AIFA Bowl II Set for Florence, South Carolina This Friday Night

July 24, 2008 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) News Release


BALTIMORE, Maryland (July 24, 2008) - The best of the East and the best of the West will square off at the Florence Civic Center Friday night in the American Indoor Football Association's championship game, AIFA Bowl II. The Florence Phantoms, champions of the Eastern Conference, will host the Western Conference champion Wyoming Cavalry.

AIFA Bowl II matches two teams with impressive nine-game winning streaks during the season. The Phantoms (12-4) are the hottest team in the league, with their current nine-game win streak intact. They have not lost a game since May 3rd. The Cavalry (13-3) opened the season with nine straight victories and were the last undefeated team in the AIFA.

"We couldn't have mapped it out any better," AIFA co-founder John Morris remarked to This Week in the AIFA. "Wyoming has a long winning tradition, and Bennie King (VP/GM of the Phantoms) has put together an awesome team in Florence."

Both teams are coming off impressive conference final victories. The Phantoms defeated the Reading Express 52-37 at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. At the same time, the Cavalry played error-free football in a 54-26 win over the Mississippi Mudcats in Casper, Wyoming.

The Cavalry paced the AIFA in scoring during the regular season, averaging 64.8 ppg. Wyoming also lead the league in total offense (268.3 ypg). Florence was fifth in scoring (47.8 ppg) and second in total offense (262.6 ypg). Defensively, the Phantoms lead the league in fewest points allowed (32.1 ppg), while the Cavalry ranked sixth (34.3 ppg). For the playoffs, the Phantoms and the Cavalry are running neck-and-neck in scoring (53.0 ppg for Florence and 52.5 ppg for Wyoming) and fewest points allowed (23 ppg for Florence and 26 ppg for Wyoming).

AIFA Bowl II will match two of the league's premiere quarterbacks, the Cavalry's Matt Strand and the Phantoms' Omar Jacobs. Both players are big, strong and difficult to tackle. For the playoffs, Jacobs is leading the AIFA in total offense at 301 ypg, while Strand ranks fifth at 228.5 ypg. Strand has thrown for 12 post-season TD's, while Jacobs has connected for 11.

"They're not the kind that will run down the field on you," said AIFA co-founder Michael Mink on This Week in the AIFA. "They'll step up and hit somebody. They'll run left-to-right and get rid of the ball."

AIFA Bowl II will be aired by radio station WWFN (100.1mhz) in nearby Lake City, South Carolina. An Internet feed of the game will be available through the station's web site, www.thefanfm.com.

The current edition of This Week in the AIFA provides extended coverage of the upcoming game, featuring interviews with coaches, players and management involved in the game. The Internet radio program (sometimes referred to as a "podcast") can be downloaded at both the AIFA web site (www.aifaprofootball.com) and the OurSports Central web site (www.oursportscentral.com).

Tickets for the game are available through the Florence Civic Center box office, or through TicketMaster.



American Indoor Football Association Stories from July 24, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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