahals by 21
FORFEIT Lakeland W Dayton L
June 10 Tennessee @ Billings 7:05 PM outlaws by 50
June 10 Tri Cities @ Beaumont 7:05 PM fever by 12
FORFEIT Wyoming W Big Sky L
June 10 Greensboro @ Fayetteville 7:00 PM guard by 50
FORFEIT Palm Beach W Florida L
June 12 Charleston @ Montgomery 7:00 PM maulers by 30
June 12 Twin City @ Arkansas 7:00 PM stars by 20

[austinturfcats]

Long layoff over with Gators, ESPN in town Friday

By MIKE TENNEY

Houston Chronicle Correspondent


When the Katy Copperheads resume National Indoor Football League play Friday night against the Twin Cities Gators out of Monroe, Louisiana at the Leonard Merrell Center at 7 p.m., they should be a well-rested team.


"We haven't played a game in almost (three) weeks, so I'm sure the guys will be anxious to get back out on the field," said Katy head coach/owner Bryan Blake Monday afternoon, just a few hours before their first formal team practice in over a week. "I know that's a long layoff to have this late in the season, but we had some injuries that have now had some time to heal and I think we're refreshed again.


"I think the time off has probably allowed us to get our legs under us a little bit. You know we had played nine straight weeks prior, so I think the layoff may do us more good than anything because we probably needed the time off. We hadn't had a bye week like just about all the other teams had, so I think this time we've had off may help us more than it hurts us."


When they fire it back up Friday night before what Blake believes could be the biggest crowd of the season at the Merrell Center, they will be go back to fighting for a playoff spot in the Pacific Division in which six of the 10 teams will make the postseason.


"The No. 1 seed will play the six seed and so on," said Blake of the playoff format. "If the playoffs were to start right now, we'd play either Beaumont or Wyoming. That's why I went up to Beaumont Saturday night and watched those two teams play because we might be playing either one of them in the playoffs. But our goal right now is just to focus on ourselves and focus on securing that playoff berth because we're hoping to play a home playoff game on July 10."


The Beaumont Drillers defeated the Wyoming Calvary 62-59 on a last-second field goal.


"It was a good game," said Blake. "But it gave me a chance to watch both of those teams and see how we match up. I'm very familiar with Beaumont because I coached up there with them, but I hadn't seen Wyoming, so it was good to have a chance to see them. I haven't seen most of those northern teams, so to be able to go check them out in person was good."


The Gators bring a 1-7 mark into the game Friday and they have seen their share of troubles as a first-year team in the league. They are a team with a new coaching staff and currently without a home after the league announced they will play their last two road games to finish out the season, but no more in Monroe.


"I know they're a struggling team and when you're playing a struggling team, you've got to take advantage of them," said Blake. "It's a game we need to win to keep our hopes of having a high playoff seed alive, so it's a game we need to come out and play well in. I know they've had some turmoil with their coaching staff walking out on them a couple of weeks ago, but we've got our situation to worry about so nobody's going to take it easy on anybody."


On Friday, the Copperheads will also go Hollywood with ESPN's Cold Pizza coming to Katy to tape a day in the life of a NIFL team. They will interview Copperheads running back and former NFL star Bam Morris, along with Brandon Jennings, who played for the Oakland Raiders, and then shoot footage of the game versus the Gators to run some time next week on the nationwide morning show.


"I think it's going to be great for the league and for the Copperheads and for Katy," said Blake. "I mean this isn't the biggest town in the country, but these people love football and they'll support it and that's what we want to show. We want to let the nation see our product and how fun and entertaining it is, but we also, from a personal franchise standpoint, want people to see the passion the people in Katy have for football, especially if it's good football."


The Copperheads are presently 8-3 on the season and have three home games left on the regular season schedule. After the Gators, it's two home games against the Palm Beach Phantoms to close it out. If they win all three, they're in the playoffs with a high seed and will have at least one home playoff game.


"That's what we're working for," said Blake. "I think if we just play like we're capable of playing, I don't think these teams will give us that much trouble. They're both down. And we've been playing well and now we've had some rest, so I think we'll come out with a big effort these last three games."


If the NIFL playoffs started today, the Copperheads would have the second seed in the Pacific Division, behind the unbeaten Rapid City (South Dakota) Flying Aces.

[sportznut]

somebody needs to give Mike the right info.. Katy would be sitting in the 3 seed behind the once beaten Billings and Rapid City teams

[austinturfcats]

i saw that also but they guy is just a correspondent for teh katy section of the chronicle

[sportznut]

and if he tried to find info on the NIFL site.. then he was lost LOL

[austinturfcats]

Copperheads double trouble for Twin City
Katy, Texas – June 9, 2006
By NEIL STRATTON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
The marquee outside said the Twin City Gators were in town for an NIFL showdown with Katy Friday, but that changed quickly.
After Katy's Darrick Wallace returned the opening kickoff 50 yards for a touchdown, then took a pass 15 yards into the end zone at 7:04 of the first quarter, the game quickly transformed into a matchup of Christians and lions.
Katy (9-3) rocketed to a 27-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and picked off an NIFL single-game record nine passes. When the smoke cleared, Katy had come away with a 90-8 victory over the Gators (0-10 at the Colosseum, er, Leonard E. Merrell Center.
"I was in the locker room cranking them up from the get-go," Wallace said of his pre-game state of mind. "I had so much energy, I had to let it go. It felt like two months to me; those three weeks felt like a year. I felt like I did six months of training. I was waiting. I was hungry."
Due to a bye week and two forfeitures, Katy had an unexpected midseason break. However, if there was rust, it wasn't evident against the outmanned Gators.
"The guys were pretty anxious to play again," said head coach Brian Blake. "Some were able to go home (during the break), some weren't. Some kind of hung out and did a lot of fishing. (Wide receiver Jason) Deml found a pond next to his apartment and he's been wearing it out.
"A lot of guys stuck around and worked out. They were very anxious to play and they really came out and played."
The Gators arrived in a charitable mood and gave until it hurt, throwing three picks that were returned for Copperhead touchdowns. Katy defensive back Greg Yeldell was a repeat offender, returning interceptions 19 and 23 yards for touchdowns.
"My eyes got really big," said Yeldell of the fluttering passes coming his way from a succession of ineffective Twin City passers. "(The quarterback)was really throwing it out there a couple times."





Yeldell said his twin returns for touchdowns ended a series of frustrating weeks.
"Everybody else was getting interceptions and I was like, 'Where's mine?'" Even worse, "every time I get an interception I fall on the ground," he said with a frustrated lau