TwO WEEKS TO GO- THE PLAYOFF RUN-IN

There are just two weeks remaining now and the PFL regular-season. 9 teams remain in contention for the 8 play-off places, with Chakota Wasps being eliminated with their defeat against the Oakland Ravens.

In the PFL East, the New Chester Knights still remain one game behind the Landor 96ers, with the two facing each other in the final week of the season.The Bristow bears still hold the eighth slot, with a one-game lead over the San Angelo Miners who remained in contention following their win last night at home to the Hallas Stars.

Adelphia Phoenix’s lead in the PFL Central is back to one-game, following their loss and Oakland’s win. Again, these two teams go head-to-head on the final day. Adelphia will take on the Chakota Wasps this weekend, whilst the Ravens will be looking to do the double against the Rochester Trojans. Adelphia hold the tiebreaker, which will be neutralised with a Ravens win on final day.

The Caligara Bulldogs still hold the best record in the league with a 14-2 record and dibs on the first seed. Behind them, the Ballymore Tigers have gone past the .500 humdrum in the past few weeks and are now sitting pretty at the number six point with a head-to-head advantage over the Oakland Ravens. The less said about the Iomagh Steelers and the Harteford Hawks, the better. Disastrous campaigns for both teams.

Out in the West, the Hallas Stars remain in control of the division, but have slipped to a 10-6 record.Following three successive defeats, the Stars will need to get back into the winning ways before the play-offs start. It is possible for the Miners to win the division if they win out and the Stars lose out. The Miners would win on divisional record. The Eregon Eagles have fared better since Cameron Reed returned, but have still been shaky opponents. The (St. George) Sharks’ dismal season continued with a loss to the Eagles and their reputation has sunk this season.

W2WO4 -What to watch out for

So looking at this penultimate weekend, the Bears can guarantee a play-off spot with a victory and a Miners defeat. A Bears defeat and Miners victory would make the run for the final play-off spot interesting. If the Knights lose and the 96ers win, then Landor will win the PFL East. If the Phoenix win and the Ravens lose, the PFL Central will go to Adelphia.

The Stars win the PFL West with a win and a Miners defeat, which would seal up the fourth play-off spot.

Playoff standings right now:

	PFL	P	W	L	D	PF	PA	PCT	PD	DIV
1	Caligara Bulldogs	16	14	2	0	460	319	.875	141	4-0
2	Landor 96ers	16	13	3	0	452	353	.813	99	4-0
3	Adelphia Phoenix	16	12	4	0	496	344	.750	152	3-1
4	Hallas Stars	16	10	6	0	487	375	.625	112	2-2
5	N.C. Knights	16	12	4	0	420	356	.750	64	3-1
6	Ballymore Tigers	16	11	5	0	410	373	.688	37	3-1
7	Oakland Ravens	16	11	5	0	413	358	.688	55	3-1
8	Bristow Bears	16	9	7	0	359	369	.563	-10	1-3
–	San Angelo Miners	16	8	8	0	391	368	.500	23	4-0
x	Chakota Wasps	16	6	10	0	430	393	.375	37	0-4
x	Rochester Trojans	16	5	11	0	358	450	.313	-92	2-2
x	Melboro Giants	16	5	11	0	333	377	.313	-44	0-4
x	Eregon Eagles	16	4	12	0	298	398	.250	-100	1-3
x	Iomagh Steelers	16	4	12	0	262	438	.250	-176	1-3
x	St. George Sharks	16	2	13	1	298	408	.156	-110	1-3
x	Harteford Hawks	16	1	14	1	227	415	.094	-188	0-4

Week 19 fixtures:

Bristow Bears		vs		Landor 96ers (FRI)
Eregon Eagles		vs		Hallas Stars (SAT)
Chakota Wasps		vs		Adelphia Phoenix (SAT)
Oakland Ravens		vs		Rochester Trojans
St. George Sharks		vs		San Angelo Miners
Harteford Hawks		vs		Iomagh Steelers
Melboro Giants		vs		New Chester Knights
Ballymore Tigers		vs		Caligara Bulldogs (MON)

PFL NORTH 2020-21 PREVIEW

PFL North| Ballymore Tigers | Caligara Bulldogs | Harteford Hawks | Iomagh Steelers

The PFL North is a balanced division, in that there are two very strong teams and two very weak teams! Due to the new format, Ballymore and Caligara faced off for the championship in 2018-19. Harteford and Iomagh have been battling it out at the bottom, not what either fanbase would like.

BALLMORE TIGERS

The Tigers are still a strong team, with Cam Rogers at the helm, the Tigers are still the main team that took the title two years ago.

The defence is still the focus of the team, with a little bit of sprucing up, they could become elite in 2020. Drafted Alfred Foster to pick up from Sam Randall as the pass rusher. Patrick Harper left under FA, so Bob Taylor and Freddie Boyle will compete.

CALIGARA BULLDOGS

The defending champions are still stacked with talent, but do they have the hunger after successive Crystal Bowl appearances? Jon Palmer is a great young head coach, who let’s his experts do their jobs. If there’s no need to tinker with a winning formula, they could well be biting their foes in the playoffs. Zack Slater (QB) to Seth Slater (WR) is still an extremely good combination.

HARTEFORD HAWKS

Last season was a progression for the mean green flyin’ machine. The Hawks went from 2-16 to 6-12. This year they will look to build on that siccess (9-9?). They are a balanced team, they will need either rookie QB Aaron Murphy or Dexter Williams to come good. If the defence is stronger, it should help even out the scores too. Veteran RBs Marshall Knight and Donovan Kelly were massive upgrades for the run game.

IOMAGH STEELERS

Iomagh were a disaster last season, going 2-16, with a couple of horrendous blowouts. Off-season trades were aplenty, and they were very active in the free agent market. Brandon Mullen and Kelvin Stewart (remember when he was the golden boy?) will compete for the starting role at QB. Thomas Linderholm returns from injury to help what was a leaky front line last term. Will do well do double their victory count from last year, though.

PFL CENTRAL 2020-21 PREVIEW

PFL CENTRAL: Adelphia Phoenix | Chakota Wasps | Oakland Ravens | Rochester Trojans

The PFL Central lost the Tallassea Oilers but gained the two-time Crystal Bowl winners Adelphia Phoenix in 2020. This will be a great line-up for a strong, competitive, division.

ADELPHIA PHOENIX

The Phoenix picked up quite the coup, picking up RB Kylian Floyd in the draft. He, along with Jamal Davies (first round pick in 2018), should mean that they will have replaced Marshall Knight. QB Matt Kelly shows know sign of ageing yet, and a good receiver core means the attacking force is strong.

The defence is still a worry. The line is good, with Blake and Dez Williams being particularly strong. The midfield is mixed, whilst the back four have been suspect for the last two seasons. 50-50 to make the playoffs.

CHAKOTA WASPS

With Trent Harris or Eric Chandler at the helm, the Wasps look hot on the offensive. Neil James is a standard RB and the line is good holding off the defence just enough. Defensively, they are hit and miss, Like Adelphia, this could cost them when it counts.

OAKLAND RAVENS

With a young,dynamic QB in Tayvon Coles (from Ohara) running this team, they should pound their enemies into submission. A tough team from top to bottom. I fancy them to win the division as the most balanced team.

ROCHESTER TROJANS

The Trojans took a chance with QB Josh Hennigan, and that could easily prove to be a good move. The Trojans will need to keep everyone around him healthy. Moving on from Ryan Bruce was a good idea, now they need to be ruthless in other areas. They won’t have enough to challenge for the division this year, but should not exactly be walkovers either.

PFL EAST 2020-21 PREVIEW

PFL EAST: Bristow Bears | Landor 96ers | Melborg Giants | New Chester Knights

The 2020-21 starts on Friday 18th September, with the champion Bulldogs hosting the Tigers in the big kickoff. The PFL East doesn’t have long to wait though, as they start on Sunday September 20th. League newcomers Bristow, who replaced the outgoing Tallassea Oilers have a difficult placement.

BRISTOW BEARS

The Bears have on paper a decent squad, with some PFL journeymen and great young players. Will this be enough to get the team in the playoffs? It is unlikely, but QB Brad Robinson is accurate and they inherited deep-ball threat Edjerious Jones and RB Lamar Hall give the team more than hope. Coaching could be the key to that fine line between success and failure for the Bears.

LANDOR 96ERS

The ‘Sixers have a tremendous defence, that will play havoc with ANY team’s gameplan. The Attacking options are going to be the key. Veteran QB Kurt Sierra is injury-prone, whilst WRs Robert Johnson and Asante Brown are not getting any younger. If the ‘O’ play strong this team could very well go all the way to CB 51.

MELBORG GIANTS

The Giants are still in a bit of a rebuild mode. QB Tom Tomkowski has not been the steal that some thought he would be. His accuracy improved last year, as his running stats went down. Their vocal home support the ‘G-Fence’ will need to carry this team somewhat.

NEW CHESTER KNIGHTS

The Knights are going to be there or thereabouts once again this season, aren’t they? Elijah Brooks will always make time to find people, the plethora of receivers always keeps the passing game good and defence honest. Veteran RB Chauncey Smith will have help in 2020-21.

The Knights have a good, young defence, lead by AMF Stephen Cooks and CMF Cooper Riley. Will battle with the 96ers for the division title, now Adelphia are in the Central.

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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Final Week: What went down and who got in

PFL Regular Season | Week 20

It was the final week of the PFL season this weekend, with ten teams vying for th eeight playoff spots. Six teams were guaranteed sports, so some needed a bit of help to get in. What wasn’t secured were the Divisional titles for the PFL East and PFL West.

PFL EAST

Adelphia Phoenix 26-10 Landor 96ers

Matt Kelly threw for 404 yards and 2 TDs, along with Jamal Davies getting 102 yards on the ground as the Phoenix overtook the 96ers to top spot in the East. The Phoenix defence contained veteran QB Kurt Sierra and his supporting cast, holding them to 210 total yards on the day. (Frank Bowman just 66).

The 96ers defence held the Phoenix to 3TDs and 3 FGs, when it could have been much worse. The 96ers also lost WB Edgar Jammer for the playoffs, as he nurses a broken collarbone. Disasterous day for the Sixers.

Final week: Who needs what to happen?

As we approach the final weekend of the PFL regular season, there are a few things still to be settled as the 8 playoff spots will be claimed. Starting off in the PFL East, there’s potential for a three-way tie involving the Phoenix, Knights and 96ers. If the Phoenix beat the 96ers on Sunday, they will have the edge, based on divisional record. All three will qualify. If the Phoenix lose, they will be needing other results to go their way.

In the Central, the Wasps can confirm the no.3 spot if they beat the Ravens- who need to win to get in, along with the Sharks, Phoenix and/or Sharks losing! If the Wasps lose, as do the 96ers- they still get seed no.3.

Playoff picture- Week 19 one team eliminated

We are now down to fitting ten teams into the eight playoff spots, as the Trojans loss eliminated them fro playoff contention. There’s also been some shuffling around of playoff spots.

The Sharks moved out of the no. 8 spot and are now ‘in the running, along with the Oakland Ravens. Defending champs the Ballymore Tigers are back in the eight slot.

The 96ers and Wasps have swapped the 3 & 4, as the 96ers surprisingly lost to the Giants. Whilst the Knights win over the Phoenix moved them up over them. It’s all to play for next week.

UFB: The Rematch brings redemption for the Bulldogs

UFB | Champions Bowl 2020 – National Championship

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	HT	FT
#3 OHARA	7	7	7	0	14	21
#1 GRANADA	3	10	0	15	13	28

PFL Half-season report card

PFL 2019-20 Half-season report card

by Ryan Sollis

After ten weeks of action, everyone has completed nine games in league play. We have graded all 16 teams’ progress to date:

PFL EAST

Landor 96ers (6-3) – B+

The 96ers have been a great defensive team, led by DE Vin Marshall, who has become an elite pass rusher. The offence is still good, but there are signs that veteran QB Kurt Sierra is perhaps coming to the finish line sooner rather than later.