New Jerseys cover Cliffs again

The New Jerseys turned a close first-half game into a rout in the second half, confirming the regular season 49-6 drubbing of the Montgomery Cliffs. New Jerseys QB Upton O'Good overcame three interceptions with 260 yards and 2 TDs and RB Juan Moorehead finished off drives in the end zone four times. It was as much the opportunistic play of the New Jerseys defense and the misfires of the Cliffs setting up short field for the New Jerseys.

After Montgomery QB Elian Spahn was sacked in his own end zone for a safety in the second quarter to give the New Jerseys a 9-3 lead, the Cliffs picked off O'Good at the New Jerseys 33-yard line and returned it to the four. Spahn carried the ball in from there on the next play to shift the balance of his scoring in the Cliffs' favor, for a 10-9 lead. The New Jerseys scored on the ensuing possession, however, thanks mostly to a 22-yard run from O'Good, capped by the 15-yard pass from O'Good to TE Bud Ugly, and reclaimed the lead 16-10.

To start the third quarter, Montgomery went three and out then botched their punt play, giving the New Jerseys the ball at the Cliffs' 37. After a 22-yard pass to WR Holden DeBagg, Moorehead scored five plays later from the two. He capped the next drive, again after a Montgomery three and out and punt that set the New Jerseys up on the Cliffs 45, with a 15-yard run. With the score 30-10, the rout was on. When the Cliffs did put the New Jerseys in their own territory at the end of the third, O'Good and company responded with a 2-play drive: a 19-yard pass to Ugly and a 45-yard scoring pass to WR Shelby Cummin-Roundemounten.

People prevail, prolong playoff performance

A game that looked like it would be even more defensive than the wildcard games erupted at the end of the third quarter to become a thriller. Peoria led 7-0 at halftime, with both defenses hampering and even killing off long drives.

Then the Maryland Monroes began a drive at their own nine-yard line and consumed almost the rest of the third quarter with an 11-play drive. QB Jethro Upp started it with a 17-yard run. RB Igor Beaver had a 13-yard run on fourth down to the Peoria 17. And Upp capped it three plays later with a 12-yard pass to WR Dresden Black. Suddenly the game was tied.

Then Peoria set up on their own 26 after the kickoff return. Next play, All-East MVP QB Colin Oskopy hit All-East WR Ray Pist on a 74-yard bomb, Pist breaking past two defender on a post, and the People flopped it right back to their TD lead, 14-7.

The kickoff and return ended the quarter and Maryland started the fourth on their 20. Again the marched the distance, this time in nine plays, the big one a 26-yard reverse by Black. Beaver scored from the four, and it was tied again at 14.

The Monroes forced a three and out and started again on their own 24 after the punt. Again a long, grinding, controling drive, but it stalled at the Peoria 32. Kicker Ha Chu missed a 49-yard field goal attempt. Peoria went right back the other way, four plays later a 19-yard pass to Pist put them on the Maryland 36. They moved to the 26 in three plays, getting another first down, but with under a minute remaining, brought on kicker Harry Belli. He was good from 43 yards and Peoria won another thriller to make their first ever conference championship, against their division rival.

The Central East Division was the best this season, with all six teams having better records than the rest of the Eastern Conference, so it's only fitting the Eastern Championship is between two Central East teams.

Devils stun Ghosts, extend playoff agony

Casper was the odds on favorite to win the Hyperbowl, once again the best record in the league, the most imposing roster. The Los Angeles Devils defied odds all season to return to the Southwest Division championship, but even the willy-nilly of that division made them suspect. They were supposed to be a patsy for the Ghosts who'd looked as formidable offensively in the late season as they had defensively all season. But the playoff curse of the Ghosts was there to haunt them, how many times this perennial power has been bounced in post-season, including last year when QB Peter Andy Woolf was injured. And the Devils were there to see to it

Los Angeles wasn't just lucky. The sacked Woolf for big losses on each of Casper's first two drives and picked him off to kill another drive close to their end zone. They hampered the Ghosts all game, allowing only 157 yards passing, only 58 yards on 4 catches from West MVP WR I.B. Long.

While the Devils had their own trouble breaking the Casper defense, even when they got close to the end zone, the had a 3-0 lead at the half. Then they opened the second half a nine-play, 80-yard drive. It was the same players who've done it all year for this Los Angeles team: veteran QB Hugh Wish, RB Lyle Lott, TE Dale Dawn, and veteran WR Ty Dass. Wish threw to Dass for 14 and 17 yards, Lott had three runs in a row of 5, 8 and 13 yards, and the score was a 15-yard pass from Wish to Dawn. L.A. led 10-0.

Mighty Casper came back, with two big drives of their own in the third and fourth quarters, Long scoring on a 2-yard run, then Kitsch taking it in from three yards. Long completed a 32-yard pass play from Woolf on the second drive. But following that fourth quarter drive, the Devils drove right back from their own 36 in eight plays, slicing up the Casper defense and taking the game. Wish threw 9 yards to RB Lou Sore for the winning TD. Los Angeles was in the Western Conference final two years ago, Casper was there last year.

Panhandlers pick apart Potatoheads again

No matter how good the surprising Oklahoma Panhandlers were this season, few expected them to repeat their most surprising 49-17 blowout of the defending West champion Idaho Potatoheads on March 26. For three and a half quarters, Idaho showed the latest upstarts why. After second-year sensation TE Hans auf der Butt scored first on a 25-yard run, the Panhandlers had to fight back the rest of the half to take a 14-7 lead.

The two defenses duked it out for a quarter and a half, till, about midway through the fourth, Oklahoma got an insurance touchdown. QB Lyle DeTyme threw an 18-yard pass to WR Jason Shadows the second play after the Panhandlers blew up Idaho's punt play. When Oklahoma forced the Potatheads to punt again on the next possession, and the successful punt put the Panhandlers on their own 22, they still scored in two plays, the second a 75-yard run by RB Eubie Dedd. Shadows returned the next Idaho punt 38 yards for another TD, and Oklahoma turned their playoff test into a party

DeTyme, who scorched Idaho for more than 300 yards passing in the season meeting, a week after being criticized for not being a good passer in Oklahoma's first loss, picked them apart again. Shadows had 7 catches for 80 yards and three TDs, and TE Jim Shortz had five catches for 80 yards. Dedd had 14 rushes for 130 yards, more than half of it on the TD run. Oklahoma makes their fifth Western Conference Championship appearance, but the first since 1994.