WILD CARD TOURNAMENT
The Wild Card Tournament for the No. 5 seed in each conference was a highly contested battle, especially for the PA PUNISHERS which only had three players. First, THE U and then TEAM UPDAWG fell to a short-handed PA PUNISHERS squad, giving it the final seed in the Iron Conference Playoffs.
The Steel Conference No. 5 seed went to the STALLIONS, which defeated BAD NEWS and SABOTAGE without much resistance.
After getting revenge on TEAM UPDAWG, the PA PUNISHERS had the opportunity to get revenge on the BULLDOGS for making it forfeit in the final week of the regular season. The bad news for the BULLDOGS, the PA PUNISHERS got a fourth player to show up.
The BULLDOGS scored first and scored often, but for the most part, the exhausted PA PUNISHERS were able to hang in the game. Then the PA PUNISHERS caught a break when with only a minute remaining in the game, THE BULLDOGS turned the ball over on downs.
Quarterback Jason Cahill was able to find Tony Colaizzi in the end zone to give the PA PUNISHERS a, 27-20, lead. The game ended on a Hail Mary pass from Eugene Smith to Zack Gorney which fell incomplete. The improbable run from the PA PUNISHERS continued, for at least one more round.
In the Steel Conference, the TITANS were able to defeat the tired STALLIONS in a rematch from the last week of the PFFL regular season.
SECOND ROUND
The PA PUNISHERS were looking to continue its run through the Iron Conference, but standing in its way was undefeated REIGN. The game was a defensive battle as the PA PUNISHERS had already played three games, and REIGN was shorthanded, playing without quarterback Mike Lucyk.
The only score of the first half came when Cahill found Zach Coleman for the touchdown. But as the half ended, REIGN’s DJ Douglas dove in the end zone for a ball, and ended up injuring himself. The injury left REIGN with only three players, until the already injured Lucyk stepped up to play under pain. It proved to be the game’s turning point.
REIGN was able to score on its first drive of the second half. Then, after another PA PUNISHERS score, REIGN had the ball with a chance to win the game. Backup quarterback, Jason Haggerty, found Lucyk in the back of the end zone to tie the game. The conversion attempt was good, and REIGN was finally able to knock the PA PUNISHERS out.
The other game in the Iron Conference featured the HORSEMEN upsetting WRECKING CREW; setting up REIGN against the HORSEMEN in the conference championship game.
The first game in the second round of the Steel Conference featured SIX against BALLZ DEEP, which was closer than many anticipated, at least in the first half. Both teams scored twice in the first half, making the game, 12-12, at halftime.
But in the second half, BALLZ DEEP was able to pull away from SIX. Offensive Player of the Year, Steve Chockla, threw second half touchdowns to Jeremy Greenawalt and Eric Hantz to give BALLZ deep the, 25-12, win.
The other Steel conference game featured STEELTOWN beating the TITANS, 25-1, to set up BALLZ DEEP against STEELTOWN in the conference championship game.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
BALLZ DEEP was looking to avenge its only loss of the season when it squared off with undefeated STEELTOWN. However, STEELTOWN scored on its first drive of the game and never looked back.
The game featured big defensive stands by both teams, which was surprising considering both featured high-powered offenses. STEELTOWN took a, 14-6, lead into the half.
Once the second half started, neither team was able to put a scoring drive together right away. It wasn’t until there was only about three minutes left in the game when STEELTOWN delivered the final blow on a touchdown pass from Chris Sullivan to Dave Doyle. BALLZ DEEP turned the ball over on downs on its final possession, giving STEELTOWN the, 20-6, win.
In the Iron Conference the HORSEMEN were able to take advantage of a shorthanded REIGN team in one of the most controversial games of the season. The outcome left the HORSEMEN to play STEELTOWN in the PFFL championship game.
