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Playoff Berth, Revenge on Northern Kentucky Minds

April 14, 2011 - Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL)
Northern Kentucky River Monsters News Release


HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY - This is probably one of the biggest weeks of the season for the Northern Kentucky River Monsters as they enter Saturday's game with the Eastern Kentucky Drillers in the "Battle of the Bluegrass II". (Weekly Notes )

For one, it's an opportunity for the River Monsters to avenge their lone loss of the season - a 60-33 setback in Pikeville earlier this year. Secondly, Northern Kentucky is primed to be the first Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) team to secure a spot in the 2011 playoffs.

A victory over the Drillers combined with losses by Canton and Johnstown, both 1-6, and the River Monsters would be playoff bound because they would own any potential tie-breaker over both teams. A playoff berth would only be the tip of the iceberg for a River Monsters team looking for a championship.

In the loss to Eastern Kentucky, the Drillers got out to a big second-quarter lead and then pinned their ears back on defense - applying constant pressure to Lorenzen. Protecting the left-handed quarterback will be on the top of the River Monsters' to-do list.

Two key offensive players - receiver Willie Idlette and offensive lineman Khalil El-Amin - didn't play in the first game. Idlette missed the game with an injury, while El-Amin wasn't signed until the week following the EKY game. Two defensive starters, Tez Morris and Santino Turnbow, also missed the previous meeting.

Eastern Kentucky racked up the most points allowed by Northern Kentucky this season, tallying 60 points. Aric Evans, who leads the league in touchdown receptions, hauled in four scores, while Matthew Barbour added three.

Quarterback Jared Lorenzen is continuing to make a strong push toward offensive MVP recognition, throwing for 24 touchdowns in the last three games. He recorded two nine-touchdown performances in the three games. The left-handed signal caller leads the UIFL in yards (255.8) and touchdowns (47).

Northern Kentucky's top scoring offense is not a one-trick pony relying on just Lorenzen. He has three talented receivers that are dangerous in their own rights. Willie Idlette leads the league with 6.8 catches per game, Ricardo Lenhart is the league leader with 88.3 yards per game, and Harry Lewis is second in the UIFL with 19 touchdowns.

Defensively, Butch Abshire has helped solidify the defensive backfield, while NKY could possibly have the return of starting cornerback Kenneth Joshen. The Coastal Carolina product was initially injured against the Drillers and re-aggravated the injury the following week. Jon D'Angelo has been solid, if not spectacular, all year. The second-round draft pick has been one of the league's top tackler all season, and is currently leading the league with 7.6 tackles.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bank of Kentucky Center. The River Monsters will be honoring two volunteers from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati. In addition, kids under 12 will be admitted free with a paying adult and a coupon. Members of the organization will be in the community Friday at three places, Newport on the Levee, Florence Mall and Kenwood Mall, handing out the buy one, get one free coupons.

-- J. Ameer Rasheed Director of Media Relations Northern Kentucky River Monsters Ultimate Indoor Football League Ultimate Baseball League Writer, Columnist Examiner.com Division I Football Blogger OhioCollegeFootball.com

513-578-9388 (cell) jarasheed77@gmail.com

http://www.nkyrivermonsters.com http://www.theuifl.com http://www.ublbaseball.com Follow me on Twitter ... http://twitter.com/JaysonAmeer

--90e6ba4fc246e57c4a04a0e52088

For Immediate Release Contact: J. Ameer Rasheed Director of Media Relations 513-578-9388

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY - This is probably one of the biggest weeks of the season for the Northern Kentucky River Monsters as they enter Saturday's game with the Eastern Kentucky Drillers in the "Battle of the Bluegrass II". (Weekly Notes)

For one, it's an opportunity for the River Monsters to avenge their lone loss of the season - a 60-33 setback in Pikeville earlier this year. Secondly, Northern Kentucky is primed to be the first Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) team to secure a spot in the 2011 playoffs.

A victory over the Drillers combined with losses by Canton and Johnstown, both 1-6, and the River Monsters would be playoff bound because they would own any potential tie-breaker over both teams. A playoff berth would only be the tip of the iceberg for a River Monsters team looking for a championship.

In the loss to Eastern Kentucky, the Drillers got out to a big second-quarter lead and then pinned their ears back on defense - applying constant pressure to Lorenzen. Protecting the left-handed quarterback will be on the top of the River Monsters' to-do list.

Two key offensive players - receiver Willie Idlette and offensive lineman Khalil El-Amin - didn't play in the first game. Idlette missed the game with an injury, while El-Amin wasn't signed until the week following the EKY game. Two defensive starters, Tez Morris and Santino Turnbow, also missed the previous meeting.

Eastern Kentucky racked up the most points allowed by Northern Kentucky this season, tallying 60 points. Aric Evans, who leads the league in touchdown receptions, hauled in four scores, while Matthew Barbour added three.

Quarterback Jared Lorenzen is continuing to make a strong push toward offensive MVP recognition, throwing for 24 touchdowns in the last three games. He recorded two nine-touchdown performances in the three games. The left-handed signal caller leads the UIFL in yards (255.8) and touchdowns (47).

Northern Kentucky's top scoring offense is not a one-trick pony relying on just Lorenzen. He has three talented receivers that are dangerous in their own rights. Willie Idlette leads the league with 6.8 catches per game, Ricardo Lenhart is the league leader with 88.3 yards per game, and Harry Lewis is second in the UIFL with 19 touchdowns.

Defensively, Butch Abshire has helped solidify the defensive backfield, while NKY could possibly have the return of starting cornerback Kenneth Joshen. The Coastal Carolina product was initially injured against the Drillers and re-aggravated the injury the following week. Jon D'Angelo has been solid, if not spectacular, all year. The second-round draft pick has been one of the league's top tackler all season, and is currently leading the league with 7.6 tackles.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bank of Kentucky Center. The River Monsters will be honoring two volunteers from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati. In addition, kids under 12 will be admitted free with a paying adult and a coupon. Members of the organization will be in the community Friday at three places, Newport on the Levee, Florence Mall and Kenwood Mall, handing out the buy one, get one free coupons.

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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.

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