Stranglers Step On Linemen's Throats

Another Boston Upset Turns Shootout into Blowout

Sebastian Ophuls does not have to wait his turn. The quarterback who inherited Boston's starring role from running back Tyrone Shoelaces (he lost his only bid for a Hyperbowl in Boston's last visit in 2005), was two-time SCAB champion with Northwestsoutheastern, and was looked to as the hope for a title in Boston, stepped right over Payne Indiass, who is all that same promise for Wichita, but who has been there longer. Indiass has also already established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in LAF history, getting his unmatched seventh all-conference QB honor this season. The league championship, however, has eluded him in two attempts, the other just two years ago to Boston's division mate Maine.

Indiass and the Linemen passing game exploded this season for a record-setting year in statistics, and dominated the Western Conference, thought to be the better conference, on Boston's 0-3 record against it, among other things. The Stranglers went 1-6 before starting a winning streak that has not ended, knocking off teams favored over them in the playoffs all the way, including the Mobile team that went undefeated in the regular season, defending Eastern champion Columbus, and now the best offense in the league.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing in this playoff run has been the Strangler defense. After shutting down Mobile and Columbus, Boston held Indiass to 174 yards passing and intercepted him twice. They limited Wichita wide receivers Ringo Fire and Adolph DeFlore, second and third in the league in receptions respectively, to just 11 catches for 126 yards between them. The score might have been more exciting, but both interceptions came close to the goal line, snatching TDs away from Indiass and the Linemen.

Boston didn't jump out as they did in the Eastern Conference Final with two first quarter TDs, but they did have two field goals while pitching a first-half shutout for the halftime lead of 6-0. The pace was already set, however, with Ophuls operating the Boston offense much more sharply, including ripping off a 27-yard run before hitting TE Marky DeSade on a 32-yard pass gain that led to the first field goal in the first quarter. After the second field goal in the second quarter, Wichita had their drive to the end zone that was snuffed by the interception.

In the third quarter, after forcing a Wichita punt, Ophuls ripped the Stranglers down the field with three straight completions and a 14-yard run before finding wide receiver Luke St. Everything for a 31-yard scoring strike.

St. Everything, who despite Ophuls's high profile is probably Boston's true ringer, six-time All-East WR, including the last three seasons, has been the one advantage, along with DeSade, Boston was known to have against their playoff foes, including here against Wichita heading into the Hyperbowl. Fire and DeFlore of Wichita certainly were part of phenomenal season, but even they knew St. Everything gave up nothing against them. The Boston WR led all receivers in this game with 8 catches for 109 yards and 2 TDs. DeSade had 5 catches for 106 yards, thus helping Boston dominate the passing game. Even Boston running back Avery Goodboy added 5 catches for 57 yards.

Following that TD, Boston again forced a Wichita punt, and Goodboy returned it 49 yards to the Wichita 35-yard line. It took just two plays for Ophuls, a 19-yard pass to Goodboy, then another 16-yarder to St. Everything, and suddenly it was 20-0, the underdog in command.

Wichita's next possession was a long methodical drive, 11 plays consuming nearly the last six minutes of the third quarter, a bit more typical of Indiass and company, if not quite as explosive. It began with a 23-yard pass to Fire, then a 14-yarder to DeFlore. The Linemen marched to the Boston nine, but there came the second interception, at the four-yard line, and Boston had fended off another score.

The Stranglers followed with an even longer drive of 15 plays, into the fourth quarter and consuming nearly half of it and snuffing the life of Wichita along with the time because they extended the lead. Ophuls finished the drive with a 9-yard strike to WR Dick Fest.