Sports stats



Bandits claim share of inaugural AIFL Championship

June 28, 2005 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Richmond Bandits News Release


Pitching a second-half shutout, the Richmond Bandits claimed a share of the first-ever Atlantic Indoor Football League regular season championship Monday night, completing the seasonal sweep of the Raleigh Rebels, 47-26, at the Richmond Coliseum.

The win left both the Bandits and the Erie Freeze - the only team to defeat Richmond this season - tied with identical seasonal records of 9-1. With the season being cut short, the two have only met one time on the turf and only could face each other in a rematch in the AIFL Championship game.

The Bandits finished the regular season riding an eight-game winning streak and with a perfect 6-0 mark at "the Hideout," the Richmond Coliseum.

Richmond's offense used two receiving scores apiece from wideouts Marcus Richardson (Bridgewater College) and Marcel Willis (Auburn) and two rushing touchdowns from Kevin Coles (Virginia State) to overcome an otherwise sluggish offensive night, something that was near common-place for the squad versus its closest rival. The Bandits, which were one of the most offensive teams in the AIFL scoring and average of over 56 points per game, only managed an average of 48.6 points versus the Rebels, including totaling 47 in each of the last two meetings.

Richardson hauled in scoring strikes from quarterback Robbie Jenkins from four and 31 yards out, respectively, while Willis hit pay dirt from 23 and five yards out. Meanwhile Coles rumbled in on the ground from four and five yards out on his two second half scores. Former Virginia Tech standout Brian Stills added a second quarter receiving TD for his lone score of the night.

Willis led the Bandits with 113 yards receiving, with Richardson adding 77 yards on five catches.

Following the victory, Richards was dosed with icy cold water from the bench cooler by player/coach Mike Davis.

"It's great to get the win and great to grab a share of this regular season championship for the guys, our staff, owner, and the City of Richmond," said Richards. "Obviously, we wish we could have secured the top seed and had home field advantage throughout. But, regardless, we have to enjoy this for now and get prepared for the postseason."

As the number two seed in the AIFL playoffs, Richmond will await the winner of the Johnstown Riverhawks/Ghostriders game scheduled for July 2 in Johnstown, Pa. The winner will visit "the Hideout" on Monday, July 11th at 7:05 pm. The date had originally been reserved for Erie to visit Richmond in a rematch of Bandits' lone defeat.

The Freeze, the top seed in the playoffs, await the winner of the Canton Legends/Rebels match-up, also scheduled for July 2, but in Canton, Ohio.

"I know our guys would like the opportunity to play (the Freeze) again," Richards explained. "(Mike) Esposito is a really good friend and a great competitor and I hope we have the chance to face them again. But we've got to get ready for our tough match-up versus whomever, be it the Ghostriders or the Riverhawks. It's a new season starting now

• Discuss this story on the American Indoor Football Association message board...

American Indoor Football Association Stories from June 28, 2005


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.

OurSports Central