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And Then There Were Three

April 17, 2006 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL) News Release


Last week was a big rivalry week in the NIFL, with several key games between the Atlantic and Pacific Teams, as well as key interdivisional games. And when all was done, and the lights turned off, only three undefeated teams remained.

In one of the biggest match-ups of the week, Billings traveled to St Louis to battle the undefeated RiverCity Rage. From the start, the 3,100 plus fans in attendance knew it was going to be a great game as each team traded touchdowns.

It seems like forever since the high scoring Rage was last shutout during a quarter of play but that's just what Billings did to them. With one last chance, and seconds on the clock, the Rage looked to score their first points of the fourth quarter, but the pass was broken up, and Billings headed home with a 65-58 win.

Dayton looked to collect their second win of the season over Atlantic Division rival Tennessee, and had it in the books, until they played the fourth quarter, and let the Sharks swim away with the game by scoring 14 unanswered points. Week five, player of the week Antonio Davis had another great game, completing 25 of 44 pass attempts for 311 yards and six touchdowns. Unfortunately Davis and the rest of the Bulldogs could not find the end zone during the fourth as the Sharks won 56-52.

Pacific South Division leaders, the Beaumont Drillers, were ready to add to their three wins by attacking the Cavalry who were coming off a loss to the Aces in week five, but were unable to do so. Playing cat and mouse, the Cavalry toyed with the Drillers through two quarters; going into halftime tied at 20, but shifted into another gear and ran away with it, outscoring the Drillers by 22 points to win 50-28.

Florida was coming off a heartbreak-loss one week earlier, and was ready to introduce the Maulers, to a real football Frenzy... and they did. Montgomery was trying to rebound off a week five loss as well, but Frenzy were to much, as they ran away with this one 66-33, for their first win of the season.

Another great match up was Osceola, the third ranked team in the NIFL, against the sixth ranked Charleston Sandsharks. With home field advantage, Osceola mounted an unanswered charge by scoring 24 points in the first half, and wrapped up the game for their 3 rd win, 40-29

Big Sky, in search of their first win, was hoping that home field advantage would help supply the ninth man against Cincy, but the Marshals were not fazed by the Montana fans. The Marshals scored often, and Big Sky was unable to respond, as the Marshals headed back to Ohio with their second win, 41-14.

Two additional teams in search of their first wins, the Capitols and Gators, were unable to find the promise land either. The Gators traveled to Kennewick, WA only to be routed by the 2005 NIFL Champs, 54-18. The Cap's who recently relocated to St. Joseph, MO played host to the Arkansas Stars, but the Stars were unkind guests, defeating the Cap's in overtime by converting on the 2-point PAT. Final score 48-47.

And then... there were three! Three undefeated teams remain in the NIFL - the Lakeland Thunderbolts, the Fayetteville Guard, and the offensive leaders of the NIFL, the Rapid City Flying Aces.

Lakeland had their week six game postponed due to facility negotiations with the Palm Beach Phantoms, and will wait to reschedule this game.

The Guard took a journey to Greensboro, and left three hours later with the win over the Revolution. From the start, the Guard showcased their ability by scoring 32 points in the first half, while holding the Revolution to only six points. The Guard continued to dominate the Revolution in the second half, as Fayetteville added to their perfect season, by winning 45-26.

Atop almost every offensive category, the Rapid City Aces are flying high, and are the NIFL Top Guns; the best of the best. The Copperheads were hoping to strike fast, and paralyze the Aces, but could not do so on the Aces home turf. Like a snake on a runway, it was only time before they got ran over. And that's just what the Aces did to Katy... or at least that's what Edwin Reed, the Aces WR did. For the first time in NIFL history, a receiver had as many touchdowns as he had catches! Not one for one, or two catches for two touchdowns, but six catches for six touchdowns. Like Maverick against the MIG's in Top Gun, Reed was untouchable, as he had 145 yards receiving on six catches, for six touchdowns. Final score 84-44.

Week Seven looks to be another great week in the NIFL, as all three undefeated teams are in action. All games are schedule for Saturday, with Rapid City traveling to Dayton for the only Sunday game of the week.

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National Indoor Football League Stories from April 17, 2006


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