Express Clinch AIFL Northern Conference Championship, Vipers In Southern Conference Playoffs
June 4, 2006 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) News Release
The Reading Express smashed the Miami Valley Silverbacks 73-14 to claim the American Indoor Football League's Northern Conference regular season championship and the Chattahoochee Valley Vipers clinched the fourth and final Southern Conference post-season berth with a 74-10 shelling of the Florence Phantoms in Week 15 action.
In other action, the Huntington Heroes kept their playoff hopes alive with a 43-15 blowout of the Johnstown Riverhawks. Both teams are 8-5, but the Heroes hold the tiebreaker thanks to a sweep of the season series. The Richmond Bandits (11-2) kept pace with the Rome Renegades for first place in the south with a 51-34 victory over the Augusta Spartans (4-9). Rome downed the AIFL Ghostchasers 104-0 Friday.
Winners of ten straight, the Express (11-2) scored 32 points in the second quarter to pull away from the 5-8 Silverbacks.
EXPRESS 73, SILVERHAWKS 14
READING, Pa. - Erik Rockhold set a new league single-game kicking scoring record with 19 points, Tom Stetzer threw seven touchdown passes, and the Reading Express defense posted a second-half shutout that enabled the Express to clinch home field advantage in the post-season.
Rockhold's nine PATs, two field goals and four rouges helped him break the previous record of 18 he shared with Daytona Beach's Andy Eminger.
Miami Valley led 8-1 on Maurice Lee's 45-yard touchdown catch, but the Express scored the next 29 points and never looked back.
Carmelo Ocasio caught four of Stetzer's scores, Ian Cooper two and Shawn Foxworth one.
Lee had 10 catches for 133 yards for the Silverbacks.
HEROES 43, RIVERHAWKS 15
HUNTINGTON, W.V. - One week after giving up 75 points to Canton, the Huntington Heroes defense rebounded to keep the team's playoff hopes alive.
Johnstown scored on the third play from scrimmage, but didn't score again until the fourth quarter.
Fred Ray rushed for two scores and passed for another. The Heroes got two special teams touchdowns - a Leonard Moore kickoff return and Marcus Hairston blocked field goal return on the final play of the first half to take a 23-7 halftime lead.
The loss snapped the Riverhawks' five-game winning streak.
VIPERS 74, PHANTOMS 10
COLUMBUS, Ga. - Joey Conrad threw for 215 yards and seven touchdowns as Chattahoochee Valley smashed the Florence Phantoms to get into the playoffs. The Vipers scored the first 36 points. Garvin Graves caught six passes for 73 yards and four touchdowns, while Cloude Whittaker had eight grabs for 121 yards and two scores.
BANDITS 51, SPARTANS 34
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Redd Thompson caught four of Robbie Jenkins' five touchdowns passes as Richmond used a 17-0 run to pull away from Augusta.
The Spartans closed to 19-14 before two Thompson (six catches for 89 yards) and a Chris Segaar field goal put Richmond ahead 36-14 with 2:29 left in the third.
Brian Still had seven catches for 93 yards for the Bandits. Mike Rathe threw for four Spartan scores, but was intercepted three times.
RENEGADES 104, GHOSTCHASERS 0
ROME, Ga. - Lew Thomas rushed for three touchdowns and Gerald Gales caught three touchdowns and the Rome Renegade defense forced 11 turnovers in an easy Rome victory.
American Indoor Football Association Stories from June 4, 2006
- Thunder Mourns Tragic Death of Bob Schmitt - Daytona Beach Thunder
- Express Clinch AIFL Northern Conference Championship, Vipers In Southern Conference Playoffs - AIFA
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