NIFL weekly report

by Rocky Larson
Published on May 17, 2001 under National Indoor Football League (NIFL)

by Rocky Larson

It was a week of surprises in the NIFL as the formerly undefeated Lake Charles Land Sharks tasted defeat while the perpetually winless River Cities Locomotives finally earned a mark in the win column. Lake Charles now sports a 5-1 record while River Cities sits at 1-5.

Scoring was back up again last week as teams combined to average 71 points per game. The home teams took home, ahem, six of the nine games on the card last week by averaging 39 points per game. Away squads managed to bring in a touchdown less than their opponents by averaging 32 points.

Last week my picks were on the money as I came in with a 7-2 showing. My only blemishes came from the formerly mentioned Land Sharks and Locomotives... On the year I'm now 34-13.

The NIFL has eight games to play in week eight, so without further adieu, lets get on with the previews.

Thursday, May 17th

• Wyoming Cavalry (4-2) @ Southern Oregon Heat (1-5)
  The Cavalry ended a 2-game skid last week by crushing the Pacific Division Yakima Shockwave by 40 points. The Heat lost to a depleted OV Greyhounds squad in front of their home crowd. I don't see things changing this week as Wyoming chews up another Pacific Division foe while the Heat take another game on the chin. Cavalry win.

Friday, May 18th

• Yakima Shockwave (3-4) @ Billings Outlaws (2-4)
  As stated earlier, the Shockwave had a rough go of it last week. The Outlaws lost on the road by a touchdown. Both teams need to string together a few wins if they hope to make the playoffs. The Outlaws should have enough left in the tank to earn a win at home this week. Outlaws come within one game of .500 with a win.

Saturday, May 19th

• Mississippi Firedogs (4-1) @ Utah Rattlers (2-3)
  The Firedogs are now back on top of the Southern Division and are playing some great football. The Rattlers are the best team in the NIFL without a winning record. Again, the Rattlers will play a tough game but will fall short of getting a win. Firedogs improve to 5-1.

• Tupelo FireAnts (1-4) @ Lake Charles Land Sharks (4-1)
  Both teams are coming off of games last week that they really shouldn't of lost. The Land Sharks are hosting their first game of the season. That isn't good news for the FireAnts. Land Sharks keep the heat on the South with a win.

• Tri-City Diesel (3-3) @ Sioux City Bandits (2-4)
  The Diesel won a close game last week against the Billings Outlaws and clawed their way to a .500 record. The Bandits are a new team and one that could make a run. Add to that the fact that playing in Sioux City is a difficult proposition and the outcome will be a Bandits' win.

• Rapid City Red Dogs (5-1) @ Sioux Falls Storm (4-2)
  This is the NIFL game of the week without a doubt as these cross-state rivals meet for the first time ever on the football field. Sioux Falls was shocked by Sioux City in the final minutes while Rapid City pulled off a miracle win against Utah last week. The Red Dogs lost 2 of their defensive linemen this past week, which is happy news for the run-happy Storm. The top spot in the Central Division is on the line. Sioux Falls wins at home.

• Ohio Valley Greyhounds (4-2) @ River Cities Locomotives (1-5)
  The Greyhounds are really clicking and are playing the best football of the season. The Loco's gave their coach a Gatorade bath after getting their first win last week. Lets not get too excited. Greyhounds win and stay in the Eastern Division hunt.

• Louisiana Bayou Beast (0-5) @ Mobile Seagulls (3-2)
  The Seagulls knocked the Land Sharks from the ranks of the unbeaten last week while the Beast lost....again. The Seagulls will have no problem in winning this week.

NIFL Power Poll

In the power poll each team is ranked from 1 to 50 by a panel of NIFL experts. The scores are then averaged per team and ranked according to power.

• 47.3 Johnstown J-Dogs 6-1 Johnstown benefits from having a strong football team and a less than strong remaining schedule.
• 44.8 Rapid City Red Dogs 5-1 The Red Dogs scored 9 points in remaining 11 seconds last week to win. Talk about performance under pressure.
• 44.3 Mississippi Firedogs 4-1 Biloxi is easily one of the most talented squads in the NIFL. The Battle in the South just got interesting.
• 42.5 Lake Charles Land Sharks 4-1 Speaking of the South, the battle is interesting because of the expansion Land Sharks.
• 39.8 Sioux Falls Storm 4-2 Sioux Falls has lost 2 games in a row and are slipping in the rankings and in the power poll.
• 38.0 Wyoming Calvary 4-2 Wyoming is poised to make a run, but off-field problems could spell disaster. Will Fuentes play?
• 38.0 Ohio Valley Greyhounds 4-2 OV can't afford to lose to lesser teams if they hope to unseat Johnstown.
• 35.9 Mobile Seagulls 3-2 This team is the talented wildcard in the Southern Division.
• 31.4 Utah Rattlers 2-3 They can play in this league and are a few unlucky breaks from being 4-2.
• 28.1 Sioux City Bandits 2-4 To quote the Red Dogs coach, "I'm glad we don't have to play them again."
• 27.8 Tri City Diesel 3-3 A win against Sioux City on the road could make a difference.
• 24.7 Louisiana Rangers 3-3 Do they have the talent and drive it takes to challenge the top teams in the South. The jury is out.
• 23.7 Billings Outlaws 2-4 It's do or die time for the Outlaws.
• 23.5 Yakima Shockwave 3-4 Yakima's playoff hopes rest on Utah losing close games. That just won't cut it.
• 16.7 Tupelo FireAnts 1-4 They lost to the Loco's?
• 10.3 River Cities Locomotives 1-5 They won?
• 9.5 Southern Oregon Heat 1-5 The Heat have signed a duet of Div I talent. Too little, too late.
• 3.3 Louisiana Bayou Beast 0-5 Welcome to the bottom of the league.

National Indoor Football League Stories from May 17, 2001

• NIFL weekly report - OSC Original by Rocky Larson

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.