40th McCallister Cup
Indianapolis was buzzing for the McCallister Cup. Fans from across the league were at the game to see the unbeaten Royals take on the defensive powerhouse of the Raiders. Out of the gate, the Raiders’ defence would make their mark. On Ottawa’s second drive of the game, QB Jean Matieau would drop back to pass and the Raiders would pull out the “Rusty Blitz” which sent LB Rusty McVee into the backfield. Matieau would try to get the ball off but McVee was able to knock it loose instead. DL Vernon Spears would fall on the ball and give the Raiders’ offence great field position. Rookie RB Dareion Fields would capitalize on the drive taking in a touchdown to give the Raiders an early 0-7 lead. Ottawa’s offence would recover from the turnover. On their ensuing drive, Matieau would get the team back to scoring range before tossing his first TD of the game to his favourite target, WR Mackenzie Jones. The game would be tied after the opening quarter.
7-7
2nd Q
The Raider’s offence would continue to move the ball well. RB Dareion Fields was leading the charge, with QB Lyle Painter making only 6 pass attempts in the first half. The defence was also playing strong against the tough Royals’ offence. LB Elijah Goldwater would earn a forced fumble on WR Chester Bennett, which was picked up by McVee. Behind Fields on offence, the Raiders would put up two field goals to make it 7-13 heading into the break.
7-13 LI
3rd Q
The Royals’ struggles uncharacteristically carried on after halftime. On an early drive, Matieau would get the Royals up to their own 46-yard line, but his pass attempt towards Mackenzie Jones was off the mark and DB Slay Mitchell was in a great position. Mitchell would bring in the ball for an interception to give Long Island a huge chance to extend their lead. The Royals’ defence was still having no luck in stopping Dareion Fields. The rookie back would break off for 3 straight 1st down runs before taking in a 13-yard run for a touchdown to extend the Raiders’ lead; 7-20. The Raiders were in full control of the game. The Royals’ offence could not get the ball moving and the defence had no answers for Dareion Fields. However, late in the third quarter, the Raiders were driving once again. Fields took a handoff up the middle and found a hole once again, but this time he wouldn’t get away with rookie LB Douglas MacDougall getting his arm on the ball. Fields was not expecting it and lost control. LB Alister Henry would pick it up for the Royals and get the defence off the field. This was the perfect opportunity for a momentum shift. Within a couple of plays on offence, Matieau would hit WR Chester Bennett for a 28-yard touchdown pass to pull the game back within 6.
14-20 LI
4th Q
The Royals would carry the momentum into the final quarter. Their defence would make a big stop early in the quarter forcing the Raiders to punt. The offence would get out there and go on a tear. Matieau ripped apart the defence as they inched closer to the end zone. Matieau would get them down to the 8-yard line before tossing his third TD pass of the game. Once again, WR Mackenzie Jones would catch the pass to give the Royals the lead 21-20. The Raiders would be reeling from the comeback. Their offence was still not able to get moving and would have to punt again on their next drive. The Royals would continue to ride off of the momentum shift and would take it down the field to add to their lead and forced Long Island to have to reach the endzone in order to get back in front; 24-20 Royals. The Raiders would still try to get Dareion Fields going, but he was starting to run into issues with overuse leading to RB Connor Riley getting some carries as well. Neither back was able to get going with the Royals defence finally figuring them out. The weight of the game was slowly shifting onto QB Lyle Painter’s shoulders. While the former 1st overall pick has been solid, he hasn’t had the extra star power to take over a game, but this was his chance to prove critics wrong. The Raiders would get their last chance with 1:37 to go in the game. Painter would need to get the team to the end zone. The final attempt would start slow with a quick pass to WR Darryl Duke for 8 yards, before a screen to Fields for a first down and a bit more. Then, Painter took a true shot and found WR Robert Lang for a 17-yard pass along the sideline. The play sparked some confidence and Painter kept it up getting the Raiders down to the 19-yard line with 0:26 to go. Painter would then roll out on the next play with pressure coming from DL Robert Garrison. He was looking for an option, but saw no one and had to throw it away. On second down, he would once again feel the pressure, but this time he would find Darryl Duke open. Duke caught the ball at the 9-yard line before slipping past DB Mingan Oliver and headed towards the end zone. He had a bit of space and got down to the 4-yard line before Mingan Oliver and Uzzia Hayes tackled him in bounds. Painter hurried it up to get a play off and stop the clock from running anymore. He would get the play off with 0:08 left. On what would likely be the deciding play, Painter dropped back and then would scan the field. Time ticked away and Painter would roll out and then see Darryl Duke get a bit of space crossing the back of the endzone. Painter would fire the low pass which Duke would reel in to score the touchdown with 0:02 left on the clock. Following the extra point, the Raiders would kick the ball along the ground to try and force the game to end. The Royals would try to pitch the ball to keep the play alive, but Rusty McVee would tackle Mackenzie Jones to seal it. The Raiders hold on to win their first title in Long Island and first in team history since 1938, while Painter becomes just the 6th different QB to win the title in the NAAF era.
1958 McCallister Cup Champions
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1958 NAAF Season Recap
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