Alaska Wild and Fairbanks Grizzlies Series
February 5, 2009 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Alaska Wild News Release
The Alaska Wild and Fairbanks Grizzlies open the 2009 season with each having high aspirations of three specific titles. The newly aligned Indoor Football League championship will be the goal for both teams, as will the newly aligned Pacific Division crown. The series title between the two Alaska teams has also seen a transformation. Scrapping the "Ice Cup Classic" name, the Wild and Grizzlies will play the "Borealis Championship Series", or more commonly referred to as the BCS. With over 150 entries received from both teams, Carl Jones, a Palmer resident and avid Wild fan, chose the winning name. The series winner will be determined first by head-to-head victories and then by points scored.
The Grizzlies enter 2009 with momentum as they finished the 2008 Intense Football League season 3-11, defeating the Wild in their last home game 68-66. The Grizzlies bring new hope to the 2009 Indoor Football League season, with a new coach and roster full of new faces. Returning for the Grizzlies is wide receiver Anthony Parks, who led the IFL with 99 receptions for 1,243 yards and 21 touchdowns.
The Wild enter the 2009 season with aspirations of a Pacific Division title. 2008 saw the Wild reach their first ever postseason and the Wild lost to the top two teams in the IFL by a combined 8 points and both in the final seconds. The Wild finished the 2008 regular season 5-9. Returning for the Wild are defensive superstars Demarcus James and Joe Small. James led the IFL in interceptions with 18, and was the Wild team MVP and the presumptive IFL MVP. Small was the 2008 Wild Rookie of the Year, and already has offensive coaches scheming around his presence at the linebacker position. Offensively the Wild will bring quarterbacks Luke Zetazate and Jamie Williamson and wide receiver Mark Lewis, formerly of the Orlando Predators. The Wild defeated the Grizzlies in the 2008 opener 88-12 and again 64-20 at the Sullivan Arena.
The Wild and Grizzlies open the 2009 season with the St. Patrick's Day Preseason Game presented by Inlet Tower Hotel and Suites and Mixx Grill on Tuesday, March 17 at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex. Tickets for the exhibition game go on sale on Friday, February 6. Tickets are available at the Alaska Wild office at 510 W. Tudor Rd. Ste. 2 in Anchorage, at Aesthetic Family Dentistry in Wasilla at 1551 W Parks Hwy (across from Spenard Builders Supply), or by calling 771-9400. General admission is $15 and the sideline club is $40.
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Indoor Football League Stories from February 5, 2009
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