1957 Division Semi-Finals
East Division Semi-Final
Ottawa Royals VS. Worcester Athletics - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 21, 1957 - 6 PM ET
1st Q
The cool September air started to set in as the Royals and Athletics got ready for the first playoff game of the season. Out of the gate, both teams gained a first down on their opening drive only to be stopped on the next set. The Royals would begin their second drive with a 7-yard run from RB Alexei Volkov and then a 6-yard pass to WR Mackenzie Jones. On the fresh set of downs, QB Jean Matieau would take the snap and would feel pressure from DL Vinny Brown. He would escape and toss the ball to rookie WR Ben Roland. Roland would reach to catch it but it bounced off his hands and up. DB Alexander Bradley saw his opportunity and came down with it giving Worcester prime field position. Not long later RB Marcus Devonshire found himself in the endzone for the early 0-7 lead. Ottawa would get a field goal back to cut into the lead, but Worcester’s defence was keeping them at bay
3-7 WOR
2nd Q
Matieau would get the offence rolling on a long meticulous drive. Matieau slowly picked apart the Athletics' defence. They finally reached the redzone on their 10th play. It only took a couple more plays for Matieau to connect with WR Mackenzie Jones for a 7-yard TD to take the lead. Worcester would eventually knot the game up with a 23-yard field goal from K Tevoris Francis, but Matieau would get the Royals back in front with a field goal just before the half.
13-10 OTT
3rd Q
QB Andrew Glover was starting to go to the air more with Devonshire starting to be contained by the Royals D-line. Eventually, he would find WR Clyde McIntosh who would get free for a 24-yard gain that helped put the Royals back into more pass coverage. It opened the door a bit more for Devonshire who would eventually breakthrough for his second TD of the game. Unfortunately, K Tevoris Francis would miss the extra point, but the Athletics would continue their plan with more passing and it seemed to be working. That was until Glover got antsy and tossed it right into the path of DB Mingan Oliver who would snag an interception. Ottawa would take over and Matieau would not take long to find Mackenzie Jones for his second TD of the game.
20-16 OTT
4th Q
The 4th was not much different as Glover and the Athletics stuck to their game plan and would get close enough to add yet another field goal to pull within 1. However, their defence was still struggling with Matieau and his passing ability. DB Alexander Bradley was doing a great job shutting down WR Chester Bennett, but the rest of the secondary was not able to contain the other weapons. The Royals would even switch it up with runs and passes to Volkov that opened things up even more. As time winded down, RB Alexei Volkov would score a late touchdown to extend the Royals lead. They would tag on a 2-point convert with WR Mackenzie Jones to make it a 2-score game. The Athletics could not get to the endzone as Glover was picked off again on their next drive, this time by DB Uzzia Hayes. The Royals held on to win their 7th straight playoff game and will get ready for Providence next week.
Long Island Raiders VS. Boston Independents - Long Island Stadium - September 22, 1957 - 6 PM ET
1st Q
The questions about QB Lyle Painter and the ability of the Raiders offence were answers quickly. On the opening drive, Painter was able to lead the Raiders down the entire field to score the first points of the game. He would hit WR Robert Lang on the sidelines before he would take it into the endzone to make it 7-0 Raiders. Boston would get their first opportunity on offence 3 minutes into the game. QB Bart Swayze was looking to shift momentum back in their favour, but he would run into a fierce LB Rusty McVee. After RB Joel Bonner ran for 2 yards on first down, Swayze would drop to pass on second down where McVee would fly through the O-line and would rock the QB. Swayze had a rough time recovering from that one and the offence went 2 and out on every other drive in the quarter.
7-0 LI
2nd Q
The Raiders would continue to control the game in the second quarter. RB Conner Riley would score a touchdown early on to extend the Raiders’ lead to 14-0. Not long after, DB Slay Mitchell would come away with a pick from Swayze. The turnover would turn into a K Henderson Schumacher field goal to make it 17-0. The Independents were not able to get anything going in the first half and would be completely shutout. Swayze would throw another 2 picks as time was winding down to DB Amyre Rouleau and LB Rusty McVee.
17-0 LI
3rd Q
Boston needed to make a change in the second half, so they turned back to QB Caldwell Higgins III. Higgins was able to get the offence moving a bit more. Despite his lack of playoff experience, Higgins was playing more calm and not trying to force passes. On their third drive of the half, Higgins would see an opening and would find WR Ellis Lindholm. Lindholm would turn a 15-yard toss into a touchdown, weaving his way through the Raiders’ defence to score. Boston was back in the fight. However, Long Island was able to grab a second field goal to make it 20-7 heading into the final quarter.
20-7 LI
4th Q
The Long Island defence had finally shown up in this game. Their only mistake so far had been the long Lindholm TD. The final quarter would be another strong showing. They would snag their fifth turnover of the game with DB Slay Mitchell’s second pick. The offence kept running down the clock with RB Conner Riley. They also were preventing injuring more WR’s with Darryl Duke having to leave the game earlier in the quarter. Fortunately for Boston, they would get a break with LB Brent Harper knocking the ball free from Conner Riley. It gave Boston a chance, but their offence sputtered. DL Vernon Spears would sack Higgins and Boston would have to go for it on 3rd and 16. Higgins was unable to get the first after tossing it to TE Richard Stewart who was stopped short. Boston lost any hope at that point and the Raiders would run out the clock to win the game.
WR Darryl Duke LI - 1 Week
OL Nazario Baldassare WOR - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
East Division Final
Providence Gold Stars VS. Ottawa Royals - New Providence Stadium - September 28, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W4: PRO 23-20 OTT, W7: OTT 34-24 PRO
The Gold Stars have had a strong season, and have been great in late-game situations. 6 of their 9 wins were within 1 score and many of them have come from strong performances in the final quarter. The defence has been strong this season with the addition of DL Zakary Turbide, who will have to carry a bigger weight with DL Calias McDonough out for the season. At the end of the day, QB Connor O’Rourke will be the most important factor in the game and will need to make a huge impact to get the team back to the McCallister Cup. Ottawa looks hot at the moment coming off a strong win over Worcester at home. They also were able to top the Gold Stars with a 10-point win in week 7 and will hope to replicate that game. WR Mackenzie Jones showed how much of a threat he was in the sem-final and will hopefully open up the field for Chester Bennett to be more involved as well. It will be a close one where either team could come out on top.
My Pick: Royals
West Semi-Final
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Long Island Raiders - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 29, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W4: BUF 25-14 LI, W12: LI 18-24 BUF
The West Final is a tough battle to gage with the only true matchup between the teams that happened way back in week 4 where the Blue Wings smacking the Raiders. Since then, both teams have changed a lot and the week 12 game was a battle of backups. Buffalo is the hot hand in this game, with a 9-game win streak behind them. QB Angelo Medina has recaptured some of the magic he has had in the 1952 championship season and will be a main factor for the Blue Wings. Of course, RB Arthur Conner and DL Sean Bowen will also be looked at to lead the Blue Wings forward. However, you cannot count out Long Island whose defence finally came together in a dominant win over Boston. LB Rusty McVee and DL Vernon Spears gave both Boston QBs a hell of a time and will hope to do the same to Medina. QB Lyle Painter looked solid too and will have to make some plays to get the Raiders into a good position. However, the Blue Wings are hot and will be a very tough team to slow down, especially in front of their home crowd.
My Pick: Blue Wings
1957 Division Finals
East Division Final
Providence Gold Stars VS. Ottawa Royals - New Providence Stadium - September 28, 1957 - 6 PM ET
1st Q
The Gold Stars looking to prevent the Royals from making their 4th straight McCallister Cup got off to a super hot start. The defence put the pressure on immediately. DB Lee Wolfe would intercept QB Jean Matieau’s 2nd pass of the game, which the offence quickly turned into a field goal. To make matters worse for the Royals, WR Chester Bennett was injured on the interception and would be done for the game. A couple drives later, the Gold Stars would get their second interception with DB Victor Bean reeling in a pass intended for WR Ben Roland. This time the Gold Stars would get to the house with a WR Peter Brooks touchdown to make it 10-0 after the first quarter.
10-0 PRO
2nd Q
Ottawa would begin the second quarter with a better drive heavily focused around RB Alexei Volkov. They only could get down to the 41, but with the wind, K Maurice Lafayette would nail the long kick. Despite the Royals finally getting on the board, QB Connor O’Rourke kept the Gold Stars rolling. He would march the offence back to the redzone where he found breakout WR, Sammy Moss for his second TD pass of the day and extending the lead to 17-3. The defence would continue to do their job and kept the Royals to 3 points in the first half.
17-3 PRO
3rd Q
Without WR Chester Bennett, the Royals seemed like they couldn’t get anything going. A change of gameplan was a sure thing coming out of the break. They went to work fairly quickly grabbing a field goal on their first drive. However, Providence was still well in control. Well, until RB Alexei Volkov broke free for a 43-yard scramble. He was only stopped by Lee Wolfe after getting the Royals into striking range. Matieau would inch the ball closer to the endzone before Volkov would punch it in for the touchdown. Looking to make it a 3-point game, they would go for 2. Matieau would drop back and DB Lee Wolfe would knock away the pass attempt to Mackenzie Jones leaving the score at 17-12 heading into the final quarter.
17-12 PRO
4th Q
The Providence defence was still standing strong, but they started to show cracks, and Royals HC Joseph Curry exploited them. Mixing things up on offence again threw the Gold Stars for a curveball and the Royals pulled the WRs back for a few runs, they even pulled off the flea-flicker from last year’s McCallister Cup to get the Royals back into scoring range. After RB Alexei Volkov ran an attempt at the endzone, the Royals would toss a quick shovel pass to WR Toni Radovanovic running in front of Matieau. Radovanovic would take it in for his first career touchdown after missing most of the season with injuries. The royals would take their second attempt at a 2-point convert. Matieau once again dropped back but he surprised everyone by taking off towards the endzone. Providence was caught off guard and the Royals were now up by 3. The fans were not pleased with Providence blowing a 17-3 and were booing their own team. QB Connor O’Rourke tried to use that as fuel for his team. He would take the field and execute. He marched the Gold Stars back down the field. As they approached the endzone O’Rourke would take a shot at WR Peter Brooks, but DB Uzzia Hayes would deny the connection. With a surprise on the following down, the Gold Stars turned to RB Élisée Marchal who would take it in for the go-ahead touchdown. Providence was back on top 24-20 with 3 minutes to go. The 3 minutes was plenty of time for Ottawa. Matieau would be able to get the Royals back down the field and would be in the redzone again. They would end up on the 18-yard line with a 3rd down. Matieau would drop back for the pass and he would toss the ball quickly to RB Alexei Volkov. The RB turned up the field to run and would make a quick move on LB Gerald Lamb. Lamb lost his footing but still went for the tackle and his hand would end up in Volkov’s face. Volkov would be brought down short, but a 5-yard facemask penalty was called, giving the Royals a fresh set of downs. Moments later Matieau would toss it to Volkov for the game-winning touchdown to send the Royals to their 4th straight McCallister Cup.
West Semi-Final
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Long Island Raiders - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 29, 1957 - 6 PM ET
1st Q
The crowd at Buffalo Civic Stadium was loud from the moment the doors opened. Everyone was excited for another playoff game. However, it was the Raiders who got off to a good start. QB Lyle Painter was able to get the offence into field goal range on their opening drive to take a quick 0-3 lead. Buffalo would take the field for their first drive and it would go wrong. RB Arthur Conner took a handoff up the middle, but DL Tyrone Affalo was able to get his hand into the arm of Conner. Affalo would strip the ball and it would roll right to LB Elijah Goldwater. The Raiders took over with great field position. Painter would take the field and on second down they would run a quick pass to WR John Osborn over the middle. Osborn would catch it and turn upfield into LB Claude Adams and LB Ben McCray. McCray would have a good position and would take the ball right back for the Blue Wings. That play would shift momentum back into Buffalo’s hands. They would tie the game up at 3 before the end of the quarter
3-3
2nd Q
Buffalo would keep riding the momentum to their second field goal of the game to make it 6-3. The Raiders felt they were in a good position after holding the Blue Wings to only a field goal. The offence was moving down the field quite well until Painter threw the ball into the hands of S Frazier Brooks who would take it back into Raider territory. The Blue Wings would drive the rest of the way to score the first touchdown of the game with RB Arthur Conner. They would take the 10-point lead into the half.
13-3 BUF
3rd Q
The momentum was still heavily tilted into Buffalo’s favour out of the break. QB Angelo Medina would lead the offence back to the endzone. This time he would take it in himself from 6 yards out to make it 19-3 after a missed convert. The Raiders were able to recover a bit with a strong drive to counter the touchdown. Painter would just miss out on a touchdown pass to WR Robert Lang, as the play was broken up by S Frazier Brooks. They would settle for the field goal to make it 19-6. However, Lang was hurt on the previous play and would leave the game.
19-6 BUF
4th Q
The Raiders would grab some momentum with the field goal drive and would find themselves in scoring range again after DL Vernon Spears knocked the ball loose from Medina for a turnover. Painter would capitalize this time on a shot to WR Travis Gallagher to cut the lead to 6. Buffalo was not going to let the Raiders back into the game. Rallying behind the crowd, the Blue Wings would score again to make the score 26-13. RB Arthur Conner would be the scoring player on his second of the game. Buffalo had control once again and the Raiders were losing hope. They would make a push but as they got to their own 40, Painter would throw a pick to DB Louie White. White, who was playing in his first-ever playoff game, would take it all the way back for a score giving Buffalo a 20-point lead. Buffalo would shut down the Raiders for the rest of the game to send themselves to their 2nd McCallister Cup.
Injury Report
WR Robert Lang LI - Day-to-Day
DB Amyre Rouleau LI - 1 Week
WR Chester Bennett OTT - Day-to-Day
OL Vernon Baxter PRO - 1 Week
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Alexei Volkov OTT - 1 Receiving Touchdown, 1 Rushing Touchdown, 114 Rushing Yards, 57 Receiving Yards
DEF: DB Louie White BUF - 1 Interception, 1 Touchdown, 3 Knockdowns, 4 Tackles
39th McCallister Cup
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Ottawa Royals - Richardson Stadium - October 6, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W9 BUF 20-19 OTT
The Buffalo Blue Wings continued on their path of destruction in the West Final in the 33-13 win over the Raiders, and they don’t look like they’ll slow down. QB Angelo Medina and RB Arthur Conner have been keeping the offence moving this whole season. Going up against a weaker run defence, they will likely have lots of opportunities to break free. The defence was great in the West final causing 4 turnovers in total and will be hoping to knock Jean Matieau off his game. However, both Worcester and Providence had their success with Matiaeu, but the QB has managed to pull through in both situations. The offence despite losing their top receiver was able to come back and win last week, which just shows the force they will be with him back in the lineup. The defence isn’t the best against the run, but they’ve been doing well in the playoffs so far. This is going to be quite the game between two teams that have played now 3 times in the playoffs. Ottawa has won 2 of the 3 and Buffalo will be hungry to get the series tied up in an intense final game.
My Pick: Blue Wings
East Division Final
Providence Gold Stars VS. Ottawa Royals - New Providence Stadium - September 28, 1957 - 6 PM ET
1st Q
The Gold Stars looking to prevent the Royals from making their 4th straight McCallister Cup got off to a super hot start. The defence put the pressure on immediately. DB Lee Wolfe would intercept QB Jean Matieau’s 2nd pass of the game, which the offence quickly turned into a field goal. To make matters worse for the Royals, WR Chester Bennett was injured on the interception and would be done for the game. A couple drives later, the Gold Stars would get their second interception with DB Victor Bean reeling in a pass intended for WR Ben Roland. This time the Gold Stars would get to the house with a WR Peter Brooks touchdown to make it 10-0 after the first quarter.
10-0 PRO
2nd Q
Ottawa would begin the second quarter with a better drive heavily focused around RB Alexei Volkov. They only could get down to the 41, but with the wind, K Maurice Lafayette would nail the long kick. Despite the Royals finally getting on the board, QB Connor O’Rourke kept the Gold Stars rolling. He would march the offence back to the redzone where he found breakout WR, Sammy Moss for his second TD pass of the day and extending the lead to 17-3. The defence would continue to do their job and kept the Royals to 3 points in the first half.
17-3 PRO
3rd Q
Without WR Chester Bennett, the Royals seemed like they couldn’t get anything going. A change of gameplan was a sure thing coming out of the break. They went to work fairly quickly grabbing a field goal on their first drive. However, Providence was still well in control. Well, until RB Alexei Volkov broke free for a 43-yard scramble. He was only stopped by Lee Wolfe after getting the Royals into striking range. Matieau would inch the ball closer to the endzone before Volkov would punch it in for the touchdown. Looking to make it a 3-point game, they would go for 2. Matieau would drop back and DB Lee Wolfe would knock away the pass attempt to Mackenzie Jones leaving the score at 17-12 heading into the final quarter.
17-12 PRO
4th Q
The Providence defence was still standing strong, but they started to show cracks, and Royals HC Joseph Curry exploited them. Mixing things up on offence again threw the Gold Stars for a curveball and the Royals pulled the WRs back for a few runs, they even pulled off the flea-flicker from last year’s McCallister Cup to get the Royals back into scoring range. After RB Alexei Volkov ran an attempt at the endzone, the Royals would toss a quick shovel pass to WR Toni Radovanovic running in front of Matieau. Radovanovic would take it in for his first career touchdown after missing most of the season with injuries. The royals would take their second attempt at a 2-point convert. Matieau once again dropped back but he surprised everyone by taking off towards the endzone. Providence was caught off guard and the Royals were now up by 3. The fans were not pleased with Providence blowing a 17-3 and were booing their own team. QB Connor O’Rourke tried to use that as fuel for his team. He would take the field and execute. He marched the Gold Stars back down the field. As they approached the endzone O’Rourke would take a shot at WR Peter Brooks, but DB Uzzia Hayes would deny the connection. With a surprise on the following down, the Gold Stars turned to RB Élisée Marchal who would take it in for the go-ahead touchdown. Providence was back on top 24-20 with 3 minutes to go. The 3 minutes was plenty of time for Ottawa. Matieau would be able to get the Royals back down the field and would be in the redzone again. They would end up on the 18-yard line with a 3rd down. Matieau would drop back for the pass and he would toss the ball quickly to RB Alexei Volkov. The RB turned up the field to run and would make a quick move on LB Gerald Lamb. Lamb lost his footing but still went for the tackle and his hand would end up in Volkov’s face. Volkov would be brought down short, but a 5-yard facemask penalty was called, giving the Royals a fresh set of downs. Moments later Matieau would toss it to Volkov for the game-winning touchdown to send the Royals to their 4th straight McCallister Cup.
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Long Island Raiders - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 29, 1957 - 6 PM ET
1st Q
The crowd at Buffalo Civic Stadium was loud from the moment the doors opened. Everyone was excited for another playoff game. However, it was the Raiders who got off to a good start. QB Lyle Painter was able to get the offence into field goal range on their opening drive to take a quick 0-3 lead. Buffalo would take the field for their first drive and it would go wrong. RB Arthur Conner took a handoff up the middle, but DL Tyrone Affalo was able to get his hand into the arm of Conner. Affalo would strip the ball and it would roll right to LB Elijah Goldwater. The Raiders took over with great field position. Painter would take the field and on second down they would run a quick pass to WR John Osborn over the middle. Osborn would catch it and turn upfield into LB Claude Adams and LB Ben McCray. McCray would have a good position and would take the ball right back for the Blue Wings. That play would shift momentum back into Buffalo’s hands. They would tie the game up at 3 before the end of the quarter
3-3
2nd Q
Buffalo would keep riding the momentum to their second field goal of the game to make it 6-3. The Raiders felt they were in a good position after holding the Blue Wings to only a field goal. The offence was moving down the field quite well until Painter threw the ball into the hands of S Frazier Brooks who would take it back into Raider territory. The Blue Wings would drive the rest of the way to score the first touchdown of the game with RB Arthur Conner. They would take the 10-point lead into the half.
13-3 BUF
3rd Q
The momentum was still heavily tilted into Buffalo’s favour out of the break. QB Angelo Medina would lead the offence back to the endzone. This time he would take it in himself from 6 yards out to make it 19-3 after a missed convert. The Raiders were able to recover a bit with a strong drive to counter the touchdown. Painter would just miss out on a touchdown pass to WR Robert Lang, as the play was broken up by S Frazier Brooks. They would settle for the field goal to make it 19-6. However, Lang was hurt on the previous play and would leave the game.
19-6 BUF
4th Q
The Raiders would grab some momentum with the field goal drive and would find themselves in scoring range again after DL Vernon Spears knocked the ball loose from Medina for a turnover. Painter would capitalize this time on a shot to WR Travis Gallagher to cut the lead to 6. Buffalo was not going to let the Raiders back into the game. Rallying behind the crowd, the Blue Wings would score again to make the score 26-13. RB Arthur Conner would be the scoring player on his second of the game. Buffalo had control once again and the Raiders were losing hope. They would make a push but as they got to their own 40, Painter would throw a pick to DB Louie White. White, who was playing in his first-ever playoff game, would take it all the way back for a score giving Buffalo a 20-point lead. Buffalo would shut down the Raiders for the rest of the game to send themselves to their 2nd McCallister Cup.
WR Robert Lang LI - Day-to-Day
DB Amyre Rouleau LI - 1 Week
WR Chester Bennett OTT - Day-to-Day
OL Vernon Baxter PRO - 1 Week
Players of the Week
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Ottawa Royals - Richardson Stadium - October 6, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W9 BUF 20-19 OTT
The Buffalo Blue Wings continued on their path of destruction in the West Final in the 33-13 win over the Raiders, and they don’t look like they’ll slow down. QB Angelo Medina and RB Arthur Conner have been keeping the offence moving this whole season. Going up against a weaker run defence, they will likely have lots of opportunities to break free. The defence was great in the West final causing 4 turnovers in total and will be hoping to knock Jean Matieau off his game. However, both Worcester and Providence had their success with Matiaeu, but the QB has managed to pull through in both situations. The offence despite losing their top receiver was able to come back and win last week, which just shows the force they will be with him back in the lineup. The defence isn’t the best against the run, but they’ve been doing well in the playoffs so far. This is going to be quite the game between two teams that have played now 3 times in the playoffs. Ottawa has won 2 of the 3 and Buffalo will be hungry to get the series tied up in an intense final game.
My Pick: Blue Wings
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