Raiders Plan to Protect their House
March 9, 2013 - Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL)
Lakeland Raiders News Release
Lakeland, FL- The Lakeland Raiders have been working diligently since the end of the 2012 season to prepare for 2013. Now the Raiders are ready to return to the Lakeland Center to play in front of their home crowd. The Raiders are coming off of a 74-25 victory on the road against the Georgia Rampage. The new look Raiders are ready to put on a great show for the home crowd.
The Raiders have some returning players and many new faces. The returning players are Roderick Jefferson, Adrian Smith, Kendrick Stewart, Julius McClellan, Josh Smith, Munir Muwwakkil and DeAngelo Woodie. These players have been put through many battles and competition since their first season and are excited about the roster they currently belong to.
"I'm excited to be back and the roster is super talented this year. I am ready to contribute in any way and plan to bring a championship back to Lakeland" said Julius.
The Raiders believe with the changes made in many positions that they are able to contend for a championship this year. The Raiders will be entering their first home game with a slightly different look than the first road game. The Raiders quarterback Bj Hall will not be present at the home opener due to being one of the happiest days any person can have, his wedding day.
The Raiders want to wish Bj the best day any man could possibly have and that the team will be working hard without him to make a winning streak. The Raiders would like to welcome Collin Drafts to the team. Collin and Bj have played together with the Dallas Vigilates and he is ready to keep the pace going for the Raiders. Collin is currently coaching as the offensive coordinator in Orlando at West Orange High School.
He wasn't planning on playing this year but he could not pass the opportunity to help the Raiders. Collin also has played for the Orlando Predators and has had a very efficient career in Arena football passing for over 85 touchdowns and a passer rating average of 95.64 in just slightly over 2 seasons. The team is very excited to have him and is looking forward to keeping the excitement on the field.
The Raiders added some new weapons on the offensive side of the ball with Tyler Batts in the backfield, Jason Harmon, Tyrece Gaines, Sergio Allen at receivers, and a new look offensive line with Larry Wriedt, Chris Rutledge,, and Brendan Berry. The Raiders new offensive line averages 6'7 in height and 338lbs. The defensive side of the ball adds some new faces such as Koreen Burch, Sam Smith, Conor Reilly, Chris Bradwell, and Stephen Coleman.
The Raiders are ready to battle the Sarasota Thunder in their home opener on Saturday March 9th with kick-off at 730pm. The Raiders are also giving free admission to children that bring in a stuffed animal that will be donated to the Children's Home Society. The Raiders ask even if you are not a child to please donate a stuffed animal as they are all going to a great cause.
If you have not ordered your season tickets yet and are interested in doing so please call 863.255.9699.
The deadline to order is this Friday March 8th!
If you would like single game tickets they must be purchased directly through the box office by calling 863.834.8111.
• Discuss this story on the Ultimate Indoor Football League message board...
Ultimate Indoor Football League Stories from March 9, 2013
- Raiders Plan to Protect their House - Lakeland Raiders
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.
