TFL Rundown Week 4

The fourth week of the 2007 season of TFL in review...
....The production just keeps rising.....

TFL Week 3 is not listed on the Marching Illini Trumpet website, but can be found Facebook.

TFL Standings and Statistics: Week 4

Team......Wins.....Losses........+/-
x--C.............4............0...........+35
D................2............2...........+14
B................1............3............-14
A................1............3............-35

x--Denotes team has clinched spot in TFL Bowl II.

Statistics through Week 4

Tackles
Wujek.....................23
Eikenberry............16
Forry......................14
Kulkarni.................13
2 others with.........12

Sacks
Forry.....................3
4 others with........1

Hurries
Forry.....................2
Okarma................2
Preston.................2
Paolinetti..............1
Billing....................1

Rushing Yards
Randecker.............78
Preston..................48
Braker....................41
Carter....................17
2 others with.........11

Passing Yards
Preston...................564
Braker....................392
Randecker.............364
Forry......................209
Cartner..................152

Receiving Yards
Chinn....................243
Okarma................235
Huffman...............218
Eikenberry..........170
Seggerman..........157

Interceptions
Randecker.......6
Okarma...........5
Imig..................4
Chinn................4
4 others with...2

Touchdowns
Huffman...........8
Seggerman......6
Okarma...........4
Carter..............4
2 others with...3

Finally!

Team B Scores First Win of the Season, Has Big Group Hug

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--In a weekend full of upsets on the UIUC campus, Team B added to the feel good stories with a 21-14 victory over Team A. Team B managed the win despite the sudden retirement of leading scorer Jon Huffman last week. For Team B quarterback Ben Randecker, it was a sweet, sweet feeling.

"It's great. The team worked as a team and we got good plays from everyone. They all gave 110% on both sides of the ball."

When asked if the euphoria compared to the birth of his child, Randecker showed he was a man of priorities. "It does not compare. This is just some stupid football game that we won today."

Team B (1-3) kept their slim hopes alive for a slot in TFL Bowl II. If they are to play for the title, then they must win out and finish at 3-3. After that, they may need other teams to lose and end up winning the point differential tiebreaker. But Team B wasn't thinking about that at the end of the game. They were too busy celebrating the simian extraction from their rear.

Tim Schwaegler had a coming out party with his first two touchdowns of the season. He also came up with a huge deflection on the final play of the game to seal the win. "I saw Chris Paolinetti coming out of the backfield all day. He had this huge leg brace on which made it easy for me to burn him. I would let him get open a little bit to bait Forry into throwing the ball that way. Then, I just zeroed in on him and got my hands on the ball. If it wasn't the last play of the game, I definitely would've picked that ball off and tried to run it back. But you don't do that when you're ahead and just have to knock it down."

After a first half of the season filled with frustration, Team B was finally able to put it together on both sides of the ball. They allowed just one touchdown in each half.

The loss was crucial for Team A (1-3) because they too are in the same boat as Team B now and must win their final 2 games for a shot at TFL Bowl II. Eric Forry had a better game than last week's with 120 yards on 16/30 passing. However, he threw 3 interceptions--all to Randecker. Scott Wujek was wide open throughout the course of the game, but Forry unfortunately could not deliver the ball to him more often.

Next week is a huge week for both teams because they will be facing the two teams currently in first and second place. If either hopes to crack the top two, the journey must begin next week.

Quick Hits

Randecker's son Josiah became the first ever infant to attend a TFL game. It is assumed that the father is indeed very proud... The Randecker family also brought rabid fans with them as they made shirts showing support for their quarterback...Shortly after the game concluded, the commissioner was able to strike the first television deal for the league. The games will be covered by TTV and their paltry staff...As the playoffs get closer, we'll be giving you your chance to sound off about who's going to win. Look for the comments article one week before TFL Bowl II.

Scoring Summary
1st Half
07:33--Team A--Eric Forry 13 yard pass to Scott Wujek. A leads 7-0.
00:00--Team B--Ben Randecker 6 yard pass to Anil Kulkarni. Tied 7-7.
2nd Half
15:12--Team A--Forry 3 yard pass to Wujek. A leads 14-7.
08:13--Team B--Randecker 26 yard pass to Tim Schwaegler. Tied 14-14.
01:00--Team B--Randecker 21 yard pass to Schwaegler. B leads 21-14.

C is for Clincher

Members from both teams run away as the French throw animals and feces from a castle. Photo courtesy of Chris Paolinetti.

Team C Earns Spot in TFL Bowl II with Triple Overtime Win

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--The first ticket for TFL Bowl II was punched on Sunday afternoon, and the lucky winner was Team C as they defeated Team D 35-28 in triple overtime. The combination of Calvin Braker and Wade Seggerman made the difference.

Team C (4-0) once again played without one of its major contributors for the second week in a row. This time, however, it was Andrew Imig who was unable to play due to his green card being temporarily revoked. Nevertheless, Calvin Braker led his team to a game tying touchdown with 3:07 left in the game and ended up forcing overtime. The week off for Braker appeared to make him slightly rusty, but he got it together when it mattered.

"I didn't throw any picks today even though I was a little bit off. Wade [Seggerman] was wide open all day. He would run deep and then come back for the pass."

Braker completed 12 of 26 passes for 136 yards. The other hero of the game was Seggerman. He caught 9 passes for 80 yards and 4 touchdowns including the one that won the game.

"I really wanted to get that last touchdown down there. I'm a 'go all or nothing' type of player."

Seggerman pretty much had his way with the coverage all day long, and he attributed that to his mind games with some of the players. "I got into Allissa's [Carter] head. I would tell her we're going to walk the play instead of running it. She fell for it obviously."

For Team D (2-2), they joined the list of teams that had Team C on the ropes yet unable to finish the job. They took the lead with 6:27 to go on a 4 yard pass from Chris Preston to Tyler Cain, but the defense could not hang on. Chris Preston had a phenomenal day passing the ball with 208 yards on 14 completions. He padded his already huge lead in yardage among the quarterbacks of the TFL.


Teammates Allissa Carter and Scooter Preston inexplicably line dance during a play. Photo courtesy of Chris Paolinetti.

Recent addition Tyler Cain also helped the cause with 6 tackles, 61 yards receiving, and a touchdown reception.

Quick Hits

The total attendance for the game was 4. Incidentally, the 4 fans were the first of the year for any game in the TFL...With his 4 TDs today, Seggerman is just two behind the total of now retired scoring leader Jon Huffman...Teams A, B, and D are all still mathematically in the race for the second spot in TFL Bowl II...This game featured the first ever tackling pact between two opponents. Glenn Eikenberry and Russ Chinn vowed to "pound the stuffing" out of each other and only each other, but it never came to pass.

Scoring Summary
1st Half
17:01--Team D--Chris Preston 62 yard pass to Russ Chinn. D leads 7-0.
13:23--Team C--Calvin Braker 17 yard pass to Wade Seggerman. Tied 7-7.

2nd Half
06:27--Team D--Preston 4 yard pass to Tyler Cain. D leads 14-7.
03:07--Team C--Braker 11 yard pass to Seggerman. Tied 14-14.

Overtime
1st--Team D--Preston 10 yard pass to Allissa Carter. D leads 21-14.
1st--Team C--Braker 10 yard pass to Glenn Eikenberry. Tied 21-21.
2nd--Team C--Braker 10 yard pass to Seggerman. C leads 28-21.
2nd--Team D--Preston 10 yard pass to Carter. Tied 28-28.
3rd--Team C--Braker 10 yard pass to Seggerman. C leads 35-28.

TFL Standings and Statistics: Week 3

Team......Wins.....Losses........+/-
C................3............0...........+28
D................2............1...........+21
A................1............2............-28
B................0............3............-21

Statistics through Week 3

Tackles
Wujek.....................14
Binek......................12
Eikenberry............11
Forry......................11
3 others with.........8

Sacks
Forry.....................3
West......................1
Schwaegler...........1

Hurries
Forry.....................2
Okarma................2
Preston.................2
Paolinetti..............1
Billing....................1

Rushing Yards
Braker....................41
Randecker.............29
Preston..................27
Carter....................14
4 others with.........11

Passing Yards
Preston...................356
Randecker.............270
Braker....................256
Cartner.................152
Forry......................89

Receiving Yards
Huffman...............218
Okarma................172
Chinn....................141
Imig......................126
Eikenberry..........104

Interceptions
Okarma............5
Imig..................4
Chinn................3
Randecker.......3
2 others with...2

Touchdowns
Huffman...........8
Okarma...........4
8 others with...2
7 others with...1

"B"eaten Again

Tyler Cain and Sean Cartner rehearse their roles of Jack and Rose in
the upcoming stage version of "Titanic." Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis.


Team B Falls to Surprising 0-3 Mark with Close Loss to Team D

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--Another close game, another close loss. What in the world has happened to Team B? For the third week in a row, they were unable to pull out a win in the closing minutes as Team D won 21-14.

For Team B (0-3), it's still hard to see how they are losing. Jon Huffman once again had a statistically dominant performance with two touchdowns and 96 yards receiving, but it just wasn't enough. Thanks to a monster effort by Scooter Preston, Team D was able to take a late lead and hold on for the win.

Preston threw for 138 yards on 12/22 passing. That included two touchdowns through the air, one to Paul Okarma and one to newcomer Tyler Cain. Okarma also scored the go ahead touchdown with one minute left in the game on an 8 yard run.

Preston commented on Team D's (2-1) effort after the game. "It was a great great win today especially with the heat. We didn't know what our stamina would be like, so we were glad just to get out of there with the win. And we're all glad that Katrina has decided to share her boyfriend with us because he did it all on both sides of the ball today." Editor's note: Not all quotes may be accurate or even said in the first place.

For the longest time, it looked like Team B would finally get that first win. They jumped out early on the first play they had from scrimmage. Ben Randecker (116 yards passing) found Jon Huffman cutting across the middle, threw a strike, and Huffman left the defense in his dust as he raced 44 yards to the endzone. Huffman would later score again on a 37 yard pass from Randecker to give Team B a 14-0 lead. Unfortunately for Team B, the offense disappeared in the second half.


Jon Huffman adds to his league leading scoring totals. Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis.



Quick Hits

Team D is now on the inside track with Team B to secure the two spots in TFL Bowl II as we hit the midway point of the season...Randecker and Okarma may have been fatigued in the second half due to playing as ringers in the first game...The new field location was liked by most...Team B still has a chance to secure a spot in TFL Bowl II, but they must win their final 3 games and hope for help from other results.

Team C Does It Again

Tempers Flare as Temps Rise

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--The TFL moved to its new fields today, and the first game did not disappoint as Team C defeated Team A 35-28 in double overtime. The heroics this time came from Glenn Eikenberry who made a circus catch in the back of the endzone to give Team C a lead that would eventually hold up.

It took a while for Team C (3-0) to find any sort of rhythm because they were playing without Calvin Braker. Braker, of course, did not play this week so he could pay respect to the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. The loss of Braker definitely had an effect on the team as they struggled to come back and finally win.

Glenn Eikenberry had plenty to say after the game about his catch and dealing with adversity. "Playing without Calvin was tough. I had to eat extra high protein meals and think about more football than I usually do so I could make up for the loss. Personally, I think the Pavarotti family should have rolled Luciano's fat dead butt over here to Champaign. They really should know who Calvin is over there."


Kevin Dobbeck hauls in a pass over a sprawling Glenn Eikenberry. Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis.


Luckily for Team C, they found a combination that worked late in the game after trying many different people at different positions. The adjustments paid off in overtime as they rotated tired players onto the line before letting them head back to wide receiver.

Team A (1-2) suffered the same unfortunate fate that plagued Team B last week. Both teams had late leads against Team C but could not hold on for the win. They took a 21-14 lead with 8:40 to play on an Alex Binek pass to Kevin Dobbeck. But Team C authored a brilliant two minute drill that ended on Ben Randecker's pass to a tightly covered Glenn Eikenberry with 0:22 remaining.

Overtime then came with the teams trading touchdowns on the first possession and Team C winning the game in the second OT.


Ben Randecker dives to tackle a scrambling Eric Forry. Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis.


Quick Hits

The new location for the fields was a major improvement for everybody...The weather was very hot with temperatures getting close to 90...This was the first week without any major injuries. Only Eric Forry suffered some scrapes on two of his catches...Team C is getting very close to clinching a spot in TFL Bowl II. A win next week could possibly do it for them depending on other results.

TFL Rundown Week 2

With a new co-anchor, and corporate sponsorship...

TFL Standings and Statistics: Week 2

Team......Wins.....Losses........+/-
C................2............0...........+21
D................1............1...........+14
A................1............1............-21
B................0............2............-14

Statistics through Week 2

Tackles
Wujek.....................11
Eikenberry............8
5 others with.........6

Sacks
Forry.....................3
West......................1

Hurries
Forry.....................2
Okarma................2
Preston.................2
Paolinetti..............1
Billing....................1

Rushing Yards
Braker....................41
Preston..................24
Randecker.............21
Paolinetti...............11
2 others with.........5

Passing Yards
Braker...................256
Preston..................218
Cartner.................134
Randecker............88
Dobbeck...............58

Receiving Yards
Huffman...............122
Chinn....................116
Imig......................99
Preston................72
Okarma...............67

Interceptions
Imig...................3
Okarma............3
Chinn................2
Seggerman.......2
7 others with....1

Touchdowns
Huffman...........6
8 others with...2
6 others with...1

You Can't Spell Domination Without "D"

Victorious Team D Lays Smackdown on Team A

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--The team that was routed by the league leaders last week certainly didn't show up today. Instead, Team D came out with the fire and passion that could only be described by White Sox GM Kenny Williams as "grindy." They shut out Team A 28-0 in the second game of the afternoon.

Team D (1-1) continued to show its youth off as Allissa Carter, Russ Chinn, and starting quarterback Scooter Preston (12/30, 146 yards) led the scoring. But Preston made sure to give credit to the entire team in the postgame press conference.

"I owe a dinner to my O-line. They were impeccable. The defense was stellar and I want to thank Paul Okarma for helping out as a ringer today. I also love having Aaron D'Souza and Brendan Frank on this team. Those two couple up like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, chickens and a barnyard, black and white, you name it. They're like the Berlin Wall without the graffiti."

Preston wasn't the only underclassman to come up big either. Russ Chinn came in with a plan to not only help the team but pad his stats in the most subtle ways possible. "That fake bobble I had that ended up getting me 4 extra yards? Completely by design. They don't know out here just how far ahead I am of everyone. Your days are numbered, Eikenberry."

Prior to the game, Team A sophomore Brittany Davis could be heard taunting what appeared to be Carter. Carter would get her revenge with 2 touchdowns and one interception on the day, but the taunting wasn't the reason. "I ran in the morning and drank lots of Propel. And then I thought about football--all morning long. I also came back early from seeing my boyfriend because I always deny him my essence before a game."

There were only a few bright spots for Team A (1-1) after a gutsy win last week. Scott Wujek tallied an impressive 10 tackles for the afternoon which easily led all tacklers for the game. Eric Forry made a miraculous comeback after appearing to be out for the entire season, and he managed to sack Preston twice during the game. Chris Paolinetti also provided decent pressure on the line.

Unfortunately, they just couldn't score. Forry threw for only 37 yards on just 5/21 passing. It was a game that the whole team will want to forget before they try to improve to 2-1 next week.

Quick Hits

The quote of the game came from Aaron D'Souza at the end of the game. "Shutouts are sexy."...The game was halted briefly for a case of theft in the 2nd half when a nearby flag football team took Wujek's ball. He promptly summoned the Green Ranger's Dinozord and made everything the way it should be...The commissioner was once again present for today's games but was hoping for a more competitive contest...TFL Illustrated would like to congratulate Chicago White Sox designated hitter Jim Thome on hitting his 500th home run in a 9-7 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Orange County of California of the United States of America of the Northern Hemisphere of the Planet Earth of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Scoring Summary
1st Half
16:57--Team D--Chris "Bench" Preston 4 yard pass to Allissa "Fast Chair" Carter. D leads 7-0.

2nd Half
09:21--Team D--Preston 6 yard pass to Paul "Don't call me O.J." Okarma. D leads 14-0.
04:38--Team D--Preston 36 yard pass to Russ "That's a stupid ques" Chinn. D leads 21-0.
01:52--Team D--Preston 6 yard run. D leads 28-0.

Oh The Hilarity!

Antosh Grabs OT Winner for Team C

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--Team C wanted to get more people involved after last week's victory. They did that today, and it helped them defeat Team B 42-35 in double overtime. It was a game that many were looking forward to all week.

Team C (2-0) had five different players score touchdowns. Hilary Antosh scored both the first and the last in her only two catches of the ballgame. After the game, she kept commenting about how surprised she was that she would be left so wide open for both scores.

"I don't know what they were doing. I guess they lost interest in me. After I scored the last touchdown, all I could think about was how I had caught another one because I'm used to just catching one ball every century."

Starting quarterback Calvin Braker, who finished with 158 yards passing, was more than happy to see a wide open Antosh on the last play of the game in double overtime. "With Hilary, she's wide open a lot of the time. I think it's because they're keying in on everyone else and forgetting to pick her up. All I know is we'll definitely take it and keep looking to improve for next week."

Braker then immediately announced he would not be playing next week due to it being the fourth weekend in September.

For a while, it looked like Team B might have been able to pull off the upset. After trading scores with Team C all day, they finally broke through to take a 7 point lead with 5:08 left in the game on an 11 yard pass from Sean Cartner to Jon Huffman. However, Braker engineered a brilliant two minute drive and tied the game up with 0:19 left on an 11 yard pass to Andrew Imig.

Lost in the overzealous celebration after the game was the losing effort of Team B's (0-2) Jon Huffman. Huffman caught all 5 touchdowns and became the league scoring leader. Despite having such a great individual game, he was visibly distraught about losing and elected to take a vow of silence until next week's game.

However, it was a valiant effort by a depleted roster. They played the entire game without first string quarterback Ben Randecker because he missed the game due to family reasons. Had he played, Team B might very well have pulled it off. They will get a shot at revenge in week 5.

Quick Hits

The field was much drier this weekend, but the remains of the damage from tailgaters was still obvious. The commissioner may choose to move the games to a different field next week...Antosh is just the second trumpette to catch a touchdown pass this season (Allissa Carter was the first)...The five touchdowns by Huffman is the most scored by a player in a single game this season...Wade Seggerman caught an 8 yard touchdown pass and also had one interception...Attendance numbers continue to sputter with no tickets being sold in advance for this week's games...There were no photographers at the game due to a union strike...The best quote of the game came once again from Glenn Eikenberry. After Andrew Imig barely missed an interception for Team C, Eikenberry yelled at Imig to have a better nose for the ball. Imig immediately reminded him that they were on the same team. To which Eikenberry replied, "Oh? Good hustle, then."...Adrienne Bowman unfortunately saw both of her ACLs fall out of her legs during the opening kickoff. Luckily, there was a renowned surgeon standing by and he spoke about it after the game. "We just replaced her ACLs with PDAs, HMOs, FBIs, and other 3 letter combinations so she wouldn't be SOL for the game."

Scoring Summary
1st Half
18:05--Team C--Calvin "Circuit" Braker 1 yard pass to Hilary "Hilaria" Antosh. C leads 7-0.
14:20--Team B--Sean "Shopping" Cartner 7 yard pass to Jon "Puff and" Huffman. 7-7.
00:46--Team C--Braker 4 yard pass to Glenn "Playmate of the Year" Eikenberry. C leads 14-7.

2nd half
18:55--Team B--Cartner 8 yard pass to Huffman. 14-14.
15:27--Team C--Braker 8 yard pass to Wade "I do handstands better than Adrienne" Seggerman. C leads 21-14.
11:14--Team B--Cartner 2 yard pass to Huffman. 21-21.
05:08--Team B--Cartner 11 yard pass to Huffman. B leads 28-21.
00:19--Team C--Braker 11 yard pass to Andrew "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" Imig. 28-28.

Overtime
1st--Team C--Braker 1 yard run. C leads 35-28.
1st--Team B--Cartner 8 yard pass to Huffman. 35-35.
2nd--Team C--Braker 4 yard pass to Antosh. 42-35.

TFL Rundown

The TFL week in review, game scores, key players, game footage, and interviews with the real players.

TFL Standings & Statistics: Week 1

Team......Wins.....Losses........+/-
C................1............0...........+14
A................1............0...........+7
B................0............1............-7
D................0............1............-14

Statistics through Week 1

Tackles
Eikenberry.............6
Chinn......................3
Binek......................3
Bassett...................2.5
7 others with.........2

Sacks
Forry.....................1

Hurries
Forry.....................2
Billing....................1

Rushing Yards
Braker....................27
Randecker.............21
Preston..................14
Forry......................4
Okarma..................3

Passing Yards
Braker...................98
Randecker............88
Preston.................72
Dobbeck...............58
Forry....................9

Receiving Yards
Huffman...............52
Cartner.................34
Okarma................30
Imig......................28
Carter...................27

Interceptions
Imig...................3
5 others with....1

Touchdowns
Cartner.............2
Wheaton...........2
9 others with...1

Business as Usual for Team C

The Commissioner answers questions after the game. (Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis)

Young Talent for Team D Comes Up Short

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--Team C (1-0) came out fired up from the very start of the game and never let up as they cruised to a 28-14 victory over Team D (0-1) in the second game of opening week. Leading the charge for Team C was Calvin Braker who threw for 98 yards on 8 completions. He started the scoring right away with an 8 yard touchdown pass to Paul Okarma just 1:07 into the game. It was the first of 3 touchdowns through the air. Braker also ran 9 yards for an additional score.



Rock solid from top to bottom. (Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis)

The quick start for Team C never made them look back. Braker was especially relieved for that.

"I started throwing the ball real bad by the later parts of the game. Getting that early score was huge."

Also coming up big for Team C was Andy Imig who had been warmed up from playing in a reserve role for Team A in the first game. Imig intercepted two passes and would've had a third if his left foot had not been out of bounds. He also had one tackle. Both of his interceptions came near the end zone as Team D was about to score, and the second proved to be the backbreaker.

"That was a real momentum shift in the game. I was like a stretch limo stretching the momentum at a high school dance."

But the real show came from arguably the most entertaining player in the entire league, Glenn Eikenberry. Eikenberry put up gaudy numbers on defense with 6 tackles and an interception, but his words were clearly the work of a verbal virtuoso.

"I get a lot of energy from sleep and three square meals a day. Sometimes four. All protein. I'm always thinking about football. I also watch a lot of NFL Tonight and College Gameday. I really get it all from Lee Corso."

During the game, Eikenberry came up with gems such as "Whoop! Whoop!" and "I'm gonna chop block!"

On one kickoff, he could be heard yelling "CRUSH HIS HEAD!"

Unfortunately for Team D, they just didn't quite have enough to contend with Team C. The youth of the squad had some brilliant flashes along the way, though. Allissa Carter led all Trumpettes for the day with 27 yards on 2 catches including one for a touchdown in the first half. Russ Chinn had 3 catches for 17 yards and the other touchdown of the day right as the first half clock expired. He also had 3 tackles to tie the lead for all rookies (Alex Binek co-leader).



Lots of potential. Can they mature in time? (Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis)

Sophomore Chris Preston passed for 72 yards on 8 completions with two touchdowns, but the interceptions came at the most inopportune times. Despite the turnovers, Preston continues to show improvement from last season and figures to be a gamebreaker late in the season for Team D.

Game Notes

Paul Okarma had 2 catches for 30 yards and showed no signs of a letdown despite the late signing. He also intercepted a pass that actually hurt his team's field position but claimed he wanted to "pad his stats"...Attendance for the second game was poor...Negotiations have broken down with Insight and Comcast for a television deal...The Commissioner was seen at both games on the sidelines. He expressed his excitement for the new year but was disappointed that the league has not exploited enough people for money yet.


Does anyone care what this guy thinks? (Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis)

Team A Scores Opening Day Upset

Wins Heartstopping Overtime Game

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--The 2007 season started with a bang as Team A (1-0) won a close overtime battle with Team B (0-1), 28-21. The winning touchdown came on Kevin Dobbeck's 10 yard pass to Andrew Wheaton at the end of the first overtime. The rookie Dobbeck came up big for Team A when starting quarterback Eric Forry went down with what could be a season ending injury to an unspecified knee. On second down from the 10 yard line, Dobbeck floated a pass to the back corner of the end zone where it landed safely in Wheaton's arms for the upset win.

"I just wanted to keep the passes short because we were killing ourselves all day with long patterns that weren't working out. On that last play, the only thing I could think was that he was [EXPLETIVE] open," said Dobbeck.

Wheaton also had a media-savvy answer for what happened. "When you're in prime athletic condition like I am, it's as if the game slows down for you. I knew [Dobbeck] had all the time in the world."



Cinderella story of 2007? (Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis)


After replacing the injured Forry, Dobbeck completed an impressive 10 out of 13 passes for 58 yards. Wheaton led all Team A receivers with 2 touchdowns. Credit should also be given to Scott Wujek who caught no passes but did serve as a decoy to free up Wheaton, Alex Binek, (1 TD reception) and ringer Andrew Imig to catch Dobbeck's passes. It is a strategy that many may question, but they can't question the results.

Before his injury, Forry ran for one touchdown and completed one pass for nine yards.

The biggest surprise of the day, though, was Team B's inability to live up to the preseason hype. They appeared more than capable in the first half as they only took three plays to score the first touchdown of the season. After throwing a 24 yard bomb to Sean Cartner, starting quarterback Ben Randecker found Cartner again for a 3 yard score with only 3 minutes gone by.



Overrated? (Photo courtesy of Michelle Lewis)


Randecker was 12 for 29 with 88 yards passing, but the majority of it came in the first half. In the second half, Randecker had a hard time finding Cartner and had to rely on Jon Huffman (52 yards receiving) for most of the passing game. Randecker did manage to throw a TD pass to Cartner late in the second half that tied up the game at 21.

Team A only trailed once but led 14-7 at halftime.

Game Notes

The field was very muddy yet playable due to the extensive rain from the day before...Many players from Team A did not show up, but nobody seemed to complain about the ringers...The opening drive by Team B was the quickest scoring drive in TFL history at that point. It would later be broken in the second game by Team C.

Preseason Predictions Are In

Team C is the Consensus Favorite

We recently polled a panel of experts to get their take on the upcoming season. Listed below are their predicted finish of the teams and their winner of TFL Bowl II:

Chuck Norris (of TV's Walker, Texas Ranger and the Total Gym Infomercials): C (5-1), B (3-3), A (2-4), D (2-4) Winner--Team C

Sabre (American Gladiator from 1993-1995): C (6-0), B (6-0), A (6-0), D (6-0) Winner--ABCD

Mike Ditka (former Chicago Bears Head Coach): B (4-2), C (4-2), D (3-3), A (1-5) Winner--Team C

Lloyd Carr (Michigan Head Coach): A (0-6), B (0-6), C (0-6), D (0-6) Winner--No one's a winner when Michigan loses. TFL Editors: We will not be asking Mr. Carr back next year.

So what do the rest of you think? Jump in on the comments board and tell these guys why they're right or wrong. And don't miss the season opener tomorrow at noon!

BREAKING TFL NEWS: Another Free Agent Signing

Okarma Makes Return in Wake of Forry Signing

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--After an unexpected event on Sunday, the TFL was rocked again on Tuesday morning as Paul Okarma has decided to return for another season. Due to the roster sizes of each team, he has been defaulted to Team C as they were the only team with eight players on it. This new development now gives every team nine players and avoids the possibility of uneven matchups on gamedays.

In a year where youth is king, Okarma's return helps balance out the lack of veterans in the league. He is expected to play next Sunday at 1:00 as Team C takes on Team D.

Schedule Released for 2007 Season

Game listed on top will start at 12:00. Game listed on bottom will start at 1:00. Team listed first is visiting team. Team listed second is home team.

Week 1
A vs. B
C vs. D

Week 2
C vs. B
D vs. A

Week 3
A vs. C
B vs. D

Week 4
D vs. C
B vs. A

Week 5
A vs. D
B vs. C

Week 6
D vs. B
C vs. A

Playoffs
Buchanan Bowl: #4 seed vs. #3 seed
TFL Bowl II: #2 seed vs. #1 seed

BREAKING TFL NEWS: Late Free Agent Signing

Forry Returns to League; Signs with Team A

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--Turns out Eric Forry is not retiring after all. The perennial veteran made news Monday morning by signing with Team A for the upcoming season. Even though it became official Monday morning, Forry held a press conference on Sunday night at Murphy's Pub to formally make an announcement.

He kept it short and sweet for those in attendance. "I'm back, yo. What team am I on?"

He is expected to play in the season opener next weekend.

2007 TFL Preview: Team D

Last in a Four Part Series

This team is by far the most mixed when it comes to abilities and traits. They've got tall people, short people, fast people, slow people, old people, and young people. The bottom line is that they have people, and that's exactly why they're going to surprise other people this year. Team D really has the potential to be the most complete team in the league--something the other three would kill for.

Making a return to quarterback this year is sophomore Chris Preston. He caught everyone off guard last year when he burst onto the scene throwing for distance and accuracy at the same time. He's the perfect guy to lead a receiving corps that truly is a mixed bag. They are loaded with a bunch more talented sophomores as Allissa Carter, Brendan Frank, and Katrina Willitz are all coming back for their second year. All three of them are quick off the line, and none are faster than the speed demon Carter.

This team is also loaded with rookies. Mary Blazier, Russ Chinn, and Anthony "Ninja" Gorczyca are all making their TFL debuts this year. They'll be learning from a complete set of veterans including Aaron D'Souza and F-- You Andy Gradl. There's no doubt that this team has the best mix of ages, but it could be a liability in the early going as they try to figure out their respective roles. As soon as the rookies become acclimated to the TFL style of play, Team D shouldn't have too much trouble getting off the ground.

The bottom line for them is simple: Preston must be accurate like last year, and the defense must be solid in the early part of the game. We saw Preston lead comebacks last season, but this team cannot afford to get into a hole during every game. Fast starts will be key for their success.

Quick Hits

The One Word or Phrase to Describe this Team: Eclectic
Greatest Strength: Speedy wide receivers all across the board.
Biggest Weakness: Many rookies who still need to learn.
They'll Win Games if: Preston can deliver the ball and the defense can keep them in it.
They'll Lose Games if: The focus goes south in the early stages of the game. They can overcome it, but it won't be easy if they get in too big of a hole.
Number of Trumpettes: 3 (Mary Blazier, Allissa Carter, Katrina Willitz)
Number of Rookies: 3 (Blazier, Russ Chinn, Anthony Gorczyca)

Preview written exclusively for TFL Illustrated by Matt Albert.

2007 TFL Preview: Team C

Third in a Four Part Series

When the rosters were announced on Monday morning, the one comment we received the most here at TFL Illustrated was something to the effect of "Team C is stacked! No fair!" Well hold your horses people, Team C is good but not invincible. Sure, they have a former high school linebacker who intercepts passes whenever he wants to along with the best line prospect of the rookie class, but they will have at least one major hurdle to overcome. More on that in a second.

Let's look at the good first. This team can score points on both sides of the ball. Calvin Braker is a beast on defense who knows where a quarterback is going to throw a ball before the quarterback does. Couple that with Andy Imig and Nathan Springer on the line and you've got yourself one tough defense to score on.

On offense, all this team has to do is find a way to get open. They're not the fastest team in the league, but they've got enough talent to make it happen. They'll be relying on Wade Seggerman, Zach Geller, and Glenn Eikenberry to put them on the board. And as always, never count out the trumpette factor. This team boasts the scrappy Hilary Antosh and the highly touted rookie Adrienne Bowman. Look for these two to give the other trumpettes fits all season long.

Now for the bad news. If Team C can't win the field position battle, then their lack of speed is guaranteed to hurt them. Establishing the passing game plus three and outs on defense is the best way for them to stay in games. The offensive isn't overly explosive, but it's good enough to score points. If they can play defense the way they're expected to, then their lack of speed will be negated. Anything less and they're in trouble.

Quick Hits

The One Word or Phrase to Describe this Team: Grinders
Greatest Strength: Their defensive prowess. It's the best in the league.
Biggest Weakness: Their speed. They'll have to work hard to keep up with the sprinters.
They'll Win Games if: The defense comes through like it should. Also, if they hold opposing teams to three and out, they'll take the field position battle.
They'll Lose Games if: Their stamina doesn't hold up.
Number of Trumpettes: 2 (Hilary Antosh and Adrienne Bowman)
Number of Rookies: 2 (Bowman and Nate Springer)

Preview written exclusively for TFL Illustrated by Matt Albert.

2007 TFL Preview: Team B

Second in a Four Part Series

Team B is hardly the most experienced team in the league, but don't think they'll be using that as an excuse this season. They have a solid mix of rookies and veterans that should allow them to turn a few heads early on. Anybody that underestimates them could find themselves regretting that decision in a hurry.

What Team B has going for them is that they have some obvious choices for positions unlike some other teams. One of these is quarterback. Look for rookie Ben Randecker to start feeling his way around the defenses of the league as he gets used to playing touch football at the college level. While he may take some lumps at the start of the season, his potential suggests that he could be one of the best quarterbacks in the league by the end of the year. If he can raise his accuracy, this team can win. He's got plenty of weapons to throw to as well. Team B has anywhere from 5-6 players that can catch the ball.

The veterans are going to be key this year. They have to make sure that the younger players don't get flustered late in the game. It's going to take this team time to get used to playing in the second half, but the veterans of this team (Kevin Bassett, Jon Huffman, Matt Danalewich, and Ted Yelton) can make that transition easier through their leadership. If they can keep the team composed, it'll yield success. If they can't, then this team is going to make more rookie mistakes than it should.

This team is all about potential. If the rookies and second year players (Tim Schwaegler and Mike West) live up to the hype, then there's no reason why Team B can't challenge for the title. There's no doubt that they're talented, but they need to be composed. Anything less than complete focus for this team will spell disaster. Luckily, their talent should be able to overcome a few minor lapses.

Quick Hits

The One Word or Phrase to Describe this Team: Balanced
Greatest Strength: Their potential for offense is very high. Sort of like some other team that plays in Champaign.
Biggest Weakness: They're young. Until they prove themselves, their youth is a major factor.
They'll Win Games if: Randecker is accurate and his receivers don't drop the easy passes.
They'll Lose Games if: They allow themselves to make too many rookie mistakes. The rookies need to trust the veterans in the last two minutes of every game.
Number of Trumpettes: 1 (Terra Kern)
Number of Rookies: 3 (Sean Cartner, Kern, Randecker)

Preview written exclusively for TFL Illustrated by Matt Albert.

2007 TFL Preview: Team A

First in a Four Part Series

We'll have our season predictions once the final team preview gets published. In the meantime, we're going to break down each team and examine strengths and weaknesses for this season.

Team A goes into this season knowing one thing for sure: they've got height and lots of it. Check this list out: Scott Wujek, Andrew Wheaton, Nick Loafman, and Chris Paolinetti. In addition to that, the members that aren't as tall still have decent speed. When it comes to the final two minutes of the second half, that speed could easily be key.

Look for this team to pass early and often as they take advantage of the height situation. Scott Wujek figures to be one of the leading receivers for his team after having a spectacular 2006. Unfortunately, this team will need to figure out who's going to get him and the other receivers the football. If this team finds a leader in week one, it could easily win the regular season title. If they don't, then it may be a long year for them.

On defense, they'll need strong play from their line and secondary. They have a few options for positioning here: place the taller members on the line to deflect passes OR use them as corners and safeties. Either way, they have a chance to make an impact on this side of the ball.

Also going for this team is the experience factor. They only have two rookies on the roster, Alex Binek and Kevin Dobbeck. They've got a great opportunity to learn from this team's array of crafty veterans. Look for these two to provide a shot of youth to a roster that may need it.


Quick Hits

The One Word or Phrase to Describe this Team: TALL
Greatest Strength: Experience. This team has 25 years of TFL experience combined. One third of those years belong to Wujek, and over half of the experience is held by Wujek and Kim Lareau.
Biggest Weakness: The lack of a quarterback for now.
They'll Win Games if: They find someone who can throw the ball. Whoever ends up as the QB will need to throw passes that take advantage of this team's superior height.
They'll Lose Games if: No leader emerges early in the season.
Number of Trumpettes: 2 (Lareau and Brittany "I caught one!" Davis)
Number of Rookies: 2 (Alex Binek and Kevin Dobbeck)

Preview written exclusively for TFL Illustrated by Matt Albert.

Rules for 2007 TFL Season

1. Games will start at 12:00 and 1:00. If you are scheduled for the 12:00 game, please make sure you are there and ready to go by 12:00. We don't want to make the second game start more than a half hour late like we had to last year on a few occasions.

2. Games will be at the Terrace Fields on the West Side of the stadium unless otherwise noted.

3. Tackling will be two hand touch.

4. All touchdowns are worth 7 points. There are no PATs or conversions.

5. A first down will be awarded after advancing the ball over two white lines on the field.

6. Games will be played in two 20 minute halves. The clock will be a running clock with stoppages only occurring on timeouts and in the last two minutes of the second half. Each team will receive 3 timeouts per half. In the final two minutes of the second half, the clock will stop on:
--a first down
--touchdown
--ball out of bounds
--incomplete pass
--change of possession
--timeout

The clock will restart with the snap of the ball on the next play.

7. All kickoffs must be either punted or placekicked.

8. Every team will play a six game regular season. At the end of the regular season, the teams with the two best records will play a championship game. The teams with the two worst records will play a consolation game. If teams are tied in the standings, the tiebreakers will be head to head followed by point differential. If the teams are still tied after the tiebreakers, the tiebreaker will be whoever scored more points combined in the two head to head matches.

Official Rosters Announced for 2007 TFL Season

Youth Movement Begins with New Season

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--In a very unceremonious occurrence, the rosters for the 2007 TFL season were announced to nobody this morning in a one bedroom apartment on the west side of campus. Due to the lack of media (no press credentials were issued), the new commissioner of the league was spared the opportunity to answer tough questions about whether the trumpets will be able to end their losing streak against the trombones after the season ends. Here are the rosters in alphabetical order:

TEAM A
Binek
Davis
Dobbeck
Lareau
Loafman
Paolinetti
Wheaton
Wujek

TEAM B
Bassett
Cartner
Danalewich
Huffman
Kern
Randecker
Schwaegler
West
Yelton

TEAM C
Antosh
Bowman
Braker
Eikenberry
Geller
Imig
Seggerman
Springer

TEAM D
Blazier
Carter
Chinn
D'Souza
Frank
Gorczyca
Gradl
Preston
Willitz

BAND CAMP 2007: DAY 8

Saturday was our last day of band camp and our last day of full rehearsals this season. Our morning rehearsal was spent outside as we were hit by rain once again. At least it was just a few showers and nothing like anything that had happened last week. The Three In One started to come together as the members start to figure out their drill before we march the "ILLINI" across the field. We also took time to clean up the pregame show and give everyone more practice with playing and marching. We're finally out of the stages of just playing or just marching. From here on out, the two go together whenever possible.

At the end of the rehearsal, we made our way over to Memorial Stadium for our meeting with the team. Once we got there, we had our first look at the new stands in the north end zone for the students. It sure looks different, but it looks great! With the scoreboard now towering over the horseshoe in the south end zone, Memorial Stadium instantly has become a much more intimidating place for opposing teams. Even with renovations going on with the west side all season, it's going to be extremely loud for the first time in a while.

The team was very excited to have us there and encouraged us to play during their practice so they could get used to dealing with loud noise during actual game situations. Once they finished, they came over and listened to what music we have for the offense and defense this year. After that, Coach Ron Zook spoke to us and made his appreciation known. The team and Coach Zook love this band, and we do all we can to support them as they improve.

The afternoon rehearsal was our first one of the season inside the stadium. It was much nicer to finally march on a level field that supports our feet. Sure, the south quad is nice, but nothing beats the astroplay when rolling your toes. We played through pregame and the Three In One for most of the rehearsal. During the last half hour or so, we received the drill for our first halftime show of the season. It was definitely a nice change to work on something new. We'll have it ready in plenty of time for our season debut this coming Saturday in St. Louis.

If you can't make it down to the Edward Jones Dome, you can catch the game on espn2 at 2:30.

BAND CAMP 2007: DAY 7

Quad Day marks the final day of the main part of MI bandcamp. Many view it as the end even though we have another full day of practice on Saturday after three days of classes, and we also have the perennially boiling photo day on Sunday.

This morning's rehearsal gave us a chance to start playing through parts of pregame while including the run-on cadence. For many of us, it was a brutal reminder of how much stamina and breathing control it takes to get through pregame successfully while playing with a good sound. About halfway through the rehearsal, Pete offered the band an incentive: practice efficiently with high quality today and take tomorrow off. We all gladly took him up on his offer and stepped up the practice from there. We're more than happy to have tomorrow off in order to get reacquainted with how this whole go-to-class thing works.

We also learned the Three In One drill today, but we won't be playing through it until towards the end of the week (probably either Thursday or Friday). There's a slight change in the drill this year as we are taking out the gap between the I L L and the I N I. Since the Chief no longer performs at halftime, we have no reason to keep the gap in there. It will certainly look different and feel different to many Illini fans, but we intend to play and march the piece with more spirit and pride than ever before. Just because Chief Illiniwek is no longer there does not mean that the tradition of the Three In One will be brushed aside. We encourage all of our fans to cheer and sing as loudly as they did in years past.

We'll have another update on the Saturday rehearsal in a few days. Last year at this rehearsal, we were able to play Loyalty for the team and hear Ron Zook speak. No word on whether we're doing that again, but it would certainly be fun for all of us.

BAND CAMP 2007: DAY 6

In what has been one of the more rainier camps, the weather once again messed with our schedule for the day. What was supposed to be a morning sectional followed by a drill rehearsal outside had to be moved inside for the entire morning as yet another storm made its way through C-U. It didn't matter though as we had a very successful music rehearsal. We also had a special guest work with us on traditional and stands tunes: Gary Smith. As usual, Gary had plenty of good advice and great stories for us to hear during the rehearsal. He was clearly very happy with how we are sounding. We also found out that Gary will be teaching the drill to one of our shows later on in the season. Many are already looking forward to that.

Because of the rain, the MI was unable to perform at the Illinois Sights and Sounds event. Instead, the Orange and Blues Band was sent over to Assembly Hall to play for the freshmen. We all had the afternoon off and didn't have to come back to the field until 4 pm. This started to give some of the new members an idea of what it would be like once we start rehearsing at our normal 4:10 start time on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The drill rehearsal couldn't escape rain either, but it didn't stop us as we learned the run-on step while getting completely soaked. Luckily, the grass wasn't slippery at all, and no one was hurt. By the end of the rehearsal, we were marching and playing up through the end of Patriotic Medley. All that is left to do is Oskee and William Tell. Pete also said he wants to get Three In One taught on Quad Day.

BAND CAMP 2007: DAY 5

Sunday morning provided a much needed break with rehearsals not starting until 1 pm. We held a combined music sectional and started with our annual name game. The object of the game is to correctly give the first names of every member in the section. Because the section is large, the section leaders sweeten the deal by offering to buy Papa Del's pizza for anyone who wins. This year, we had six winners. They'll be getting free pizza sometime later in the season.

We also played through one of our new section features arranged by Zach. With a little extra work by us outside of rehearsal, it can definitely sound good enough to make it on to the program at the Assembly Hall concert.

The night rehearsal ended up being cut way short with threatening weather coming very close to us. Pete told the band he did not want to chance it. Even though we're now behind schedule, we shouldn't have any problem catching back up in time for our first game down in St. Louis. The work ethic has been too good to let us fall short.

BAND CAMP 2007: DAY 4

Saturday at camp is the last full day of rehearsals during the first week. Everybody knows about this, and it can be easy to lose focus as the end gets closer. This didn't really happen, though. We were able to learn the drill for Revised Entrance #3 and start marching it with the recording playing over the sound system.

The drill can be confusing to learn if you've never used the MI's way before, so we'll probably have a drill reading sectional at some point to go over what's happening.

Mr. Keene was so pleased after his first rehearsal with us that he decided to come back today and work with us for a second time. He has us sounding very solid on Three In One, Loyalty, and Stars and Stripes Forever.

The UI Athletic Department (Division of Intercollegiate Athletics) did something very nice for us for our dinner. They catered Famous Dave's for us right in front of the Harding Band Building during our usual dinner hour. The food was excellent, and a big thank you goes out to DIA for feeding us. We certainly hope that our presence this season is able to help our team succeed beyond the expectations by many.

The usual Saturday night traditions went on as planned, and it was a very fun night for all of us.

BAND CAMP 2007: DAY 3

This day was the last one reserved for fundamentals. After we organized ourselves into our squads for this season, Pete taught us the moves that can be done strictly within squads. These are extremely important because they are used often in the pregame drill. All that's left to go over is the run-on step used at the beginning of the show.

Pete was so pleased with the progress of the band in the morning rehearsal that he cut 15 minutes off of the music sectional time. This wouldn't be the only time he cut during the day either. The night rehearsal ended 20 minutes early because Pete was once again extremely happy with how we looked. Mr. Keene was also very pleased with how we sounded in the music rehearsal. All in all, a very good day of camp for us.

The boring part is over now. We're beginning the pregame drill on Saturday morning, and I'll be curious to see just how far we can get by the end of today's practices.

BAND CAMP 2007: DAY 2

Day two began with the new members and the section leaders meeting at the practice field to learn fundamentals from Pete. While it's very tedious work, the section leaders felt that the new members remained very focused throughout the rehearsal. It's obvious from their work that they all want to learn as quickly as possible.

We'll be announcing squads today, and this will finally start to give everyone an idea of who they'll be spending a great deal of the season with. Every year, we try to balance the squads so that each one has all three parts represented, has a somewhat equal gender balance, and has a mix between members who are very confident and some who may need a little help coming out of their shell. The squads are so much more than just a marching band system. Our squad leaders this year are extremely qualified for their positions, and we know they are going to do a fantastic job.

We're getting closer and closer to learning the pregame drill. After today, all of the members will have reviewed the necessary fundamentals for starting pregame. For many of us, Saturday can't come soon enough.

BAND CAMP 2007: DAY ONE

And here we are yet again! Wednesday was a very exciting day for all of us as camp began. The memory tests in the morning went very smoothly for the most part. With a large amount of returning members this year, it was great to see that so many of them came in to camp with their music memorized. You all set a great example to be followed.

All of the veterans in the section are doing everything they can to welcome in the new members. It was nice to see about half of them at our first social gathering last night after rehearsal. The other section leaders and I feel that this crop of new members is going to fit in very well with the rest of the section. Welcome to you all!

Last night's music rehearsal can be summed up in one word: LOUD. But who can blame us when you've been waiting months to get back in the band room and start playing again? We'll be cleaning up the traditional music throughout band camp, and we'll be starting on our first halftime song for the Mizzou game: Boston's "More Than A Feeling". We'll also be performing the Three In One for the first time without Chief Illiniwek at St. Louis on September 1.

We'll be having daily updates throughout camp. Also, look for new material from new contributors this year on the Trumpet blog.

NEW DETAILS ON YESTERDAY'S STORY

Trumpettes Go Crazy After Drink Spills into Pool

(Please view the story below before reading this follow-up)

URBANA--In what had already been a traumatic day for many, a drink of Mexican origin was spilled into the pool at the Billing household sparking a rampage by two female members of the Marching Illini Trumpets.

Before the accident occurred, newly fossilized grad student Brad Wheaton was remarking about how shameful it was that a lone drink was sitting on the rim of the pool with no one finishing it. Two minutes later, an errant throw of a pool toy by Wheaton took the drink right into the pool. The looks on the faces of fossil trumpette Val Billing and current trumpette Renae Tondini were frozen in horror.

Wheaton did not originally think any trouble would happen, but he quickly realized his problem when the two started coming after him in estrogen-riddled anger. The screams and rants of the trumpettes were both incoherent and unintelligible (reminiscent of Amazonian warriors) as Wheaton scrambled aboard a floating inner tube to escape the dangerous waters.

This was not enough, however, as Billing and Tondini promptly flipped Wheaton off of the tube and into the abyss. Tondini could be heard shouting "The Power of Women!" in between the screams that were caught on footage taken with a cell phone. Just like the previous article, we advise all of you who fit any of the litany of conditions to use discretion when viewing.



We will continue to cover this crap as long as it keeps happening.

Breaking Trumpet News

Legendary Fight Breaks Out at Residential Pool

URBANA--Two former MI Trumpets let a heroic battle of words turn ugly yesterday as a wrestling match claimed the dignity of Andy Gradl and Scott Wujek.

What appeared to be a civilized conversation between the two became quite violent in a hurry. Bystanders at the home of Val Billing were shocked and dismayed as Gradl and Wujek fervently fought over the answer to the following conundrum:

"A plane crashes on the U.S.-Canada border. It crashes so that half of the plane lies in America while the other half lies in Canada. Where do you bury the survivors?"

Gradl was insistent that the answer was America while Wujek equally insisted it was Canada. (The answer is, in fact, "nowhere" because you do not bury survivors. That would be silly.)

The conversation turned ugly as soon as they realized their disagreement with each other. Eyewitnesses at the Billing household overheard the following dialogue. Vulgar words have been edited out for no damn good reason:

Gradl: You bury the survivors in ^%#$^%#$ America!

Wujek: NO! You bury the survivors in %$#@%$@# Canada!

This entire argument repeated itself for 7 minutes, 37 seconds until Gradl picked up a Super Soaker 50 (circa 1988) and began pumping the gun while firing at Wujek. He did so despite the fact he was not wearing swim trunks but was wearing "a very nice shirt" according to girlfriend Renae Tondini. Wujek eventually found a similar model and began firing back at Gradl. The two then began chasing each other around the pool perimeter as many patrons in the pool fought for control of inner tubes that would protect them from the sprays. It is believed that no one was hurt in the scuffle save for some tickling and errant splashing.

Wujek eventually caught Gradl and appeared to say "F-You Andy Gradl" before taking him down into the pool. Actual video footage is available of the disturbing scene. For those of you who are squeamish, faint-hearted, anemic, allergic to nuts, lactose intolerant, under the age of 17.5, weigh less than 110 pounds, take the good take the bad take them both and there you have the facts of life, or happen to be pregnant, we advise you to view at your own risk.



Needless to say, the other partygoers were helpless and stupefied at the sight of the two gladiators jousting on American soil. One anonymous guest went so far as to call one of them "Gemini" although it is not known which of the two the name was intended for. The final words of the movie (Tondini's "Oh no! Save the phone!") left a slight touch of comic relief on the tragedy. We'll have continuing coverage as more information becomes available.

Season Ticket Sales Reach New High

Here's an update on 2007 season ticket sales from the official Web site:

http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/071907aaa.html


Yup, gonna be loud this year.

Second Sectional of 2007--Lots of Wind and Cake

Our second sectional was held at Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort this past weekend. It was great to see more of our new members come out for this one, and we had many of our Chicagoland areas represented well. The icebreaker was a tad less risque this time around, but we still got plenty of responses to "favorite super power".

The music section leaders covered all of the traditional music and most of the same stands tunes as last time, and the marching section leaders went over the same standing fundamentals from before. All of the section leaders commented at one point or another how great it looked and sounded for July. We're clearly off to a great start, and it's going to progress quickly once band camp starts. Our fans are in for a very entertaining year from both the team and the MI.

After the sectional, we returned to Matt's house for the cookout. Along the way, we managed to make a bunch of Frankfort and Mokena residents think Matt was leading a funeral procession as about 12 cars followed his black Intrepid back to his house. Despite high winds, we managed to squeeze four innings out of a Wiffle ball game with Tim Schwaegler's team winning by five runs despite a lackluster performance at the plate by the Schwaeg (swing and a miss, strike three).

Once the game ended, the last surprise of the day arrived at the porch. For those of you who weren't there, you'll just have to ask us about the cake. Here are two hints: chocolate and big.

Band Camp starts about one month from now. Enjoy the rest of your summers because it will be here before you know it.

2007 Season Kicked Off with First Summer Sectional

This past weekend, the Marching Illini Trumpets unofficially began the 2007 season with the first of two summer sectionals. About 30 members made it to Champaign where they rehearsed music, reviewed some fundamentals, and spent time getting to know each other. It was a great time for all, and the section leaders felt very pleased with how it went.

Special thanks to Renae for hosting the party afterwards. The food was wonderful, and it was nice reliving some of the best moments of 2006 with the highlights DVD.

Our second sectional will take place in Frankfort on July 14th. We hope many of you can make it out there for our last meeting before camp begins in August. There's also a rumor that Matt's side yard may just be spray painted for a game of Whiffle Ball if the weather's nice and the parents don't mind looking at foul lines for a week (and yeah, it's been done before).

One last thing: if you've got an idea for the blog, run it by the section leaders. It was good last year, but we can do so much more with it.

Year End Thoughts by Schwaeg

So Malbert gave his year end thoughts from the old people perspective. I guess I'll take the job of looking over the marching year from the freshman point of view because I have something Catt Albert [ed:meow!] probably lost at least a few years ago: self-esteem. My spirit has yet to be squashed by constant exams, papers, quizzes, homework assignments, and changes to MLA.

So here it goes:

So you're still in high school...
It all started my senior year of high school. I had three colleges in mind that I would go to if they accepted me and one college my parents thought I would probably end up having to attend. The reverse order goes thusly:

4: Blackhawk College (the dirty bird): The local community college at our school. Great if you want a cheap two years or some classes during the break or summer. Campus life? Meet your dorm room buddies… I call them Mom and Dad.
3: Northern Illinois University: Huskies. They’re dogs. Cute. Dekalb isn’t so bad. Close to Chicago. I have friends there. There’s just something missing.
2: The University of Missouri (Mizzou): This could be my home. Out of state, sure. But they have a Big 12 marching band that plays at Rams games. I sure do hate the Rams, but hey, free NFL football game.
1: The University of Illinois: It has some of the cleanest water in the country, the fresh air of the test fields, and last but not least, a Big 10 Marching Band. The Marching Illini has been a dream of mine ever since I saw them first perform in my hometown of Moline, Illinois as a showcase on their way to Iowa.

So I sent in three applications (never sent in an app. to Blackhawk because they’ll accept you if you can walk in the door) and I started the waiting game. In April there were auditions for MI. I was going to be down in Champaign anyway for a Model UN conference. So I figured what a perfect opportunity to just go and audition. I found a solo that wasn’t the Haydn trumpet concerto and I started to practice. I got there, did my thing, went back to Nerdfest 2006, and then went home and waited. I was then waiting for two things: my acceptance to the U of I and my acceptance to MI. I’ll skip all the suspense because if you don’t know what happened, I’ve lost all hope for you.

Schools out for the summer
After the acceptance fun and then graduation and graduation parties, it was time to fill out all the forms I received in the mail from MI (there are a bunch. Send them in promptly or you cause problems for everyone). It was also time to start memorizing the stack of music that came. All that has to be memorized is the pre-game music, but I had a broken lyre so I got to memorize everything.

Meet your friends
Between the frantic memorization of music and actual band camp are two sectionals. One is usually in Champaign and then the other one is close to Chicago. These are excellent opportunities to meet section leaders, other freshmen, and vets. Number 1 tip: be yourself and don’t be afraid. They’re trumpet players. They are just like you… unless your name is Jenny Nance. She’s not like a lot of people. There will be inside jokes that you are soon brought inside of. Stories? Hell yeah stories.

After the sectionals, you are feeling more confident. You have the screen names of a few other people and you proceed to have internet conversations about how much you can’t wait for school to come and how sweet band camp is going to be. An example of a conversation I had with one Chris “oh, am I Italian? I didn’t notice” Paolinetti.

Chris: Hey dude.
Me: Yo
Chris: Dude, I can’t wait for band camp.
Me: Me either. Hell, I can’t wait for college.
Chris: Yeah, it’s sweet. I need to get grades.
Me: Grades?
Chris: err, good grades.
Me: You’re well on your way.

This one time...
After the countdown to band camp is complete, you realize what you have gotten yourself into. It has its ups and downs. You will get frustrated. TAs will talk to you, section leaders will talk to you, drum leaders will talk to you, and other people will talk to you. Some of it is hard work. I had never done ankle knee before. Sounds easy enough. I have ankles… I have knees. Put them together? No problem… after a few weeks that is. Don’t dismay. The camp is set up like you’ve never marched a day in your life. You might even have never marched a day in your life. There are people in MI who have never been in a marching band ever. After it’s all over, we have one of the best products in the world.

Half time is game time
The season flies by. You probably won’t get to march every game. I didn’t. There will be times where the drill is hard or the music is hard or you just can’t get a certain step right (ankle knee). But when you do march that first game and you run-on to the field and hit that first note of Revised, you know who you are. And you are who we thought you were.

Things I should have mentioned in this narrative that you can find earlier on the website so I won’t go back and edit this thing and I’ll just mention them here (breathe):

Trumpet Football League (TFL): Fun
Trumpet Capture the Flag (now just CPT as other sections and non MI members have been incorporated): Fun
Trumpet Basketball Association: Funny, sad, pathetic, FUN. Also nice because it starts after the marching season has ended so you still get to see your favorite friends.
Trumpet Poker: Nothing says fun like gambling more of your money away.

That wraps it up. You’re ready. Alright, your baldrics are on backwards and you shoved your plume into your bell…but you’re almost ready. We’ll see you in the summer and

“It’ll be great, Band.”