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Extreme set to open second season

March 29, 2007 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Bloomington Extreme News Release


The Bloomington Extreme opens its second season Friday (March 30) at 7:35 p.m. in the United Football League with an Eastern Conference match-up against the Rock River Raptors, which won the Central Division title last year...The Extreme had its first of two bye weeks last week, while the remaining 10 teams in the UIF opened their seasons. Rock River suffered a 44-34 setback at home (Rockford) to Sioux Falls, the two-time defending UIF champion...The Extreme faced the Raptors three times last season without a victory. Rock River won in Bloomington, 36-34 and defeated the Extreme in Rockford, 53-45 and 37-33.

About the Extreme: The Extreme returns the bulk of its players from last year's 5-10 team, which split its first 10 games of the season before a rash of injuries was instrumental in the Extreme losing its last five games...The Extreme returns its top four scorers and 83.2 percent of its scoring firepower, which averaged 38.1 points per game...Leading the way is kicker Peter Christofilakos, who earned second-team all-league honors after making 31 of 61 field goals (his longest was 47 yards) and 44 of 58 extra-point kicks. He also scored one touchdown to account for 144 of the team's 572 points...Also returning are running back James Fuller (86 points), wide receiver Glenn Johnson (70) and wide receiver Dwayne Smith (66)...Fuller was the team's top rusher a year ago with 369 yards (sixth best in the UIF) and 10 touchdowns...Johnson, Smith and Reggie Gray combined to catch 116 passes for 1,393 yards and 28 touchdowns. Johnson had a team-best 42 receptions for 547 yards, while Smith had 41 receptions for 454 yards and 11 touchdowns and Gray added 392 yards on 33 catches...Quarterbacks Dusty Burk, Tom Kudyba and Kenton Carr also return. Burk completed 131 of 236 passes for 1,477 yards and 28 touchdowns, while Carr was 48 of 114 for 552 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Defensively, the Extreme returns defensive back Lamar Baker, who ranked second on the team in tackles behind the departed Winston Taylor with 81. Other top defensive returnees include back Dion Brown, who led the team in interceptions with four, back Sam Yeargin and linemen Eric Johnson, Quince Holman and Martin Wilson. Holman and Wilson led the team in quarterback sacks with five.

Extreme newcomers: The Extreme welcomes the addition of 11 newcomers on this week's 30-man roster. That group includes running back Rocky Harvey; quarterback Steve LaFalce; wide receivers Shatone Power, James Walton; offensive linemen Luke Wickman, Janiah Downing and Jamarkus Gorman; defensive linemen Evan Triggs and Randall Guzman; defensive backs Mike Crumpler and Terrill Mayberry...Harvey rushed for over 3,500 yards and 137 touchdowns in four years with Fort Wayne, formerly of the UIF.

About the opponent: The Raptors were a predominately passing team last week as quarterback Ben Sankey threw for an opening league-best 257 yards on 23 completions in 33 attempts without an interception. Sankey threw for four touchdowns...Jeremiah Thompson, who had six catches for 82 yards, had two touchdown receptions...Lawrence Bady caught seven passes for 59 yards, while Luke McArdle was on the receiving end of six passes for 60 yards...The Raptors rushed the ball only 10 times for 25 yards. Their leading rusher was Randy Bell with 19 yards on six carries...Kicker Mike Betancourt was successful on a 35-yard field goal in three attempts...Defensively, the Raptors were led by linebacker Maurice Simpkins with 10 solo tackles and three assists for an 11.5 total (assists count for half a point toward the player's total), which ranks third in the league. Defensive back Jermaine Hampton had seven solo tackles and linebacker Blue Aldridge added four solos and four assists for a 6.0 total.

Extreme injuries, etc: The Extreme will be without quarterback Dusty Burk because of a knee injury that will sideline him for three to four weeks...Also, receiver Glenn Johnson will miss the first two games because he has a tryout with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL on April...Receiver Reggie Gray could miss Friday's game after having a tryout with the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League the last two days.

Extreme attendance: The Extreme averaged 5,465 fans for eight homes games last season, which ranked second in the league behind Fort Wayne, as 43,723 people came through the turnstiles. The record for attendance was a sellout crowd of 6,705 on May 13 vs. Peoria. The Coliseum's seating capacity is 6,700.

Extreme honors: Kicker Peter Christofilakos will receive an award at the game from the UIF, signifying his selection to the all-league second team...Likewise, the Extreme radio team of Greg Halbleib and Craig Fata will be honored as the league's top broadcast team.

Extreme scrolls: The first 2,000 fans to enter U.S. Cellular Coliseum on Friday night will receive Extreme banner scrolls, courtesy of Country Insurance and Financial.

Extreme celebration: After each Bloomington touchdown, Extreme players will sign the Elroy's field boards. The boards will be auctioned off following the season with proceeds being donated to a charity to be named.

44 for the Mac: When the Extreme scores 44 or more points during a home game, fans will be able to redeem their game ticket at the seven McDonald's Restaurants in the Bloomington-Normal area for a free Big Mac sandwich the day after the game. The offer is limited to one ticket per person per visit.

Extreme buffet: The Corn Palace Restaurant, located on the concourse level at the west end of U.S. Cellular Coliseum, is open before all Extreme games for a buffet dinner. The cost for adults is $12.75 and $7 for children (12 and under), which includes drinks and tax. Reservations and times are available by calling 309-434-2843.

Extreme tickets: Single-game and season tickets for the Bloomington Extreme indoor football season are on sale at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office. Tickets also may be purchased by calling 309-434-2679; 866-891-9992 or going to the team web site at www.bloomingtonextreme.com or www.uscellularcoliseum.com.

Tickets per game are priced at $10 (upper end zone); $12 (end zone); $18 (sideline); $25 (club - section 101 only); $30 (premium). The U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office is located at 101 S. Madison, St., Bloomington.

Season ticket prices for all eight homes games remains the same as last year: premium seats (rows A and B all around the Coliseum) are $200 per ticket; Club seating (only section 101 is available) $200 per ticket; sideline seating $120 per ticket; end zone $85 per ticker; upper end zone $70 per ticket. Contact Patrick Kelly at 309-434-2664 for season ticket information.

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United Indoor Football Association Stories from March 29, 2007


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