Kalamazoo-Chicago Preview
by Randy Snow
April 11, 2007 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Kalamazoo Xplosion
The Kalamazoo Xplosion of the Continental Indoor Football League are off to a 2-0 start in their inaugural season. After posting consecutive road victories over the Marion (Ohio) Mayhem and the Springfield (Illinois) Stallions, Kalamazoo is hoping to continue their winning ways against the Chicago Slaughter this Saturday night at Wings Stadium.
"Right now, we're playing some good football," said Xplosion head coach Bob Kubiak. "We've got a good squad. These guys are playing well together."
Kubiak is very pleased with the play of his starting quarterback, Bill Skelton. "Bill has been a pleasant surprise. He's really done a good job (in the first two games). He hasn't turned the ball over and that's probably the biggest thing. He's got ability, he's got good vision and he's got good feet. He throws the ball better on the run than he does standing still. In this league, that's a great ability to have."
After two straight games of being the visitors in someone else's arena, Kubiak is hoping for an enthusiastic crowd at home Saturday night to help usher in professional football to Kalamazoo. "We're hoping that the Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan community will buy into what we're doing. We really want a home field advantage. We want that crazy fan with the thunder sticks and is heckling (the other team). That's what's fun about (indoor) football."
As far as assessing this week's opponent, Kubiak said that he is at a bit of a disadvantage because he has not seen any game film on the Slaughter yet. He has contacted the general manager of the Slaughter and is expecting to receive game film from them in the next day or so. Chicago has only played one game so far this season, a 66-44 win over the Miami Valley Silverbacks in Troy, Ohio back on March 30. "If you look at their roster, they've got some talent," Kubiak said. "We're going to look at them as probably the most talented team (on paper) that we've seen so far."
Kalamazoo is beginning a four-game home stand at Wings Stadium this week and all of them will be played on Saturday nights at 7 PM. After this week's game against the Slaughter, the Xplosion will host the Mayhem on April 21, the Stallions on April 28 and the Muskegon Thunder on May 5.
This week's game at Kalamazoo will be the Slaughter's second of three straight road games to start the season. Chicago will then travel to Upper Marlboro, Maryland to play the New England Surge on April 21. The Slaughter's first home game, which will be played at the new Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, will be on Saturday, April 28 against Muskegon.
The Slaughter is coached by former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Steve McMichael, who was a member of the 1985 Super Bowl team.
NOT ONE, BUT TWO FOOTBALL GAMES ON SATURDAY
Not only will the Xplosion be hosting their first home game on Saturday night, but at noon that same day, the Western Michigan University Broncos will be holding their annual spring football game across town at Waldo Stadium.
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Randy Snow is a freelance football writer from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Since 2003, he has covered teams in the Arena Football League, arenafootball2, United Indoor Football and the Continental Indoor Football League. Randy has been a member of the Arena Football League Writer's Association since 2005 and can be reached at randysnow22@yahoo.com.
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Continental Indoor Football League Stories from April 11, 2007
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- Kalamazoo-Chicago Preview - OSC Original by Randy Snow
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
