Post by The Grim Reaper on Jul 19, 2008 14:08:47 GMT -5
Phantoms Advance To AIFA Bowl II
BALTIMORE, Maryland (July 13, 2008) - For the second consecutive year, the Florence Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina will serve as the site for the AIFA Bowl. This year, however, the Florence Phantoms will be in the the AIFA's championship game, courtesy of their 52-37 victory over the Reading Express Saturday night.
The Phantoms had to overcome one of the most challenging road environments in the league. The Express had not lost at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania in the last 19 games. But Florence seized early control of the game, building a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter and taking the crowd out of the game.
Phantoms' quarterback Omar Jacobs fired five touchdown passes for the winners, who built their current win streak to nine straight games. They have also won 10 of their last 11 contests. The Phantoms haven't lost on the road since May 3rd, a 40-39 loss at Mississippi.
Express quarterback Rob Flowers was intercepted three times, including a pickoff by the Phantoms' Larry Thompson that was returned 29 yards for the first touchdown of the game. Compounding the problems for the Express, explosive wide receiver Carmelo Ocasio had to sit out much of the second half due to recurring back problems.
The key moment of the game occurred in the third quarter, with the Phantoms leading by 11 points. The Express moved the ball to the Florence one yard line with a first down. But three straight rushing attempts by Flowers were all stopped short of the goal line, and a high snap on fourth down derailed the scoring opportunity for Reading.
Statistically, the game was quite close. Jacobs and Flowers threw for an identical 235 yards, and Florence had just two more yards of total offense (259-257). Neither team fumbled the ball.
The Phantoms will now await the winner of the AIFA Western Conference title game between the Mississippi Mudcats and the Wyoming Cavalry. The game will be played Friday night at the Casper Events Center at 7:30PM MDT. The winning team will face the Phantoms on Friday, July 25th, at 7:30PM EDT.
The AIFA will provide additional coverage of both the Conference Playoffs through its upcoming edition of This Week in the AIFA. The weekly radio program will be available Wednesday evening (July 16th) for download through two web sites, www.aifaprofootball.com and www.oursportscentral.com.
BALTIMORE, Maryland (July 13, 2008) - For the second consecutive year, the Florence Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina will serve as the site for the AIFA Bowl. This year, however, the Florence Phantoms will be in the the AIFA's championship game, courtesy of their 52-37 victory over the Reading Express Saturday night.
The Phantoms had to overcome one of the most challenging road environments in the league. The Express had not lost at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania in the last 19 games. But Florence seized early control of the game, building a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter and taking the crowd out of the game.
Phantoms' quarterback Omar Jacobs fired five touchdown passes for the winners, who built their current win streak to nine straight games. They have also won 10 of their last 11 contests. The Phantoms haven't lost on the road since May 3rd, a 40-39 loss at Mississippi.
Express quarterback Rob Flowers was intercepted three times, including a pickoff by the Phantoms' Larry Thompson that was returned 29 yards for the first touchdown of the game. Compounding the problems for the Express, explosive wide receiver Carmelo Ocasio had to sit out much of the second half due to recurring back problems.
The key moment of the game occurred in the third quarter, with the Phantoms leading by 11 points. The Express moved the ball to the Florence one yard line with a first down. But three straight rushing attempts by Flowers were all stopped short of the goal line, and a high snap on fourth down derailed the scoring opportunity for Reading.
Statistically, the game was quite close. Jacobs and Flowers threw for an identical 235 yards, and Florence had just two more yards of total offense (259-257). Neither team fumbled the ball.
The Phantoms will now await the winner of the AIFA Western Conference title game between the Mississippi Mudcats and the Wyoming Cavalry. The game will be played Friday night at the Casper Events Center at 7:30PM MDT. The winning team will face the Phantoms on Friday, July 25th, at 7:30PM EDT.
The AIFA will provide additional coverage of both the Conference Playoffs through its upcoming edition of This Week in the AIFA. The weekly radio program will be available Wednesday evening (July 16th) for download through two web sites, www.aifaprofootball.com and www.oursportscentral.com.
