Daily League News & Notes

Arena Football League

Soul LB Joe Goosby Voted MVP of the Week

Philadelphia Soul linebacker Joe Goosby has been named the Week 4 AFL MVP. The Arena Football League's fans chose the three-year veteran after a dominant defensive performance in Philadelphia's 54-43 victory against Iowa Barnstormers.

Goosby (6-1, 245, Tulane) recorded six and a half tackles, while setting career-highs of two sacks and three tackles-for-loss in the 2013 Hall of Fame Game. Goosby's biggest highlight of the night came on a back-to-back plays when he stopped the Barnstormers behind the line of scrimmage on third and fourth down-and-goal on a critical third quarter drive. Goosby's stops gave Philadelphia the momentum to win the game.

"It feels great to win this award," said Goosby. "I may have won the award, but it was a team's effort. I couldn't have done what I done without those guys. I think we're going to see our team's performance, especially the defensive, carry over to Week 5. Our defensive is one of the top in the league, and our team is heading in the right direction. I want to set the bar high for myself. You're only as good as your last game, and I want to top last week's performance so I can contribute towards the team to the best of my ability."

The fans voted on Goosby's performance in a 24-hour period against the other candidates including: Jacksonville Sharks DB Terrance Smith and San Antonio Talons DL Joe Sykes.

The Soul (2-1) return to action in Week 5 for their home opener against the Cleveland Gladiators (0-3) at the Wells Fargo Center at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.

SA Talons Host Los Talons Night May 3

The San Antonio Talons and EnV Productions are partnering with Univision to host Los Talons Night at the Alamodome on May 3. As part of the Talons post-game entertainment series, the six-time Grammy nominated artist Stefani Montiel will perform.

Montiel - an Albuquerque, N.M. native who moved to San Antonio almost two decades ago to pursue her singing career - is one of the hottest artists in today's Latin American music scene. The four-time Tejano Music Award Female Vocalist of the Year will perform a post-game concert in the Coors Light Lounge immediately following the Talons game against the Iowa Barnstormers. This performance will be a post-game tribute in honor of Jenni Rivera, beloved American singer-songwriter, actress, television producer, and entrepreneur of Mexican heritage who died tragically in a plane crash in Dec. 2012.

"Bringing high-caliber and renowned entertainment like Stefani to San Antonio Talons fans is something we are very proud of," said Talons' owner A. David Lynd. "Our goal through the partnering with EnV is to build a concert series giving fans a chance for inexpensive, high quality, fast paced, accelerated entertainment."

Los Talons Night is an evening to recognize San Antonio's diverse culture strong Hispanic heritage and kick-off Cinco de Mayo. Univision's Marycarmen Lopez will serve as the master of ceremonies for the night.

Tickets are available starting at $7 when mentioning "Los Talons" over the phone or at the box office. When ordering through Ticketmaster, customers can use LOSTALONS as the promotion code. In addition, there is a family pack promotion of four tickets, four sodas, four hot dogs and four bags of chips for $64. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 3.

EnV Productions is a San Antonio-based nightlife, sports, and entertainment promotions and productions company.

Sharks Outlast Barnstormers, 40-34, for Fifth Straight Win

Thanks to yet another outstanding defensive effort, the 2012 South Division Champion Jacksonville Sharks emerged from a back-and-forth battle with a 40-34 victory over the Iowa Barnstormers in front of 8,011 on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on Friday night. With the win, the Sharks improved to 5-0 for the first time in franchise history.

Though Jacksonville (5-0) held a 27-16 halftime lead, Iowa (2-3) quickly erased that edge by opening the third quarter with two consecutive scores. After stalling on back-to-back drives, the Shark offense broke through on the final play of the third, as quarterback Bernard Morris hit Jeron Harvey for a three-yard touchdown that put the Sharks in front, 34-28, as the game moved to the fourth.

The Barnstormers then knotted the game midway through the fourth, as J.J. Raterink found Marcus Harris for a 26-yard score before Phil Marfuggi's missed extra point kept the game tied at 34. Trailing on their home turf with under five minutes remaining, the Sharks responded. Markee White caught the final three passes of the decisive touchdown drive, as his five-yard score put Jacksonville ahead for good, 40-34.

On Iowa's next possession, the Shark defense came up with one of its biggest stops of the season. After a first-down completion to Jesse Schmidt went for no gain and Raterink couldn't find Marco Thomas on second down, Jerry Turner broke into the Barnstormer backfield on third and long, driving Raterink into the ground as he released the ball. One play later, Tracy Belton broke up a long pass toward the end zone to force a turnover on downs. The Jacksonville offense did its job after that, as Bernard Morris rushed forward on the final play to run out the clock and seal the Shark victory.

Friday was the third time in five games that the Sharks allowed 30 points or less. Much of that defensive success came from what has become the league's premier pass-rushing unit. In the second quarter, Turner chased down Raterink for a fourth-down sack that turned the ball over, and in the fourth, Aaron Robbins took down the Iowa quarterback and forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Justin Parrish.

In addition, the Shark secondary stepped up despite being without starter Micheaux Robinson, who missed the game due to injury. Belton led all players with 10.5 total tackles (9 solo) and four pass breakups, while Terrance Smith intercepted Raterink's third pass of the game for his team-leading fourth pick of the season. In his first regular-season game in a Shark uniform, Jacksonville native Jamaal Fudge assisted on three tackles as well.

On offense, Morris finished the game 25 of 36 for 237 yards and five touchdowns, but did throw his first interception of the season. Harvey caught eight of Morris' passes for 81 yards and three touchdowns, including a first-quarter grab off the rebound net. Jeff Hughley led all players with 10 receptions, totaling 75 yards. White caught six passes for 73 yards and two scores, and is now the only Shark with a touchdown catch in every game this season.

For Iowa, Raterink completed 17 of his 30 throws, totaling 240 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The Barnstormers' biggest downfield threat was Harris, who totaled six receptions for 130 yards and two scores, while Schmidt led his team with seven receptions.

At 5-0, the Sharks now enter a stretch in which the team plays each of last season's ArenaBowl participants in back-to-back weeks. First, Jacksonville will head to Philadelphia for a matchup with the Soul next Saturday night. The team then returns home to face the defending ArenaBowl champion Arizona Rattlers on Saturday, May 4. Kickoff against Philadelphia next week is set for 7:05 p.m.

Shock Stay Perfect, Stephens Sets AFL Interception Record With 5

The Shock (5-0) traveled to San Jose (2-2) to take on the SaberCats Friday, April 19th for their second straight West Division matchup.

In the first quarter the Shock defense started the game off strong coming up with an interception on San Jose?s first drive. After the interception the two teams went touchdown for touchdown which included a long 39-yard touchdown pass from Erik Meyer to Adron Tennell. At the end of the first quarter the game was tied 14-14.

In the second quarter of play, Spokane came out with possession and scored in under ten seconds with Meyer hooking up with Kamar Jorden for the 15-yard touchdown giving them the 21-14 lead. San Jose would only score once in the second quarter while Spokane would score two more time and have one more interception right before halftime to lead 34-21.

To start the third quarter the Shock would continue the offensive scoring on their first drive to open the half putting them up 41-21. Again the Shock would outscore the SaberCats three touchdowns to one in the third quarter as San Jose quarterback Aaron Garcia threw another interception. At the end of the third the Shock led the SaberCats 55-27.

In the final quarter of play, the SaberCats came out strong scoring a quick touchdown and then forcing a fumble and scoring on a three-yard touchdown rush cutting the lead to 14. This would be the first quarter that the SaberCats outscored the Shock but Spokane?s defense, namely Paul Stephens, who had an AFL record 5 interceptions, would shut San Jose down. The Spokane Shock defeat the San Jose SaberCats 69-47.

Next week the Shock are back at home taking on the Tampa Bay Storm in only their second home game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, April 27th at 7:00 pm.

Second Half Surge Fuels Power over VooDoo

In a homecoming game for many members of the Power, Pittsburgh picked up their first win of the season by defeating the New Orleans VooDoo by a score of 46-43 at the New Orleans Arena in front of 4,286.

New Orleans (1-3) started the scoring off early when quarterback Kurt Rocco completed a 33-yard drive with a short touchdown pass to Derek Lee. Sparked by a 13-yard kick-off return by Pittsburgh's P.J. Berry, the Power answered with a touchdown of their own - a 14-yard toss from Jordan Jefferson to Christian Wise. The rest of the first quarter was dominated by the VooDoo, racking up two touchdowns and a safety while shutting out the Power and leading 23-7.

Pittsburgh (1-3) wasn't giving up that easy, however. After failing to score in the final minutes of the first quarter, the Power scored 19 unanswered points to open the second with Jefferson throwing for two touchdowns. Highlighted by an 18-yard interception return by Sergio Gilliam and two forced fumbles, the Power defense held New Orleans to only 6 points. The VooDoo held on to keep the lead at the half, 29-26.

Pittsburgh wasted no time getting back on top in the second half. Mike Washington caught a 14-yard pass from Jefferson to put the Power up 33-29. With Rocco going down at the end of the first half, quarterback Zack Eskridge took over under center for the VooDoo. After a few incomplete passes, Eskridge finally connected with Lee to score his first touchdown of the contest. His second, a 1-yard rushing touchdown, came on New Orleans' next drive. Just as things looked to be getting out of reach for Pittsburgh, Berry (the Russell Athletic Offensive Player Of The Game) silenced the home crowd with a 47-yard touchdown (the Cutters Catch Of The Game) from Jefferson to end the quarter with the VooDoo still leading, 43-40.

Picking right up where he left off, former VooDoo wide receiver Berry scored once again to put Pittsburgh up 46-43, after New Orleans failed to convert on their first drive. Pittsburgh would hold onto the lead to earn their first victory and highest point total of the young season.

Pittsburgh quarterback Shane Austin entered the game towards the end of the fourth quarter after Jefferson suffered an undisclosed injury.

The Power look to collect their first home win on Sunday, April 28 when the San Antonio Talons visit CONSOL Energy Center. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Champions Professional Indoor Football League

Edge Begin Road Swing Saturday at Oklahoma

The Bloomington Edge travel to Tulsa on Saturday for a Champions Professional Indoor Football League matchup between teams both striving to climb back to .500.

The Edge visit the Oklahoma Defenders for a 7:05 p.m. Saturday kickoff. The game can be heard on WJBC.com beginning at 6:45 from the Tulsa Convention Center. Both squads enter the game with 2-3 records after the Defenders squeaked out a 36-34 win over Mid-Missouri while the Edge lost 49-35 at home to the Wichita Wild.

The Edge average 45.8 points per game, second in the CPIFL, and are fourth in total defense at 197.8 yards per game surrendered. The Defenders are last in total defense with 233 yards per game while the Oklahoma offense is second with 242.6 yards per game but seventh in scoring with 40.4 points per contest.

Bloomington has been led by 650 passing yards from David Knighton in four games and 120 yards from quarterback Jim DuPage in one contest. Jasonus Tillery leads the Edge in receiving with 21 catches for 285 yards and eight touchdowns, while Andre Raymond is the leading rusher with 120 yards and six touchdowns.

Defenders quarterback Rico Watkins has completed 53 percent of his passes for 752 yards and 11 touchdowns, using Patrick Jones as his primary target with 26 catches for 356 yards and seven touchdowns. Juan Redmon has 21 receptions for 242 yards and four touchdowns. KingJack Washington has rushed for 284 yards and six Defender touchdowns.

The Edge play their next three games on the road starting with Saturday's trip to Tulsa before returning for their final two regular season home games on Friday, May 10 against the Kansas City Renegades and Friday, May 17 against the Omaha Beef.

Continental Indoor Football League

Sting Look to Help Put a Stop to Bullying

Bullying is an issue that is growing in awareness. Statistics show that 1 in 4 children are victims of some form of bullying by their peers on a consistent basis. Additionally, about 56 percent of students have admitted to witnessing some sort of bullying taking place in their schools. Anti-bullying campaigns have been surfacing throughout the country to raise awareness and the Saginaw Sting is looking to start one next week as well.

Saturday April 27th the Saginaw Sting is kicking off its Anti-Bullying Campaign at its last regular season home game versus the Detroit Thunder. As part of this campaign the Sting, along with many local business partners, have created a pledge to end bullying in the Great Lakes Bay Region. All students 17 and under who sign this pledge will receive one free General Admission ticket to the game.

"Bullying is something that can be prevented," said Co-Owner & GM Rob Licht, "and with the help of local businesses; we feel the family-friendly atmosphere of a Sting game is a great place to raise the awareness." Following the conclusion of 2013 CIFL season the Sting will take to the community as they begin to schedule anti-bullying awareness events at local schools. "Too many times do you hear about unfortunate events occurring as a result of bullying," said Licht, "The Sting organization wants to be a positive influence for our youth and putting a stop to bullying is a great place to start."

Kickoff is set for 7:30PM at The Dow Event Center and students can come sign the pledge starting at 5PM on the day of the game. If your company would like to help sponsor this pledge please contact GM Rob Licht directly at rob@saginawsting.com for further details.

Lincoln Comes Up Short Against The Salina Bombers

Lincoln falls to the Salina Bombers after a tightly contested league matchup. The Haymakers started off hot scoring the first touchdown of the game with a 9 yard pass from Blake Bolles to Nick Rhodes but Salina quickly answered back with a touchdown from Dane Simoneau to Corey Ham.

In the second quarter the defense brought the crowd inside the Pershing Center to their feet with an interception by Jon Banks. Haymakers were unable to take advantage of the interception though as the offense struggled throughout the contest. The first score of the second quarter came from Salina with a 42 yard run by Salina's quarterback, Dane Simoneau. With 1:40 left in the second quarter Haymakers were able to put up points on the board with a touchdown from Blake Bolles to Marques Parker for 16 yards. The extra point on the touchdown was no good which resulted in the score being 13 to 14 at the half. Former Husker Andre Jones also reeled in an interception for the Haymakers in the first half.

The second half started out with a Salina score with a 19 yard touchdown pass from Dane Simoneau to Ricky Roberts. The second score of the third quarter came from the Salina Bombers's kicker Corey Field goal with a 17 yard field goal. At the end of the third quarter the score was 13 to 24 Bombers with the lead, but the Haymakers were working on a drive that resulted in a Haymaker score in the fourth quarter. David Ferris capped off the drive to start the fourth quarter with a touchdown but the Haymakers missed a two point conversion attempt. The Bombers then added to their lead which came from the wide receiver Pelton Smalls.

Both teams seemingly matched up very well trading scores, penalties, and turnovers. The Bombers were able to pull ahead with final score of 31-19 over the Lincoln Haymakers. The Haymakers ended the night with two interceptions compared to the Bombers one interception and one fumble recovery. Each team was plagued by penalties, and suffered from missed field goals. The Haymakers look to continue to improve as they take on the Oklahoma Defenders next Friday at the Pershing Center.

Legends Football League

Salerno and Butler, Lead LA to 31-18 Road Victory Over Chicago

It was a dicey evening in Chicago tonight as the LA Temptation headed into the Sears Centre Arena to take on a Bliss team that is loaded with talent. Despite the harsh weather that poured over northern Illinois this week, Bliss fans filled the arena in hopes that quarterback Heather Furr and company could shock the LFL and take down the three-time reigning champions. The Bliss came out swinging…literally.

Bliss running back Chrisdell Harris brought both speed and aggression to the field. Just one minute into the game she broke into the secondary at mid-field and stunned the LA bench with a rushing touchdown to start things off. As she high stepped into the end zone, Harris’s swagger was only building and spreading throughout the rest of her team.

LA showed why they are the three-time LFL champions on the next drive, marching down the field and capping a 35 yard drive with an Ashley Salerno rushing touchdown to tie things up at 6 all.

Meanwhile, Bliss quarterback/safety Heather Furr was boiling and ready to go right back at the LA defense. The Bliss charged down the field on the legs of Chrisdell Harris, not shying away from the vicious fights that defined the intensity of this game. Punches were thrown and choice words were exchanged after nearly every play that ended in a dog-pile. When the smoke cleared, Furr was able to scamper in for a touchdown that gave Chicago the lead.

There was still time left on the clock however, and once again, All-Fantasy quarterback Ashley Salerno took to her legs rather than her arm and ran with force over the hard nosed Chicago defenders. She tied up the game with her second rushing touchdown of the game and took in the 1-point conversion herself as well. LA went into the locker room up by just one point, and the Sears Centre Arena was host to a real fight between two unrelenting teams. Literally… as the two teams headed into the tunnel, their proximity to one another spiked into a fight between Bliss defensive end Yahshi Rice and a few of the Temptation players.

After they were broken up, LA and Chicago went their separate ways and looked to retain some of that ferocity in the second half. Bliss head coach Keith Hac went into a rage of his own in the locker room in an attempt to fire up his girls and finish this game with a win. Unfortunately they just couldn’t stop making the small mistakes.

Fumbled pitches by Heather Furr led to turnovers that gave LA great field position. LA’s Wide Receiver/defensive end Chloe Butler managed her first touchdown of the season capitalizing on a Chicago turnover and giving LA a 19 – 12 lead with 5:30 remaining in the 3rd. Quarterback Ashley Salerno made a physical statement on the 2-point conversion attempt, lowering her shoulder and laying the wood on Bliss safety Alli Alberts. Although the conversion was no good, the Temptation bench was surging with confidence as the girls on Chicago wobbled off the field. Alberts was diagnosed with a concussion and did not return to the game.

Chicago’s Chrisdell Harris, picked the Bliss up off the ground and ran with more power and speed than the LFL has seen this year. Lowering her shoulder into the end zone, Harris brought the Bliss back to within one point heading into the 4th quarter.

It was at this point that LA broke out of their shell and showed the rest of the league what championship defense is all about. They pressured Furr and forced a turnover on downs deep in Chicago territory. Danielle Harvey extended LA’s lead with a receiving touchdown to put them up 25-18.

With six minutes left in the game, Chicago was in dire straights and needed Furr and Harris to assemble a game tying drive. Despite some big plays from receiver Laura Petersen, Temptation cornerback Ogom Chijindu scooped up a fumble and took it to the house to all but seal the deal for LA. Heather Furr was simply unable to elude the pressure brought by Chloe Butler and the Temptation defensive front. Meanwhile Ashley Salerno displayed serious toughness, leading her team to a convincing 31-18 road win to open their 2013 season.

Chicago will have to find a way to get better protection for Furr heading into their next game against Las Vegas on May 10th. Meanwhile, the LA Temptation continue to hold their position as the team to beat in the LFL. They’ll look to carry this momentum into their next game on May 4th when they host a hot Seattle Mist team in Los Angeles.

Lone Star Football League

New Mexico Stars Sign New QB

"Today we signed Kasey Peters" Stars Coach Chris Williams said. "We think he is someone that can help us get back on track after proving himself both in college and the IFL last season." Both QBs will be in camp this week, and it will be determined on the practice field who will indeed be the starter come Saturday.

Originally from Newport Beach, CA, Peters went to Rocky Mountain College in Montana and was a three time NAIA All-American. The 6'3" QB became just the third player in Frontier Conference history to throw for over 10,000 passing yards (10,031).

"There are some rules in the LSFL that are different than the IFL, and I will have to get up to speed in a hurry" Peters said. "But in the end, football is football and I know the coaches and my teammates will give me all the tools needed to win this weekend."

Last year with the Fever Peters played 5 games and finished with 690 yards passing, 12 TDs and 8 INTs.