Muskegon Thunder Headed to CIFL Playoffs
June 8, 2008 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Muskegon Thunder News Release
MUSKEGON - On April 12th the 4-1 Muskegon Thunder were riding a four game winning streak that included a victory over Great Lakes Conference kingpin Kalamazoo. The question wasn't whether the Thunder would make the playoffs, but rather could they capture home field advantage throughout the GLC post season run.
Nearly two months later the Thunder (5-7) were fighting for their playoff lives and a spot in the Continental Indoor Football League's second season looked iffy at best after a loss to Saginaw on Friday to end the regular season campaign. They had lost control of their own destiny and needed a victory from top rival Kalamazoo to punch their ticket. The Xplosion's 39-32 victory over the Fort Wayne Freedom on Saturday meant Muskegon (5-7) could exhale and celebrate a second consecutive trip to the CIFL playoffs.
Muskegon will now try to thank Kalamazoo (11-1) by knocking them out of the playoffs. The two teams will collide in a GLC semifinal Saturday at Wings Stadium with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. The Xplosion own a perfect 13-0 mark at their home facility over two seasons, including a pair of wins over the Thunder.
In their first meeting this year, Muskegon rallied from a 12-0 deficit to hand the visiting Xplosion their lone loss of the season with a thrilling 44-37 overtime win at L.C. Walker Arena.
Two weeks later the Thunder began a downward spiral that saw them drop six of their final seven games including a rematch with Kalamazoo.
During the difficult stretch Muskegon endured a rash of injuries and retirements that left the team short-handed and combing the free agent market for available talent. Of the 26 players on the Thunder's playoff roster, only 9 have suited up for each of the team's 12 games this year.
Last season the Thunder lost their final three regular season games and still qualified for the playoffs. Muskegon eventually dropped a first round playoff game to the Marion Mayhem and finished with a 4-9 record.
The winner of the Thunder-Xplosion game will advance to the GLC final the weekend of June 21st. The other half of the conference bracket has the Chicago Slaughter (8-4) hosting the Rock River Raptors (7-5) at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Meanwhile in the Atlantic Conference, Western Division titlists and defending CIFL champion Rochester (12-0) will host runner up Saginaw (10-2) while Eastern Division champion New England (8-3) will travel to Lehigh Valley (6-5). The lower seeded Outlawz are hosting that game because a regular season game between the two teams scheduled for Lehigh Valley's Stabler Arena could not be played due to an arena scheduling conflict.
THUNDER-XPLOSION NOTES
The Combatants: Muskegon (5-7) at Kalamazoo (11-1)
The Venue: Wings Stadium, 3600 Vanrick Drive in Kalamazoo
The Coaches: Muskegon's Shane Fairfield, 2nd year (9-16) and Kalamazoo's Mike Sparks, 1st year (11-1)
The Series: Kalamazoo leads the all time series, 3-1
May 5, 2007 @Kalamazoo 41, Muskegon 37
June 16, 2007 Kalamazoo 34, @Muskegon 28
April 4, 2008 @Muskegon 44, Kalamazoo 37 (OT)
May 3, 2008 @Kalamazoo 49, Muskegon 19
The Gamebreakers: Muskegon running back Preston Garris has set a team record with 20 touchdowns scored. The versatile rookie has scored on rushing, receiving and returning (kickoff and missed field goal) plays this season. Kalamazoo defensive back David Gater is the premier pickoff man in the CIFL, leading the league in interceptions for the second consecutive season. He ran a theft against Muskegon back the length of the field for a score earlier this season.
The Edge: Kalamazoo is the odds-on favorite to advance with an undefeated home record spanning two seasons and a decisive victory in the last meeting; The Xplosion have often been just good enough winning 6 games by 8 points or less; Muskegon was the only team to topple the Xplosion this season and has historically played their rivals very tough; The Thunder hope to have leading tackler Dominic Thocher back along with starting guard Dan Kliphuis, both of whom have missed recent games due to injury.
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Continental Indoor Football League Stories from June 8, 2008
- Muskegon Thunder Headed to CIFL Playoffs - Muskegon Thunder
- Rochester Raiders To Withdraw From CIFL - Rochester Raiders
- Xplosion to Host Thunder in Opening Round of Playoffs - Kalamazoo Xplosion
- Goal Line Stand Keeps Kalamazoo Undefeated at Home - OSC Original by Randy Snow
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