Xplosion Scrimmage Sting in Kalamazoo
by Randy Snow
Published on February 24, 2008 under Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Kalamazoo Xplosion
It was a standing room only crowd that packed The Soccer Zone on Sprinkle Road in Kalamazoo Saturday night (February 23) to watch a scrimmage between two Continental Indoor Football League teams. The Kalamazoo Xplosion played host to the expansion Saginaw Sting during a two hour controlled scrimmage that gave each team a chance to evaluate a number of players. Both teams are owned by the ownership group of Mike Johnson, Mike Trumbell and Esteban Rivera. Even Kalamazoo mascot Xplodey the Coyote was on hand to entertain the fans.
The evening started out with 30 minutes of warm ups and then two quarters of live scrimmage. During the two quarters of play, Xplosion fans saw several familiar plays that they had witnessed last season. There was an interception by DB David Gator, a field goal by K Brad Selent as well as two touchdown catches and a two point conversion by WR Brian Dolph. Kalamazoo edged the Sting 24-22. The rest of the scrimmage consisted of alternating one minute timed Red Zone possessions.
The scrimmage was filmed from a couple of different angles by the Xplosion staff and will be provided to both teams for study in the coming weeks.
For Kalamazoo, however, the scrimmage was not intended to be just an evaluation of players. "It was more of an adjustment period for our coaches and our play calling," said Xplosion head coach Mike Sparks. "We wanted to make sure we had a good system down."
Saginaw head coach Karl Featherstone was also looking at his coaching staff as well as his players. "Our objective was to see what the guys could do going up against another team other than ourselves," Featherstone said. "I wasn't really looking for too much of anything, just plays that we wanted to run and how our coaching staff can modify the plays as we go along."
For Xplosion and Sting owner Mike Johnson, it was a chance to see both of his teams on the practice field at the same time. "It was very exciting," said Johnson. "It was good to see everybody get out there and get tuned in for the season."
Johnson had different objectives for each of his teams during the scrimmage. "For Kalamazoo, we wanted to see where we're at compared to last year. I thought we were right where we were towards the end of last year. For Saginaw, we were kind of looking at everything because we're not real familiar with the players as far as what they can do in a game type situation."
Saginaw coach Featherstone was with the Port Huron/Michigan Pirates last season and guided them to a playoff win over Kalamazoo. The Pirates then lost to the Rochester Raiders in the CIFL championship game. The Pirates folded after last season and Featherstone joined the expansion Saginaw franchise. He also has several of his former Pirates players on the Sting roster.
Kalamazoo appears poised to pick up right where they left off last season, as one of the top teams in the CIFL. They begin the 2008 season on Friday night, March 7 with a road game against the Chicago Slaughter. You can listen to all the Xplosion games at home and away on AM radio station ESPN 1660 in Kalamazoo.
DOLPH NAMED HIGH SCHOOL COACH
Xplosion wide receiver Brian Dolph was named the head football coach at his high school alma mater, Galesburg-Augusta High School, on February 19. Dolph graduated from G-A in 1996 after setting several receiving records at the school that still stand today. In recent years, he had been an assistant coach at the high school.
He went on to play college football at Division II Saginaw Valley State where he was named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2000.
In 2002, Dolph played in the Arena Football League for the Indiana Firebirds. He then played for the Battle Creek Crunch of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (now the CIFL) in 2006 and was featured in "Paper Tiger," a book by Lansing, Michigan author Ted Kluck. Kluck also played for the Crunch and chronicled the 2006 season of the team.
Dolph succeeds Ed Moreland, who was the head coach at G-A from 1992-2007.
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Randy Snow is a freelance football writer from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Since 2003, he has covered the Arena Football League, arenafootball2, United Indoor Football, the Continental Indoor Football League and the All American Football League. Randy has been a member of the Arena Football League Writer's Association since 2005 and can be reached at randysnow22@yahoo.com.
Continental Indoor Football League Stories from February 24, 2008
- Offense edges defense in Thunder Blue/White Scrimmage - Muskegon Thunder
- Xplosion Scrimmage Sting in Kalamazoo - OSC Original by Randy Snow
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
