1958 Division Semi-Finals
EAST DIVISION SEMI-FINAL
Boston Independents VS. Providence Gold Stars - Richardson Stadium - September 21, 1958 - 1 PM ET
1st Q
The classic rivalry with two QBs vying for their first career playoff win started slow. Boston’s defence was strong out of the gate forcing the Gold Stars to a 2 and out on their opening drive. However, the offence was not much better as QB Nathaniel Braddock would find WR Ronald Vernon for a first down, but they would be stuffed on back to back rushing attempts on the next set of downs. The opening quarter would continue with the back and forth until Braddock found rookie WR Paul Franklin open for a gain of 24 yards which would set up K Johnnie Berg for a field goal to make it 3-0 Boston.
3-0 BOS
2nd Q
Providence would look to counter the field goal early in the second quarter, but they still were not moving the ball well. Midway through the quarter, the Gold Stars were finally into Boston territory when O’Rourke would toss the ball to WR Sammy Moss. The receiver would look to turn it upfield but would run right into LB Marco Price. Price’s hit would jar the ball loose leading to DB Carson Scott jumping on top of it. The momentum seemed to shift further into Boston’s favour off of the fumble. However, only a few plays later, DL Calias McDonough and DL Zakary Turbide would bring the pressure on Braddock. The rookie QB would panic a bit in the pocket taking a hit from Turbide from behind and having the ball knocked loose by McDonough. McDonough would land on the ball and the Gold Stars would take over on the Boston 34. O’Rourke would lead the Gold Stars down to the 4-yard line before giving it off to RB Johnnie Stafford who would punch it in to make it 3-7 heading into the half.
3-7 PRO
3rd Q
The Gold Stars looked to build off of their touchdown in the second with a strong first drive out of the break. O’Rourke would eventually find WR Sammy Moss open for a 23-yard touchdown pass which would help Moss make up for his earlier fumble. Boston’s offence would continue to struggle in the second half with Braddock unable to get the ball moving through the air and RB Kendall Morgan struggling on the ground. They would be able to get into field goal range late in the quarter to cut the lead to 8 heading into the final frame.
6-14 PRO
4th Q
The Gold Stars were wary about the final quarter, especially after blowing their lead in the second half against Ottawa in the playoffs last season. Braddock would look scary out of the gate grabbing a couple of first downs getting the Independents to midfield, however, he would get pressure from McDonough and would force a pass to WR Joseph Barry. It was wildly underthrown and DB Victor Bean would pounce all over it grabbing Providence’s second turnover of the game. Fortunately, the Boston defence was able to force Providence to a 2 and out and get the ball right back. Braddock looked to recover, but on the second drive in a row, he would throw a pick, this time it was DB Lee Wolfe coming down with it. Providence would take over and burn the clock on a long drive that would end with RB Johnnie Stafford’s second touchdown of the game. Boston would have nothing left in them, failing to get to the endzone and turning it over on downs on their last couple of drives. Thus leading to Providence’s first playoff win since 1953.
London Tigers VS. Buffalo Blue Wings - Western Fair Stadium - September 21, 1958 - 4 PM ET
There was sad news in the Tigers’ locker room following their week 12 win against Louisville. QB Riley Kiernan was not himself last season while playing with the Athletics and he had only mentioned that there were some personal issues he was dealing with. It was finally revealed what the issues were. Bill Kiernan, Riley’s father, was sick and had been in and out of the hospital over the past year. While his condition had improved over the summer, during the season it got worse and eventually, Bill passed away on the Monday following the Tigers’ game in Louisville. The team supported Riley and they would be willing to play without him, but the star QB decided to stay in London and play this game.
“My father pushed me to keep playing last season when I wanted to step away and spend time with him. I know that right now I should be with my family, but I know my father would want me to be out there on the field living my dream. That’s why I’m playing.” - Riley Kiernan
1st Q
When the teams took the field in London, the atmosphere was thrilling. London filled up the stadium along with many fans that made the trip over from Buffalo or Kitchener to see the classic rivalry in action. The noise in the stadium never seemed to get quiet even when the Tigers would take the field on offence. The Blue Wing fans were loud enough to rally a consistent buzz in the stadium. The Tigers would look to get going early, but would only pick up a single first down before punting. However, Buffalo had worse luck on their opening possession. RB Arthur Conner would take the ball up the middle only to have the ball be punched loose by DL Dee Floyd. DL William Collins would fall on top of it for London shifting the momentum heavily in the Tigers’ favour. Kiernan would retake the field and would be picture perfect on the drive down to the endzone where he would toss it to WR Wilbert Benjamin to make it a 7-0 game early. Kiernan would point to the sky after throwing the touchdown, saluting his father. The Tigers would continue to put up the pressure and would get another field goal to make it 10-0 after the 1st quarter.
10-0 LDN
2nd Q
Buffalo came out in the second with a little more aggressiveness in their play. It helped them get to around mid-field before being forced to punt where K Donald Brewer would pin the Tigers on their own 7-yard line. However, Kiernan was not letting that stop him. He would take the Tigers down the field on a 93-yard drive which was capped off on a RB Clifford Russell sweep to give the Tigers a 17-0 lead. Buffalo would manage to get a field goal with time running out in the half to cut into the lead, but they were still down 17-3.
17-3 LDN
3rd Q
The first score of the second half would come from the Tigers after Kiernan found WR Benedict Spencer open for a 29-yard pass to put them in field goal range. K Nathaniel King would put the Tigers up 20-3 on the 32-yard attempt. Buffalo would look to get back in the game following the field goal. QB Angelo Medina started to rely on his legs and arm to make things happen as the Tigers’ defence was clogging up the run lane for Arthur Conner. Medina would make a couple of plays, and he broke out of the pocket and then threw a pass to WR Daniel Irons. However, the pass was a bit high and would tip off of Irons’ hands and end up falling into DB Jackson Miles’. The Tigers would take over and Kiernan would lead them back to the endzone again. WR Benedict Spencer would bring in the pass from 11-yards out to give the Tigers a 27-3 lead heading into the 4th.
27-3 LDN
4th Q
Medina would not give up for the Blue Wings despite being down by 24. He would get the offence going and would hit WR LeRoy Krueger deep for a 45-yard touchdown pass. They would punch in the 2-point conversion to cut the lead to just 16. The Blue Wings started to come back to life and found themselves moving down the field again, but this time they would not be as lucky with WR Toni Radovanvic losing the ball to LB Aengus Lynch after catching a short pass. The Tigers would take over and Kiernan would find WR Wilbert Benjamin for another touchdown to give the Tigers a massive 34-11 lead. Buffalo was unable to get anything else going. Medina would throw one more pick this time to DB Ricardo Salvador that would ultimately put them to bed. The Tigers rallied behind Kiernan in the game and they tore up the field winning their first-ever postseason game in franchise history. Kiernan was emotional after the win and even returned to the field to pray and salute his father after the stadium had emptied, taking it all in.
LB Konrad Aust BOS - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
Division Finals Preview
EAST DIVISION FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Providence Gold Stars - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 28, 1958 - 1 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W3 PRO 17-23 OTT; W7 OTT 27-14 PRO
While the Royals have dominated this entire season, their matchup against the Gold Stars might be a lot closer than you’d think. In both matchups this season, the first half was a shootout between the teams with the Gold Stars leading 14-10 in the week 3 match and the team’s being tied 14-14 in the Week 7 game. The true difference was the Royals’ defence in the second half. If the Gold Stars can keep their offensive production up and not let the Royals take control, they will certainly find themselves in the game. I will say these are the two best teams record-wise over the second half of the season, with the Gold Stars going 6-2 over their last 8 games and the Royals of course winning every game this season. However, even with the Gold Stars playing at this level, the Royals are still the Royals and have continued to find ways to win games. I expect them to come out on top in a very tight game.
My Pick: Royals
WEST DIVISION FINAL
Long Island Raiders VS. London Tigers - Long Island Stadium - September 28, 1958 - 4 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W2 LI 16-25 LDN; W10 LDN 10-20 LI
The matchup in Long Island is certainly an interesting one. The Raiders and Tigers split their season series with the Raiders taking the most recent matchup with their strong defence shutting down the Tigers. The key for the Raiders has been getting early points and taking control of the game with their defence. In the first match between the team’s the scoring was quite split which allowed the Tigers to keep the Raiders on their heels, while in the second Long Island was up 14-0 which was tough for the Tigers to find a way out of. If Kiernan can continue his strong play from last week, the Tigers could find themselves in a good place, however, if Long Island’s defence can lock them down, the Raiders could find themselves back in the McCallister Cup. I have a feeling the Tigers might just be hitting the right stride and they come out with a narrow win in Long Island.
My Pick: Tigers
1958 Division Finals
WEST DIVISION FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Providence Gold Stars - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 28, 1958 - 1 PM ET
1st Q
The rematch of last year’s East Division Final would live up to the excitement that was surrounding it. The game would open with a strong Providence drive. QB Connor O’Rourke would get the Gold Stars down to the 14-yard line on their opening drive. The Royals seemed to be having trouble with the Gold Stars’ offence that was finding ways to keep the ball moving. O’Rourke would toss a touchdown pass to WR Peter Brooks from 14 yards out to give the Gold Stars a 0-7 lead. While the Royals' defence got off to a slow start, their offence was not in the same boat. QB Jean Matieau would take the Royals back the other way on a very similar drive that would end with an 8-yard TD pass to WR Mackenzie Jones to tie the game back up. The rest of the quarter, no one would score, but the Gold Stars were getting close to the endzone again.
7-7
2nd Q
Providence would keep the ball moving on the drive that crossed over into the second. O’Rourke would take another shot at the end zone, however, this time DB Uzzia Hayes would be able to get a hand in the way and break up the attempt to WR Cedric Peterson. Unfortunately during that play, Peterson would come down awkwardly after jumping for the pass and was unable to finish the game. Providence would settle for a field goal to make it 7-10. Ottawa’s offence would counter the field goal with another strong drive. Matieau would find WR Chester Bennett for a 48-yard play that would put the Royals at the 11-yard line. On the next play, RB Alexei Volkov would find a hole break it into the endzone giving the Royals back the lead. With time running out, Connor O’Rourke would lead the Gold Stars on a very quick drive. He even was able to take another shot at the end zone, but the play would be broken up again. They would still get a field goal to cut the lead down to 1 heading into the half.
14-13 OTT
3rd Q
Out of the break, the Royals would keep up their strong offensive play and would get a field goal on the opening drive to make it 17-13. Providence would not take long to respond by getting back the field goal on their next drive out making it 17-16. Following the field goal trade, bad news would strike the Royals as star DL Olaf Viktorsson would go down with an injury while trying to break past OL Varo Giovanni. He would leave the game and not return which severely hurt the Royals D-line, especially with Troy Hunt also being hurt earlier in the game and was replaced by his twin brother Tim Hunt. To make matters worse S Lester Greer would also leave in his first game back, after re-aggravating his injury in the first half. The Gold Stars offence was already having success with the Royals defence, this only added to it, however, no one would score until the final quarter.
17-16 OTT
4th Q
In the final frame, the Gold Stars had momentum shifting in their favour. As the Royals were driving, Jean Matieau would look to WR Chester Bennett for a 23-yard pass, but a rare miscue from the Royals would result in DB Lee Wolfe coming down with an interception. The Gold Stars took the ball and ran with it, literally. On 2nd and 3, O’Rourke would hand the ball off to RB Johnnie Stafford who would break right through the Royals defence and take it in for a 42-yard touchdown run to give the Gold Stars a narrow lead with 5 minutes to go. They would miss the convert attempt, but it seemed that they had control of the game. However, they are still playing Jean Matieau, and you can never count the Royals out with him under center. The Royals would get right back into it, driving down the field. The Gold Stars luck seemed to run out as Matieau was able to find open players, play after play. They would get down to the 5-yard line where Providence looked to stop them. On 1st and Goal, the Gold Stars would stop RB Alexei Volkov after a gain of 1, then 2nd down would be an incomplete pass. After a timeout, the Royals would look to try and punch it in on 3rd and goal. Matieau would drop back but would get immediate pressure from DL Calias McDonough. Volkov was able to step in and help OL Aaron Spears block. However, McDonough still grabbed a piece of Matiaeu’s jersey. Matieau struggled to escape, but he kept his eyes up and would see an open target. Matieau would get the ball off with McDonough pulling him back. The ball sailed to the endzone and WR Truman Harry would come down with the catch to score the touchdown and give the Royals back the lead. The Royals would also tack on the 2-point convert on a pass to Mackenzie Jones to make it 25-22. Providence did not give up as O’Rourke would try to lead the offence back to score. As time ticked away, O’Rourke would look to put the ball into field goal range on 2nd and 10. His pass to WR Sammy Moss would be broken up by DB Mingan Oliver which led to 3rd and 10. On the next attempt, O’Rourke could not find a man and the pass attempt to WR Peter Brooks would fall incomplete. The Royals would hold on to their unbeaten season and head to their 5th straight McCallister Cup.
WEST DIVISION FINAL
Long Island Raiders VS. London Tigers - Long Island Stadium - September 28, 1958 - 4 PM ET
1st Q
After the Tigers put up 34 points against the Blue Wings last week, their offence was not quite as top-notch in the division final against the Raiders. On their opening drive, QB Riley Kiernan would pick up a first down on a pass to WR Benedict Spencer, but on the new set of downs, RB Clifford Russell would be stuffed and then Kiernan was sacked by DL Vernon Spears, forcing them to punt out of the gate. The Raiders offence was a bit slow out of the gate as well, but QB Lyle Painter would let rookie RB Dareion Fields take over. Fields would find some gaps leading to a strong drive near the end of the 1st. Fields would eventually scramble in on a 15-yard run to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead after the opening frame.
7-0 LI
2nd Q
In the second, Kiernan was able to get a little bit of life into the Tigers’ offence making a 26-yard throw to WR Wilbert Benjamin that would set up a field goal to cut into the Raiders’ early lead. However, that was all the offence could get going in the frame. On their next drive, RB Clifford Russell would lose the ball to LB Rusty McVee who would hit him from the side forcing the ball out. LB Elijah Goldwater would land on top of it giving the Raiders the ball. K Henderson Schumacher would nail a 35-yard field goal to make it 10-3 heading into the break.
10-3 LI
3rd Q
The Raiders continued to control the game in the second half, which was exactly what the Tigers needed to avoid. The Raiders’ defence would stuff the Tigers on their first 3 drives, forcing 2-and-outs on all three. In that time, the Raiders would tack on another field goal to their lead to make it 13-3 nearing the end of the quarter. With the Tigers backed against the wall, Riley Kiernan would have to step up to make things happen. On their next drive, he would get the team moving, finding WR Max Sutton for their first 1st down of the half. They would continue to move, but eventually, the Raiders would still hold them back forcing a punt near midfield. K Nathaniel King’s kick would pin the Raiders deep in their own territory. Now it was the Tigers’ defence that needed to make a play. They would come up big with Lyle Painter looking to pass on 2nd and 8 from the Raiders’ 27-yard line, DL Olympus Heights would get through the Raiders’ O-line and would land a hit on Painter. Painter, who was mid-throw, would launch the ball forward, but it would flutter right into LB Aengus Lynch’s hands giving the Tigers great field position.
13-3 LI
4th Q
Kiernan would take the field and would lead the Tigers on a charge to close their gap to the end zone. Eventually, Kiernan would drop back and would throw a pass to WR Wilbert Benjamin to cut the lead to just 3. The Raiders would have to get things going on the offensive side to try and tip the field position back in their favour. Lyle Painter would do this on a pass to WR Darryl Duke which would get the Raider out of their own end. They would punt soon after, leaving the defence to get back in control. On first down, DL Tyrone Affalo would put pressure on in the backfield which would force Kiernan to throw the ball away. On second down, LB Rusty McVee would make a charge on the blitz and would get to Kiernan bringing in a sack. On third, the Tigers would have to make up 16 yards so they would punt putting the Raiders in a good position on offence. Painter would make a throw to WR Robert Lang to grab a fresh set of downs on the second play of the ensuing drive. After the 14-yard gain, the ball was back into the hands of RB Dareion Fields. Fields would take the ball down the rest of the way and would punch in his second TD of the game, putting the Raiders up 20-10. The Tigers would still make a huge effort with time winding down. Kiernan was able to find WR Wilbert Benjamin for a long gain which would get them into field goal range. They would settle for a field goal after back-to-back incompletions to make it a one-score game. The Raiders would kill a lot of clock on their next drive giving it to Dareion Fields, but the Tigers would force them to a 3rd and 3 and a punt. The Tigers' last chance would start strong with a pair of first-down catches. Kiernan would keep it up, getting the Tigers back into Raiders’ territory. On 1st and 10 from 33 yards out Kiernan would look to make a play to Wilbert Benjamin. He would roll out and toss it down the field, but it was a risky throw and DB Slay Mitchell would manage to get a hand in the way tipping the ball up. S Johan Eckhart would run under it to grab the pick all but sealing the fate of the game, as the Raiders would hold on to the win and book their ticket to their second McCallister Cup in 4 years.
Injury Report
DL Timmy Kerr LI - Day-to-Day
DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 1 Week
DL Troy Hunt OTT - 2 Weeks
S Lester Greer OTT - 1 Week
OL Sydney Good PRO - 2 Weeks
WR Cedric Peterson PRO - 4 Weeks
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Dareion Fields LI - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 149 Rushing Yards
DEF: LB Rusty McVee LI - 1 Forced Fumble, 8 Tackles, 1 Sack
40th McCallister Cup Preview
Ottawa Royals VS. Long Island Raiders - Victory Stadium - October 5, 1958 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W8 OTT 24-17 LI
The Royals and Raiders will face off for the second time in the McCallister Cup in a rematch of the 37th edition of the game. However, this time around the teams are a lot closer matched. It will be the league’s top offence in Ottawa versus the league’s best defence in Long Island. The Royals offence was able to get the best of the Raider defence in their lone game this season, but Long Island’s defence seems to have more momentum at the moment. While the battle of the top offence and the top defence will be interesting, the key to the match may be the Raiders offence taking on the Royals’ battered defence. If RB Dareion Fields, a key piece in the win last week over London, can get going, the Royals defence will have a hard time stopping the Raiders. At the end of the day, the Royals’ experience will still be a factor in this situation, but it will certainly be a close game in Indiana. I’ll be sticking with my predictions from before the season and take the unbeaten Royals in their 50th year of existence.
My Pick: Royals
WEST DIVISION FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Providence Gold Stars - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 28, 1958 - 1 PM ET
1st Q
The rematch of last year’s East Division Final would live up to the excitement that was surrounding it. The game would open with a strong Providence drive. QB Connor O’Rourke would get the Gold Stars down to the 14-yard line on their opening drive. The Royals seemed to be having trouble with the Gold Stars’ offence that was finding ways to keep the ball moving. O’Rourke would toss a touchdown pass to WR Peter Brooks from 14 yards out to give the Gold Stars a 0-7 lead. While the Royals' defence got off to a slow start, their offence was not in the same boat. QB Jean Matieau would take the Royals back the other way on a very similar drive that would end with an 8-yard TD pass to WR Mackenzie Jones to tie the game back up. The rest of the quarter, no one would score, but the Gold Stars were getting close to the endzone again.
7-7
2nd Q
Providence would keep the ball moving on the drive that crossed over into the second. O’Rourke would take another shot at the end zone, however, this time DB Uzzia Hayes would be able to get a hand in the way and break up the attempt to WR Cedric Peterson. Unfortunately during that play, Peterson would come down awkwardly after jumping for the pass and was unable to finish the game. Providence would settle for a field goal to make it 7-10. Ottawa’s offence would counter the field goal with another strong drive. Matieau would find WR Chester Bennett for a 48-yard play that would put the Royals at the 11-yard line. On the next play, RB Alexei Volkov would find a hole break it into the endzone giving the Royals back the lead. With time running out, Connor O’Rourke would lead the Gold Stars on a very quick drive. He even was able to take another shot at the end zone, but the play would be broken up again. They would still get a field goal to cut the lead down to 1 heading into the half.
14-13 OTT
3rd Q
Out of the break, the Royals would keep up their strong offensive play and would get a field goal on the opening drive to make it 17-13. Providence would not take long to respond by getting back the field goal on their next drive out making it 17-16. Following the field goal trade, bad news would strike the Royals as star DL Olaf Viktorsson would go down with an injury while trying to break past OL Varo Giovanni. He would leave the game and not return which severely hurt the Royals D-line, especially with Troy Hunt also being hurt earlier in the game and was replaced by his twin brother Tim Hunt. To make matters worse S Lester Greer would also leave in his first game back, after re-aggravating his injury in the first half. The Gold Stars offence was already having success with the Royals defence, this only added to it, however, no one would score until the final quarter.
17-16 OTT
4th Q
In the final frame, the Gold Stars had momentum shifting in their favour. As the Royals were driving, Jean Matieau would look to WR Chester Bennett for a 23-yard pass, but a rare miscue from the Royals would result in DB Lee Wolfe coming down with an interception. The Gold Stars took the ball and ran with it, literally. On 2nd and 3, O’Rourke would hand the ball off to RB Johnnie Stafford who would break right through the Royals defence and take it in for a 42-yard touchdown run to give the Gold Stars a narrow lead with 5 minutes to go. They would miss the convert attempt, but it seemed that they had control of the game. However, they are still playing Jean Matieau, and you can never count the Royals out with him under center. The Royals would get right back into it, driving down the field. The Gold Stars luck seemed to run out as Matieau was able to find open players, play after play. They would get down to the 5-yard line where Providence looked to stop them. On 1st and Goal, the Gold Stars would stop RB Alexei Volkov after a gain of 1, then 2nd down would be an incomplete pass. After a timeout, the Royals would look to try and punch it in on 3rd and goal. Matieau would drop back but would get immediate pressure from DL Calias McDonough. Volkov was able to step in and help OL Aaron Spears block. However, McDonough still grabbed a piece of Matiaeu’s jersey. Matieau struggled to escape, but he kept his eyes up and would see an open target. Matieau would get the ball off with McDonough pulling him back. The ball sailed to the endzone and WR Truman Harry would come down with the catch to score the touchdown and give the Royals back the lead. The Royals would also tack on the 2-point convert on a pass to Mackenzie Jones to make it 25-22. Providence did not give up as O’Rourke would try to lead the offence back to score. As time ticked away, O’Rourke would look to put the ball into field goal range on 2nd and 10. His pass to WR Sammy Moss would be broken up by DB Mingan Oliver which led to 3rd and 10. On the next attempt, O’Rourke could not find a man and the pass attempt to WR Peter Brooks would fall incomplete. The Royals would hold on to their unbeaten season and head to their 5th straight McCallister Cup.
Long Island Raiders VS. London Tigers - Long Island Stadium - September 28, 1958 - 4 PM ET
1st Q
After the Tigers put up 34 points against the Blue Wings last week, their offence was not quite as top-notch in the division final against the Raiders. On their opening drive, QB Riley Kiernan would pick up a first down on a pass to WR Benedict Spencer, but on the new set of downs, RB Clifford Russell would be stuffed and then Kiernan was sacked by DL Vernon Spears, forcing them to punt out of the gate. The Raiders offence was a bit slow out of the gate as well, but QB Lyle Painter would let rookie RB Dareion Fields take over. Fields would find some gaps leading to a strong drive near the end of the 1st. Fields would eventually scramble in on a 15-yard run to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead after the opening frame.
7-0 LI
2nd Q
In the second, Kiernan was able to get a little bit of life into the Tigers’ offence making a 26-yard throw to WR Wilbert Benjamin that would set up a field goal to cut into the Raiders’ early lead. However, that was all the offence could get going in the frame. On their next drive, RB Clifford Russell would lose the ball to LB Rusty McVee who would hit him from the side forcing the ball out. LB Elijah Goldwater would land on top of it giving the Raiders the ball. K Henderson Schumacher would nail a 35-yard field goal to make it 10-3 heading into the break.
10-3 LI
3rd Q
The Raiders continued to control the game in the second half, which was exactly what the Tigers needed to avoid. The Raiders’ defence would stuff the Tigers on their first 3 drives, forcing 2-and-outs on all three. In that time, the Raiders would tack on another field goal to their lead to make it 13-3 nearing the end of the quarter. With the Tigers backed against the wall, Riley Kiernan would have to step up to make things happen. On their next drive, he would get the team moving, finding WR Max Sutton for their first 1st down of the half. They would continue to move, but eventually, the Raiders would still hold them back forcing a punt near midfield. K Nathaniel King’s kick would pin the Raiders deep in their own territory. Now it was the Tigers’ defence that needed to make a play. They would come up big with Lyle Painter looking to pass on 2nd and 8 from the Raiders’ 27-yard line, DL Olympus Heights would get through the Raiders’ O-line and would land a hit on Painter. Painter, who was mid-throw, would launch the ball forward, but it would flutter right into LB Aengus Lynch’s hands giving the Tigers great field position.
13-3 LI
4th Q
Kiernan would take the field and would lead the Tigers on a charge to close their gap to the end zone. Eventually, Kiernan would drop back and would throw a pass to WR Wilbert Benjamin to cut the lead to just 3. The Raiders would have to get things going on the offensive side to try and tip the field position back in their favour. Lyle Painter would do this on a pass to WR Darryl Duke which would get the Raider out of their own end. They would punt soon after, leaving the defence to get back in control. On first down, DL Tyrone Affalo would put pressure on in the backfield which would force Kiernan to throw the ball away. On second down, LB Rusty McVee would make a charge on the blitz and would get to Kiernan bringing in a sack. On third, the Tigers would have to make up 16 yards so they would punt putting the Raiders in a good position on offence. Painter would make a throw to WR Robert Lang to grab a fresh set of downs on the second play of the ensuing drive. After the 14-yard gain, the ball was back into the hands of RB Dareion Fields. Fields would take the ball down the rest of the way and would punch in his second TD of the game, putting the Raiders up 20-10. The Tigers would still make a huge effort with time winding down. Kiernan was able to find WR Wilbert Benjamin for a long gain which would get them into field goal range. They would settle for a field goal after back-to-back incompletions to make it a one-score game. The Raiders would kill a lot of clock on their next drive giving it to Dareion Fields, but the Tigers would force them to a 3rd and 3 and a punt. The Tigers' last chance would start strong with a pair of first-down catches. Kiernan would keep it up, getting the Tigers back into Raiders’ territory. On 1st and 10 from 33 yards out Kiernan would look to make a play to Wilbert Benjamin. He would roll out and toss it down the field, but it was a risky throw and DB Slay Mitchell would manage to get a hand in the way tipping the ball up. S Johan Eckhart would run under it to grab the pick all but sealing the fate of the game, as the Raiders would hold on to the win and book their ticket to their second McCallister Cup in 4 years.
DL Timmy Kerr LI - Day-to-Day
DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 1 Week
DL Troy Hunt OTT - 2 Weeks
S Lester Greer OTT - 1 Week
OL Sydney Good PRO - 2 Weeks
WR Cedric Peterson PRO - 4 Weeks
Players of the Week
40th McCallister Cup Preview
Ottawa Royals VS. Long Island Raiders - Victory Stadium - October 5, 1958 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W8 OTT 24-17 LI
The Royals and Raiders will face off for the second time in the McCallister Cup in a rematch of the 37th edition of the game. However, this time around the teams are a lot closer matched. It will be the league’s top offence in Ottawa versus the league’s best defence in Long Island. The Royals offence was able to get the best of the Raider defence in their lone game this season, but Long Island’s defence seems to have more momentum at the moment. While the battle of the top offence and the top defence will be interesting, the key to the match may be the Raiders offence taking on the Royals’ battered defence. If RB Dareion Fields, a key piece in the win last week over London, can get going, the Royals defence will have a hard time stopping the Raiders. At the end of the day, the Royals’ experience will still be a factor in this situation, but it will certainly be a close game in Indiana. I’ll be sticking with my predictions from before the season and take the unbeaten Royals in their 50th year of existence.
My Pick: Royals
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