Maulers win division with dramatic win over Lubbock
June 25, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Montgomery Bears News Release
Montgomery, AL - The Montgomery Maulers closed out the regular season with a dramatic 53-48 win over the Lubbock Gunslingers Saturday night in front of 4,423 fans at Garrett Coliseum. With the win, the Maulers (8-6) clinched the NIFL Central Division title and earned a first-round home playoff game.
Despite trailing most of the game, Lubbock had a chance to win in the final seconds. Lubbock was on the one yard line, but could not punch it into the endzone on two successive running plays as time expired. The loss knocked the Gunslingers (4-10) out of the playoffs.
Montgomery led 27-20 at halftime and was never able to pull away in the second half. Antoine Hill made the biggest play of the night, returning a missed field goal 49 yards for a touchdown with 4:19 left in the game to give the Maulers a 53-41 lead. Lubbock fought back to pull within five points before the Montgomery defense came up big in the end.
Quarterback J.R. Richardson completed 18 of 28 passes for 196 yards and five touchdowns. His leading receiver was Machion Sanders who caught eight passes for 70 yards and two scores. Shaun Holmes caught five passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.
"Hometown Hero" Cedrick Williams participated in the game, playing noseguard for a series in the final quarter. The 42-year-old Williams, who serves as the President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs, was using his participation as a fundraiser for his organization.
The Maulers improve their record to 6-1 at home and will open up the 2005 NIFL playoffs at Garrett Coliseum on Saturday, July 9 at 7:30pm. All reserved seats for the game are $10 each with $1 beer specials throughout the night. For tickets, stop by the Garrett Coliseum Box Office or the Maulers Retail Shop at Eastdale Mall. Tickets can also be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 277-1700.
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