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Baltimore Mariners Weekly Matchup Report

March 30, 2009 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Baltimore Mariners News Release


Baltimore Mariners (2-1) vs. Columbus Lions (2-1)

Date/Time: Saturday, April 4th, 7:30 PM

Place: Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, Georgia

Baltimore Mariners Last Outing:

Mariners were stopped by the Stampede 37-34

Columbus Lions Last Outing: Lions were pounded by the Phantoms 55-36

Series: Lions lead 1-0. In their only meeting last season the Lions mauled the Mariners 67-39 in Game 3 at 1st Mariner Arena.

Baltimore Mariners Profile: With this past Saturday's slate of games the composition and complexity of the North Division race suddenly changed. With Harrisburg's win over the Mariners, the DC Armor defeating the RiverRats 34-30, and Reading rifling the South Carolina Force, we received an early indication of how tough the division will be - and how much fun for fans. Baltimore and Reading now stand knotted at 2-1 with the tiebreaker going to Baltimore, DC and Harrisburg stands 1-1, and Erie follows at 0-2. Tighten your chin straps, its going to be a wild ride.

Columbus Lions Profile: In the Columbus Lions the Mariners will be taking on one of the top flight indoor football franchises in the country. In 2007, their inaugural season, the Lions compiled a 10-4 regular season record and lost in the World Indoor Football League championship. In 2008, their first in the AIFA, they again put together a 10-4 regular season record, but lost in the first round of the league playoffs to the Mississippi Mudcats. Entering this game, they have a career record of 22-10 (playoffs included).

Players to Watch:

Baltimore Mariners:

Offense: QB E.J. Nemeth (6'3", 245, Sacred Heart) had his best outing of the season against Harrisburg going 22 of 31 for 202 yards, while throwing three TDs against one interception. He also led the Mariners with 25 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. RB Isaiah Grier (6'1", 215, Rhode Island) was stifled by the tough Stampede defense, but leads the league in rushing yards (89) and rushing touchdowns (6). Wide receivers Jamaal Stokes (6'1", 185, Alabama St.) and Scorpio Brown (6'4", 225, Morehouse) continue to provide Nemeth with a potent one-two punch. Stokes ranks second in the league with 19 receptions, while Brown is sixth with 17. Against the Stampede Scorpio produced season high numbers with nine receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns.

Defense: DB Richard Johnson (5'11", 200, Virginia Tech) leads the AIFA in interceptions (5) and interception return yards (76). He also ranks fifth in the league averaging five tackles per game. Former Minnesota Viking Fearon Wright (6'4", 245, Rhode Island) led the team against Harrisburg with seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and .5 sacks. Marques Ogden (6'5", 290, Howard) ranks seventh in the league with 2 sacks and Howard Battle (6'2", 300, North Carolina A&T) is close behind with 1.5.

Special Teams: After being named "Special Teams Player of the Week," two weeks in a row by AIFAFans.com J.R. Cipra (5'9", 170, Ohio Northern) had a nightmarish game against the Stampede going 0 for 6 on field goal attempts with four misses and two blocks and also had a late extra point attempt blocked, which would have given the Mariners the lead and perhaps changed strategy on the ensuing kickoff. Despite his Harrisburg woes Cipra still leads the league with eight field goals and is second in scoring with 43 points. Armar Watson (5'11", 180, Duquesne) continues to lead the league in missed field goal return average yardage (24.0) and is fifth in kick return yards (86).

Columbus Lions:

Offense: When All-AIFA performer Joey Conrad went down before the season with a season ending knee injury former Louisville Cardinal, rookie QB Bill Ashburn (6'2", 220), stepped into the starting role. In the Lions first two games Ashburn excelled going 38 for 76 for 429 yards and seven touchdowns and three INTs. Against Florence he was only 9 for 21 passing and totaled a mere 41 yards. Another rookie, Kevin Huff (6'3", 220, Tuskegee) was 11 for 20 for 105 yards and two touchdowns in relief, but was hindered by two interceptions. No word yet on who will get the start against the Mariners. Fifth-year pro, Troy Bergeron (6'2", 195, Middle Tennessee St.) leads the team with 15 receptions followed by Joel Babb (6'2", 215) a third-year pro from Alabama who has reeled in 14 catches.

Defense: Linebacker Justen Rivers (6'0", 250, Eastern Kentucky) has been dominating on defense for the Lions tallying 14 tackles, four tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Rookie Dexter Reid (5'11", 205, North Carolina) ranks second for the Lions with 12 tackles.

Special Teams: Kicker Carlos Martinez (5'8", 185) is tied for the league lead with the Mariner's Cipra with eight field goals and leads the league in field goal percentage (61.5). Damian Daniels (5'10", 185, West Georgia) is third in the AIFA in missed field goal returns with 17.5 yards per return and Gerald Gales (6'0", 185, West Alabama) is third in the league with a 26.2 yard kick return average.

When the Mariners have the ball: The Mariners continue to have the league's most prolific rushing attack averaging 52 yards per game and lead the league, by far, with 11 rushing TDs. The passing game got untracked against Harrisburg as Nemeth topped the 200 yard mark. With the wide discrepancy between Baltimore's scoring offense (2nd in the league, 51 points per game) and Columbus scoring defense (12th, 47 points per game) it appears likely the Mariners can put some points on the board.

When the Lions have the ball: While the Mariners may post 51 points per game, the league's top honors go to the Lions with 51.3 points per game. The Mariners scoring defense ranks 7th at 37.7 points per game. The Lions are primarily a passing team (117 passing attempts to 27 rushes), but Harrisburg's Eugene Goodman amassed 81 yards against the Mariners, so we'll see if a change in philosophy is in store.

Game Outlook: After the first two games of the season it looked like the Mariners-Lions match up would we a battle between undefeated titans; but Harrisburg and Florence had something to say about that. After two wins against the Carolina Speed (50-49 and 68-37) the Lions were throttled by the defending champion Florence Phantoms 55-36. The Mariners got to enjoy their undefeated stay in 1st place for one week, but a last second loss to the Stampede brought them back to earth at 2-1. This is a key early season game for both as the Mariners head to Reading on April 18th before facing the Phantoms at home on the 24th, while Columbus heads to Harrisburg on the 11th. Should be a high scoring affair and a win by either provides early season momentum.



American Indoor Football Association Stories from March 30, 2009


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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