Law Complete Inaugural Season
June 18, 2014 - Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL)
Dodge City Law News Release
The Dodge City Law professional indoor-football team finished its inaugural regular-season schedule on June 7 and moved on to the first round of the CPIFL playoffs.
Though the Law ended the regular season on a high note, the Law stumbled at several points during the first half of the year. After starting with a 3-3 record, the Law went on a four-game winning streak with victories over Lincoln, Topeka, Omaha, and Oklahoma. Following a loss to Wichita in their eleventh game of the season, the Law earned a 62-26 win over the Kansas Koyotes in the season finale.
The following week, the Law traveled to Wichita to play the Wild in the first week of the CPIFL Playoffs. It appeared that, after having lost to the team twice during the regular season, the Law would finally be able to overcome the Wild. But, Wichita kicker Ernesto Lacayo completed a 51-yard field goal to give his team a 33-31 advantage as the game's final seconds ran off the clock.
Besides the heartbreaking playoff loss, the Law's first season was one in which they set high expectations and then met them.
"I feel really good about what we have accomplished this year," Law Head Coach Sean Ponder said. "We started off by bringing in a good group of football players who we thought would fit well within this organization and this city. As a team we had some difficult moments, but we persevered and pushed past the adversity." The backbone of Ponder's Law team was the defense, which finished second in the CPIFL in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, and pass defense efficiency. Among the players who starred for the Law defense this season were linebackers Walner Leandre and Jercorey Quarterman, defensive lineman Jarret Bilbrey, and defensive backs Cashmin Thomas and Paul Robinson.
"Our defense played well on a consistent basis throughout the season," Ponder said. "They really set the tone for us and they helped to let teams throughout the league know that we are a team that has to be respected."
The Law's offense, led by Joshua "Superman" Floyd, also earned the respect of teams from around the CPIFL.
Floyd was called into Dodge City early in the season after the team's two main options at quarterback were injured. From the moment he arrived, Floyd took control of the offense and helped the team improve from a 1-2 start and become an 8-4 playoff team.
The quarterback was assisted in his efforts by an offensive line that made great strides during the season and a group of receivers who were all capable of making game-changing plays and consistently did so.
Dominique Carson, the team's star running back, is also due quite a bit of credit for the offense's success. He carried the ball 113 times for 438 yards and 22 touchdown. In addition, Carson returned 41 kicks for 884 yards and a touchdown. Carson's play during the season earned him the CPIFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Law owner/general manager Ricky Bertz believes the organization is off to a good start on the field and off of it.
"I am really proud of Coach Ponder, his staff, and all of the players for how they did this season on the football field," Bertz said. "They gave the fans lots of reasons cheer over the course of the year and brought excitement by winning big games. We fell short of our championship goal, but everyone on the team did their best and gave it everything they had."
Off the field, the Law organization was the only CPIFL franchise to be nominated in all five of the league awards categories. The team was nominated for Organization of the Year, Executive of the Year, Best On-field Promotions (includes dance team), Social Media Presence, and Community Outreach.
"Our goal has always been to be the envy of everyone in the CPIFL," Bertz said. "We have tried to be the best in everything that we do. It is an honor to have been nominated by our peers in each of the award categories. If our competitors are recognizing us for what we are trying to do here, we must be doing something right."
Most importantly, the people of Dodge City have embraced the team and have helped to make United Wireless Arena one of the most difficult places to play in the league.
"We have received an amazing amount of support from the people of this area," Bertz said. "The proof of that is that we finished the season in the top three in attendance. On some game nights, we led the league in attendance. We even had really great crowds on Easter weekend and Memorial Day weekend."
"Crowds can really affect the outcome of a football game," Bertz added. "When our fans get up and scream at the top of their lungs, it makes it nearly impossible for the other team's offense to communicate with each other. When teams come here, they already know it's going to be loud."
Champions Professional Indoor Football League Stories from June 18, 2014
- Dodge City Law Earns CPIFL Awards - Dodge City Law
- CPIFL Announces Organization and Front Office Awards - CPIFL
- Law Complete Inaugural Season - Dodge City Law
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
