Ice take on Storm one final time
June 29, 2007 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Colorado Crush News Release
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Colorado Ice (5-7) will take on the Sioux Falls Storm (12-0) for one final time during the regular season this Saturday, June 30. Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. CT/7:05 p.m. MT at Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Ice are holding onto a tie for third in the Western Conference with the Omaha Beef while the Storm continue to stay in the lead.
The Ice hosted the Storm on May 5 and June 2, resulting in their only two home losses. On May 5, WR Tim Pope's three receiving touchdowns weren't enough to beat the Storm. Sioux Falls' QB Terrance Bryant rushed for two scores and threw for two to help the Storm to a 49-20 victory at the Budweiser Events Center. DB Travis Garcia led the defensive effort with nine total tackles and a sack for a loss of 14 yards.
Colorado hosted the Storm again for game ten when QB Matt Gutierrez threw two touchdown passes and rushed for a score, but Bryant threw five and RB Marques Smith ran in two to beat Colorado 51-17. DB Rod Jackson had one forced fumble and 1.5 TFL.
Colorado running back Eugene Reed has fallen to third on the league's rushing charts with 568 yards. Smith leads with 675 yards and 18 touchdowns. Smith also leads the league with 174 points scored. Bryant is second with 2091 yards and 45 scoring passes thrown. Defensive back Travis Garcia has pulled in five interceptions to tie for fourth with Sioux Falls' Justin Landis. Shannon Poppinga of Sioux Falls leads the league with seven picks.
Colorado will then return home to host the Sioux City Bandits and the Omaha Beef for the final two regular season games on July 7 and July 14, respectively. Kickoffs for both games are set for 7:05 p.m. MT at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colo.
Tickets are available by calling 877-544-8499, online at comcasttix.com, in person at the Budweiser Events Center Box Office, the Colorado Ice Headquarters, or any Comcast tix outlet. All Ice games will be broadcast live on 1310 AM or 1310kfka.com.
Ice Clinch Playoff Berth
The Colorado Ice professional indoor football team has earned a playoff spot in the 2007 United Indoor Football League's Western Conference playoffs in their inaugural season as a franchise. The Sioux Falls Storm (12-0) have clinched the #1 seed and home field advantage for the West. Billings (7-4) can clinch the #2 seed with a win this weekend when they play RiverCity. The Ice (5-7) will be looking for some wins in their next three games to earn the #3 seed over the Omaha Beef (5-7). Sioux City has been eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs.
Both the Western and Eastern Conference semi-finals will be held the weekend of July 21, followed by the finals the weekend of July 28. The Western and Eastern Conference Champions will face each other on August 4, 2007, to vie for the United Bowl.
Ice Suffer Loss to Bloomington
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Bloomington Extreme (6-6) snapped a three-game losing streak and defeated the Colorado Ice (5-7) Saturday night at US Cellular Coliseum by a 40-15 decision. The loss drops Colorado to third place in the Western Conference, below the undefeated Sioux Falls Storm (11-0) and the Billings Outlaws (6-4). Bloomington holds onto fourth in the East, behind Rock River (8-4), RiverCity (7-4) and Lexington (7-5).
QB Matt Gutierrez was 14 of 31 for 92 yards and a score. WR Mike Jones pulled in nine catches for 62 yards and the single touchdown. RB Eugene Reed finished with 33 yards while Gutierrez totaled 51. QB Dusty Burk led the Extreme, going 19 for 24 for 218 yards. He threw for three scores and ran for two.
A full box score can be found on the UIF Official Scorebook or at http://www.qkstats.net/UIF/2007/uifindex.htm.
Fans to Vote for UIF All Stars
The United Indoor Football league will use the fans to help league coaches and media representatives vote for top players to represent each team at the UIF inaugural All-Star Classic sponsored by Casey's General Stores. Festivities for Casey's All-Star Classic are planned for Aug. 16-18, 2007, in Bloomington, Ill. The weekend will conclude with the All-Star game at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington at 7:05 p.m. CT/6:05 p.m. MT on Aug. 18. when the Eastern Conference faces the Western Conference.
Fans may vote for their favorite players by going to the league's website, www.unitedindoorfootball.com and clicking on the All-Star Classic Voting button on the left side. All fans who receive the league's free weekly newsletter are eligible to vote. They will be directed to a UIF Newsletter signup page if they do not yet receive it. The All-Star Classic ballots will be emailed the first week of July, so sign up now!
Individual tickets are now on sale through the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office Monday through Friday 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. CT by calling (309) 434-2679, toll free at 1-866-891-9992 or online at www.uscellularcoliseum.com. Tickets range from $10-$20.
There will also be a VidSwap.com combine on Saturday, Aug. 18, where UIF players will show their talent and skills in front of scouts from the AFL, CFL and NFL.
Ice Add QB to Roster
Brett Edwards, from Vinton, Iowa, recently signed as a backup quarterback for the Colorado Ice. Edwards played at Wayne State College, graduating in 2005 with a degree in Sports Management. He finished second in career TD passes (43), second in career total yardage (6,322), third in career passing yards (5,813) and third in career completions (427). He threw for a career-high 350 yards against Nebraska-Kearney on 9-6-2003, going 11 for 19 with three touchdowns, including 95-yard TD strike to Josh Hopwood, tying for the third longest passing play in school history.
Edwards played football, basketball, baseball and ran track for Vinton Shellsburg High School in Vinton, Iowa. He was a three-year letter winner in football and earned All-District honors twice. He was an honorable mention All-State honoree and was captain of the football team his senior year.
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United Indoor Football Association Stories from June 29, 2007
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