Crystal Bowl 52: 96ers beat Stars in the big one

CrystalBowl 52 | Trojan Field, Rochester

The Landor 96ers took the Crystal Bowl trophy back to the capital for the second time in five years, following a 30-20 victory over the Hallas Stars in Rochester, Alberta.

CB52	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	FT
LANDOR 96ERS	7	3	6	14	30
HALLAS STARS	3	7	3	7	20

Scoring:
1st Quarter
LAN Brown 11 pass from Sierra (Gold kick) ; 7-0
HAL Jones 37 yard FG; 7-3
2nd Quarter
LAN Gold 25 yard FG; 10-3
HAL Grandmont 7 pass from Hand; 10-10
3rd Quarter
LAN Gold 33 yard FG; 13-10
HAL Jones 42 yard FG; 13-13
LAN Gold 24 yard FG; 16-13
4th Quarter
LAN Brown 66 pass from Sierra (Gold kick); 23-13
HAL Grandmont 13 pass from Hand (kick); 23-20
LAN Chapman 7 run (Gold kick); 30-20

Missed FG- Derek Jones 52 Yards (Hallas)

The game was tied at 10 at halftime, and it was 16-13 going into the final period. The 96ers edged away in the fourth quarter. Both Quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards- 96ers Kurt Sierra (313, 2TD, 1INT), Stars Chase Hand (323, 2TD, 2 INT).

The game was somewhat defensive from the get-go. The 96ers pass rush, led by Edge rusher par excellence Vin Marshall (18 QB Marks or Sacks in 16 games in the regular season) bagged two more tonight to give him a running total of 23 in all games in 21-22! The Stars had Monty Jones, no slouch himself, bolstering their line. The Sixers scored first following a wide-open Asante Brown endzone grab, whilst the Stars could just manage a field goal. In the 2nd quarter, Kevin Grandmont pulled one in from Chase Hand to level it up at 10 apiece.

The third quarter was messy, with both teams settling for field goals, meaning it all cam down to the final fifteen minutes. Asante Brown was wide open for a 66 yard touchdown catch to make it 23-13 Landor. The Stars marched back down the field and pulled within three when Grandmont made another good catch in the end zone. At 23-20, the 96ers were running a designed clock-eating drive, which nearly stalled. On third-and-11, Brown was again able to get open and keep the drive alive. Three plays later, Andre Chapman waltzed in from 7 yards out to seal the deal for the men from the capital.

Veterans Ray Madison, Sierra and Julius Patterson may all have just played their final games in the PFL, what a way to go out on- on top!

Crystal Bowl 50 comes down to a late finish!

Crystal Bowl 50 | The 2019-20 PFL Championship

CHAKOTA WASPS  24
  CALIGARA BULLDOGS  25

	1	2	3	4	ET	FT
CHAKOTA	7	3	7	7	–	24
CALIGARA	6	3	3	13	–	25

1st Quarter:
CAL   FG Wright 41; 3-0
CAL   FG Wright 44; 6-0
CHA  Harris 46 pass to Tucker (Wall kick); 6-7
2nd Quarter:
CAL   FG Wright 37; 9-7
CHA  FG Wall 39; 9-10
3rd Quarter:
CAL   FG Wright 31; 12-10
CHA  Harris 27 pass to Blackmon (Wall kick); 12-17
4th Quarter:
CAL   Slater 8 pass to Morales (Wright Kick); 19-17
CHA  Harris 12 pass to Rogers (Wall kick); 19-24
CAL   Slater 36 pass to Slater (Conver failed); 25-24

The Caligara Bulldogs required two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter from QB Zack Slater to come from behind to gian redemption from last year’s title game loss.
Slater had an uncomfortable first half, completing only six of thirteen passes. RB Jeremy Franklin had gained nearly 100 yards to keep the Bulldogs competitive.

The Wasps had a good performance from Trent Harris at the helm, gaining 274 yards through the air and three touchdowns. Harris overcame a second quarter interception, to lead the team to 10-9, 17-12 and 24-19 leads. His second interception effectively ended the game with 00:54 remaining.

Going into the fourth quarter, trailing 17-12, the Bulldogs regained the lead on an 8 yard pass from Slater to Morales. The lead didn’t last long, as Harris drove the Wasps downfield through the air, completing the drive with a 12 yarder to Shyrone Rogers.

The Bulldogs, with six minutes remaining needed another drive. Franklin gained two quick first downs on draw plays. Slater then found his namesake Seth on 9 and 11 yard gains. The Wasps were in their prevent defence and it was seeping gains (Ken Anderson limped off and Stephen Schmidt was playing hurt.

With 3:47 left on the clock, Zack found Seth- the Slater-to-Slater combination once more on a quick bubble screen. Seth evaded Schmidt and ran the remaining 36 yards for the score. The Bulldogs led by one point, so they attempted a two point conversion. Slater to Martinez didn’t work this time, so it remained a one point lead.

The Wasps final drive, needing just a field goal to win, ended when Kyle Neal intercepted a pass intended for Blackmon.

In just his second year as a Head Coach, Jon Palmer has topped the Mountain, an incredible achievement.

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Report: PFL to have 20 teams in 2020?

Reports have come in that the PFL’s talks with Eborian Football Conference (EFC) teams may have been fruitful. It is rumoured that the league will announce the reinstatement of the Pottsbugh Cardinals and Amorgan Blues, following their three years out of the league due to financial irregularities.

The Bristow Bears and Nashford Lions helmets

Joining with them is reportedly the top two teams in the EFC (the two that have fought for the last three championships) – Nashford Lions and Bristow Bears will be joining them to give the league twenty teams again.

The Bears were in the league from the 1960s to the 1990s, until they had a dispute with the Commisioner’s office over other teams abusing the salary cap and other infractions. When the league were seen to be too slow to investigate, then owner Bill McGrady took his ball (read team) and went home. It was a massive move and sent shockwaves through the Eborian gridiron networks. Some said they would never return, but perhaps they will!

#twentyintwenty