Xplosion Become First in CIFL History to Clinch Division
May 19, 2008 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Kalamazoo Xplosion News Release
At the conclusion of Week 11, CIFL officials have determined that the Kalamazoo Xplosion has clinched the Great Lakes Conference Eastern Division championship, as well as home field advantage throughout the Great Lakes Conference playoffs. The Xplosion will host the lowest seeded Great Lakes wildcard team Saturday, June 14th, marking the second straight season Wings Stadium has been the site of an opening round playoff game. The Xplosion remain undefeated at home, with a perfect 11-0 record within the walls of Wings.
Possible opponents for the opening round game are the Muskegon Thunder (5-4), the Fort Wayne Freedom (3-6), the Miami Valley Silverbacks (3-6), or the Rock River Raptors (4-5). Kalamazoo has beaten each potential opponent at least once, and is 2-0 against Rock River this season.
An official release from the league office on Monday determined that Muskegon, Fort Wayne, and Miami Valley had all been mathematically eliminated from the division championship race, therefore crowning the Xplosion as the Eastern Division champions. The 2008 season marked the first year the conferences were broken up into divisions, making the Xplosion the first team in CIFL history to be named division champions. The remaining three division champions will be determined after this week's games.
Kalamazoo finished in second place in the Great Lakes Conference last year to the now defunct Port Huron Pirates, who lost in the CIFL Championship game to the Rochester Raiders.
If the Xplosion were to lose its remaining two games, it would still finish with an overall record of 9-3, which would be either the best or tied for the best record in the Great Lakes Conference, assuming the Chicago Slaughter win out. Kalamazoo holds the tie breaker over Chicago after two head-to-head victories this season, once in Chicago in the season opener, and once at Wings Stadium.
Kalamazoo enters a bye week with a chance to rest some banged up players, then wraps up the regular season with two home games, May 31 against Miami Valley and June 7 against Fort Wayne.
Continental Indoor Football League Stories from May 19, 2008
- Xplosion Become First in CIFL History to Clinch Division - Kalamazoo Xplosion
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