Sharks Offer Discount to Downtown Businesses

The ArenaBowl XXIV Champion Jacksonville Sharks announced Tuesday that the team is offering a special ticket promotion for businesses located in Downtown Jacksonville. Local business leaders will be able to purchase tickets for the Sharks' Friday, July 6 game against the Milwaukee Mustangs at the team's discounted group rate. The game will air live to a nationwide audience on NFL Network as part of the Arena Football League's "Net10 Arena Football Friday" series.
"Over the past three years, the Sharks have received tremendous support from the Jacksonville business community," Managing Partner Jeff Bouchy said. "We hope that local business leaders will take advantage of this offer to help show a national television audience how much our community stands behind the Sharks and the AFL as a whole."
Through this promotion, local businesses will have the chance to save up to 33% off single-game ticket pricing. A flyer detailing this offer will be distributed to local businesses through Downtown Vision, Inc., a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to build and maintain a healthy and vibrant Downtown community. Additionally, the flyer will be available through the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. The flyer contains specific information about pricing as well as detailed instructions on how to purchase tickets with the appropriate discount.
If you are part of a Downtown business that does not receive the flyer but would still like to enjoy the benefit of this offer, please contact the Sharks' ticket office by calling (904) 621-0700 during regular business hours.

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.

The Philadelphia Soul Team Up With Battling Bare To Raise Funds For PTSD

The Eastern Division Champion Philadelphia Soul (13-3) has teamed with Battling BARE, Inc. to raise awareness and funds for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder during Military Appreciation Night on Sunday, July 8 at the Wells Fargo Center as the Soul face the Spokane Shock. Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m.
The game will include multiple awareness and activation elements supporting soldiers and families affected by PTSD including: A Photo Tour around the main concourse of the arena with enlarged photos of the Battling Bare Pledge displayed on Philadelphia arena women's bare backs, a professional photo shoot opportunity for Philadelphia area women to take the pledge and multiple public service announcement throughout the game.
While all photos on display and photos that will be taken at the photo shoot are with the Battling BARE Pledge on bare backs, shoulders, arms, legs or feet of women, none of the photos displayed or taken can or will be construed as that of a sexual nature.
The Battling BARE support is in addition to the night already designed to show appreciation to the United States Military and those that have or currently serve. The program will include an in-game salute of honor to all the service men and women in the crowd from Brigadier General John L. Gronski from the Unites States Army and other high-ranking military officials. Also, Lieutenant Justin Legg from the US Navy Seals (retired) and graduate of the United States Naval Academy will wrap up the night with at twenty minute post game inspirational speech.
At the game, all active and retired military from all branches receive a free ticket to the Sunday, July 8 game with proof of service, including military identification. Family of military service men and women will receive a special rate of $20 per ticket. $5 of every ticket sold online at www.PhiladelphiaSoul.Com/BattlingBare will be donated to Battling BARE, Inc.
If you live in the Philadelphia area and are a woman whose family has been affected by PTSD or would like to support this initiative by having your photo on display at the game, email your photo to battlingbare@philadelphiasoul.com. For guidelines, go to www.battlingbare.org/battle_buddy_submissions.html. No photos that are of a sexual nature will be used.
The Soul is currently 13-3 and shattering league and team records this season. They have already clinched the Eastern Division title as sell as home field advantage throughout the playoffs with the first home playoff game set for Saturday, July 28 at 7 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center.

Amarillo Venom Gives Away a Vacation

The Amarillo Venom and the Wildwood Casino and Hotel in Cripple Creek, CO are teaming up to give fans the ultimate fan appreciation experience by giving away two 2-night trips to the Wildwood Casino!
Wildwood Casino is located in historic Cripple Creek, Colorado where a century ago, those seeking wealth and fortune set out to strike it rich by mining for gold. Today the community is rich in history and character with Wildwood Casino giving the old-fashioned streets of this quaint mining town a modern touch while still holding true to what brought folks here 100 years ago - wealth and fortune.
Recipients will get to stay two nights at the Wildwood Casino and Hotel while also getting to enjoy tourist attractions, fine dining, and tons of exciting entertainment!
Come out this Saturday to watch the Amarillo Venom clinch the regular season title against the West Texas Roughnecks, and for a chance to win a trip to the beautiful Wildwood Casino and Hotel at 7:00pm in the Amarillo Civic Center!

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.

Albany Panthers Captures 2012 PIFL Championship Cup

The Professional Indoor Football League's (PIFL) Championship Cup is heading to Southwest Georgia following the Albany Panthers (12-2) 60-56 win Saturday night against the Richmond Raiders.
In one stirring night that was reminiscent of the entire 2012 PIFL season, the league's top two teams were featured in a showdown with the winner being the first to take home the PIFL Championship Cup.
Featuring a roster primarily full of players who returned for a chance at a re-peat, late in the 4th quarter and up by seven, Albany thwarted Richmond's potential game-tying drive when DB Damian Daniels intercepted a James Steadman pass with 7 minutes remaining giving the Panthers enough breathing room to close out the Raiders.
Daniels, who along with LB Ryan Babb came over in the off-season after spending many seasons with their now in-state rivals the Columbus Lions, joined a number of Panthers who will be sizing up their ring fingers once again.
Despite the loss, Richmond overcame many obstacles including an early 16-point deficit in the 2nd quarter. After scoring a TD on the opening drive, the Raiders offense stalled on their next two series' allowing Albany an early 22-6 lead.
Once again getting the start under center, for three quarters Albany QB Darnel Kennedy took majority of the snaps before relinquishing the game over to 10-0 starter Cecil Lester who closed out the final three offensive drives completing 7 of 9 passes for 84 yards and two TD's. Kennedy completed 12 of 20 passes for 164 yards and 4 TD's before stepping aside in the game's final quarter.
After stalling on their next two drives, QB Antwon Young led the Raiders on two scoring drives of 30 yards with each taking just two plays. Still down by nine and without the ball, Richmond DB RoShawn Marshall came up the game's first turnover when he intercepted a Kennedy pass and promptly returned it 50 yards for TD cutting the Raider deficit down to two.
Coming out of the break down by six, Richmond received the ball to start the second half and managed to reach the Albany 12-yard line before FB Jordan Pavlisin coughed up the game's second turnover with a fumble that was promptly scooped up and returned 38 yards by Antwontis Cutts for a TD.
Altogether, Cutts scored TD's on four different occasions and was the lone receiving target to go over the century mark in yards hauling in six passes for 110 yards with two of his catches reaching the end-zone. Along with his fumble recovery, Cutts also returned a kickoff the length of the field as his four touchdown effort earned him the game's MVP.
Down by 13, the Raiders began to unravel as QB Antwon Young was ejected after an unsportsmanlike penalty that saw him throw a football at an Albany player on a play that was blown dead before the snap. Having only attempted five passes all season, back-up QB James Steadman stepped in quite nicely leading Richmond to touchdown drives in his first two series with his second pulling the Raiders even with Albany at 43. Before getting tossed, Young completed 11 of 16 passes for 165 yards and three TD's while in his place Steadman completed 7 of 10 passes for 101 yards and two TD's.
With the game very much in the balance and tied at 43, Albany went to the bullpen bringing Lester in to close out the 4th quarter by scoring on their final three drives. Coupled with the Damian Daniels INT at the 7 minute mark, the Panthers secured all the breathing room they would need even letting Richmond score in the final seconds just so they could run the final seconds off the clock.
In lieu of Saturday's loss, it should not take away from an outstanding 2012 season in which the Raiders franchise entered the season two games under .500 (12-14) only to finish in a first-place tie with the Panthers while experiencing both their first playoff game and win.
For Albany, a franchise in just its third year, Saturday's re-peat championship caps off a perfect 8-0 home record as well as a start to end finish as the league's top team allowing them to raise another banner inside the Albany Civic Center.
For a look at photos from Saturday's inaugural PIFL Championship Game between Richmond and Albany, log on to www.proifl.com and to keep up with news from all six teams be sure to log on to the PIFL's Facebook page.

LSFL Championship Game To Also Feature Concerts

Pre-game festivities to the first Texas Shoot Out, the Lone Star Football League's championship game on July 21 at Foster Communications Coliseum, will feature two concerts performed by three top-selling artists.
All-inclusive tickets for tailgating activities, the concerts and the game are available beginning July 2 for $25 at Bug Express, 2210 Austin St.; the McNease Convention Center, 500 Rio Concho Drive; Blair's Western Wear, 4230 Sherwood Way; and Goodfellow Air Force Base's ITT office; online at sanangelotexas.us/civicevents; or by calling (325) 658-6464. Tickets to the game only are $15. Tickets to the concert only are $25.
A tailgating party that includes a chili cook-off, inflatable bounce houses for children, and more will begin at 3 p.m. Friday, July 20, in the Foster Communications Coliseum parking lot, 50 E. 43rd St. The party will be followed at 8 p.m. by a Texas country music concert headlined by Zach Edwards in the Coliseum.
A Big Lake native, Edwards released his second album, "LoneStar," on June 3. His first album, "Cowboy Crew," yielded the hit, "You Look Better on MySpace."
The tailgating continues on game day, Saturday, July 21. Doors to the Coliseum will open at 3:30 p.m. for a concert featuring native San Angeloan and pop star Paula Deanda and the Paulitics, and the hip-hop duo the Ying Yang Twins.
Deanda was signed to an Arista Records contract by famed record exec Clive Davis. In 2006, she released her self-titled debut album, spawning a top 20 hit, "Walk Away (Remember Me)." Deanda will also sing the national anthem and perform during halftime of the game.
The Ying Yang Twins are best known for party anthems and top 40 hits such as "Salt Shaker," "What's Happ'nin!," "Shake" and "Badd." The New Orleans Saints play their song "Halftime" after most touchdowns. The Twins released a greatest hits album in 2009. Their new single, "Fist Pump, Jump Jump," will be released on iTunes on July 3.
Deanda and the Ying Yang Twins will be available to sign autographs for fans.
Playing indoor pro football, the Lone Star Football League consists of six teams: the Abilene Ruff Riders, the West Texas Roughnecks of Midland/Odessa, the Amarillo Venom, the Corpus Christi Hammerheads, the Laredo Rattlesnakes and the Rio Grande Valley Magic.
League Commissioner Darlene Jones is a San Angelo businesswoman who owned San Angelo's last pro football franchise, the Stampede Express.
The game will serve as a kickoff to San Angelo's new team, the Bandits, who will hit the field inside Foster Communications Coliseum in the spring of 2013. The Bandits will be selling season tickets and corporate sponsorships at The Texas Shoot-out.