Preview of Week Three in the CIFL

Published on March 21, 2008 under Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) News Release


For the first time this season, the CIFL will have a full slate of seven games. Six of the games will be on Friday night, with the weekend finale on Saturday in Lehigh Valley as the Outlawz host the Revolution. Here are the previews for the third week of the season.

Rock River Raptors (0-1) at Muskegon Thunder (0-1)

Date & time: Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m. EST

Location: L.C. Walker Arena, Muskegon, MI

Series record: First meeting of the season

Series history: First ever meeting

Head coaches: Rik Richards is in his third season as head coach of the Rock River Raptors, he has a 22-12 record and two division championships, including last week's loss at Kalamazoo. Shane Fairfield is in his second season as head coach of the Thunder. Fairfield guided the Thunder to the CIFL playoffs in 2007.

Notes: Both teams are coming off close losses in their 2008 debut as the Thunder lost at home to the Marion Mayhem on March 8, 34-33 as a last second field goal attempt was blocked to secure the win for the Mayhem. Rock River got behind early in Kalamazoo last weekend but rallied in the second half, shutting out the Xplosion to force overtime. The Raptors gave up a touchdown on the first possession of the extra session and would be intercepted on the first play of their drive to end the game. This is the only meeting between the two teams this season.

Flint Phantoms (0-1) at Kalamazoo Xplosion (2-0)

Date & time: Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m. EST

Location: Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, MI

Series record: First meeting of the season

Series history: First ever meeting

Head coaches: Mike Sparks is in his first season as head coach of the Xplosion, he currently is 2-0 as head coach. Keith Tunstall is in his first season as head coach of the Phantoms with an 0-1 record.

Notes: Kalamazoo has not lost at Wings Stadium (8-0) in the lifetime of the organization, only the Port Huron Pirates (16-0) had a better start at home in the CIFL, winning all of their games at McMorran Arena (14) and both at Perani Arena. The Phantoms look to improve after a bye week following their loss at home against Saginaw to open the season. The two teams will meet again on April 19 in Flint.

Marion Mayhem (1-0) at Saginaw Sting (1-0)

Date & time: Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m. EST

Location: DOW Events Center, Saginaw, MI

Series record: First meeting of the season

Series history: First ever meeting

Head Coaches: Karl Featherstone is in his second season as a head coach in the CIFL. Featherstone is 13-0 in the regular season as a head coach. Pepe Pearson is in his first season as head coach of the Mayhem. Pearson earned his first win as a head coach in the Mayhem's 34-33 win two weeks ago in Muskegon.

Notes: Both teams won their openers on the road as the Mayhem defeated the Muskegon Thunder with a last-second blocked kick, 34-33. The Sting won at Flint 51-26 on March 9, however, the Sting struggled in the first half as they led 14-13 at the half. The two teams are division rivals in the Western Division of the Atlantic Conference. This is the only meeting between the two teams during the 2008 season and could play a big part in the playoff seeding in June.

Miami Valley Silverbacks (1-0) at Fort Wayne Freedom (0-0)

Date & time: Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m. EST

Location: Allen County War Memorial, Fort Wayne, IN

Series record: First meeting of the season

Series history: First ever meeting

Head Coaches: Carl Allen is in his second season as head coach of the Silverbacks, he has a 5-9 record in regular season games, including a win in the home opener for the Silverbacks last weekend. Willie Davis is making his debut as a head coach in the CIFL for the Fort Wayne Freedom.

Notes: The Silverbacks coasted to a 56-13 victory of the New Jersey Revolution last weekend at Hobart Arena and will look to continue the solid play on offense led by CIFL Offensive Player of the Week, Jim Oliver. Oliver accounted for five touchdowns in the opening win. The Freedom have experience on both sides off the football, with fan favorites Rachman Crable on defense and Rockey Harvey on offense. This is the first game for the Freedom in the CIFL. Both teams are in the Eastern Division of the Great Lakes Conference, the two teams play again in Troy, Ohio on Friday, May 2.

Rochester Raiders (0-0) at Chesapeake Tide (0-0)

Date & time: Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m. EST

Location: Show Place Arena, Upper Marlboro, MD

Series record: First meeting of the season

Series history: Rochester is 3-0 against the Tide, including a playoff win in 2007

Head Coaches: Eddie Long returns to the Raiders as head coach for his second season after winning the CIFL Championship in 2007. Matt Steeple led the Tide to the playoffs in 2007 with a 7-5 record, losing to the Rochester Raiders in the playoffs.

Notes: The defense of the championship begins on Friday in Maryland for the Rochester Raiders. Rochester has just one loss against the CIFL not named Port Huron, losing at the Marion Mayhem in the inaugural season of the league in 2006. Chesapeake will look to make a statement versus the Raiders in the opener as they look to avenge their playoff loss from a year ago. The two teams will play again in Rochester on May 17.

Chicago Slaughter (0-1) at Milwaukee Bonecrushers (0-0)

Date & time: Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m. CST

Location: U.S. Celluar Arena, Milwaukee, WI

Series record: First meeting of the season

Series history: First ever meeting

Head Coaches: Steve McMichael is in his second season as head coach of the Slaughter. He led Chicago to the playoff is his first season. Gilbert Brown is in his first season as head coach of the Bonecrushers after playing 10 seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers.

Notes: Chicago is coming off a painful loss in overtime against the Kalamazoo Xplosion in week one, 46-39 at the Sears Center while the Bonecrushers are playing their first ever game in the CIFL. The two teams will meet again on April 19 in Chicago.

New Jersey Revolution (0-1) at Lehigh Valley Outlawz (0-0)

Date & time: Saturday, March 22, 7:30 p.m. EST

Location: Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, PA

Series record: First meeting of the season

Series history: The Outlawz are 4-0 lifetime against the Revolution

Head Coaches: After several years as a player, Anthony Defalco is in his first season as head coach of the Revolution, he has a 0-1 record as head coach. Jim Depaul is currently the interim head coach for the Outlawz with a new coaching announcement expected at this week's opener. The Outlawz have qualified for the playoffs both years under Depaul.

Notes: Both teams are anxious to hit the field, but for different reasons. The Outlawz were scheduled to play at home on March 8 versus the New England Surge, however, due to the Lehigh (NCAA) basketball team, both men and women, the game had to be postponed and created a two week wait for the Outlawz players and coaches to get on the field. The Revolution have put together a team with more experience and one that many say is one of the best they have had, however, a sloppy game was played in Miami Valley and the team wants to prove they are better than the 56-13 loss last weekend. Both teams are in the Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference and will play again on May 30 at Mennen Arena.

All CIFL games can be heard live by clicking on the CIFL Live link on the CIFL website. The games also include a chat room for fans and a live, updating scoreboard from around the league.

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Continental Indoor Football League Stories from March 21, 2008


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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