Redemption on minds of both teams as NIFL playoffs approach
June 22, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
RiverCity Rage News Release
There's a lot on the line Friday night in Dayton, Ohio. It's a rematch, it's a grudge match of sorts, it's a chance for the River City Rage of the NIFL to bounce back from a disheartening loss last weekend in Lubbock and gain some momentum heading into the playoffs. And for the Dayton Warbirds, playing their final home game of the season, it's an opportunity to defeat a team that it lost to earlier in the season. And not only felt the sting of defeat, but also lost a bit of respect in the process.
Let's rewind to May 13th, a Friday, and an unlucky one for certain for Matt King, Head Coach of the Dayton Warbirds. He's been fined, suspended and told by the league not to be anywhere near the Family Arena when his team takes the field to play The Rage on Saturday night! It seems his game film from the previous week's action did not make it to the Rage front office by the mandatory time. No tape, no game for Matt King, and no go for the upstart Dayton Warbirds, as they fall to The Rage by the score of 48-37.
Dayton had come in full of fire, sporting a vast number of former Ohio State standouts, several ex- NFL players, and even former St. Louis Ram draftee Steve Bellisari on the roster. But the pre-game fiasco seemed to chip away at the Warbirds psyche and game plan almost from the opening coin-toss, and with Bellisari having one of his worst games to that point, the Warbirds were shot down and The Rage continued toward what would become an undefeated home season.
So now, things are reversed just a tad, not a lot, mind you, but just maybe jaded ever so slightly as the Warbirds dare to contemplate post-season possibilities. A win on Saturday, coupled with the guaranteed 'W' waiting for Dayton (a forfeit victory against the now defunct New Jersey X-Treme) would shoot the Warbirds into the first round of the NIFL playoffs scheduled to begin the second weekend in July.
For the River City Rage, this final regular season game is a chance to end up 11-3 on the year (a two game improvement over last season) and although the conference playoffs have Savvis Center stamped all over them for The Rage, Coach Mike Wyatt's team has something to prove to itself before gearing up for the second season.
The Rage lost a heartbreaker last Saturday night in Lubbock to the Gunslingers on a controversial call, as kicker Mike Matheny's 30 yard field goal attempt was ruled ride right with no time remaining. The 62-60 loss to the then 3-9 Gunslingers was a surprising stumbling block for a team most league experts feel is primed and ready to explode through the playoffs and into the NIFL Indoor Bowl Championship game at the end of July.
And statistics through the thirteen games played thus far support that theory.
The River City Rage:
Are 2nd in Scoring Offense with 721 points,
Are 2nd in Total Offense with 963 rushing yards, 2,217 passing yards on 564 plays, scoring 99 touchdowns and averaging 265 ypg
And 2nd in Non-Kick Scoring with 658 points in 13
The Rage lead the NIFL in First Downs with 251
Are +8 on the turnover margin
Are the second least penalized team in the NIFL with only 71 flags thrown on the season
The Rage hang tough on both sides of the line, leading the league with 31 recorded Sacks in 13 games, and Coach Mike Wyatt's O-Line has given plenty of pass protection to Clay Groefsema and Anthony Fisher, giving up only 12 sacks all year!
And at 'crunch time' the offense finds ways to get the ball in the end zone, scoring at an impressive 79.1% clip in the all important Red-Zone.
And while Wyatt's teams have been know over the years to not be shy about putting the ball in the air, it's been a somewhat balanced offensive attack that has made this one of the more feared offensive teams in the NIFL. The Rage rank 5th league-wide in Pass Offense and 4th in Rushing Offense, averaging 184.8 yards passing (62 TD's, 2,217 yards, 13 interceptions) and rushing for an average of 80.2 ypg, scoring 37 touchdowns on the ground! But it may be QB Clay Groefsema connecting with his receivers that will pose the biggest threat for Dayton on Friday night. The Warbirds currently are 16th in the NIFL in defending the pass, giving up 45 touchdowns in 12 games played so far.
Rage wide receiver Scott Pingel continues to rank number one among receivers in the league, hauling in 77 passes good for 753 yards. Pingel is 8th in the NIFL in Scoring, with 22 TD's to his credit and 14 XTP's for 146 points. Right behind is Rage running back Sha-Ron Edwards, 9th overall league-wide, with 23 touchdowns and 6 XPT's for 144 points in just 11 games.Edwards is 5th overall in Rushing with 600 yards in 141 attempts, averaging 60 yards per game.
Quarterback Clay Groefsema is 3rd in the NIFL in Total Offense, averaging some 202 yards per game through the air, and has completed 189 of 299 pass attempts, good for 54 TD's and only 8 interceptions!
The Rage defense is among the best in the league, giving up on 43 points per game. Defensive Back Andy Peterson leads the team in Interceptions with 8 so far, Terrell Washington is the Tackles king with 55 un-assisted and 81 assisted pull downs on the season. Clarence 'CJ' Jones ranks second with 43 un- assisted and 67 assisted tackles in 2005.
Finally, Defensive End Bruce Blue is 4th in the league overall and the Rage leader in Sacks. He has 11 so far, and his counterpart James Green has recorded 6 heading into the Dayton game on Friday night.
The Rage-Warbirds game can be heard on 1380 ESPN Radio, beginning with the pre-game show slated for 5:50 pm. Kick-Off is 6:05 pm St. Louis time. The game will also be audio-streamed over the ESPN and ragefootball. Com websites.
RIVER CITY RAGE OF NIFL HAVE PLAYOFF DATE AT SAVVIS CENTER
The majority ownership of GST Sports, INC. has announced the opening playoff date for the River City Rage of the NIFL at Savvis Center in downtown St. Louis. The opening round of the Atlantic Conference quarterfinals will be played at Savvis on Sunday, July 10th with Kick-Off at 6pm. The opponent for the Rage has yet to be announced, pending the end of the NIFL regular season this weekend.
Rage Majority Owner Scott Wilson says the team and the Rage organization is excited about what he calls "a great opportunity to make St. Louis aware of another high quality professional football program in the Gateway City."
Wilson went on to say that "sometimes the Missouri River, for whatever reason, becomes a barrier for sports fans in the greater St. Louis area. We've had an undefeated season at home at the Family Arena and now look to showcase our team in the playoffs. We feel like we can open a new fan base, while those fans who followed us all year can be part of the excitement at Savvis Center. Hopefully, all fans attending the playoff games will enjoy the games enough to want to be part of the action next season."
The River City Rage are the Atlantic East Division champions and will play one and perhaps as many as three playoff games at Savvis Center in July. The 2005 Indoor Bowl game will be played at the venue of the team with the best record in both the Atlantic and Pacific divisions of the NIFL. The Indoor Bowl is slated for the weekend of July 29th -31st.
$30 for Front Row
$15 for Lower Level
$10 for Upper Concourse
Rage season ticket holders have been notified by phone and mail. Ticket prices are as follows:
And as an added attraction, Rage Operations Director Morris Groves reminds fans that "for $30 you can purchase a VIP Field Suite ticket at field level, which includes complimentary beverages and snacks. It's a rare chance for the average fan to be near the entrance of the cycles, the cheerleaders and the introduction of the players, a chance to really be part of the show."
Ticket sale information for the general public will be forthcoming in the next few days. For more information, contact the Rage website at www.ragefootball.com
QUOTES FROM RAGE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH MIKE WYATT
(On the season ending game)
"Needless to say, I'm looking for a victory, as always. If they're gonna be keeping score, then I want to win the game. Those wins and losses stay with my name forever, so it's always important to come out on top. It's also our desire to stay undefeated in our own division, in which we are the champions. Plus, we need the momentum going into the first round of the post-season."
(Is Friday's game a grudge match?)
"After what went down in May, I'm sure it is, but far more so for them than for us"
(After Saturday's loss to Lubbock, what was the focus in practice this past week?)
"First and foremost, eliminate the mental mistakes, because people you play from here on out will use those errors to create points for themselves and maybe even take a game away from you. At this point of the season, the turnovers, penalties and mental mistakes will make or break any team."
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National Indoor Football League Stories from June 22, 2005
- Maciejczak meets old team - Everett Hawks
- Redemption on minds of both teams as NIFL playoffs approach - RiverCity Rage
- Maulers update - Montgomery Bears
- Hawgs to wallow in the Georgia mud - Daytona Beach Hawgs
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