Missouri Monsters Name Justin Madden General Manager

The Missouri Monsters announced Justin Madden as team General Manager. Madden will oversee the day to day business operations, and will report directly to team ownership.
“We interviewed many highly qualified candidates for the position. I feel that Justin shares similar values with us, and will be an important asset to our business operations, as we grow closer to our season, and beyond.” Said Monsters Owner Andrew Haines.
Madden is from DeSoto, MO, and graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology from Missouri Baptist University. While attending Missouri Baptist Madden played all four years on the Basketball team, and was a captain of the team. He was voted MVP his Junior and Senior seasons. In addition to basketball Justin was involved with the Campus Ministry "AMP".
Currently Justin is a worship leader at SOS Church in St. Louis.
"I'm excited to join the Monsters family, and look forward to making the Monsters a household name in the Greater St. Charles/St. Louis areas." said Monsters General Manager Justin Madden.
Justin will begin with building a team internship program, and increasing the team appearances in the community right away.

Ownership Group Of Missouri Monsters Expands

Will and Shelly Clark, of St. Charles, have joined the team ownership group of the indoor football team, the Missouri Monsters. The Missouri Monsters will begin its season in March at the Family Arena.
The Clarks started Cardinal Surveying in 2003 and are celebrating 10 years this year as being a successful family-owned and -operated business. Will Clark has an associate degree in CAD and is a professional land surveyor, holding a license in Missouri. Shelly Clark has a bachelor’s degree in education from Kent State University.
“It’s great to have Will and Shelly as part of the ownership group,” said team owner Andrew Haines. “With them living, and owning another business in the community, it will be a big asset to the team.”
Will and Shelly Clark held prior ownership in an Arena Football team and hope their passion for the game and the community that they live and work in now brings a fun family venue for St. Charles County families to come together
“In a town that thrives on sports and whose fans have been loyal through the ages, we’re excited to be a part of a new tradition,” said Shelly Clark. “The Missouri Monsters bring another family friendly event to the Family Arena.”

Indianapolis Joins the UIFL for 2013

The UIFL is proud to announce the addition of the Indianapolis Panthers to the proud tradition that is UIFL football. The Panthers, owned by Zeb Sutton, are a strong Indiana tradition in semi-professional football, the outdoor version. This is the next step in the building of that Panthers football brand in Indiana, the indoor professional version.
Zeb and the UIFL began discussing the idea a few weeks ago and found that there are several things that were consistent. Zeb wants fan-friendly entertainment with players and coaches showing character and sportsmanship within the framework of the games. The Panthers wanted a league that was affordable and would allow a new organization to have the same chance at being profitable as the already established teams. The UIFL wants these things and more moving forward. The UIFL expects the Panthers to quickly become leaders in our league.
The UIFL is in the process of strengthening the league with accountability, owner/league communication and long-term stability and Zeb Sutton and the Indianapolis Panthers bring all of that and a confident professionalism. Zeb has numerous contacts in the Southeastern Conference and the UIFL is expecting the Panthers to be a real candidate for the championship in 2013.
The Indianapolis Panthers join the Missouri Monster in St. Charles (St. Louis) and the Georgia Rampage in Georgia as new members of the league. League President, Dr. Jim Krause adds; "We are moving in the right direction. Major change always leads to fluctuation as teams try to navigate their way to profitability. The UIFL is committed to a business model that keeps the league operating on a small budget, but supports the owners in their bid to be financially profitable, build corporate relations and especially embrace the selected communities and have them, in return, embrace the teams."
The UIFL intends to expand further and will be bring more announcements as the summer unfolds.

The UIFL Welcomes The Georgia Rampage To The League

The Georgia Rampage, a professional arena football team, is coming to Dalton Georgia! The Rampage will play it's home games at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center and will compete in the UIFL. The UIFL is going into it's third season as a professional football league and stretches from Florida to Pennsylvania.
The Rampage ownership is lead by Amer Awad and Kacee Smith. "We feel honored to bring a professional football team to a city with such an amazing football fan base and look forward to bringing championships to this city. In the words of Herm Edwards, you play to win the game! Fans don't want to see a team lose and neither do we" Said Awad. When asked about working with Smith, Awad said, "Kacee Smith is the reason I decided to join the team. His track record in football, ability to find talent and all around experience was impressive and I look forward to being apart of it." Smith has also been a co-owner and manager of the North Georgia Bulldogs, an outdoor semi-pro football team. The Bulldogs are going into their 6th season and coming off of an undefeated season. "I'm very excited about this move and I think Dalton will be a perfect fit for this. Not only are we bringing great talent made up of Division 1 football players, and former professional players from other leagues to thrill and excite the town, but we are also driving in business to the local area. On game days it will be a great spike in business for restaurants, hotels and near by shopping. We offer very cheap and creative advertisement for local businesses too. I'm a big believer in being involved with those around you and pulling together to help the local community grow and prosper" said Kacee Smith.
The Rampage was going to be an expansion team in 2012 before the team's ownership lost funding and was forced to fold it's 4 teams. The territory, team name, and logo was left vacant and Awad and Smith bought it from the league and decided to move it to Dalton. Smith used a travel team last year to play under the Rampage name as they played all their games on the road and shocked everyone when they traveled to Tupelo, Mississippi for their opening game to bring in their first win. This was the first ever win by a travel team.
The Rampage will play six home games at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Spring of 2013. A press conference will be held in the near future and the team hopes to launch season tickets soon and will also hold their first tryout for the 2013 season. The Rampage will be looking to fill positions such as sales and marketing, interns, coaches and volunteers. If you wish to be apart of the team, you may contact them at kacee.rampage@gmail.com and amer.rampage@gmail.com.

Cincinnati Commandos Capture 3rd Straight League Championship

The Cincinnati Commandos Indoor Football Team made it three league championships in three years, going on the road to defeat the Florida Tarpons 62-44 in the United Indoor Football League's Ultimate Bowl II on Monday night at Germain Arena. The Commandos won the CIFL championship each of the previous two seasons. The loss for Florida, was their one and only on the season.
The Commandos were led for the second straight game led by wide-receiver turned quarterback Nez Mincy, due to an ankle injury to starting quarterback Tyler Sheehan. Mincy was 10-13 for 155 yards and threw five first half touchdowns and ran for another in staking Cincinnati to a 42-29 lead at halftime. Phillip Barnett and Brandon Boehm were on the receiving end for two scoring passes each, while Mack Ogletree also caught a touchdown pass. Mincy added three touchdown passes in the second half to secure the third consecutive championship for the Commandos in their third year of existence.
Not only did the Commandos go on the road to win the championship, they had to overcome a nightmare trip to Southwest Florida. After leaving on a bus late Friday night, the charter experienced not one, but four breakdowns en-route. After 27 hours, the Commandos finally arrived at their hotel in Estero, Florida early Sunday morning.
The win caps a 10-2 season for the Commandos. Florida finishes the season at 11-1.

Teams Ready to Answer Questions in Ultimate Bowl II

Midway through the 2012 season visions of two unbeaten teams meeting for the Ultimate Bowl II championship were dancing in the minds of fans across the footprint.
However, Cincinnati stumbled twice and needed a late Marion victory to secure the top seed in the North playoffs. Despite the hiccup, Monday's Cincinnati/Florida game is the meeting that people have pined for the most. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Germain Arena.
Both teams are entering the Ultimate Bowl II, sponsored by Trophy Awards, with questions. The health of starting quarterback Tyler Sheehan is at the top of the list for the Commandos. The honorable mention North selection missed the North title game with an ankle injury.
"He is good," said Cincinnati head coach Billy Back. "His ankle getting better, he is able to take drops. He was 85 percent last week and we wanted to make sure he was healthy for this game."
If Florida Tarpons head coach Michael Taylor had a preference, he would prefer the less mobile Sheehan returned to action.
"It's easier to prepare for Sheehan," said Taylor. "Its different assignments when playing against a running quarterback. Our defense would be more basic football 101 to make him throw to ball to beat you. (Mincy) is someone we have to account for."
Sheehan threw for 2,537 yards on 185-of-353 passing with 39 touchdowns and 18 interceptions to lead Cincinnati to an 8-2 regular season. In his only extended action at quarterback, Mincy accounted for eight touchdowns in leading Cincinnati to the 62-40 victory over Erie in the North championship game.
Whoever takes the snaps for the Commandos will have to account for South Defensive Player of the Year, Terrance Jones. Jones leads the South with 11 interceptions and was second on the team with 41 tackles. Linebacker Harriel Moore led the Tarpons with 44 tackles, 14.5 for loss and eight sacks.
For the Tarpons, who have only trailed three times this season, their biggest question mark is how they will react to being down by more than one possession. The team ran through its competition and trailed just once after they had possession. Two of three times they trailed, the opposing team scored before Florida gained possession.
"That is the unknown because we haven't been in that position," said Taylor. "If Cincinnati jumps up 21 points, how will the guys fight back? I would like to think we have veteran guys and I feel pretty confident we will handle it. That is the reason we brought in a Chris Wallace."
Harassing Wallace and forcing the signal caller into mistakes should be one of the primary focuses for the Commandos. He has been sacked just 10 times this season and thrown just five interceptions. The Tarpons as a team, lead the league in turnover margin at a whopping plus-40. They have forced 50 turnovers on the season, while committing just 10.
Cincinnati's strength is arguably along the defensive line where North Defensive Player of the Year James Spikes leads a quintet of monsters in the trenches. Spikes, who finished the season with 12 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss, is just a part of a rotation that gave opposing offenses fits. He is joined up front by James Frazier (10 sacks), Terrill Byrd (six sacks), Thomas Claggett (2.5 sacks) and D'arrell Brown (one sack).
If Wallace does have time to throw, the duo of Donald Fusilier and Carlos Singleton could wreak havoc on the Commandos secondary.
"Carlos is a matchup nightmare, but I feel EJ Underwood will provide a good matchup to watch," said Back. "Donald is 6-3 with speed, runs well and catches well. It will come down to playing the ball in the air and making plays; our route recognition and how physical we can be."
While Underwood will spend a lot of time on Singleton, safety Corry Stewart's presence could be felt as well. His 14 picks led the UIFL and his penchant for making key plays can't be lost.

Cincinnati Commandos Suffer First Home Loss Ever

For the first time in their three years of existence, the Cincinnati Commandos suffers back-to-back losses as the Erie Explosion came into the historic Cincinnati Gardens to post the 62-18 victory Saturday. It is also the first home loss ever for the Commandos.
The loss drops Cincinnati to 7-2 on the season, while Erie moves to 6-2. Erie also claims the head-to-head point total battle, which is key in the playoff tiebreak scenarios.
Erie raced out to a 38-0 lead through most of the first half before Cincinnati was able to take advantage of one of few Explosion miscues. With Erie trying to run out the clock, they fumbled the snap which was recovered by James Spikes.
Kyenes Mincy caught a touchdown pass from Tyler Sheehan to pull Cincinnati to 38-6, and the Commandos were as close as they would be.
Sheehan finished the game 20-of-47 for 160 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. Receiver Phillip Barnett led the Commandos with 10 catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns, while Mincy added seven receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown.
Cincinnati, in order to have a shot at the first round bye, needs a win next week against Marion, and then have those Blue Racers beat Erie in the season finale. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. June 2 at the Gardens.

Cincinnati Commandos Join Fight against Breast Cancer

The Cincinnati Commandos, in conjunction with SportsCo Apparel, Pure Romance and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, are helping in the fight against Breast Cancer.
During Saturday's game with the Erie Explosion, part of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Komen Foundation, while the Commandos will be wearing special uniforms - designed by SportsCo Apparel. The game used uniforms will be auctioned off following the completion of the contest.
Coming off its first loss since 2010, the Commandos still hold their playoff fate in their own hands. A victory over the Explosion clinches the top seed in the UIFL's North playoffs. In the first meeting, Cincinnati dominated the first half en route to the 55-34 win.
The Cincinnati Commandos are the longest-tenured professional indoor football team in the city of Cincinnati. All seven home games are played at the historic Cincinnati Gardens.