Buffalo Blue Wings - 27, Montreal Rouge - 14 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - July 17 - 7 PM ET - CBS
The NAAF season kicked off on CBS for the first time with the two previous McCallister Cup Champions. The Blue Wings would get off to a great start marching down the field early in the 1st. The Rouge were able to slow them down, but Buffalo got the field goal to open up the scoring. Montreal was starting former Blue Wing QB Andrew Glover for the first time and things were rocky early on. The offense would only pick up 1 first down in the first and Glover was sacked 2 times. The Blue Wings’ offense kept moving the ball well and RB Arthur Conner would score the first touchdown of the season near the end of the first. The second quarter continued to go in Buffalo’s favour as they would score another touchdown with QB Angelo Medina finding WR Joseph Barry in the endzone. Not long after, Glover would throw his first interception of the season to S Frazier Brooks who would set up a late Buffalo field goal and a 20-0 halftime lead. The Rouge made some adjustments coming out of the half and stuck to running the ball with RB Élisée Marchal. With some occasional passes, the Rouge were able to get into striking range where Marchal would punch it in. Montreal’s defense would stall the Blue Wings' next couple drives giving Montreal a chance to make it a 1 score game with Marchal’s second of the game. By the fourth quarter, Buffalo had picked it up again. They would score another touchdown with Arthur Conner and hold on for the opening day win.
Providence Gold Stars - 24, Worcester Athletics - 13 - New Providence Stadium - July 18 - 2 PM ET
The Gold Stars got off to a good start against the Athletics to kick off their 1953 season. Bruce Woodard led the team to two touchdowns in the first quarter with assistance from a DB Lee Wolfe interception. WR Peter Brooks would catch the first touchdown while RB Gene Fischer would breakthrough for the other. The Athletics would get some points back after the touchdown with a field goal and then RB Jacque Montier getting into the endzone with the help of OL Cliff Strautzenberger’s massive block on LB Samuel Grimes. LB Scotty Williams also got in the action with a forced fumble and recovery on Gene Fischer. It was 17-10 at halftime. The second half was much slower. DB Victor Bean would get his first interception of the season which would lead to WR John Osborn scoring his first touchdown as a Gold Star. Worcester would add a late field goal but that was all they had in the opening week.
Boston Independents - 38, Hartford Hawks - 7 - Richardson Stadium - July 18 - 2 PM ET
With a new head coach leading the way, Boston came alive to show that they are still as competitive as ever in a dominant win over Hartford. 1st overall pick QB Lee Rogers was making his first start and things would not go his way. He would have a couple of solid throws, completing his first to WR Lloyd Marshall, but when he decided to take a shot at WR Robert Lang downfield, S Michael O’Brien picked it off and gave Boston prime field position. WR Samuel Floyd would score and then Boston would add another with RB Joel Bonner. Down 14-0, Rogers just kept his head in the game, but that only ended in another pick to DB Francis Veillette. Second-year TE Richard Stewart would score for Boston to give them the 21-0 halftime lead. Hartford would gain some traction in the third when Rogers would go deep again to Lang and connect. They would get down to the 2 and after Pierre LeStrange failed to punch it in, they gambled on third where Johnnie Stafford would score. After the touchdown, Hartford would get nothing else as Rogers threw his third pick to DB Lester Murphy and the Independents would add another Joel Bonner touchdown and a 45-yard WR Samuel Floyd touchdown.
Ottawa Royals - 28, Ontario Tigers - 20 - Lansdowne Park - July 19 - 3 PM ET - CBC
The Royals and Tigers renewed the battle of Ontario for the first major broadcast on CBC. Both teams came out playing well but no one was getting into the endzone early. The Royals would strike first with 3 minutes to go in the quarter when QB Jean Matieau found WR Willard Brooks for a touchdown and made it 7-0. In the second quarter, the Tigers would get on the board with a field goal before Ottawa would grab a second touchdown, this time to WR Allen Atkins. The Tigers would kick it into high gear in the last half of the second quarter scoring two touchdowns. RB Laurent Brazeau had the first of the two, then QB Duane Logan would find WR Wilbert Benjamin for his first passing touchdown. The Tigers led at halftime, but the Royals would come out firing in the second half. Matieau would find Atkins for his second touchdown of the game to retake the lead. Not long after, DB Uzzia Hayes would pick off Duane Logan and give Ottawa another chance to score. This time WR Eugene Burns would score his first as a Royals and the Tigers were now down 28-17. Ontario would only be able to get a field goal late after DB Jesse Scott got a pick, but in the end, the Royals would hold on for the win.
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Jean Matieau OTT - 4 Passing Touchdowns, 324 Passing Yards, 1 Interception
DEF: DB Lester Murphy BOS - 1 Interception, 4 Tackles, 3 Knockdowns
Standings
NORTH
Buffalo 1-0
Ottawa 1-0
Ontario 0-1
Montreal 0-1
NEW ENGLAND
Boston 1-0
Providence 1-0
Worcester 0-1
Hartford 0-1
Power Rankings
1 - Buffalo -
2 - Ottawa -
3 - Boston -
4 - Ontario -
5 - Providence -
6 - Montreal -
7 - Worcester -
8 - Hartford -
Worcester Athletics - 20, Ottawa Royals - 34 - Worcester Stadium - July 24 - 7 PM ET
The first official game at the brand new Worcester Stadium was quite exciting. While the final score may say differently, the Athletics were in this one. QB Riley Kiernan was able to lead the Athletics to the endzone first finding WR Christian Venegas for the score and the early 7-0 lead. Ottawa wouldn’t fall too far behind as Matieau would lead the Royals back the other way to score with Allen Atkins bringing in his 3rd of the season. The Athletics would get another field goal before the Royals would add another touchdown off the legs of RB Alexei Volkov. Things got bad for the Royals after the Athletics would get a field goal to make it 13-14. Midway through the second when WR Willard Brooks would collide with LB Scotty Williams. A Completely clean hit would leave Brooks down and would have to leave the game. The Athletics were able to keep the Ottawa offense at bay in the first half. However, the Royals would get going when Volkov exploded for a 47-yard run to start the second half, which would set up his second touchdown of the game. From there the Royals seemed to take over the game. WR Eugene Burns would add another touchdown not long after which would give the Royals a 27-13 lead after a missed extra point. The Athletics would still stay in the match after Kiernan threw his second touchdown to WR Clyde McIntosh, but Volkov would add yet another touchdown to seal the deal for Ottawa.
Montreal Rouge - 20, Boston Independents - 17 - Mount Royals Stadium - July 25 - 2 PM ET - CBC
The Rouge got a bounce-back win over Boston after a great performance from their defense. Both teams would only get field goals in the first quarter, but the Rouge would turn up the pressure in the second resulting in a huge turnover. The Rouge would send rookie LB Rusty McVee on the blitz after Larry Larson, and he would get to the veteran QB. The hit popped the ball straight up and down into the hands of LB Quinton Brewer. To make matters worse, Boston DL Craig Newman would fall awkwardly trying to tackle RB Élisée Marchal and would leave the game while Marchal would escape and take it into the endzone. The Rouge would keep the 10-3 lead into halftime. The Rouge would add a field goal to their lead before Boston found some footing where RB Joel Bonner would finally break into the endzone. The Rouge would retaliate with another Marchal touchdown. QB Larson would lead a final surge and find WR Ethan Walters in the endzone, but Montreal would be able to stop the remaining attack and seal the win for the Rouge.
Hartford Hawks - 12, Buffalo Blue Wings - 27 - Arnold H. Bensen Park - July 25 - 2 PM ET
QB Lee Rogers made his first start in Hartford with a slightly better game than week one, but he still struggled at times. The first quarter was strong as he would lead the Hawks to back-to-back scoring drives to go up 6-0. The Blue Wings would not wait much longer to start putting points up and QB Angelo Medina would find WR Travis Gallagher in the endzone. Up 6-7 the Blue Wings would march down the field again and get a field goal this time after DL Sean Bowen made a timely stop. The score would remain 6-10 until the end of the first half. Buffalo would begin the second half with another touchdown, this time RB Arthur Conner burst through to score. The Hawks would get a good start to their next drive but Rogers would overthrow Lloyd Marshall and into the hands of Frazier Brooks on a second and 7 at about midfield. The Blue Wings would capitalize with another touchdown with Arthur Conner. The Hawks would eventually get the ball to the endzone on Lee Rogers’ first career passing touchdown to WR Robert Lang. That was all they could get as Fraizer Brooks would get a second interception later in the game that would give Buffalo another field goal and seal the win for the team once again.
Providence Gold Stars - 27, Ontario Tigers - 24 - New Providence Stadium - July 26 - 3 PM ET - CBSThe Gold Stars changes continue to work as they pull off a tight win over Ontario. Things started in the Tigers favour as they would score early in the first quarter on a RB Laurent Brazeau touchdown. Providence would only get a field goal after that. Providence would eventually break through after falling behind 3-14 after Brazeau’s second touchdown. WR Peter Brooks would find just a bit of space in the endzone behind the Tigers and would score to make it a 10-14 game. The Tigers would maintain the lead into halftime. Out of the half, things got bad for the Tigers. While they would add a field goal early, they would suffer a major injury. LB Aengus Lynch would go down awkwardly on his ankle while tackling RB Gene Fischer and would have to leave the game and will likely miss up to 4 weeks. The Gold Stars would continue that drive and score with TE Marion Warren and tie the game up. Duane Logan would get the offense ticking once again. RB Laurent Brazeau would get them down most of the way before Logan made a couple of on-point passes to get WR Wilbert Benjamin a touchdown. Bruce Woodard would lead the Gold Stars back the other way once again to score another touchdown. Once again it was WR Peter Brooks scoring to tie it up once again. With time running down the Tigers were forced to pass the ball more and that is a bad thing against the Gold Stars as Lee Wolfe would take the ball away and set the Gold Stars up for the game-winning field goal which K Bernard Barnett would nail to give Providence a 2-0 start.
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Alexei Volkov OTT - 3 Rushing Touchdowns 132 Rushing Yards
DEF: LB Quinton Brewer MTL - 1 Interception, 13 Tackles
Standings
NORTH
Buffalo 2-0
Ottawa 2-0
Montreal 1-1
Ontario 0-2
NEW ENGLAND
Providence 2-0
Boston 1-1
Worcester 0-2
Hartford 0-2
Power Rankings
1 - Buffalo -
2 - Ottawa -
3 - Montreal +3
4 - Providence +1
5 - Boston -2
6 - Ontario -2
7 - Worcester -
8 - Hartford -
Buffalo Blue Wings - 17, Providence Gold Stars - 27 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - July 31 - 7 PM ET - CBS
The Gold Stars keep their unbeaten season alive with an upset in Buffalo. The game started well for the Blue Wings, as they would score early in the first with QB Angelo Medina finding WR Joseph Barry in the endzone for the 7-0 lead. Providence would get a field goal back before their defense stepped up. DB Victor Bean would pick off Medina, and set up a Gold Star touchdown to WR John Osborn. With the 7-10 lead, the Gold Stars would keep up the pressure and got another pick from Lee Wolfe. This would set up a field goal and a 7-13 lead heading into the second half. Buffalo would take back some momentum out of the half scoring a quick field goal. Providence would not let up though and got it back downfield for another field goal to extend their lead. Not long into the final quarter, it seemed like Buffalo got a break with DB Dylan Alston picking off Bruce Woodard. RB Arthur Conner would score another touchdown to reclaim the lead. Providence would not give up and Woodard would lead another great drive ending in a touchdown to WR Peter Brooks. WR Michael Mcleod would also add the 2-point convert to make it a 7-point game. With time running down the Blue Wings tried moving quickly but they would turn it over once again with LB Roger Morrow punching it loose. Bernard Barnett would add a field goal following to all but seal the win.
Ontario Tigers - 31, Hartford Hawks - 6 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - August 1 - 5 PM ET
The Tigers finally have their first game in Kitchener since it officially became their home. They put on a show for the home crowd. QB Duane Logan led an excellent opening drive going 4 for 4 and connecting with WR Marqués Gardner for the touchdown and the quick 7-0 lead. The defense would stand strong and gave the offense a chance to increase the lead which they did on a field goal. QB Lee Rogers was continuing to make mistakes, but it didn’t seem to bother the QB as he kept taking shot after shot. It would end up in the hands of DB Louie White twice in the first half and would set up a Laurent Brazeau touchdown to make the score 17-0 at halftime. The Hawks would get a little back in the third as both teams traded field goals, but the Tigers kept the pressure on and Brazeau found the endzone again to extend the lead. The Hawks would add a late field goal but Brazeau would tack on a third touchdown to finish off the game.
Boston Independents - 20, Worcester Athletics - 10 - Richardson Stadium - August 2 - 3 PM ET
The Independents defense shined in their first matchup against the Athletics this season. The Athletics were unable to move the ball at all throughout the first half. They only got 2 first downs which both were in the second quarter. Boston was able to defend anything that was thrown at them. Their defense would also come up big with 3 turnovers. DB Lester Murphy had a pick as well as DB Clinton Benton and DL Fred Clark forced a fumble on RB Jacque Montier. The offense was also playing well putting up 17 points in the first half. RB Joel Bonner had both touchdowns for the Independents. The Athletics would find some space to open the second half. They would get into scoring range and get a field goal to finally get on the board. After Boston added one of their own, the Athletics would find the endzone with RB Jacque Montier from 5 yards out. The Independents would be able to shut the Athletics down from there adding another couple turnovers to their total and would win 20-10.
Ottawa Royals - 36, Montreal Rouge - 27 - Lansdowne Park - August 2 - 3 PM ET - CBC
A rivalry renewed in the nation's capital would lead to another close tilt. Montreal would surprise coming out quickly. RB Élisée Marchal would lead the offense down the field, and eventually, he would score on an 11-yard run. Montreal would keep up the pressure and stop Ottawa on their following drive. The Rouge would then add a field goal to take the 0-10 lead. Ottawa would finally kick into gear following the back-to-back Montreal scores. QB Jean Matieau would go 7 for 7 on the next drive and find WR Allen Atkins in the endzone to cut the lead to 3. A couple of drives later the Matieau would connect with TE Jervonte Howell to take the lead 14-10. Montreal would strike next with Marchal’s second of the game to lead 14-17 at halftime. The second half turned up the offense. Ottawa would roll on their second drive of the half, led surprisingly by RB Alexei Volkov, and would cap it off with WR Eugene Burns catching another touchdown and reclaiming the lead. Montreal would counter with another touchdown this time, QB Andrew Glover would throw his first TD of the season to WR John Rivera. Matieau would once again lead the offense to score with Atkins finding the endzone after making an unreal catch over DB Jean-Luc Paget. The fourth started with a 28-24 game in Ottawa’s favour. Montreal would only get a field goal on their next drive making it a one-point game. The defensive stop helped Ottawa and they would find the endzone again. RB Alexei Volkov scored this time and Atkins would make it a 9 point game on the 2-pointer. The Rouge ran out of gas at this point and could only get to midfield before being stopped.
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Jean Matieau OTT - 4 Passing Touchdowns, 387 Passing Yards
DEF: LB Roger Morrow PRO - 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Knockdown, 10 Tackles
Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 3-0
Buffalo 2-1
Ontario 1-2
Montreal 1-2
NEW ENGLAND
Providence 3-0
Boston 2-1
Worcester 0-3
Hartford 0-3
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa +1
2 - Providence +3
3 - Buffalo -2
4 - Montreal -1
5 - Boston -
6 - Ontario -
7 - Worcester -
8 - Hartford -
Ontario Tigers - 17, Worcester Athletics - 20 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - August 7 - 7 PM ET - CBC
The Athletics stunned the Tigers on the road to grab their first win of the season. RB Laurent Brazeau got things going early for the Tigers, scoring a touchdown in the first quarter, the team seemed to sputter after that. Worcester, on the other hand, seemed to be getting all the lucky bounces. After Brazeau’s touchdown, the running back would cough up the football following a LB Scotty Williams hit, which would set up a Kiernan touchdown pass to WR Christian Venegas. Not long after, S Shawn Jensen would pick off a deep Duane Logan pass and take it back into Tigers territory. Jacque Montier would grab the TD. The Tigers were stunned to be down 7-14 at halftime. The Athletics continued to put on the pressure and would score a field goal out of the half. The Tigers wouldn’t go down without a fight with Brazeau marching the team down the field for a field goal of their own. The final quarter started with the Tigers moving the ball well and getting into range to score again, but once again they lost the football on Scotty Williams’ second forced fumble of the day. This time he hit WR Jake Hadder and knocked it loose. The Athletics would march the other way and tack on a field goal to extend their lead. The Tigers would get back on the field and get down the field where Duane Logan would find WR Wilbert Benjamin on a deep shot to the endzone to cut the lead to 3. However, the Tigers were not able to get back into range and the Athletics would take the win.
Providence Gold Stars - 31, Ottawa Royals - 20 - New Providence Stadium - August 8 - 2 PM ET - CBS
The last two unbeaten teams squared off in Providence. While Ottawa’s offense had been unstoppable all season, the Gold Stars seemed to find a trick to it all. They were able to shut down the Royals first two drives before they let up a field goal, but over that time QB Bruce Woodard was able to give Providence the lead finding WR Peter Brooks in the endzone. Ottawa would continue to struggle when DB Lee Wolfe picked off QB Jean Matieau and took it back to the 12-yard line which set up WR Michael Mcleod for a touchdown and Providence was up 14-3. They would add a field goal before Ottawa found some rhythm and got down the field. Matieau would find former Gold Star WR Eugene Burns for the touchdown to give the Royals a fighting chance heading into the half. Providence came out strong again as their first drive of the half was yet another touchdown this time former Royal WR John Osborn scored giving Providence the 24-10 lead. Ottawa would not go away easy as Matieau would lead the comeback over the half. RB Alexei Volkov would score the first touchdown and the only, as their next drive ended in DB Victor Bean taking back a pick to Royals territory. Woodard would connect with TE Marion Warren to give the team the comfortable lead. All Ottawa could manage was another field goal as the Gold Stars become the first team since Montreal in 1949 to start 4-0.
Montreal Rouge - 16, Buffalo Blue Wings - 11 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 8 - 6 PM ET
The rematch of week 1’s tilt would go a much different way this time. The Rouge got off on the right foot as DB Jean-Luc Paget would intercept QB Angelo Medina’s pass and take it back to the house for 6 on the 3rd play of the game. The Blue Wings couldn’t seem to shake off the early mistake and fell behind further after a 2 and out and Montreal adding a field goal. The Rouge defense did not let Buffalo get anything going early on, tightening up a lot after being blown up by Ottawa’s offense last week. They would continue to add points with another field goal before the half. Buffalo had gotten their first points just before the half but had nothing out of the gate. The Rouge would stop the Blue Wings drive after drive with two more turnovers coming from a LB Quinton Brewer interception and a DL Napoléon Chevalier strip-sack. The turnovers led to another field goal. The Blue Wings would get a late single before finally breaking free to the endzone. RB Arthur Conner would score the pull Buffalo to a 5 point game down 16-11. However, that was all they could get as the Rouge win their second of the season on a strong defensive performance.
Hartford Hawks - 13, Boston Independents - 24 - Arnold H. Bensen Park - August 9 - 3 PM ET
The crowd at Arnold H. Bensen had continued to shrink game after game, even with Boston in town which usually brought some of their fans out to the game, it was clear the city was losing most interest in the team. On the bright side, the Hawks seemed to be getting better on the field and QB Lee Rogers was able to lead them to an opening drive field goal to give them the 3-0 lead early. Boston would get stuffed on their drive, but the Hawks could not take advantage. After a small stalemate QB Larry Larson would find WR Samuel Floyd who would take it 50 yards down the field which would set up WR Ellis Lindholm’s first career TD. Boston would add a field goal a little later, but Hartford was still willing to fight with Rogers finding WR Robert Lang in the endzone on a 40-yard bomb. The game was tied at halftime. The Independents wouldn’t go easy out of the half and would score twice in the third. RB Joel Bonner had one with WR Ethan Walters grabbing the other. The Hawks could only get one more field goal before the game ended with Boston on top once again.
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Bruce Woodard - 4 Passing Touchdowns, 365 Passing Yards
DEF: LB Scotty Williams - 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 Fumble Recovery, 13 Tackles
Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 3-1
Buffalo 2-2
Montreal 2-2
Ontario 1-3
NEW ENGLAND
Providence 4-0
Boston 3-1
Worcester 1-3
Hartford 0-4
Power Rankings
1 - Providence +1
2 - Ottawa -1
3 - Montreal +1
4 - Buffalo -1
5 - Boston -
6 - Worcester +1
7 - Ontario -1
8 - Hartford -
Providence Gold Stars - 34, Hartford Hawks - 0 - New Providence Stadium - August 14 - 7 PM ET
The Gold Stars had a great opportunity to jump to a 5-0 start with a match against the Hawks at home. QB Bruce Woodard would get this going in the first with a strong drive leading to a WR Peter Brooks touchdown. The defense would strike next with back-to-back interceptions. DB Lee Wolfe nabbed both of them and would set up a RB Gene Fischer touchdown and then took the second back for himself giving the Gold Stars a 21-0 lead. After being up 24-0 by halftime. QB Brian Meadows was given some time on the field. Meadows would lead a strong drive grabbing another field goal. Woodard would return for the fourth where he would throw another touchdown to WR John Osborn. Hartford had nothing for the red hot Gold Stars. QB Lee Rogers continued to struggle after throwing 2 more interceptions in the game to DB Victor Bean and S Ralph Maynard. Eventually, QB Michael Kramer would get a shot but was not very successful either. The Hawks would be shut out and the Gold Stars tie Montreal’s best 5-0 start.
Ottawa Royals - 18, Boston Independents - 28 - Lansdowne Park - August 15 - 2 PM ET - CBC
The Royals seemed to be reeling from their loss to the Gold Stars as they got off to a rough start in this one. The Independents would score on their opening drive with WR Samuel Floyd getting into open field and taking home the 70-yard touchdown. On the Royals opening drive, OL Aaron Spears would twist his ankle awkwardly making a block on DL Joel Jackson and would fall. Jackson would breakthrough and hit Matieau causing the QB to fumble and give Boston great field position. Boston would score a touchdown with RB Joel Bonner and take the 0-14 lead. Ottawa would still struggle to get the ball moving and could only grab a field goal before the half ended. Boston’s defense was doing an excellent job of shutting down the Royals. Head Coach Dean Reed seems to have figured out this offense. QB Larry Larson was playing well against the Royals defense and would score yet another touchdown this time to WR Ethan Walters. The Royals would finally find a rhythm in the latter half of the third. Matieau would lead the team to their first touchdown to WR Allen Atkins. To start the fourth the Royals would get another with WR Willard Brooks and add the 2-pointer with RB Alexei Volkov. Boston would be able to maintain their lead, however, with Joel Bonner getting back to the endzone and Boston would hold on to another win.
Worcester Athletics - 13, Montreal Rouge - 28 - Worcester Stadium - August 15 - 2 PM ET
The Athletics had some momentum leftover from their win over the Tigers last week, and they were able to grab a field goal on their opening drive. The Athletics would get a second one not long after, managing to contain the Rouge offense. Things changed when Montreal OL Joshua Mercer went down with a major injury in the 3rd. The All-Star is nearing the end of his career and could be a possible career-ending injury. RB Élisée Marchal would look to avenge his teammate’s injury and would score back-to-back touchdowns to give the Rouge the 6-14 lead at halftime. Marchal would not stop their scoring his third out of the break and keeping the Rouge offense moving. QB Andrew Glover would throw his second TD of the season to WR Ray Lopez and Montreal was up 9-28 at this point. The Rouge defense was doing an excellent job of preventing any true offensive threat coming from Worcester. The Athletics would finally reach the endzone with QB Riley Kiernan getting it to WR Clyde McIntosh to put some hope in the crowd, but it was too little too late and the Rouge would hold on.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 20, Ontario Tigers - 12 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - August 16 - 3 PM ET - CBS
The mid-season classic comes around this year with both teams trying to recover from their early-season struggles. Buffalo coming off back-to-back losses, and the Tigers falling to a surprising 1-3 record. Ontario would get a strong drive to start the game but would fall short of the endzone. They would take the 0-3 lead, but it wouldn’t last long as the Blue Wings were done with their reputation to go on long win streaks and long droughts. QB Angelo Medina would lead Buffalo down the field and countered the field goal with a touchdown to WR Travis Gallagher. Ontario would not be able to get things going and they would cough up the football with LB Claude Adams getting the fumble off of RB Laurent Brazeau. The Blue Wings would turn it into a field goal going up 10-3 at halftime. The rain that had been there from the start of the game got worse in the second half. Both teams now heavily relying on their running backs. Laurent Brazeau and Arthur Conner would go back and forth moving their teams down the field. Several drives ending in field goals to make the score 13-9. There were also fumbles as well with teams both coughing up the ball. Not all ended in turnovers, but a fatal one would give Buffalo their second touchdown of the day. Arthur Conner scoring. The Tigers would find a 4th field goal but could not get to the endzone and fall once again.
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Élisée Marchal MTL - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 176 Rushing Yards
DEF: DB Lee Wolfe PRO - 2 Interceptions, 1 Touchdown, 4 Knockdowns, 3 Tackles
Standings
NORTH
Buffalo 3-2
Ottawa 3-2
Montreal 3-2
Ontario 1-4
NEW ENGLAND
Providence 5-0
Boston 4-1
Worcester 1-4
Hartford 0-5
Power Rankings
1 - Providence -
2 - Montreal +1
3 - Boston +2
4 - Ottawa -2
5 - Buffalo -1
6 - Worcester -
7 - Ontario -
8 - Hartford -
Hartford Hawks - 23, Worcester Athletics - 13 - Arnold H. Bensen Park - August 22 - 2 PM ET
The Hawks made some adjustments going into their next game, with RB Johnnie Stafford back in the starting role as well as some shuffling around on defense. The team seemed to find the right combo as the Hawks got off to a good start. QB Lee Rogers was able to get the ball moving throughout the first half. He would throw a touchdown to WR Robert Lang and RB Johnnie Stafford would score one as well. On the other side, the Athletics were struggling in the first half only getting a field goal, and turning it over twice. Hawks DL Sean Bowen was able to shine with a forced fumble and 3 sacks in the half. Worcester had a good start to the second half with a big touchdown drive ending with Riley Kiernan connecting with WR Christian Venegas. Hartford would continue to put up more points with 3 back-to-back field goals to make the score 23-10. Worcester would get a late field goal but the Hartford defense was able to hold on to the win for the Hawks.
Boston Independents - 27, Providence Gold Stars - 30 - Richardson Stadium - August 22 - 2 PM ET - CBS
The Gold Stars entered the supposed cursed Richardson Stadium that the team has never won in, as the top team in the league. Bruce Woodard was finally playing an all-star level season and he was not going to stop here. The QB would get Providence on the board first with a huge touchdown pass to WR Peter Brooks. On their following drive, he was able to get them to field goal range to take the 0-10 lead. Boston wouldn’t back down as RB Joel Bonner would power his way through the Gold Stars D-line and score a touchdown. The defensive line seemed to be showing some weakness, and to make matters worse DL George Woods would have to leave the game with a major season-ending injury. Providence would not let that stop them as they would get another touchdown in the second to extend their lead. RB Gene Fischer got the score this time. Boston would only get a field goal before the half. QB Larry Larson came out of the half with renewed energy and took the Independents down the field to score a field goal and then added a touchdown a couple drives later, WR Samuel Floyd had the TD. Providence would retaliate with a field goal to tie it up heading into the final quarter. Woodard would keep things moving for the offense and would find the endzone once again with WR Peter Brooks. Boston would not give up as RB Joel Bonner would drive through the Gold Stars line again to score his second of the game. The game was getting close, but it came down to the final 2 minutes, where Woodard would lead the Gold Stars down the field. Once they got to midfield, it became 2nd and 12 with a Gene Fischer loss, so Woodard looked to the air. He would scramble and would find WR Michael Mcleod escape coverage up the sideline. The pass would set up the game-winning field goal and Providence’s first win in Boston. The Gold Stars also clinched a playoff spot already.
Ontario Tigers - 10, Buffalo Blue Wings - 27 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - August 23 - 3 PM ET - CBC
The Tigers’ struggles continued as they came home for the rematch with Buffalo. In the opening quarter QB Duane Logan would throw 5 straight incompletions to start the drive as well as throwing an interception to S Frazier Brooks. Buffalo would take advantage and score a field goal and a touchdown to WR Joseph Barry. However, bad news for the Blue Wings as midway through the second, QB Angelo Medina would take off down the field. He would scramble for 14-yards before being tackled awkwardly by LB Roland Hensley. The QB would go down having now torn his ACL. Medina’s injury has all but likely ended his season. In came backup and former Rouge and Hawks starting QB Maurice Norris. Norris would take over the drive and would get enough for a field goal. Ontario would try to take advantage of the now shaken Blue Wings. They would only manage a field goal before the half. Brazeau would find some space to start the 3rd and lead the Tigers down the field. He would score the touchdown to cut the lead to 3. However, even after the momentum shift, Buffalo came back with a huge TD drive. Norris would find WR Travis Gallagher for a 22-yard gain before RB Arthur Conner would score the touchdown to extend the lead back to 10. Neither team would score until the 4th where Norris would throw his first TD as a Blue Wing to WR Joseph Barry who had now his second of the game. The Blue Wings would hold on for the win.
Montreal Rouge - 34, Ottawa Royals - 24 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 23 - 3 PM ET
After their first meeting of the season, both teams have gone in completely different directions. Montreal had won back-to-back while Ottawa had dropped their last 2. Ottawa felt like they had a good drive going out of the gate, but it would go sideways when LB Quinton Brewer punched the ball out of RB Alexei Volkov’s hands. Rookie LB Rusty McVee would scoop it up and take it to the house for the quick Montreal lead. The Rouge would add 2 field goals to keep the scoring up while Ottawa could only get a field goal. It seems that the high flying offense had nothing left in the tank. They would get an early second-half touchdown with WR Eugene Burns, but RB Marchal would score a touchdown to answer back and then a second TD not long after. Montreal was now up 27-10 on the high powered Royals. Matieau would find some ability to come back in the 4th as he would lead 2 touchdown drives to WR Allen Atkins. By that time the Rouge had another touchdown and it was just too far a reach for the Royals who. But in the end, the Royals’ defense had no answers for Marchal.
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Bruce Woodard - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 342 Passing Yards
DEF: LB Quinton Brewer - 1 Forced Fumble, 14 Tackles, 2 Knockdowns
Standings
NORTH
Buffalo 4-2
Montreal 4-2
Ottawa 3-3
Ontario 1-5
NEW ENGLAND
Providence 6-0 -x
Boston 4-2
Hartford 1-5
Worcester 1-5
Power Rankings
1 - Providence -
2 - Montreal -
3 - Boston -
4 - Buffalo +1
5 - Ottawa -1
6 - Hartford +2
7 - Worcester -1
8 - Ontario -1
TRADE ALERT
Providence is back at it again this time after DL George Woods was shut down for the season, Virgil Gross went to Hartford and traded for DL Stuart Howell. They gave up the 2nd round pick which will be as high as 13th or as low as 16th.
Worcester Athletics - 23, Boston Independents - 21 - Worcester Stadium - August 29 - 2 PM ET CBS
The Independents came into this match limping following the loss to the Gold Stars. Their defense was now missing 3 key pieces and it showed in this one. The crowd in Worcester got loud for their first match against their old rivals at the new stadium. Things went well for the Athletics as they took advantage of the injured defense. QB Riley Kiernan was able to get the Athletics moving and would score on their first 3 drives with two field goals and then a RB Jacque Montier touchdown. Boston would get going a bit into the second quarter with a WR Samuel Floyd touchdown, but they were still down 13-7 at halftime. The Athletics’ defense kept up the pressure led by LB Scotty Williams and was managing to hold the Independents. Eventually, Boston would get a second touchdown with RB Joel Bonner, but the Athletics would have a field goal shortly after. Kiernan would eventually roll out on a play and pick up 16 yards on a run which would set up the pass to WR Clyde McIntosh which would end up in the endzone for the Athletics and give them the 9 point lead. Boston would get a third touchdown with WR Ellis Lindholm, but they would fall short as the Athletics defense would stand strong. The Athletics stun the league and become only the 4th team in the NAAF to have won against the Independents.
Hartford Hawks - 7, Providence Gold Stars - 35 - Arnold H. Bensen Park - August 29 - 2 PM ET
The Gold Stars continued their hot streak by once again rolling over the Hawks. Woodard would throw 3 touchdowns in the first half en route to the 0-21 lead at halftime. He would find WR Peter Brooks twice in the opening quarter before WR John Osborn took in the 3rd. Hartford would get a little back to start the 3rd with a RB Johnnie Stafford touchdown, but they had still turned the ball over 3 times already. DB Lee Wolfe and DB Victor Bean had one each, while DL Joseph McMillian forced a fumble. The Hawks would have nothing more as the Gold Stars continued to pour it on. RB Gene Fischer and TE Marion Warren would get scores as well, as the Gold Stars dominate 7-35. The attendance has still fallen further off a cliff despite the win last week and the team is losing loads of money now, the DL Stuart Howell trade hopefully will help in lowering salary, but they can only do so much.
Ottawa Royals - 34, Buffalo Blue Wings - 16 - Lansdowne Park - August 30 - 3 PM ET - CBC
QB Maurice Norris made his first start as a Blue Wing, to start the back-to-back battles with the Royals. Buffalo still focused a lot of their attack on running with RB Arthur Conner, which made it a bit easier for the Royals defense to handle. Buffalo would open the scoring with a field goal, but the Royals offense finally came to play after several weeks of struggle. QB Jean Matieau would lead the offense to two TD’s in the first quarter, the first to WR Willard Brooks and the second with WR Allen Atkins. Blue Wings would only manage a field goal before RB Alexei Volkov would get another touchdown to extend the Royals lead to 21-6. Buffalo would get going to start the second half, and Norris would lead them down the field. Arthur Conner would take it into the endzone for the score. The Royals would not let up as Matieau would pass for a 3rd touchdown to Atkins who made a great catch over DB Dylan Alston before running it in from 20 yards out. Atkins would catch a 3rd touchdown not long after when Matieau hit him for a deep shot. Buffalo would manage another field goal but on their last shot, Norris would be picked off by DB Uzzia Hayes as the Royals got back in the win column.
Ontario Tigers - 15, Montreal Rouge - 18 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - August 30 - 3 PM ET
The struggling Tigers would run into the red hot Rouge at home. The good news is the Tigers finally seemed to show life again. RB Laurent Brazeau and QB Duane Logan were playing well out of the gate. Brazeau would go on to score a pair of touchdowns in the first half to give Ontario an early advantage. Montreal wouldn’t be kept quiet as they would still score a touchdown with RB Élisée Marchal and then add a field goal later on. The score was 14-10 at halftime and the Tigers were in control of most of the second half. They wouldn’t score, but they prevented the Rouge from scoring. DB Louie White even had an interception that gave them hope for a score, but K Nathaniel King would miss and they would get a single to go up 15-10. Montreal was trying to get going late, but in the end, they were struggling until Marchal found a hole in the Tigers’ defense and exploded for a 56-yard run. Panic crept in for the Tigers after the run and Montreal would use it to their advantage. Marchal would make a couple more long runs before taking it into the endzone for the win and sole possession of first place in the North Division. The loss would also mean an early-season end for the Tigers once again as they would be out of the running for the playoffs.
Players of the Week
OFF: WR Allen Atkins - 3 Receiving Touchdowns, 143 Receiving Yards
DEF: LB Scotty Williams - 16 Tackles, 2 Knockdowns
Standings
NORTH
Montreal 5-2
Ottawa 4-3
Buffalo 4-3
Ontario 1-6 -e
NEW ENGLAND
Providence 7-0 -x
Boston 4-3
Worcester 2-5
Hartford 1-6 -e
Power Rankings
1 - Providence -
2 - Montreal -
3 - Ottawa +2
4 - Boston -1
5 - Buffalo -1
6 - Worcester +1
7 - Hartford -1
8 - Ontario -
Montreal Rouge - 16, Ontario Tigers - 13 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 5 - 2 PM ET - CBC
Although the Tigers were officially eliminated from the playoffs last week, they put up a great fight against the Rouge once again. The Tigers started the game well stopping Montreal on their opening drive and then grabbing a touchdown with RB Laurent Brazeau to take the early 0-7 lead. Montreal would get into it after both teams traded field goals. This time QB Andrew Glover would find WR John Rivera for a touchdown to tie the game at 10. The remainder of the half went without a score. The third was much the same with both teams’ defenses playing well. DB Louie White had a pick, but the Tigers would turn it right back over to S Chester George. Eventually, the Rouge would break the silence with a field goal. Ontario would answer with a field goal leaving the game tied at 13 with 5 minutes to go. Both teams would trade attempts to move the ball, but it would be Montreal with RB Élisée Marchal getting free for a big gain and would set up the game-winning field goal from rookie K Arthur Kettinger.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 20, Ottawa Royals - 27 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 5 - 2 PM ET
The rematch of last week's battle was closer this time, thanks to some returning players for the Blue Wings defense. They were able to slow Ottawa down more than last week. They didn’t allow a touchdown in the opening quarter and came out tied at 3. The Royals would open the second with another field goal, but Buffalo would counter with the first touchdown of the game. QB Maurice Norris would find WR Travis Gallagher for the score and the 10-6 lead. Ottawa would not be stopped for too much longer as they would get a big gain from RB Alexei Volkov which would set up the WR Eugene Burns touchdown. The Royals would add another touchdown out of the half with a score from WR Allen Atkins, but Buffalo would find themselves back in the endzone just a few drives later with RB Arthur Conner. The fourth would start 17-20 for Ottawa. Buffalo would be the next to score following a DB Oscar Patterson interception. They would tie it up at 20 with a field goal. The game would remain tied until DB Michael Conner would pick off Norris and give Ottawa prime field position. WR Eugene Burns would nab his second touchdown of the game, which would be the finishing touch on another win in Buffalo.
Worcester Athletics - 20, Hartford Hawks - 23 - Worcester Stadium - September 6 - 3 PM ET
Hawks Head Coach Willie McLean is now fighting for his job and is trying to get things rolling with his team. Looking for their second straight win over the Athletics, the Hawks would start well with QB Lee Rogers leading the offense down the field. WR Lloyd Marshall would catch the touchdown pass from Lee Rogers to start things off, then it was WR Robert Lang who caught a deep ball down the sidelines for another touchdown. It was 0-14 before the Athletics could gather themselves. They would only get a field goal before DL Sean Bowen would strip the ball away from Riley Kiernan before the Hawks would take over. A field goal is all they got, but it was 3-17 at halftime. The Athletics would start the second half well with another field goal and then a touchdown with WR Christian Venegas, but the HAwks also answered with a field goal to go up 13-20. In the fourth, the Athletics had a huge drive that would set up a game-tying touchdown run from RB Jacque Montier. The game was going down to the wire, but Hartford would get the last laugh after Rogers found Robert Lang deep again to set up K Thomas McFadden’s game-winning field goal.
Providence Gold Stars - 31, Boston Independents - 24 - New Providence Stadium - September 6 - 3 PM ET - CBS
The Gold Stars look to sweep the Independents for the first time and clinch the division in their final home game of the season. Boston was off to an aggressive start following their surprise loss to the Athletics. They would get the first two scores in the game to take a 0-10 lead. RB Joel Bonner made his way into the endzone for the touchdown. Providence wouldn’t be kept down for long with QB Bruce Woodard continuing to make magic happen and would get TE Marion Warren into the endzone to cut into Boston’s lead. QB Larry Larson would then lead the Independents back the other way to score another touchdown. WR Ethan Walters had the score this time and gave Boston their 10-point lead back. Woodard would counter with another strong drive, but it would come up short and turn into a field goal instead. Boston led 10-17 at halftime. The Independents would keep the pressure up out of the break and would score midway through the 3rd with Bonner’s second of the game. Providence would not back down and would counter with a long drive. By the time the 4th started the Gold Stars would score with WR Peter Brooks and cut the lead to 7. Boston would keep things rolling looking to bury their rivals, but Larson would be picked off by Victor Bean which would give Providence a huge break. Bean would then take it the rest of the way back to tie the game. With time running down, Larson made another mistake and would be picked off for a second time by DB Lee Wolfe. Woodard only had 60 yards to go for the score and would go play after play marching the team down the field and would set up a game-winning touchdown to WR John Osborn to win the game and clinch the New England Division.
Player of the Week
OFF: QB Bruce Woodard PRO - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 314 Passing Yards
DEF: DB Victor Bean PRO - 1 Interception, 1 Touchdown, 3 Tackles, 5 Knockdowns
Standings
NORTH
Montreal 6-2
Ottawa 5-3
Buffalo 4-4
Ontario 1-7
NEW ENGLAND
Providence 8-0 -y
Boston 4-4 -x
Hartford 2-6
Worcester 2-6
Power Rankings
1 - Providence -
2 - Montreal -
3 - Ottawa -
4 - Boston -
5 - Buffalo -
6 - Hartford +1
7 - Worcester -1
8 - Ontario -
Boston Independents - 14, Ontario Tigers - 24 - Richardson Stadium - September 11 - 7 PM ET - CBS
The Tigers have come up short on wins all season long, especially over the past couple weeks. RB Laurent Brazeau was clearly frustrated by the team’s lackluster play throughout the season, and he took his anger out on the Independents. Brazeau would take the Tigers onto his back and carried them down the field in the 1st quarter, twice. He scored both touchdowns while Boston wasn't able to get past the Tigers defense. Boston would finally break their silence with a WR Ethan Walters touchdown, but Ontario would add another field goal to take a 10-point into halftime. The Tigers would keep up the pressure out of the break and DB Paul Gregory would pick Larry Larson off and take it down to the 36-yard line where Brazeau would get in for his third touchdown. The Tigers were now up 7-24. Boston would try to get back into the game with RB Joel Bonner breaking into the endzone early in the fourth, but the Tigers would hold strong for their second win of the season and another surprising Boston loss as the season nears a close.
Montreal Rouge - 23, Providence Gold Stars - 17 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 12 - 2 PM ET
A Possible McCallister Cup Preview as the two division leaders meet. Both teams have been dominant over the second half of the season. Montreal has won their last 5 with Providence unbeaten at 8-0. Providence decided to play down a bit knowing that they have their playoff spot locked up and are more focused on winning when it counts versus maintaining the unbeaten season. Woodard would start the game to get some reps in but they would transition to Brian Meadows in the second half. The Rouge, on the other hand, are trying to solidify their spot. They would start well with a field goal and then a Marchal touchdown. Providence would counter with a WR Peter Brooks touchdown before Montreal got another field goal. The score would remain 13-7 by till the end of the half. Montreal would keep up the solid play in the second half and would move the ball well and Marchal would score his second touchdown. Meadows would start the second half and had a few solid drives. The QB would throw a touchdown to WR John Osborn and get a field goal. Unfortunately, the Gold Stars unbeaten season would come to an end with the Rouge holding on for a 23-17 win. Montreal also clinches a playoff spot and division.
Ottawa Royals - 35, Hartford Hawks - 13 - Lansdowne Park - September 12 - 2 PM ET - CBC
The Royals looked to lock their spot into the playoffs in their final home game of the season. QB Jean Matieau would start by picking apart the Hawks’ young defense and would score on the team’s first two drives. WR Allen Atkins and WR Willard Brooks had the touchdowns. The Hawks who seemed to find a bit of success against the Athletics were still able to get some things going in this game. QB Lee Rogers would score a touchdown not long after the two Royals’ touchdowns, with WR Robert Lang on a 27-yard throw. RB Alexei Volkov would counter the Hawks TD on his own after taking home an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the next drive. The Royals would take the 21-7 lead into halftime. Hawks would grab a pair of field goals in the 3rd while Ottawa would score another touchdown to WR Willard Brooks. Rogers would have another strong drive for Hartford, but he would eventually be picked off by DB Uzzia Hayes who would set up another Volkov touchdown to give Ottawa the 35-13 win. Ottawa locks up the final playoff spot in the North.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 31, Worcester Athletics - 8 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 13 - 3 PM ET
It was a bit of a somber feeling for the Blue Wings after being knocked out the previous day due to Ottawa’s win, which also made this the final game in Buffalo for DB Oscar Patterson. The team would play for their long time captain and would dominate the Athletics. RB Arthur Conner would start things off with a touchdown in the first to go up 7-0 quick. The Athletics would have a solid drive following but would miss the field goal for a single. Buffalo would continue to pour it on with Maurice Norris getting Buffalo into the endzone again with a pass to WR Joseph Barry. DB Dylan Alston would get an interception to set up a field goal just before the break. DB Oscar Patterson would get a pick in the 3rd quarter and would get a 35-yard return out of it. The crowd would give him a standing ovation after the play. Norris would get the ball back in the endzone again with WR Travis Gallagher to extend Buffalo’s lead. Worcester would get a touchdown back with RB Jacque Montier, but that was all. Buffalo would finish off the win with Arthur Conner’s second touchdown of the game.
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Laurent Brazeau ON - 3 Touchdowns, 237 Rushing Yards
DEF: DB Oscar Patterson BUF - 1 Interception, 2 Knockdowns, 2 Tackles
Standings
NORTH
Montreal 7-2 -y
Ottawa 6-3 -x
Buffalo 5-4
Ontario 2-7
NEW ENGLAND
Providence 8-1
Boston 4-5 -x
Hartford 2-7
Worcester 2-7
Power Rankings
1 - Providence -
2 - Montreal -
3 - Ottawa -
4 - Buffalo +1
5 - Boston -1
6 - Ontario +2
7 - Hartford -1
8 - Worcester -1
Hartford Hawks - 6, Montreal Rouge - 28 - Arnold H. Bensen Park - September 19 - 2 PM ET
WR John Rivera finally got to return to his former home in the season finale against the Hawks. With the future of the team up in the air following a major financially bad year for the Hawks, he was glad to have at least a chance to return home. The final game had the biggest turnout to see Rivera once more, which might help the Hawks. However, once the game started, The Rouge would steamroll over the Hawks. RB Élisée Marchal led the way with two touchdowns in the first half. Hartford got a bit of offense in the second quarter, but Lee Rogers could only get them close enough for a field goal. Montreal’s defense would keep up their strong play. They would shut down the Hawks in the 3rd quarter and force 4 turnovers in the game to that point. The offense would manage to score more points with WR John Rivera catching a touchdown in his old home and Marchal running in his 3rd. Rogers got the offense down for one final field goal in the fourth, but they had nothing else. Montreal would walk away with the 6-28 win to finish off their comeback season.
Boston Independents - 17, Buffalo Blue Wings - 20 - Richardson Stadium - September 19 - 2 PM ET - CBS
The McCallister Cup rematch comes in the final week of the season where the playoffs are already decided. Makes for a pretty lackluster performance especially with Medina being done for the season. Boston let QB Larry Larson have most of the game off after he played the 1st quarter. Boston would get a field goal in the opening quarter before backup QB Jordan Boyle took over. QB Maurice Norris would play well once again in this one leading Buffalo to a touchdown in the second quarter after a first-quarter field goal. WR Travis Gallagher caught the score and would take the 3-10 lead into the break. QB Jordan Boyle would be off for most of the game and would not be able to get things going for Boston. RB Joel Bonner had to be relied upon. Bonner would deliver and score a pair of 3rd quarter touchdowns to take the lead. Buffalo would counter with an RB Arthur Conner touchdown to tie it up. Shortly after, Norris would lead a game-winning drive where K Donald Brewer would kick the field goal to seal the win. The post-game brought much controversy as Buffalo finished the season with a 6-4 record and is out of the playoffs while Boston makes with a 4-6 record. This may cause the league to look into changing the playoff format, considering the consistency of the North being generally better than the New England division.
Worcester Athletics - 3, Providence Gold Stars - 34 - Worcester Stadium - September 19 - 2 PM ET
Once again the Gold Stars opted for resting some players while also giving some playing time to get them ready for the playoffs. QB Brian Meadows was once again under center and would lead the Gold Stars to a touchdown on his first drive. WR Michael Mcleod was the receiver to get the touchdown. RB Gene Fischer would get a couple of chances alongside back RB Howard Reid. Fischer would get into the endzone for a score while Reid maxed out at 27 yards on the ground. Worcester played pretty awful and couldn’t get things going. Riley Kiernan was picked off 3 times in the first half before the team tried QB Oliver Callahan for a few drives to let Kiernan calm down. Callahan would throw a pick of his own and not get anywhere. Providence would keep adding to the score and Woodard would get a couple throws late in the game to keep him warm. Providence would get a pick 6 from Lee Wolfe on one of the many interceptions while WR John Osborn would catch another touchdown later on. Kiernan would return to the game and get the Athletics a field goal but that was all as the Gold Stars win.
Ontario Tigers - 18, Ottawa Royals - 31 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - September 19 - 2 PM ET - CBC
Following their surprise win over Boston, the Tigers fell back to earth against the Royals. QB Jean Matieau got the first half to maintain the team’s momentum in the second half of the season. Matieau would throw for a pair of TD’s in the first half to WR Allen Atkins and WR Eugene Burns. Ontario got a touchdown with WR Wilbert Benjamin and a field goal later. The Royals would give former Tigers QB Evan Morrow the second half and he would play well. Morrow would throw a touchdown pass to Burns and then would lead another drive where backup RB Ellis Love would score. Brazeau would get into the endzone again, but the team had nothing more. The Royals would add a field goal to their strong performance and enter the playoffs at 7-3 once again.
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Élisée Marchal MTL - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 187 Rushing Yards
DEF: DB Lee Wolfe - 2 Interceptions, 1 Touchdown, 3 Knockdowns, 2 Tackles
Standings
NORTH
Montreal 8-2 -y
Ottawa 7-3 -x
Buffalo 6-4
Ontario 2-8
NEW ENGLAND
Providence 9-1 -y
Boston 4-6 -x
Hartford 2-8
Worcester 2-8
Power Rankings
1 - Providence -
2 - Montreal -
3 - Ottawa -
4 - Buffalo -
5 - Boston -
6 - Ontario -
7 - Hartford -
8 - Worcester -
Playoff Preview
Providence Gold Stars VS. Boston Independents - New Providence Stadium - September 26 - 6 PM ET - CBS
Gold Stars won both of the meetings this season 30-27 and 31-24Providence won their first 8 games of the season, and have been resting players here and there over the last two weeks where they were 1-1. Boston on the other hand is on a 5 game skid after starting 4-1. It’s uncharacteristic of the usually great Independents, but it might be the changing of the guard in the New England division that people have been waiting years for. Providence will have to get over their playoff demons to get into their second McCallister Cup since joining the NAAF.
Montreal Rouge VS. Ottawa Royals - Mount Royal Stadium - September 27 - 6 PM ET - CBC
The two teams split their season series this season with Ottawa winning the first 36-27 and then Montreal winning the second 34-24. The two teams have never met in the postseason, but all their battles have been great since both joining the NAAF. The top tier offense in Ottawa will have to get over the strong Rouge defense if they want to finally win a playoff game in the NAAF. They remain the only team to make the playoffs without a victory. Montreal on the other hand will be looking to return to the McCallister Cup after missing the playoffs last season. The biggest question will be can QB Andrew Glover get them over the top.
Providence Gold Stars VS. Boston Independents - New Providence Stadium - September 26 - 6 PM ET - CBS
1ST Q:
The Independents would start the game with the ball, but the Gold Stars would force a 2 and out. QB Bruce Woodard would then lead the Gold Stars to open the scoring with a field goal on their first drive. However, the remainder of the opening quarter ended up being slow and defensive. DB Lester Murphy came down with an interception for the Independents who would then tie the game up to end the first quarter. 3-3
2ND Q:
Providence would get the lead back a few minutes into the second frame after WR John Osborn had a big 25-yard gain. The catch would set up the field goal to make it 6-3 Gold Stars. The Gold Stars would manage to hold the lead for most of the second, but their offense was also being stuffed by the Boston defense. Boston would get a huge break in the final minute of the half when WR Samuel Floyd broke free from DB Victor Bean and took a catch 55 yards to the house to give Boston the halftime lead 6-10.
3RD Q:
The crowd was already becoming wary of the Gold Stars’ playoff woes and Boston only made it worse with a field goal to open up the half and give themselves a 7 point lead. The Gold Stars would get a big drive not long after but once again they could not get into the endzone. WR Peter Brooks had the ball in his hands, but DB Lester Murphy was able to knock it out before he could gain control. They would have to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to only 4. On the sidelines, Woodard had enough with the losing and started to try and pump up his team before their next drive, “It takes just one play to turn this around, now let's go out and make it”. DB Lee Wolfe took that message right onto the field for the following possession and made it happen. QB Larry Larson turned to throw the ball to WR Ellis Lindholm underneath, but Wolfe would leave his man anticipating the pass and would make the diving pick to give Providence the ball.
4TH Q:
The largest playoff crowd the league had ever seen came alive. Woodard would take the ball down the rest of the way and find WR Peter Brooks for the touchdown and the 16-13 lead early in the 4th. The teams would trade drives for a bit before Boston would eventually get a 43-yard field goal to tie the game up. However, the Gold Stars were not going to let this game end in another loss and would take the ball all the way down the field for another touchdown, this time to WR John Osborn. Boston would still get another chance but once again, Larson would be picked off by Wolfe and the Gold Stars would be able to run down the clock and finally defeat Boston to go back to the McCallister Cup. Boston will not be playing in the game for the first time since 1941 when the Gold Stars won their last championship.
Montreal Rouge VS. Ottawa Royals - Mount Royal Stadium - September 27 - 6 PM ET - CBC
1ST Q:
The Royals started the game well with a long drive on their second of the day. QB Jean Matieau would get the Royals into the endzone with WR Eugene Burns to give them the early 7-0 lead. Montreal would not fall too far behind. RB Élisée Marchal would make his return to the playoffs known with several big runs leading to a play-action play that would set up WR John Rivera for the touchdown and QB Andrew Glover’s first playoff TD pass. Things took a bad turn for the Royals not long after when RB Alexei Volkov lost the football and LB Quinton Brewer would pick it up and then lateraled it to LB Rusty McVee who would bring it back 20 yards the other way. The turnover would end in Marchal’s first touchdown of the game.
2ND Q:
Ottawa would recover with a field goal to start the second. They would keep the ball moving but Montreal’s defense combined with the loud Montreal crowd slowed them down each time. The Rouge would be the next to score with a field goal and take the 7-point lead. Ottawa would get a late score before the half on a 25-yard pass to WR Allen Atkins to tie the game up at 17.
3RD Q:
The Royals came out of the half rolling, but things quickly went wrong when Matieau was stripped by DL Napoléon Chevalier. Montreal would recover. Élisée Marchal would lead the offense down the field to score his second touchdown and give Montreal the 7-point lead. They would keep the Royals at bay for the remainder of the third quarter.
4TH Q:
Montreal would strike again to start the 4th with another field goal. The Royals were not going to back down and Matieau would get the offense moving. They would eventually score another touchdown with Atkins. They would get the ball back once again and have a chance going the other way. Matieau would eventually find WR Willard Brooks open over the middle and he would catch it taking it down the field. Then, S Chester George would strip the receiver and would create yet another turnover giving the Rouge the ball. Marchal would run a lot of the clock and K Arthur Kettinger would make it a 6-point lead with a minute to go. Matieau would get the Royals back down the field, but they would run out of time with the Rouge winning and returning to the McCallister Cup for the third time in 4 years.
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Élisée Marchal MTL - 2 Touchdowns, 194 Rushing Yards
DEF: DB Lee Wolfe PRO - 2 Interceptions, 4 Tackles, 6 Knockdowns
35th McCallister Cup Preview
Providence Gold Stars VS. Montreal Rouge - New Providence Stadium - October 4 - 6 PM ET - CBS
Montreal won the only meeting between the teams this season in Week 9 23-17. However, Providence was also resting players during the game while Montreal was still looking to clinch their spot in the playoffs. This should be a fairly defensive battle with the top two defenses in the league battling it out. Providence’s offense will probably have the upper hand on the other side of the ball with Bruce Woodard and the veteran receiving core. Marchal will still be very difficult for the Gold Stars to stop considering the weaknesses on the defensive line. Montreal will have to rely on their star RB and try to shut down the air attack, while Providence will have to look to the air and find a way to slow down Marchal and force Montreal to pass with Glover.
Also to note, Montreal will be in their 3rd McCallister cup in 4 years and will have started a different QB in each game. Maurice Norris (1950), Oliver Callahan (1951), and Andrew Glover (1953).
1953 - 35th McCallister Cup
Providence Gold Stars VS. Montreal Rouge - New Providence Stadium - October 4 - 6 PM ET - CBS
1ST Q:
The Rouge started the game off with a heavy run game, as expected. RB Élisée Marchal was seeing the field really well and found a bit of space on each play. They would be stopped short of the endzone by the Gold Stars defense, but K Arthur Kettinger would open up the scoring with a field goal. Providence would find success on their second drive with QB Bruce Woodard connecting with WR John Osborn and TE Marion Warren which would lead to a touchdown pass to WR Peter Brooks to give Providence the early lead. Montreal would not slow down too much countering with a second field goal on the ensuing drive. 7-6 after the first.
2ND Q:
The second quarter became very defensive. Both teams traded several 2 and outs with a first down here or there. Marchal was being slowed down while Woodard was getting more pressure from the Rouge defensive line that was finding its way past the weaker O-line. Eventually the Gold Stars would make a mistake and the Rouge would take advantage. Bruce Woodard would drop back and was about to pass the ball. Pressure was coming so he tried to pull it back down, but he lost grip and was hit and couldn’t recover. DL Zakary Turbide would pick it up for Montreal which would set up a 3rd field goal. That would be all that either team could get in the remainder of the first half.
3RD Q:
The second half would start with more defense. Turbide seemed to find a rhythm on back-to-back plays knocking RB Gene Fischer on his back and then sacking Woodard. Montreal would take over and Glover would make a few passes to move Montreal down the field where Marchal took the sweep to the right side into the endzone to extend their lead to 7-16. Providence only continued to struggle as Woodard’s next pass was popped up by Quinton Brewer and LB Rusty McVee would come down with the interception and would set up another Montreal field goal to now lead 7-19 with 15 minutes to go.
4TH Q:
The final quarter finally had a moment for the Gold Stars to catch a break. They were able to manage Marchal and finally forced Glover to throw more which ended in a Lee Wolfe interception. The play would set up the Gold Stars to score. Woodard would find WR Michael Mcleod in the endzone for a touchdown and would cut the lead down to only 5. They would get the ball back not long after and would find some space, but the O-line was really starting to struggle under the pressure. DL Zakary Turbide got back to Woodard again for yet another sack and would then teamed up with DL Napoléon Chevalier to add another. Montreal was not giving Providence a chance. Eventually, Woodard would find Peter Brooks for a large gain. They would seem to get some breathing room, but they were stopped once again turning the ball over on downs. Marchal would take Montreal back the other way to get another field goal and seal the win for their second McCallister Cup in 3 years, upsetting the heavily favoured Gold Stars.
McCallister Cup MVP
DL Zakary Turbide MTL - 8 Tackles, 3.5 Sacks, 1 Fumble Recovery
1953 McCallister Cup Champions
1953 Season Recap
