CRYSTAL BOWL 51- GAME REVIEW

Crystal Bowl 51 | 28/02/21 | DIY Depot Arena, Adelphia

ADELPHIA	13	14	14	0	41
CALIGARA	0	3	0	7	10

Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter:
ADE McGuire 22 pass from Kelly (Hernandez XP); 7-0
ADE Hernandez FG 39; 10-0
ADE Hernandez FG 47; 13-0
2nd Quarter:
CAL Wright FG 49; 13-3
ADE Walters 60 pass from Kelly (Hernandez XP); 20-3
ADE Walters 20 pass from Kelly (Hernandez XP); 27-3
3rd Quarter:
ADE Floyd 4 run, (Hernandez Kick); 34-3
ADE Walters 85 pass from Kelly (Hernandez XP); 41-3
4th Quarter:
CAL Slater 18 pass from Slater (Wright XP); 41-10

The 51st Crystal Bowl was an uncomfortable affair for the defending champions, Caligara. The Adelphia Phoenix capitalised on playing in their home stadium, on their home turf, even though it was a 50-50 crowd.

Following the opening kickoff, the Bulldogs went three-and-out, paving the way for the Phoenix to march down the field and take the lead on Matt Kelly’ s 22 yard pass to Jayson McGuire. On the next possession, Zack Slater was tackled by Michael Keys, forcing a fumble. Charlie Clayton recovered for the Phoenix.

Keys forces the fumble

Adelphia scored two field goals on their next two possessions, whilst the Bulldogs flustered. Eventually, the Bulldogs gained some first downs and kept momentum but scoring with a Chester Wright field goal. it was 13-3.

What happened next possibly finished off the game. A good return from Jamarcus White got the Phoenix to the 30. Kylian Floyd ran twice for 10 yards, picking up the first down. Matt Kelly then threw a quick dart to Kyle Walters, who went 60 yards for the score, untouched. 20-3.

Kyle Walters celebrates in the endzone.

With the Bulldogs in disbelief, they tried to comeback. A good drive followed by then stalled, as Morales dropped a Slater dime. Chester Wright hooked the 51 yard field goal attempt wide.

Minutes late, Matt Kelly had taken the shortened field and finished off the game with a 20 yarder to Walters. 27-3 at half-time!

Any thoughts of a comeback, a miracle from the Bulldogs were dashed following the half-time show, featuring The Miracle Workers and SJ White. The Bulldogs marched down the field on the opening drive of the second half, ending with a four yard Kylian Floyd scoring run. 34-3.

It got worse near the end of the third. a good punt put the Phoenix on their own 15 yard line. Two plays later, Walters went 85 yards to the house on a short bubble screen pass. 41-3

In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs got a consolidation score, when Zack Slater found Seth in the endzone from 19 yards. There wasn’t much celebrating there.

Matt Kelly and Kylian Floyd ran a well executed offence in the big game.

CRYSTAL BOWL 51 PREVIEW

Crystal Bowl 51- Adelphia Phoenix vs Caligara Bulldogs
Sunday 28th February 2021, 6pm at Adelphia’s DIY Depot Arena

The 51st Crystal Bowl is a matchup of two powerhouses- one old and one new. The storied franchise, the Bulldogs have more pro football titles than anyone else in Eborian history. They are making it three trips in a row this year, having lost the first to the Tigers and beating the Wasps last March.

The Phoenix, who only joined the league in 2008 are appearing in the big game for the fourth time, having won two of their previous games. Chip Bailey, 61, who has been the Head Coach since 2010, has once again taken the offensive guru-ness to new levels with the 2020-21 attack.

ADELPHIA ATTACK vs CALIGARA DEFENCE:
Quarterback Matt Kelly, a 13 year veteran, has lots of help around him in Jayson McGuire, Kyle Walters, Patrick Schwartz (Anchor, TE in US) and Jamarcus White. The two-headed run game is fronted by rookie sensation Kylian Floyd and backed up by Jamal Davies. Both can catch passes too. The O-Line is solid, not spectacular. Fullback Jon Lucas runs, blocks so well and, of course, catches passes too.

In the playoffs there’s been a reliance on Anchor Patrick Schwartz on third downs and when the receivers are well covered. The Bulldogs will need to cancel him out as an option.

The Bulldogs ‘D’ boasts ALL-PFL players, Shareece Franklin, Calvin Thomas and Jason Randle will cause headaches to the front line. The secondary is strong, with Nick Williams, Kyle Neal and J.J. Peters starring.

EDGE: Adelphia Attack, by a small margin. A close call.

CALIGARA ATTACK vs ADELPHIA DEFENCE
Quarterback Zack Slater was a second round pick in XXXX. He has gone on to prove all doubters wrong as the Bulldogs reach there third consecutive Bowl appearance. His namesake, Seth, is the Star receiver who attracts a lot of double coverage. This helps Mike Harvey and Dennis Morales to find open spaces. Veteran Anchor Mark Martinez is a good safety valve to have. Slater is nursing an elbow injury to his non-throwing arm, which may distract him slightly.

Similarly to the Phoenix, the ‘Dogs have a good ground game. Jeremy Franklin and Glen Norman share duties, with Franklin the number 1. The O-Line is one of the league’s best. veteran Shyrone Hall stands out at LT.

The Phoenix defence was mainly built in the last five drafts – DT Dez Williams commands the middle, whilst Ends Eddie Blake and Terrell Houston are always useful. The midfield (Linebackers) is stacked with tackle-machine Michael Keys lining up with Charlie Clayton and rookie Keith Walker. The secondary is boom or bust. When on they shut down, when off they seem to fall apart. Which one turns up on Sunday?

EDGE: The Bulldogs eek out, with a great O-line to protect Slater, it should be advantage Caligara.

SPECIAL TEAMS: This is evens, good kickers, punters and long snappers. Returners Mike Harvey (Bulldogs) and Jamarcus White both had two return TDs this season.

COACHING: Chip Bailey has the edge on coaching experience with 11 years in the PFL and three CB trips, Jon Palmer has experience as a player and coach at the big game. Palmer prodigious rise from defence co-ordinator to head coach has culminated in three bowl appearances in his first three seasons! How much of last year’s success was pure motivation from failing the year before? That remains to be seen.
Advantage to Adelphia due to longevity of Bailey.

OVERALL– This seems to close to call on paper, but we’ll give the advantage to the experience of the Bulldogs in this one. Their third trip in a row, they will be prepared. Expect a high-scoring affair with the Bulldogs coming out on top, maybe in additional time.

Crystal Bowl 50: Bulldogs leave it late to snatch victory

Crystal Bowl 50 | PFL Championship

CHAKOTA WASPS  24
  CALIGARA BULLDOGS  25

	1	2	3	4	ET	FT
CHAKOTA	7	3	7	7	–	24
CALIGARA	6	3	3	13	–	25

1st Quarter:
CAL   FG Wright 41; 3-0
CAL   FG Wright 44; 6-0
CHA  Harris 46 pass to Tucker (Wall kick); 6-7
2nd Quarter:
CAL   FG Wright 37; 9-7
CHA  FG Wall 39; 9-10
3rd Quarter:
CAL   FG Wright 31; 12-10
CHA  Harris 27 pass to Blackmon (Wall kick); 12-17
4th Quarter:
CAL   Slater 8 pass to Morales (Wright Kick); 19-17
CHA  Harris 12 pass to Rogers (Wall kick); 19-24
CAL   Slater 36 pass to Slater (Conver failed); 25-24

The Caligara Bulldogs required two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter from QB Zack Slater to come from behind to gian redemption from last year’s title game loss.
Slater had an uncomfortable first half, completing only six of thirteen passes. RB Jeremy Franklin had gained nearly 100 yards to keep the Bulldogs competitive.

The Wasps had a good performance from Trent Harris at the helm, gaining 274 yards through the air and three touchdowns. Harris overcame a second quarter interception, to lead the team to 10-9, 17-12 and 24-19 leads. His second interception effectively ended the game with 00:54 remaining.

Going into the fourth quarter, trailing 17-12, the Bulldogs regained the lead on an 8 yard pass from Slater to Morales. The lead didn’t last long, as Harris drove the Wasps downfield through the air, completing the drive with a 12 yarder to Shyrone Rogers.

The Bulldogs, with six minutes remaining needed another drive. Franklin gained two quick first downs on draw plays. Slater then found his namesake Seth on 9 and 11 yard gains. The Wasps were in their prevent defence and it was seeping gains (Ken Anderson limped off and Stephen Schmidt was playing hurt.

With 3:47 left on the clock, Zack found Seth- the Slater-to-Slater combination once more on a quick bubble screen. Seth evaded Schmidt and ran the remaining 36 yards for the score. The Bulldogs led by one point, so they attempted a two point conversion. Slater to Martinez didn’t work this time, so it remained a one point lead.

The Wasps final drive, needing just a field goal to win, ended when Kyle Neal intercepted a pass intended for Blackmon.

In just his second year as a Head Coach, Jon Palmer has topped the Mountain, an incredible achievement.

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Crystal Bowl XLIX – Tigers claim win in defensive showpiece

Crystal Bowl XLIX (49) | PFL Championship 2018-19

1st Quarter:

Bulldogs and Tigers to meet in Crystal Bowl XLIX

The Caligara Bulldogs and Ballymore Tigers booked their tickets in the penultimate Football Sunday of the season. The two will square off on 3rd  March at the Crystal Bowl for the PFL Championship.

Caligara beat out the defending champion New Jorg 96ers 17-10 in a crazy snow-affected semi-final. The Tigers saw off the Rochester Trojans 16-7 in their semi-final.

Both teams are big on defence,so the game in two weeks could be a very dogged affair. The Bulldogs, who had a 15-3 overall record in the regular season are the bookmakers’ favourites- by one touchdown. The Tigers finished 12-6 and had to win both games on the road, so will not be worried about travelling for one more game.

Bulldogs’ Seth Slater makes a sensational one-handed TD catch in the win over the 96ers

Crystal Bowl XLVIII: The Game.

Crystal Bowl XLVIII: The PFL Championship 2017-18|

  ROCHESTER TROJANS 28
  NEW JORG 96ERS 41

	1	2	3	4	ET	FT
ROCHESTER	7	14	0	7	–	28
NEW JORG	14	7	3	17	–	41

From the Cherry Bowl Stadium, Granada.

1st Quarter:
NJ – Johnson 17 pass from Sierra (Gold XP); 0-7
NJ – Brown 25 pass from Sierra (Gold XP); 0-14
ROC- Shell 16 pass from Bruce (Turner XP); 7-14
2nd Quarter:
NJ – Jammer 29 interception return (Gold XP); 7-21
ROC- Shell 2 run (Turner XP); 14-21
ROC- Philips 27 pass from Bruce (Turner XP); 21-21
3rd Quarter:
NJ – Gold FG 37; 21-24
4th Quarter:
NJ – McKeown 89 fumble recovery return (Gold XP); 21-31
NJ – Brown 18 pass from Sierra (Gold XP); 21-38
ROC- Philips 60 pass from Bruce (Turner Kick);28-38
NJ – Gold FG 25; 28-41

The Rochester Trojans turned the ball over five times in a slightly one-sided second half performance at the Cherry Bowl stadium. QB Ryan Bruce threw four interceptions- all to POTG WB Edgar Jammer, one returned for a pick six.

The ‘Sixers started off at breakneck speed, being 14-0 after two Kurt Sierra touchdown tosses; to Johnson and Brown. The Trojans first three possessions ended with three and outs and an interception. They started off running away from DE Vin Marshall and his pass rushing prowess. They were playing in to the New Jorg Defence’s hand- who dared them to throw the other side to – Jammer.

Following Frank Bowman’s fumble, the Trojans got one back with a Ray Shell catch and run for sixteen yards. The Trojans then gave up the pick six, before rallying with a Shell running TD and Ryan Bruce’s pass to Philips. It was tied at 21 at the half.

After the halftime show featuring Ellie Winters and Monstersauce, the game restarted with defences on top. Vin Marshall and the ‘Sixers front seven locked down the Trojans.
It took a defensive play to open the game back up, and it happened following Ray Shell’s fumble. The ball popped up into the hands of Defensive End Marco McKeown, who returned it 89 yards for the score.

Kurt Sierra then topped the day off with a second scoring pass to Asante Brown. The Trojans pulled one back when Philips broke through for a 60 yard score.

The New Jorg 96ers were crowned the champions of the PFL for the third time. With that defence, how many more can they get?

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CB XLVIII Preview

Rochester Trojans vs Landor 96ers| Sunday March 4th 2018.

The  big game is almost upon us, here are the key matchups:

QB Ryan Bruce vs ‘Sixers Defence

Ryan Bruce has been calm and composed as he led the number 7 seed past number one and two seeds away from home. He has not faced a defence like this before. Rookie DE Vin Marshall has broken pass rushing records and been a revolution to this defence. ‘Can Bruce buy enough time to get the passes off?’ will be key question we look to on Sunday. WR Jason Galant is listed as probable for the game, after limping out of the semi-final.

QB Kurt Sierra & Asante Brown vs Trojans Defence

Kurt Sierra has been a master of the aerial arts throughout his career, but has he played this mystery scheme of the Trojans. Coordinator Ian Rudolph has dreamed up some creative systems to confuse both the Wasps’ and Stars’ attacks. If Sierra and co can figure it out, they will be hard to beat. Asante ‘Downtown’ Brown is perhaps the best open field receiver.

Trojans Run Game

The Rochester run game has depth, both Ray Shell and DeAngelo Jenkins gained 1,000 yards, as they marched through the defences as the top running tandem. You don’t get a down off where you can be facing a top runner. The 96ers will need to rotate their line to keep fresh if the Trojan ground game gets going.

So how will it all play out next Sunday? Who are you picking?