Post by Gene on Jul 12, 2009 12:08:36 GMT -5
By Brian Rippey
Reading Eagle
Nearly everyone would have to agree that the best teams, the Reading Express and Columbus Lions, are in the American Indoor Football Association Eastern Conference championship game.
It's also obvious to many fans that the two best players at their positions will go head-to-head Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Columbus (Ga.) Civic Center.
Express quarterback Rob Flowers, who leads the AIFA with 75 touchdown passes and in nearly every other passing category, will face one of the league's top pass defenses, led by dangerous defensive back Damian Daniels.
It's just one of the intriguing matchups as the Express (12-3) plays in its fourth straight conference championship game against the Lions (12-3), who have had a strong three-year run of their own.
The winner will play Wyoming in the AIFA championship game Sunday, July 26.
"We're going to be very well aware of where he is and what he's going to be doing," Flowers said of Daniels. "I do know that he plays very well back there at the middle spot. But I also know we have three good guys on our side too."
Flowers, who has completed 299-of-498 passes for 3,488 yards, will keep an eye out for Daniels as he throws to Carmelo Ocasio, Jeff Willis and Yardon Brantley.
Ocasio, a four-year starter, leads the AIFA in receptions (114) and receiving yards (1,314). Willis ranks fourth in receptions (94) and second in yardage (1,174).
The 5-10, 185-pound Daniels, who played at West Georgia, has 17 interceptions in 12 games and has returned a league-high four for touchdowns.
In the Lions' 45-36 win over Fayetteville Monday, the first playoff win in franchise history, Daniels returned a missed field goal for a touchdown that changed the game's momentum.
"He's a dangerous player and a great athlete," Express coach/general manager Bernie Nowotarski said. "If you ignore him you're probably going to pay the price. They have a lot of talent on that field, but so do we."
That's why the Express and Lions have been so successful not just this season, but for the past few years. The Lions lost in the 2007 World Indoor Football League championship game one week after the Express lost in its only AIFA championship game appearance.
Columbus, which lost in the first round of the AIFA playoffs last year because of a fumbled snap on a field goal attempt on the final play, is 32-13 over the past three seasons. The Express, which has lost to the eventual league champion in each of its first four seasons, is 53-14.
Columbus defeated Reading 50-25 in April last season in Columbus.
"I don't think it's going out on a limb to say the two best teams in the conference are playing each other," Nowotarski said. "It has the makings of a classic game."
While Flowers has started all 15 games and amassed some amazing numbers, the Lions struggled to find a quarterback. Bill Ashburn started the first seven games before giving way to Kevin Huff. After Huff started three games, the last a loss to Baltimore, Todd Spitzer took over and made his first start May 30.
Spitzer, a 6-5, 217-pounder out of Western Carolina, has won all five of his starts. He also played in two games as a backup.
Gerald Gates, a 6-0, 185-pounder out of West Alabama, is the Lions' leading receiver with 56 catches for 720 yards and 13 touchdowns.
"They have a very talented offensive line and fast, really good receivers," Nowotarski said. "They have a big, strong fullback and a quarterback that manages the game pretty well."
Richard Fitzhugh, a 5-11, 225-pound fullback out of Tuskegee, is near the top of the league in every rushing category.
The Lions also have one of the AIFA's best kickers in Carlos Martinez, who ranks second in the league in scoring. The Express will counter with four-year starter Erik Rockhold, who has converted 79-of-91 extra points and made 24 unos.
But the biggest moments could come when Flowers puts the ball in the air and Daniels makes a break on it.
"All I know is that we have to do what we can on our end to do our best to keep him out of the game," Flowers said.
Contact Brian Rippey: 610-371-5070 or brippey@readingeagle.com.
Source: www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=147796