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WIFL opener in the books

February 12, 2007 - World Indoor Football League 2 (WIFL 2) News Release


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -The best thing about the first game? It's over.

The World Indoor Football League made its debut Sunday as the Augusta Spartans defeated the host Daytona Beach Thunder 49-47 at PBS 15 Field in the Daytona Beach Ocean Center.

Brandon Thatcher threw for 243 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for two more while Voncellis Allen blocked a Jaye Tyroff field goal in the final minute to preserve the victory. Bo Bartik had six TD passes for Daytona Beach, five to Blake Broadhurst.

"Some early glitches on everybody's part, but not a bad start,'' said WIFL Communications Director Dan Ryan. "The league PR guy in me is thrilled with a 49-47 opener, but not the Daytona side of me.

"You don't win the Daytona 500 on the first lap," Ryan added. "A lot of potential here."

The game was delayed approximately 15 minutes to allow those still in line purchasing tickets to enter the arena, and the extra time allowed the Thunder staff to pull off opening day.

It was a league-wide effort, with staff from the Columbus Lions and Osceola Ghostriders lending a hand in the game day operation.

The league's INTERNETWORK corrected its early problem and provided a clear audio broadcast for the second half. The digital delayed videocast takes to the internet Monday evening. The live scoring update system worked flawlessly.

In addition to the victory, Augusta earned 218 "style points" from a committee of six media and fans. Daytona Beach garnered 100.

All four teams will be in action Feb. 24-26 when Augusta travels to Osceola and Daytona Beach hosts Columbus.

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World Indoor Football League 2 Stories from February 12, 2007


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