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
Sunday, September 30, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
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
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
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
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
TFL Rundown
The TFL week in review, game scores, key players, game footage, and interviews with the real players.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
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
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.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
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!
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!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, September 03, 2007
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
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.
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.
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