New Jerseys stifle Horrors

Getting QB Houghton Holler back didn't make a difference for the Amityville Horrors. A week after beating the Horrors, playing with backup QB Ira Grette, 21-14 in Amityville, the New Jerseys confirmed that decision and better. The two teams got the fate of rematch in one week because the Manhattan Projects won the final week to win the division, making them the two wildcards.

Running back Juan Moorehead had a great season, leading all RBs in total yardage, rushing and receiving, and was a major part of the New Jerseys' success. But the New Jerseys pulled a switcheroo on the Horrors in this game, catching them probably keying on Moorehead. Wahlroos turned the game around at the beginning of the 2nd quarter with a 73-yard TD run. He also had an 11-yard TD reception. New Jerseys QB Upton O'Good was hardly less spectacular: 20/28 passes for 269 yards and 2 TDs, with an interception, and 13 rushes for 90 yards.

The Horrors stopped the New Jerseys' first drive with an interception in the end zone, the promptly drove to their own score, a 16-yard pass from Holler to WR Hugo Gurl. Gurl had a 42-yard run on a reverse on the drive and looked like he might be the weapon the New Jerseys had no answer for. But after the New Jerseys chipped their way to a field goal, then held Amityville to three and out, Wahlroos struck. The Jerseys added another TD before the half, a 5-yards run by Moorehead, then in the 2nd half turned the game into a rout, in particular by shutting down the Horror offense.

Potatoheads thump Linemen

The season in which Wichita kept finding ways to win saw them fall just short, and QB Payne Indiass is still a bridesmaid for the Hyperbowl. It was the Idaho Potatoheads, who in the draft passed up the SCAB's MVP QB Constantine Agnst to take TE Hans auf der Butt, who found a way to keep Wichita from winning, have surged into contention, and will advance in their first playoff appearance in ten years, and only 5th overall (only Abilene and Toronto have fewer).

Idaho dominate possession and statistically thanks mainly to the rushing of RB Roy Dreige and the opportunistic passing of QB Howard Juneau. While Auf der Butt's presence was as usual instrumental, he had only 53 yards in receptions, though he scored two TDs. But he opened up everything else for Idaho. In addition to Dreige's rushing, WR Howie Wonder-Warr had 7 catches for 112 yards. And the Potatoheads held Indiass to just 165 yards passing, and perhaps even more impressively, limited the league's leader in yards from scrimmage, WR Adolph DeFlore to just 3 catches for 19 yards.

Still the Linemen found ways to make this not just a game, but a thriller. The Linemen got a field goal on their opening drive, then after exchanging punts for most of the 1st quarter, Idaho struck in three plays, the last a 14-yard TD pass to Auf der Butt. Wichita answered with another field goal, but the Idaho scored on a safety after a punt pinned Wichita at their own 2, and RB Ken Ipshun was trapped for the loss to the end zone. The Potatoheads then converted the kickoff to them into another score, another catch by Auf der Butt, this one of a yard. The big play on the drive was a 20-yard pass to Dreige.

Linemen RB Milo Rider then returned the kickoff 51 yards, and on the next play from scrimmage, Indiass scrambled and turned it into a 41-yard TD run, a feat that always brings back memories of his 2003 SCAB championship game against State Pen.

Again when Idaho extended the lead on an 11-yards run to start the 2nd half, Indiass took one play to make it a game again: a 66-yard strike to WR Phil Better. Idaho lead 23-20, after Wichita missed the extra point. Even in the 4th quarter, when Idaho put the game away with Juneau's 9-yard TD run on a scramble, the Linemen drove to another score to put them in field goal reach. Idaho didn't yield enough to leave them time for anything else.