Chicago Slaughter Advace to CIFL Championships
Published on June 20, 2009 under Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Chicago Slaughter News Release
HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL.-For the first time in franchise history, the Chicago Slaughter will be playing for the league championship.
Chicago used a 28-0 second quarter run to defeat the Wisconsin Wolfpack in convincing style 63-19 in the Continental Indoor Football League Western Division Championship at the Sears Centre Saturday night.
The Slaughter (13-0) advances to the 2009 CIFL Championship Game and will host the Fort Wayne Freedom Saturday, June 27 at the Sears Centre. Fort Wayne (7-5) defeated the Marion Mayhem 49-40 Saturday night in the Eastern Division Championship. The Slaughter defeated the Freedom 56-41 April 18 during the regular season in its only meeting of the season.
Wisconsin finished its first CIFL season at 7-6.
?These guys are talented, I love the way they hit,? Slaughter coach Steve McMichael said. ?But I don?t understand why in a blue collar town nobody?s coming out to see this brand of football. We?re undefeated, and we?re in the championship game, the arena should be full.?
Chicago scored on nine of its first ten possessions. The only times the Slaughter did not reach the end zone were the final two drives in each half, when the clock expired.
Quarterback Russ Michna went 16 for 24 with six touchdown passes, 264 yards and no interception. Bobby Sippio caught eight passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Donovan Morgan added a pair of touchdowns on four receptions for 77 yards.
?These are some of the most talented guys I?ve ever played with, it?s great to be around them,? Michna said. ?We?ve planned to be in the championship game from day one, it?s been the goal since day one, we?re right where we expected to be with one more game to go.?
After spotting the Slaughter a 7-0 lead off a Bobby Sippio touchdown grab in the corner of the endzone from Russ Michna, the Wolfpack tied the game at 7-7 when Derrick Brown found the endzone on a three yard run.
That was the first, last and only time Wisconsin would score in the first half. The next time the Wolfpack reached the endzone was not until 3:33 remained in the third quarter.
Chicago ripped off 28 unanswered first half points to take a 35-7 lead at halftime. Donovan Morgan and Sippio each caught a pair of scoring strikes from Michna. And a la Pittsburg Steelers linebacker James Harrison in Super Bowl XLIII, with 0:23 left in the first half Brandon Fields ended a Wolfpack scoring opportunity with a interception he returned coast to coast-50 yards-racing past the entire Wisconsin offense. Fields picked off another pass on Wisconsin?s ensuing possession to maintain a 35-7 halftime lead.
The Slaughter suppressed any chance for a Wolfpack rally in the second half. In the game?s final 30 minutes, Chicago continued its pressure and outscored Wisconsin 28-12.
Defensively, the Slaughter held Wisconsin to nine first downs and outgained the Wolfpack 282 to 93. Wisconsin quarterback Chris Kudyba completed 12 of 24 passes for 78 yards, one score and two interceptions.
?We had a great game plan going in. We made all the plays we needed to,? Slaughter LB DeJuan Alfonzo said. ?It seemed early on that the Wolfpack was trying to catch us off guard, but we turned that around pretty fast.?
The 2009 CIFL Championship Game between Chicago and Fort Wayne will be Saturday, June 27 at the Sears Centre. Tickets are available starting at $8.00 by calling 847-310-3190 or visiting www.chicagoslaughter.com.
Continental Indoor Football League Stories from June 20, 2009
- Chicago Slaughter Advace to CIFL Championships - Chicago Slaughter
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