1968 NAAF Season
1968 Week 1
1st Q
7-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
2nd Q
7-7 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
14-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
21-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Sebastian Dassler
21-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
21-16 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
21-18 IND - 2PT RB Raymond Green
28-18 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
The Blue Wings’ journey to go for the 3-peat began with a strong win over their divisional foe in the Indiana Victors.
Lemieux had a good start with a pair of touchdowns to his old favourite target in Julius Drake as well as the younger threat in Sebastian Dassler.
Indiana made a comeback push in the 4th on a big touchdown from Ed Edwards.
RB Raymond Green would be able to make it a 3-point game on a 2-point conversion.
Indy would have another chance to tie the game, but Applewhite would throw an interception to DB Ezra Power.
The interception would set up RB Jimmy Golden’s second touchdown of the game, sealing the win for the Blue Wings.
London Tigers - 20, Long Island Raiders - 29 - Western Fair Stadium - June 21, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
0-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
7-6 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
2nd Q
7-13 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
10-13 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
10-16 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
17-16 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
17-19 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
20-19 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
20-22 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
20-29 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
The Tigers’ 1968 season got off to a really rocky start with turnovers on the first two drives.
Kiernan threw a pick on the first drive to DB Lauri Hayha, while RB Austin Andrews had the ball knocked loose by LB William Washington II.
The Tigers bounced right back after falling behind 0-6, as Kiernan found Cole Fletcher behind coverage for a big score.
The Raiders answered back in the second with Dareion Fields’ first of the season and would take the lead into the break.
Fletcher would double-dip in the 3rd giving the Tigers back the lead while QB Ivan Sanchez made some mistakes, including throwing an interception to DB Jacques Gaul.
The two teams would be duelling down to the final minutes, but a huge fumble created by DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand would give the Raiders the ball deep in Tigers’ territory and allow them to put the game out of reach.
Providence Gold Stars - 14, Ottawa Royals - 21 - OT - New Providence Stadium - June 21, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
2nd Q
7-0 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
3rd Q
14-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
4th Q
14-7 OTT - DTD INT DB Jerome Caldwell
14-14 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Marshall Leonard
OT
14-21 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Piers Key
It was a defensive duel early on as neither offence was getting much going.
A DB Neville Falkner interception would set up the first score of the game in the second to give the Gold Stars the 7-0 lead.
QB Connor O’Rourke would extend that on a pass to WR Owen Paisley.
QB Tyrion Gainsborough was struggling in the first 3 quarters with a pair of interceptions and a fumble, but he pulled it together in the final quarter.
DB Jerome Caldwell would ignite the comeback for the Royals with a huge pick-6 before Gainsborough would lead the offence to tie the game on a clutch 4th quarter drive.
In overtime, DB Sergio Alvarez would make a great interception to set up the Royals to get the lone score of the period on a great play by Gainsborough to find WR Piers Key.
Halifax Mariners - 33, Louisville Thunder - 10 - Atlantic Stadium - June 23, 1968 - 6 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
6-0 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
2nd Q
13-0 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> RB Ronald O’Sullivan
13-3 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
3rd Q
16-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
16-10 LOU - RTD RB Théodore Lemieux
23-10 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
4th Q
30-10 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
33-10 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
The Mariners’ defence looked refreshed with their new coach Ben McMillan at the helm.
They would completely shut down what looked like a strong offence in Louisville only allowing 10 points.
Offensively the Mariners were also making things happen consistently finding themselves in Louisville’s end.
It was a brutal start to the season for Louisville who lost two key players in DL Bjorn Sigmarsson and WR Lloyd Lane.
On top of that, they had 4 turnovers in the game and were only able to find the endzone once with RB Théodore Lemieux’s first touchdown with his new team.
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 27, Boston Independents - 20 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - June 23, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
7-3 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
2nd Q
7-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
10-10 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
17-10 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
17-13 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
4th Q
20-13 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
20-20 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
27-20 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
The Blacksmiths took it to the Independents early with QB Louis Vaughn not being scared by the Boston secondary and finding Taylor Austin for the season's first score.
Boston was able to counter in the second quarter on Braddock’s first touchdown pass of the season.
Pittsburgh was able to tie it up at the break, but they would soon take the lead after DL Arthur Bradshaw would get his first career forced fumble off of RB Reggie Whitehead, and RB Tresean Jones would get a bit of revenge on his former team with a touchdown.
Braddock was able to orchestrate a strong drive to tie the game in the 4th, but Vaughn would get the last laugh, showing some elite play and finding Taylor Austin for a second time to win the game.
The Pittsburgh crowd was very happy with the performance.
Toronto Steelheads - 35, Montreal Rouge - 34 - Anderson Stadium - June 23, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
0-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
7-10 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Samuel Petri
2nd Q
14-10 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
14-17 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
3rd Q
14-24 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
21-24 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
21-31 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun
4th Q
28-31 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
28-34 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
35-34 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
It was an offensive battle in Toronto with the Rouge jumping out to a quick 10-0 lead in the first before Toronto would pull back with WR Samuel Petri’s first TD back with the Steelheads.
In the second, both running backs would find the endzone to keep the game at 3 points.
In the 3rd, WR Taylor Karis would add his second of the game before Yahui Sun would join in on the fun.
RB Max Tracy would have his own hat trick early in the 4th to go along with his 139 rushing yards.
Montreal would extend their lead to 6 after a DL Lucas Kipling forced fumble, but Toronto would still get one more chance.
With time winding down, the Steelheads had to rely on Todd Baker’s arm and it would come through with a late score to Edmund Landry to win the game.
Injury Report
TE Jean-Pierre Beaumont BUF - Season
WR Edward Webb HFX - Day-to-Day
DB Aquilio Ruiz HFX - Day-to-Day
WR Silas Peyton IND - 1 Week
DL Abraham Evans Jr. LOU - 5 Weeks
DL Bjorn Sigmarsson LOU - 1 Week
WR Lloyd Lane LOU - 2 Weeks
DL Lawrence Armstrong OTT - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Max Tracy TOR - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 139 Rushing Yards
Standings
WEST
Buffalo 1-0
Pittsburgh 1-0
Toronto 1-0
London 0-1
Indiana 0-1
Louisville 0-1
EAST
Halifax 1-0
Long Island 1-0
Ottawa 1-0
Montreal 0-1
Providence 0-1
Boston 0-1
Power Rankings
1 - Buffalo -
2 - Long Island +1
3 - Halifax +5
4 - Indiana +1
5 - Ottawa +4
6 - Louisville -4
7 - Boston -3
8 - Providence -2
9 - Pittsburgh +3
10 - Montreal -3
11 - Toronto -
12 - London -2
Week 2 Games
LOU (0-1) @ LI (1-0) - JUN 28 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
PIT (1-0) @ IND (0-1) - JUN 29 - 3 PM ET
MTL (0-1) @ BOS (0-1) - JUN 29 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
HFX (1-0) @ PRO (0-1) - JUN 30 - 1 PM ET
BUF (1-0) @ TOR (1-0) - JUN 30 - 4 PM ET
LDN (0-1) @ OTT (1-0) - JUL 1 - 6 PM ET - Canada Day
1968 Week 2
Roster Moves
BUF: TE Jean-Pierre Beaumont - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
BUF: TE Preston Lambert - Free Agent -> Active Roster
LI: DL Abraham Evans Jr. - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LI: DL Jim Kennedy - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Long Island Raiders - 18, Louisville Thunder - 24 - Long Island Stadium - June 28, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Carter Henderson
2nd Q
1-7 LI - Single K Henderson Schumacher
1-14 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
4-14 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
4-21 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
11-21 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
4th Q
11-24 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
18-24 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Otto Washington
QB Buck Murphy bounced back from a rough week 1, starting the game off with a touchdown throw to WR Carter Henderson.
QB Ivan Sanchez was not as lucky for the Raiders, throwing an interception in the opening quarter.
Louisville was lucky to have two elite WRs as Casey Coleman shined in the absence of WR Lloyd Lane, scoring a pair of touchdowns to give them a 4-21 lead.
Sanchez would continue to struggle, with several incompletions, as well as a 2nd interception, however, definitely on TE Andrew Matthias for having hands like butter, luckily his own defence did get that pick right back.
Sanchez would recover in the second half to lead the Raiders on a comeback campaign but ran out of time.
Indiana Victors - 28, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 13 - Victory Stadium - June 29, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
7-3 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> RB Raymond Green
3rd Q
14-3 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> TE Eric Peterson
14-6 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
21-6 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
4th Q
21-13 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
28-13 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
Pittsburgh’s defence came out of the gate looking sharp, forcing Indy to 3 straight 2 and outs, however, their luck would run out with a fantastic drive leading to a Raymond Green touchdown.
The floodgates were open for the Victors as they would extend their lead to 21-6 with two more majors in the 3rd.
Louis Vaughn was able to counter with a touchdown of his own to former Victors’ WR Orlando Barrack but was then picked off on his next attempt by DB Cameron Taylor, to set up a game-clinching Raymond Green touchdown.
Boston Independents - 34, Montreal Rouge - 16 - Richardson Stadium - June 29, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
14-3 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
2nd Q
17-3 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
17-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
20-6 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
3rd Q
27-6 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
27-9 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
27-16 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
34-16 BOS - RTD RB Rodney Clark
Boston aimed to bounce back from their tough week 1 loss to the Blacksmiths with a strong first quarter.
RB Reggie Whitehead finally scored his first career touchdown to help give Boston the 14-3 lead.
Boston would maintain control with QB Nathaniel Braddock having a field day with the Rouge defence.
Montreal’s pass-heavy offence was not a great match for the Independents’ defence which has its strength in pass coverage.
Bishop threw a couple of interceptions in the loss but did finally score a touchdown following a botched punt from rookie K Woody Woodstock.
Providence Gold Stars - 11, Halifax Mariners - 27 - New Providence Stadium - June 30, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PRO - DTD INT DB Neville Falkner
7-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
2nd Q
7-10 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
7-17 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
8-17 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
8-24 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Edward Webb
4th Q
8-27 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
11-27 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
Two strong defences were ready to battle in Providence, however, one defence would play better than the other.
While an early Neville Falkner pick-6 made it appear like the Gold Stars’ defence was going to be the winner, the Mariners' defence would only allow 4 points from the Gold Stars’ offence throughout the game.
QB Lyle Painter bounced back from the early pick-6 to throw a pair of touchdowns, including Edward Webb’s first.
DL Wayne Baxton was a big problem for veteran QB Connor O’Rourke as he stripped the QB for a fumble as well as grabbed 2 sacks.
Ben McMillan has clearly rejuvenated the Mariners’ defence, however, time will tell if they can keep it up.
Toronto Steelheads - 31, Buffalo Blue Wings - 30 - Anderson Stadium - June 30, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-3 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3-3 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
2nd Q
3-10 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> TE Paul Arturberry
6-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
6-13 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3rd Q
6-20 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
13-20 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
13-23 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
4th Q
20-23 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
23-23 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
23-30 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
29-30 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Al Allmendinger
31-30 TOR - 2PT QB Todd Baker -> RB Max Tracy
A thrilling game in Toronto got off to a slow start with both teams trading field goals in the first quarter.
In the second Buffalo started to pull away with a Paul Arturberry touchdown.
Lemieux would add a second passing touchdown to Jimmy Jack to start the second half, while Toronto would finally counter with RB Max Tracy.
A rare mistake from Charles Lemieux would result in a Dwayne James interception that would give Tracy a short run to the endzone.
After a defensive stop, Toronto would tie up the game with a field goal.
Buffalo would be able to counter with a strong late-game drive to retake the lead with limited time left.
The ensuing kickoff would end up being taken back into Buffalo territory with RB Lukas Ivarsson using his elusiveness.
The Steelheads would get down and score a touchdown to pull within one.
However, Toronto decided to gamble for the win, feeling they would not be able to top Buffalo in overtime and would go for two instead of taking one.
A screen pass to Max Tracy would work perfectly allowing the Steelheads to shock the Blue Wings on a game-winning score.
Ottawa Royals - 13, London Tigers - 14 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 1, 1968 - 6 PM ET - Canada Day - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
3-7 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
6-7 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
13-7 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
4th Q
13-14 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Joshua Lafleur
Ottawa’s home opener did not start well with London getting up to a 0-7 lead in the first minute of the game after a fumble on the opening kickoff would give London great field position.
The middle quarters would shift into Ottawa’s favour, with the defence shutting down the Tigers, and the offence scoring 13 points.
However, QB Tyrion Gainsborough’s inexperience showed in the final quarter, throwing a crucial interception that allowed the Tigers to take the lead.
Gainsborough was unable to lead a game-winning drive, throwing a second interception.
While Gainsborough did have a bad game, don’t discount the Tigers for still taking advantage of the mistakes and playing strong defence all around, even if the offence wasn’t spectacular.
Injury Report
DB Dean Hawkins BUF - 6 Weeks
LB Linus Kinjerski BUF - Day-to-Day
S Neil Graham LDN - 1 Week
LB Calvin Hardy MTL - Day-to-Day
WR Ferdinand Matthews OTT - 1 Week
OL Matt Helmut OTT - 6 Weeks
DL Newton Dalton PRO - 8 Weeks
Players of the Week
OFF: WR Casey Coleman LOU - 2 Receiving Touchdowns, 121 Receiving Yards
DEF: DL Wayne Baxton HFX - 1 Forced Fumble, 2 Sacks, 4 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Toronto 2-0
Buffalo 1-1
Indiana 1-1
Pittsburgh 1-1
London 1-1
Louisville 1-1
EAST
Halifax 2-0
Boston 1-1
Ottawa 1-1
Long Island 1-1
Montreal 0-2
Providence 0-2
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax +2
2 - Buffalo -1
3 - Indiana +1
4 - Louisville +2
5 - Boston +2
6 - Long Island -4
7 - Toronto +4
8 - Ottawa -3
9 - Pittsburgh -
10 - London +2
11 - Montreal -1
12 - Providence -4
Week 3 Games
LI (1-1) @ BOS (1-1) - JUL 4 - 6 PM ET - 4th of July
HFX (2-0) @ PIT (1-1) - JUL 5 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
PRO (0-2) @ LOU (1-1) - JUL 6 - 3 PM ET
IND (1-1) @ OTT (1-1) - JUL 6 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
BUF (1-1) @ MTL (0-2) - JUL 7 - 1 PM ET
TOR (2-0) @ LDN (1-1) - JUL 7 - 4 PM ET
Roster Moves
BUF: TE Jean-Pierre Beaumont - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
BUF: TE Preston Lambert - Free Agent -> Active Roster
LI: DL Abraham Evans Jr. - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LI: DL Jim Kennedy - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Long Island Raiders - 18, Louisville Thunder - 24 - Long Island Stadium - June 28, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Carter Henderson
2nd Q
1-7 LI - Single K Henderson Schumacher
1-14 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
4-14 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
4-21 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
11-21 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
4th Q
11-24 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
18-24 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Otto Washington
QB Buck Murphy bounced back from a rough week 1, starting the game off with a touchdown throw to WR Carter Henderson.
QB Ivan Sanchez was not as lucky for the Raiders, throwing an interception in the opening quarter.
Louisville was lucky to have two elite WRs as Casey Coleman shined in the absence of WR Lloyd Lane, scoring a pair of touchdowns to give them a 4-21 lead.
Sanchez would continue to struggle, with several incompletions, as well as a 2nd interception, however, definitely on TE Andrew Matthias for having hands like butter, luckily his own defence did get that pick right back.
Sanchez would recover in the second half to lead the Raiders on a comeback campaign but ran out of time.
Indiana Victors - 28, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 13 - Victory Stadium - June 29, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
7-3 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> RB Raymond Green
3rd Q
14-3 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> TE Eric Peterson
14-6 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
21-6 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
4th Q
21-13 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
28-13 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
Pittsburgh’s defence came out of the gate looking sharp, forcing Indy to 3 straight 2 and outs, however, their luck would run out with a fantastic drive leading to a Raymond Green touchdown.
The floodgates were open for the Victors as they would extend their lead to 21-6 with two more majors in the 3rd.
Louis Vaughn was able to counter with a touchdown of his own to former Victors’ WR Orlando Barrack but was then picked off on his next attempt by DB Cameron Taylor, to set up a game-clinching Raymond Green touchdown.
Boston Independents - 34, Montreal Rouge - 16 - Richardson Stadium - June 29, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
14-3 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
2nd Q
17-3 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
17-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
20-6 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
3rd Q
27-6 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
27-9 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
27-16 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
34-16 BOS - RTD RB Rodney Clark
Boston aimed to bounce back from their tough week 1 loss to the Blacksmiths with a strong first quarter.
RB Reggie Whitehead finally scored his first career touchdown to help give Boston the 14-3 lead.
Boston would maintain control with QB Nathaniel Braddock having a field day with the Rouge defence.
Montreal’s pass-heavy offence was not a great match for the Independents’ defence which has its strength in pass coverage.
Bishop threw a couple of interceptions in the loss but did finally score a touchdown following a botched punt from rookie K Woody Woodstock.
Providence Gold Stars - 11, Halifax Mariners - 27 - New Providence Stadium - June 30, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PRO - DTD INT DB Neville Falkner
7-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
2nd Q
7-10 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
7-17 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
8-17 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
8-24 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Edward Webb
4th Q
8-27 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
11-27 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
Two strong defences were ready to battle in Providence, however, one defence would play better than the other.
While an early Neville Falkner pick-6 made it appear like the Gold Stars’ defence was going to be the winner, the Mariners' defence would only allow 4 points from the Gold Stars’ offence throughout the game.
QB Lyle Painter bounced back from the early pick-6 to throw a pair of touchdowns, including Edward Webb’s first.
DL Wayne Baxton was a big problem for veteran QB Connor O’Rourke as he stripped the QB for a fumble as well as grabbed 2 sacks.
Ben McMillan has clearly rejuvenated the Mariners’ defence, however, time will tell if they can keep it up.
Toronto Steelheads - 31, Buffalo Blue Wings - 30 - Anderson Stadium - June 30, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-3 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3-3 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
2nd Q
3-10 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> TE Paul Arturberry
6-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
6-13 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3rd Q
6-20 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
13-20 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
13-23 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
4th Q
20-23 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
23-23 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
23-30 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
29-30 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Al Allmendinger
31-30 TOR - 2PT QB Todd Baker -> RB Max Tracy
A thrilling game in Toronto got off to a slow start with both teams trading field goals in the first quarter.
In the second Buffalo started to pull away with a Paul Arturberry touchdown.
Lemieux would add a second passing touchdown to Jimmy Jack to start the second half, while Toronto would finally counter with RB Max Tracy.
A rare mistake from Charles Lemieux would result in a Dwayne James interception that would give Tracy a short run to the endzone.
After a defensive stop, Toronto would tie up the game with a field goal.
Buffalo would be able to counter with a strong late-game drive to retake the lead with limited time left.
The ensuing kickoff would end up being taken back into Buffalo territory with RB Lukas Ivarsson using his elusiveness.
The Steelheads would get down and score a touchdown to pull within one.
However, Toronto decided to gamble for the win, feeling they would not be able to top Buffalo in overtime and would go for two instead of taking one.
A screen pass to Max Tracy would work perfectly allowing the Steelheads to shock the Blue Wings on a game-winning score.
Ottawa Royals - 13, London Tigers - 14 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 1, 1968 - 6 PM ET - Canada Day - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
3-7 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
6-7 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
13-7 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
4th Q
13-14 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Joshua Lafleur
Ottawa’s home opener did not start well with London getting up to a 0-7 lead in the first minute of the game after a fumble on the opening kickoff would give London great field position.
The middle quarters would shift into Ottawa’s favour, with the defence shutting down the Tigers, and the offence scoring 13 points.
However, QB Tyrion Gainsborough’s inexperience showed in the final quarter, throwing a crucial interception that allowed the Tigers to take the lead.
Gainsborough was unable to lead a game-winning drive, throwing a second interception.
While Gainsborough did have a bad game, don’t discount the Tigers for still taking advantage of the mistakes and playing strong defence all around, even if the offence wasn’t spectacular.
Injury Report
DB Dean Hawkins BUF - 6 Weeks
LB Linus Kinjerski BUF - Day-to-Day
S Neil Graham LDN - 1 Week
LB Calvin Hardy MTL - Day-to-Day
WR Ferdinand Matthews OTT - 1 Week
OL Matt Helmut OTT - 6 Weeks
DL Newton Dalton PRO - 8 Weeks
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Toronto 2-0
Buffalo 1-1
Indiana 1-1
Pittsburgh 1-1
London 1-1
Louisville 1-1
EAST
Halifax 2-0
Boston 1-1
Ottawa 1-1
Long Island 1-1
Montreal 0-2
Providence 0-2
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax +2
2 - Buffalo -1
3 - Indiana +1
4 - Louisville +2
5 - Boston +2
6 - Long Island -4
7 - Toronto +4
8 - Ottawa -3
9 - Pittsburgh -
10 - London +2
11 - Montreal -1
12 - Providence -4
Week 3 Games
LI (1-1) @ BOS (1-1) - JUL 4 - 6 PM ET - 4th of July
HFX (2-0) @ PIT (1-1) - JUL 5 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
PRO (0-2) @ LOU (1-1) - JUL 6 - 3 PM ET
IND (1-1) @ OTT (1-1) - JUL 6 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
BUF (1-1) @ MTL (0-2) - JUL 7 - 1 PM ET
TOR (2-0) @ LDN (1-1) - JUL 7 - 4 PM ET
1968 Week 3
Roster Moves
BUF: DB Dean Hawkins - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
BUF: DB Santino Arriola - Reserve List -> Active Roster
OTT: OL Matt Helmut - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
OTT: OL Wesley Lee - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: DL Newton Dalton - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: DL Terry Lynch - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Boston Independents - 21, Long Island Raiders - 23 - Richardson Stadium - July 4, 1968 - 6 PM ET - 4th of July - Weather: Light Rain
1st Q
7-0 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
7-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
7-10 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
14-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
3rd Q
14-17 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
20-17 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
4th Q
20-20 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
20-23 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
21-23 BOS - Single K Woody Woodstock
A pair of touchdowns would kick off the battle between Boston and Long Island.
In the second, Boston would take the lead with Pembroke’s 4th touchdown of the season.
Dareion Fields would grab a touchdown to counter, but Boston would get one right back with Alexei Dubois’ first of the season, however, K Woody Woodstock would miss the extra point.
The final quarter would prove to be a defensive showdown with both teams struggling to move the ball.
The Raiders would tie the game up in the 4th, and then take the lead on a crucial fumble recovery in Boston’s end.
Braddock and the Independents recovered to get back into scoring range, but time was running out so they would go for the tie, but Woodstock would miss his second kick of the game to fall short.
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 31, Halifax Mariners - 27 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - July 5, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
7-0 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
2nd Q
7-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
14-3 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
14-10 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Edward Webb
17-10 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
17-17 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
24-17 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
4th Q
24-24 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
24-27 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
31-27 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
The Mariners’ defence finally looked human in the opening quarter against Pittsburgh as QB Louis Vaughn would get the first points of the game on a pass to WR Taylor Austin.
RB Tresean Jones would help Pittsburgh jump out to a 14-3 lead before QB Lyle Painter was able to answer back.
RB Ronald O’Sullivan would score early in the 3rd to erase the Blacksmiths’ lead, however, Taylor Austin would find the endzone for a second time to make it 24-17.
Halifax’s defence bounced back in the 4th quarter, coming up with several stops, which allowed Painter and the offence to come back and retake the lead.
However, Louis Vaughn would get the last laugh, pulling off a clutch game-winning drive to help improve his team to 2-1.
Louisville Thunder - 27, Providence Gold Stars - 24 - Thunder Stadium - July 6, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
7-3 LOU - RTD RB Théodore Lemieux
2nd Q
14-3 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> TE Rex Williamson
14-10 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
3rd Q
14-17 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
21-17 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
4th Q
21-24 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Leonard Green
24-24 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
27-24 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
The Gold Stars were trying to avoid falling to 0-3 for the first time since 1965.
They would jump out to a 0-3 lead, but RB Théodore Lemieux would make it 7-3 by the end of the quarter.
Problems were starting to arise for the Gold Stars who would lose RB Rashed Smith on a bone-crushing hit early in the second.
Louisville would get a fumble on the play and extend their lead.
Luckily for the Gold Stars, RB Ronnie Byers had something to prove and took back-to-back touchdowns to the house to give the Gold Stars the lead in the 3rd.
Louisville would get back in front before Providence countered yet again to hold the 3-point lead.
Both defences would aim to shut down the other offence, but it was the Thunder defence who did it slightly better.
The offence would get a pair of field goals to take the win for the Thunder.
Ottawa Royals - 28, Indiana Victors - 21 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 6, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
2nd Q
0-6 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
7-6 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Piers Key
7-13 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
3rd Q
14-13 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
21-13 OTT - RTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough
4th Q
21-19 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
21-21 IND - 2PT QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
28-21 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Colby Bancana
Indiana looked in control of the game early on, being able to stop the Royals offence and getting a couple of field goals on the board.
Ottawa would get a score back early in the 2nd quarter, but Ed Edwards would give Indiana the lead heading into the break.
In the second half, the Royals took over, scoring back-to-back touchdowns in the 3rd including one with Gainsborough scoring on his feet.
The Victors would counter in the 4th with a Raymond Green score before WR Evan Clanton would tie it up.
The Royals would hope to get into field goal range, but WR Colby Bancana would slip past the defence and take a 53-yard play to the house to seal the game.
Montreal Rouge - 13, Buffalo Blue Wings - 26- Mount Royal Stadium - July 7, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Sebastian Dassler
2nd Q
3-14 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
6-14 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
6-17 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
6-20 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
13-20 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
4th Q
13-23 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
13-26 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
Montreal looked to avoid an 0-3 start but fell behind early with Buffalo jumping out to a 6-14 lead in the first half.
The second half wasn’t much better as QB Gene Bishop would throw a pick to DB Ezra Power to start the half.
Bishop would get a touchdown to keep Montreal alive, but the Blue Wings’ defence would lock it down in the 4th quarter and close out the game with a 13-26 win.
London Tigers - 20, Toronto Steelheads - 13 - Western Fair Stadium - July 7, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
0-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
3-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
3-13 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
10-13 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
13-13 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
4th Q
20-13 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
The Steelheads would aim to remain unbeaten and would get out to a great start, taking a 0-10 lead.
The defence came up big with LB Judge Barrett getting his first career forced fumble and S Charles Clerk with a pick.
The Tigers finally made some big adjustments and started to make a pushback, just before the break.
In the second half, they would continue to build on the turnaround and would take over the game.
The defence would manage to hold off the attack from RB Max Tracy, with LB Dallas Dillard able to punch the ball loose to stop the Steelheads at the Tigers’ 12-yard line.
The 4th quarter would be tight, but WR Cole Fletcher would get away from coverage to score a huge touchdown to give the Tigers a 2-1 start to the season.
Injury Report
TE Tobias Lindholm BOS - 2 Weeks
OL Harrison Ward BUF - Day-to-Day
WR Silas Peyton IND - Day-to-Day
DL Teddy Piper LDN - Day-to-Day
OL Gary Bies LI - 2 Weeks
RB Théodore Lemieux LOU - 6 Weeks
DB William Quincy MTL - 1 Week
DL Jordan-Eugene White OTT - 5 Weeks
DL Matthias Hartmann PIT - Day-to-Day
RB Rashed Smith PRO - 3 Weeks
WR Owen Paisley PRO - 5 Weeks
LB Caruso Robinson PRO - 1 Week
LB Kenneth Mercer TOR - 1 Week
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Louis Vaughn PIT - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 341 Passing Yards
DEF: LB Dallas Dillard LDN - 1 Forced Fumble, 10 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Buffalo 2-1
London 2-1
Pittsburgh 2-1
Toronto 2-1
Louisville 2-1
Indiana 1-2
EAST
Halifax 2-1
Ottawa 2-1
Long Island 2-1
Boston 1-2
Providence 0-3
Montreal 0-3
Power Rankings
1 - Buffalo +1
2 - Halifax -1
3 - Long Island +3
4 - Louisville -
5 - Boston -
6 - Indiana -3
7 - Pittsburgh +2
8 - Ottawa -
9 - London +1
10 - Toronto -3
11 - Providence +1
12 - Montreal -1
Week 4 Games
IND (1-2) @ PRO (0-3) - JUL 12 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
LOU (2-1) @ BOS (1-2) - JUL 13 - 12 PM ET
HFX (2-1) @ BUF (2-1) - JUL 13 - 3:30 PM ET
LDN (2-1) @ MTL (0-3) - JUL 13 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
LI (2-1) @ TOR (2-1) - JUL 14 - 1 PM ET
OTT (2-1) @ PIT (2-1) - JUL 14 - 4 PM ET
BUF: DB Dean Hawkins - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
BUF: DB Santino Arriola - Reserve List -> Active Roster
OTT: OL Matt Helmut - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
OTT: OL Wesley Lee - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: DL Newton Dalton - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: DL Terry Lynch - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Boston Independents - 21, Long Island Raiders - 23 - Richardson Stadium - July 4, 1968 - 6 PM ET - 4th of July - Weather: Light Rain
1st Q
7-0 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
7-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
7-10 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
14-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
3rd Q
14-17 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
20-17 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
4th Q
20-20 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
20-23 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
21-23 BOS - Single K Woody Woodstock
A pair of touchdowns would kick off the battle between Boston and Long Island.
In the second, Boston would take the lead with Pembroke’s 4th touchdown of the season.
Dareion Fields would grab a touchdown to counter, but Boston would get one right back with Alexei Dubois’ first of the season, however, K Woody Woodstock would miss the extra point.
The final quarter would prove to be a defensive showdown with both teams struggling to move the ball.
The Raiders would tie the game up in the 4th, and then take the lead on a crucial fumble recovery in Boston’s end.
Braddock and the Independents recovered to get back into scoring range, but time was running out so they would go for the tie, but Woodstock would miss his second kick of the game to fall short.
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 31, Halifax Mariners - 27 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - July 5, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
7-0 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
2nd Q
7-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
14-3 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
14-10 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Edward Webb
17-10 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
17-17 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
24-17 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
4th Q
24-24 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
24-27 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
31-27 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
The Mariners’ defence finally looked human in the opening quarter against Pittsburgh as QB Louis Vaughn would get the first points of the game on a pass to WR Taylor Austin.
RB Tresean Jones would help Pittsburgh jump out to a 14-3 lead before QB Lyle Painter was able to answer back.
RB Ronald O’Sullivan would score early in the 3rd to erase the Blacksmiths’ lead, however, Taylor Austin would find the endzone for a second time to make it 24-17.
Halifax’s defence bounced back in the 4th quarter, coming up with several stops, which allowed Painter and the offence to come back and retake the lead.
However, Louis Vaughn would get the last laugh, pulling off a clutch game-winning drive to help improve his team to 2-1.
Louisville Thunder - 27, Providence Gold Stars - 24 - Thunder Stadium - July 6, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
7-3 LOU - RTD RB Théodore Lemieux
2nd Q
14-3 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> TE Rex Williamson
14-10 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
3rd Q
14-17 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
21-17 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
4th Q
21-24 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Leonard Green
24-24 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
27-24 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
The Gold Stars were trying to avoid falling to 0-3 for the first time since 1965.
They would jump out to a 0-3 lead, but RB Théodore Lemieux would make it 7-3 by the end of the quarter.
Problems were starting to arise for the Gold Stars who would lose RB Rashed Smith on a bone-crushing hit early in the second.
Louisville would get a fumble on the play and extend their lead.
Luckily for the Gold Stars, RB Ronnie Byers had something to prove and took back-to-back touchdowns to the house to give the Gold Stars the lead in the 3rd.
Louisville would get back in front before Providence countered yet again to hold the 3-point lead.
Both defences would aim to shut down the other offence, but it was the Thunder defence who did it slightly better.
The offence would get a pair of field goals to take the win for the Thunder.
Ottawa Royals - 28, Indiana Victors - 21 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 6, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
2nd Q
0-6 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
7-6 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Piers Key
7-13 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
3rd Q
14-13 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
21-13 OTT - RTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough
4th Q
21-19 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
21-21 IND - 2PT QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
28-21 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Colby Bancana
Indiana looked in control of the game early on, being able to stop the Royals offence and getting a couple of field goals on the board.
Ottawa would get a score back early in the 2nd quarter, but Ed Edwards would give Indiana the lead heading into the break.
In the second half, the Royals took over, scoring back-to-back touchdowns in the 3rd including one with Gainsborough scoring on his feet.
The Victors would counter in the 4th with a Raymond Green score before WR Evan Clanton would tie it up.
The Royals would hope to get into field goal range, but WR Colby Bancana would slip past the defence and take a 53-yard play to the house to seal the game.
Montreal Rouge - 13, Buffalo Blue Wings - 26- Mount Royal Stadium - July 7, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Sebastian Dassler
2nd Q
3-14 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
6-14 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
6-17 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
6-20 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
13-20 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
4th Q
13-23 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
13-26 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
Montreal looked to avoid an 0-3 start but fell behind early with Buffalo jumping out to a 6-14 lead in the first half.
The second half wasn’t much better as QB Gene Bishop would throw a pick to DB Ezra Power to start the half.
Bishop would get a touchdown to keep Montreal alive, but the Blue Wings’ defence would lock it down in the 4th quarter and close out the game with a 13-26 win.
London Tigers - 20, Toronto Steelheads - 13 - Western Fair Stadium - July 7, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
0-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
3-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
3-13 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
10-13 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
13-13 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
4th Q
20-13 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
The Steelheads would aim to remain unbeaten and would get out to a great start, taking a 0-10 lead.
The defence came up big with LB Judge Barrett getting his first career forced fumble and S Charles Clerk with a pick.
The Tigers finally made some big adjustments and started to make a pushback, just before the break.
In the second half, they would continue to build on the turnaround and would take over the game.
The defence would manage to hold off the attack from RB Max Tracy, with LB Dallas Dillard able to punch the ball loose to stop the Steelheads at the Tigers’ 12-yard line.
The 4th quarter would be tight, but WR Cole Fletcher would get away from coverage to score a huge touchdown to give the Tigers a 2-1 start to the season.
Injury Report
TE Tobias Lindholm BOS - 2 Weeks
OL Harrison Ward BUF - Day-to-Day
WR Silas Peyton IND - Day-to-Day
DL Teddy Piper LDN - Day-to-Day
OL Gary Bies LI - 2 Weeks
RB Théodore Lemieux LOU - 6 Weeks
DB William Quincy MTL - 1 Week
DL Jordan-Eugene White OTT - 5 Weeks
DL Matthias Hartmann PIT - Day-to-Day
RB Rashed Smith PRO - 3 Weeks
WR Owen Paisley PRO - 5 Weeks
LB Caruso Robinson PRO - 1 Week
LB Kenneth Mercer TOR - 1 Week
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Buffalo 2-1
London 2-1
Pittsburgh 2-1
Toronto 2-1
Louisville 2-1
Indiana 1-2
EAST
Halifax 2-1
Ottawa 2-1
Long Island 2-1
Boston 1-2
Providence 0-3
Montreal 0-3
Power Rankings
1 - Buffalo +1
2 - Halifax -1
3 - Long Island +3
4 - Louisville -
5 - Boston -
6 - Indiana -3
7 - Pittsburgh +2
8 - Ottawa -
9 - London +1
10 - Toronto -3
11 - Providence +1
12 - Montreal -1
Week 4 Games
IND (1-2) @ PRO (0-3) - JUL 12 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
LOU (2-1) @ BOS (1-2) - JUL 13 - 12 PM ET
HFX (2-1) @ BUF (2-1) - JUL 13 - 3:30 PM ET
LDN (2-1) @ MTL (0-3) - JUL 13 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
LI (2-1) @ TOR (2-1) - JUL 14 - 1 PM ET
OTT (2-1) @ PIT (2-1) - JUL 14 - 4 PM ET
1968 Week 4
Roster Moves
LOU: RB Théodore Lemieux - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LOU: RB Mario Leclair - Reserve List -> Active Roster
OTT: DL Jordan-Eugene White - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
OTT: DL Buddy Hibbert - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: WR Owen Paisley - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: WR Mark Taylor - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: RB Rashed Smith - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: RB Henri Létourneau - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Providence Gold Stars - 20, Indiana Victors - 13 - New Providence Stadium - July 12, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
2nd Q
14-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
14-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
17-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
17-10 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
20-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
20-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
The Gold Stars’ defence came back home on a mission, shutting down the Victors’ offence.
QB Connor O’Rourke would have a strong start throwing a pair of touchdowns both to WR Cedric Peterson, the second of which came after an interception from DB Neville Falkner.
In the second half, Indiana would bounce back and mount a comeback, but it would fall short in the final quarter with a pair of turnovers that would stop them from reaching the endzone.
Providence finally gets over the hump for their first win of the season, despite losing several key pieces to injury last week.
The loss puts Indiana in a very difficult situation for the second straight season with only 1 win through 4 games.
Boston Independents - 11, Louisville Thunder - 20 - Richardson Stadium - July 13, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Light Rain
1st Q
3-0 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
3-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> TE Rex Williamson
2nd Q
10-7 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
3rd Q
10-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
11-10 BOS - Single K Woody Woodstock
11-13 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
4th Q
11-20 LOU - RTD RB George Seahorse
Boston jumped out to an early lead, but the Thunder countered with a touchdown of their own.
Boston retook the lead with Reggie Whitehead getting to the endzone while their defence was able to shut down the Thunder.
Boston's DB Oliver Langstrom would come down with an interception against his former team in the 2nd quarter.
In the second half, the Thunder would adjust and take over, retaking the lead with a pair of field goals in the 3rd.
In the final quarter, the Thunder would get back into the endzone with George Seahorse scoring his first of the season, playing in place of injured RB Théodore Lemieux.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 7, Halifax Mariners - 17 - Milton Charles Stadium - July 13, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
2nd Q
0-7 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
0-10 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
7-10 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Sebastian Dassler
7-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
Two of the league’s best defences allowed no points in the first 25 minutes of play.
RB Ronald O’Sullivan would finally break the silence with 5 minutes to go in the second, following a DB Joe Robinson interception.
The Mariners extended their lead in the 3rd, but Charles Lemieux would look to mount a comeback in the final quarter.
WR Sebastian Dassler would get free and would score a touchdown to pull back to within 3.
Halifax’s defence rebounded from the score with DL Wayne Baxton getting a fumble off of Lemieux to give the Mariners great field position.
QB Lyle Painter would get a bit aggressive and would find WR Shane Steadman for the touchdown to seal the win.
Montreal Rouge - 23, London Tigers - 9 - Mount Royal Stadium - July 13, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Russell Wilcox
2nd Q
10-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
10-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
17-3 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun
17-6 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
4th Q
20-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
20-9 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
23-9 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
Montreal hoped to end their winless campaign in their 2nd home game of the season.
They would start well with a touchdown to WR Russell Wilcox, as he scores his first touchdown as a member of the Rouge against his old team.
Montreal continued to play strong with Jimmy Sargent’s defence getting the best of the Tigers.
In the second half, Montreal would extend their lead with a touchdown to WR Yahui Sun.
Throughout the rest of the game, each team would trade field goals as well as a couple of turnovers.
Toronto Steelheads - 30, Long Island Raiders - 27 - Anderson Stadium - July 14, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear - Game of the Week
1st Q
7-0 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
7-7 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Larry Mossholder
2nd Q
7-10 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
10-17 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
3rd Q
13-17 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
20-17 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Samuel Petri
20-20 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
27-20 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
27-27 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Otto Washington
30-27 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
A competitive duel in Toronto started with both teams scoring a touchdown in the opening quarter.
In the second, a pair of field goals were traded, before the Raiders would find the endzone just before the break with Dareion Fields.
In the second half, the Steelheads would bounce back with back-to-back scores following a LB Judge Barrett forced fumble.
The Raiders were able to keep the pace leaving the game tied heading into the final quarter.
Toronto would retake the lead with RB Max Tracy’s 8th touchdown of the season before Ivan Sanchez would find Otto Washington for a second passing touchdown of the game.
Toronto would put together a late 4th quarter drive that would end up giving them the late lead on a field goal. The Steelheads would hold on and take the win to move to 3-1 on the season.
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 19, Ottawa Royals - 16 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - July 14, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
10-0 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murry-Lawrence
2nd Q
10-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
13-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
13-6 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
13-9 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
4th Q
13-16 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
16-16 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
19-16 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
A tight, but competitive duel between the Royals and Blacksmiths closed out week 4 of the NAAF season.
Pittsburgh would get out to an early lead with Vaughn finding Murray-Lawrence for a touchdown following an Al Highlander field goal.
The teams would trade field goals in the 2nd to leave the game at 13-3 in favour of the home team.
Ottawa would bounce back in the second half, with a pair of field goals in the 3rd, before RB Corbyn Knight would give them the lead in the 4th.
Pittsburgh managed to rebound from the Royals' comeback and tied the game up with just over 3 minutes to go.
The Royals' offence would look to take the lead, but the Blacksmiths’ defence would stop them along with the help of the very loud crowd in Pittsburgh.
They would get the ball back and Louis Vaughn would lead them down the field to get a field goal for the win, continuing their 3-0 start at home this season.
Injury Report
OL Stephane Lloris BOS - 4 Weeks
DL William Sanderson BUF - 2 Weeks
OL Clancy Harrison BUF - 6 Weeks
LB Hector Greenville HFX - 12 Weeks
RB Yancy Harrison HFX - Day-to-Day
WR Ed Edwards IND - Day-to-Day
OL Barry Florence LDN - Day-to-Day
WR Taylor Karis MTL - Day-to-Day
WR Piers Key OTT - Day-to-Day
DL Ryan Sargent PRO - 2 Weeks
DL Bartolo Cruz PRO - 3 Weeks
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Max Tracy TOR - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 110 Rushing Yards
DEF: DB Joe Robinson HFX - 1 Interception, 1 Pass Defended, 4 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Pittsburgh 3-1
Toronto 3-1
Louisville 3-1
Buffalo 2-2
London 2-2
Indiana 1-3
EAST
Halifax 3-1
Ottawa 2-2
Long Island 2-2
Boston 1-3
Montreal 1-3
Providence 1-3
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax +1
2 - Buffalo -1
3 - Louisville +1
4 - Pittsburgh +3
5 - Long Island -2
6 - Toronto +4
7 - Boston -2
8 - Ottawa -
9 - Indiana -3
10 - Providence +1
11 - Montreal +1
12 - London -3
Week 5 Games
TOR (3-1) @ HFX (3-1) - JUL 18 - 6 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
MTL (1-3) @ LOU (3-1) - JUL 19 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
PRO (1-3) @ LDN (2-2) - JUL 20 - 3 PM ET
BUF (2-2) @ OTT (2-2) - JUL 20 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
PIT (3-1) @ LI (2-2) - JUL 21 - 1 PM ET
BOS (1-3) @ IND (1-3) - JUL 21 - 4 PM ET
LOU: RB Théodore Lemieux - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LOU: RB Mario Leclair - Reserve List -> Active Roster
OTT: DL Jordan-Eugene White - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
OTT: DL Buddy Hibbert - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: WR Owen Paisley - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: WR Mark Taylor - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: RB Rashed Smith - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: RB Henri Létourneau - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Providence Gold Stars - 20, Indiana Victors - 13 - New Providence Stadium - July 12, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
2nd Q
14-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
14-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
17-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
17-10 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
20-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
20-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
The Gold Stars’ defence came back home on a mission, shutting down the Victors’ offence.
QB Connor O’Rourke would have a strong start throwing a pair of touchdowns both to WR Cedric Peterson, the second of which came after an interception from DB Neville Falkner.
In the second half, Indiana would bounce back and mount a comeback, but it would fall short in the final quarter with a pair of turnovers that would stop them from reaching the endzone.
Providence finally gets over the hump for their first win of the season, despite losing several key pieces to injury last week.
The loss puts Indiana in a very difficult situation for the second straight season with only 1 win through 4 games.
Boston Independents - 11, Louisville Thunder - 20 - Richardson Stadium - July 13, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Light Rain
1st Q
3-0 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
3-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> TE Rex Williamson
2nd Q
10-7 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
3rd Q
10-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
11-10 BOS - Single K Woody Woodstock
11-13 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
4th Q
11-20 LOU - RTD RB George Seahorse
Boston jumped out to an early lead, but the Thunder countered with a touchdown of their own.
Boston retook the lead with Reggie Whitehead getting to the endzone while their defence was able to shut down the Thunder.
Boston's DB Oliver Langstrom would come down with an interception against his former team in the 2nd quarter.
In the second half, the Thunder would adjust and take over, retaking the lead with a pair of field goals in the 3rd.
In the final quarter, the Thunder would get back into the endzone with George Seahorse scoring his first of the season, playing in place of injured RB Théodore Lemieux.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 7, Halifax Mariners - 17 - Milton Charles Stadium - July 13, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
2nd Q
0-7 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
0-10 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
7-10 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Sebastian Dassler
7-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
Two of the league’s best defences allowed no points in the first 25 minutes of play.
RB Ronald O’Sullivan would finally break the silence with 5 minutes to go in the second, following a DB Joe Robinson interception.
The Mariners extended their lead in the 3rd, but Charles Lemieux would look to mount a comeback in the final quarter.
WR Sebastian Dassler would get free and would score a touchdown to pull back to within 3.
Halifax’s defence rebounded from the score with DL Wayne Baxton getting a fumble off of Lemieux to give the Mariners great field position.
QB Lyle Painter would get a bit aggressive and would find WR Shane Steadman for the touchdown to seal the win.
Montreal Rouge - 23, London Tigers - 9 - Mount Royal Stadium - July 13, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Russell Wilcox
2nd Q
10-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
10-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
17-3 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun
17-6 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
4th Q
20-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
20-9 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
23-9 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
Montreal hoped to end their winless campaign in their 2nd home game of the season.
They would start well with a touchdown to WR Russell Wilcox, as he scores his first touchdown as a member of the Rouge against his old team.
Montreal continued to play strong with Jimmy Sargent’s defence getting the best of the Tigers.
In the second half, Montreal would extend their lead with a touchdown to WR Yahui Sun.
Throughout the rest of the game, each team would trade field goals as well as a couple of turnovers.
Toronto Steelheads - 30, Long Island Raiders - 27 - Anderson Stadium - July 14, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear - Game of the Week
1st Q
7-0 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
7-7 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Larry Mossholder
2nd Q
7-10 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
10-17 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
3rd Q
13-17 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
20-17 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Samuel Petri
20-20 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
27-20 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
27-27 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Otto Washington
30-27 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
A competitive duel in Toronto started with both teams scoring a touchdown in the opening quarter.
In the second, a pair of field goals were traded, before the Raiders would find the endzone just before the break with Dareion Fields.
In the second half, the Steelheads would bounce back with back-to-back scores following a LB Judge Barrett forced fumble.
The Raiders were able to keep the pace leaving the game tied heading into the final quarter.
Toronto would retake the lead with RB Max Tracy’s 8th touchdown of the season before Ivan Sanchez would find Otto Washington for a second passing touchdown of the game.
Toronto would put together a late 4th quarter drive that would end up giving them the late lead on a field goal. The Steelheads would hold on and take the win to move to 3-1 on the season.
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 19, Ottawa Royals - 16 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - July 14, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
10-0 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murry-Lawrence
2nd Q
10-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
13-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
13-6 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
13-9 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
4th Q
13-16 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
16-16 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
19-16 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
A tight, but competitive duel between the Royals and Blacksmiths closed out week 4 of the NAAF season.
Pittsburgh would get out to an early lead with Vaughn finding Murray-Lawrence for a touchdown following an Al Highlander field goal.
The teams would trade field goals in the 2nd to leave the game at 13-3 in favour of the home team.
Ottawa would bounce back in the second half, with a pair of field goals in the 3rd, before RB Corbyn Knight would give them the lead in the 4th.
Pittsburgh managed to rebound from the Royals' comeback and tied the game up with just over 3 minutes to go.
The Royals' offence would look to take the lead, but the Blacksmiths’ defence would stop them along with the help of the very loud crowd in Pittsburgh.
They would get the ball back and Louis Vaughn would lead them down the field to get a field goal for the win, continuing their 3-0 start at home this season.
Injury Report
OL Stephane Lloris BOS - 4 Weeks
DL William Sanderson BUF - 2 Weeks
OL Clancy Harrison BUF - 6 Weeks
LB Hector Greenville HFX - 12 Weeks
RB Yancy Harrison HFX - Day-to-Day
WR Ed Edwards IND - Day-to-Day
OL Barry Florence LDN - Day-to-Day
WR Taylor Karis MTL - Day-to-Day
WR Piers Key OTT - Day-to-Day
DL Ryan Sargent PRO - 2 Weeks
DL Bartolo Cruz PRO - 3 Weeks
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Pittsburgh 3-1
Toronto 3-1
Louisville 3-1
Buffalo 2-2
London 2-2
Indiana 1-3
EAST
Halifax 3-1
Ottawa 2-2
Long Island 2-2
Boston 1-3
Montreal 1-3
Providence 1-3
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax +1
2 - Buffalo -1
3 - Louisville +1
4 - Pittsburgh +3
5 - Long Island -2
6 - Toronto +4
7 - Boston -2
8 - Ottawa -
9 - Indiana -3
10 - Providence +1
11 - Montreal +1
12 - London -3
Week 5 Games
TOR (3-1) @ HFX (3-1) - JUL 18 - 6 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
MTL (1-3) @ LOU (3-1) - JUL 19 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
PRO (1-3) @ LDN (2-2) - JUL 20 - 3 PM ET
BUF (2-2) @ OTT (2-2) - JUL 20 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
PIT (3-1) @ LI (2-2) - JUL 21 - 1 PM ET
BOS (1-3) @ IND (1-3) - JUL 21 - 4 PM ET
1968 Week 5
Roster Moves
BUF: OL Clancy Harrison - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
BUF: OL Doug Dix - Reserve List -> Active Roster
HFX: LB Hector Greenville - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
HFX: LB Walker Colson - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: DL Bartolo Cruz - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: DL Porter Hines - Free Agent -> Active Roster
Halifax Mariners - 34, Toronto Steelheads - 10 - Atlantic Stadium - July 18, 1968 - 6 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
10-0 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
2nd Q
17-0 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
24-0 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
3rd Q
24-3 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
24-10 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
27-10 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
34-10 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
Toronto struggled out of the gate, following a short week and was completely shut down by the Mariners’ defence.
Halifax, on the other hand, was moving the ball just fine, as they jumped out to a strong 24-0 lead in the first half.
The Steelheads would bounce back in the 3rd with back-to-back scores to make it 24-10, however, they would not get anything else throughout the rest of the game.
QB Lyle Painter would close out a strong performance with his 3rd Passing Touchdown of the game to give the Mariners a strong 4-1 start.
Louisville Thunder - 13, Montreal Rouge - 22 - Thunder Stadium - July 19, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
2nd Q
3-7 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
10-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
3rd Q
10-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
10-11 MTL - Single K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
10-14 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
13-14 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
13-20 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
13-22 MTL - 2PT QB Gene Bishop
RB Hugo Hughes entered Week 5 having only 1 touchdown on the season, and he would finally add to that total with a touchdown in the opening quarter.
Louisville would take over in the second, with a pick from S Johnny Berger, the Thunder were able to take a 10-7 lead into the half.
The 3rd would be sluggish with the Rouge putting up the only 4 points of the quarter.
After each team traded field goals to start the 4th, the Rouge were aiming to burn some of the clock when RB Hughes would find a hole and take the ball 61 yards to the house to give Montreal a 7-point lead.
QB Gene Bishop would end up taking the ball himself into the endzone to get the 2-pointer to put the game out of reach.
London Tigers - 10, Providence Gold Stars - 20 - Western Fair Stadium - July 20, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
2nd Q
0-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
3-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
3-13 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
10-13 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Joshua Lafleur
10-20 PRO - KRTD WR Mark Taylor
Despite dealing with an unreal number of injuries, the Gold Stars came out of the gate with a 0-10 lead.
The Tigers looked to come back but were struggling to move the ball again.
Providence’s defence was strong overall in the game despite losing LB Kurt Warlock and were able to prevent the Tigers from getting more than 3 points through the first 3 quarters.
In the 4th, Kiernan would lead the Tigers down the field and get a late touchdown on a great throw to WR Joshua Lafleur.
They were back in the game, but rookie WR Mark Taylor would take away the hope by returning the kickoff back to the house to retake the 10-point lead.
Ottawa Royals - 24, Buffalo Blue Wings - 21 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 20, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
7-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
2nd Q
14-7 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Colby Bancana
3rd Q
14-14 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
4th Q
14-21 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
21-21 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Marshall Leonard
24-21 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
The Royals returned home to play a tough Blue Wings squad, where they jumped out a 7-0 lead on a RB Corbyn Knight touchdown.
Buffalo countered with a touchdown of their own to tie the game heading into the second.
The Royals' defence did a good job stopping the Blue Wings’ offence in the second quarter, while QB Tyrion Gainsborough would give the Royals the lead back.
In the second half, the Blue Wings would jump back out to a lead with the Blue Wings getting back-to-back touchdowns with Jimmy Golden and Jimmy Jack scoring.
Buffalo looked to be back in control of the game, but Gainsborough and the Royals were able to make some strong plays and Gainsborough would find Marshall Leonard for the game-tying field goal.
Buffalo had a chance to win, but a perfectly timed DL Bernhard Hartmann sack allowed the Royals to get the ball back.
With the limited time, the Royals would get back into field goal range and Ira Foster would nail the game-winning kick, giving the Blue Wings their first back-to-back losses since 1965.
This is also the first time the Royals have beaten the Blue Wings since 1961.
Long Island Raiders - 20, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 26 - Long Island Stadium - July 21, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
7-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
10-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-6 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
10-13 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
13-13 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
13-16 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
4th Q
13-23 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
20-23 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Larry Mossholder
20-26 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
The Raiders were hoping to bounce back from their loss to the Steelheads, and they would have a strong start with a Dareion Fields touchdown.
The Blacksmiths would keep pace with the Raiders with a couple of field goals in the first half.
In the second half, the Blacksmiths would take charge and Taylor Austin would score to give them the lead.
They would keep the 3-point lead into the final quarter, but Tresean Jones would extend the lead to 10 with a touchdown early in the quarter.
The Raiders would get a touchdown to pull back within 3, but the Blacksmiths would put together a long, late drive to run the clock and put themselves up by 6.
Indiana Victors - 38, Boston Independents - 35 - Victory Stadium - July 21, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-7 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
2nd Q
14-7 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
14-14 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
17-14 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
17-21 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
17-28 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
4th Q
24-28 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
31-28 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
31-35 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
38-35 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
It was an offensive duel between Indiana and Boston that kicked off with a Pembroke touchdown.
Indy would get the next two touchdowns with Ed Edwards and Raymond Green scoring.
DB Kelly Kirkland would get a fumble as well in the first half to help with Raymond Green’s touchdown.
Boston would tie the game back up before Indy would sneak in a field goal just before the break.
The third quarter would see the Independents take charge with back-to-back touchdowns along with a pick from DB Mordecai King.
The final quarter would see the Victors roar back to take the lead again with an Ed Edwards touchdown.
Boston kept up the pace with Alexei Dubois scoring to retake the lead, however, Indiana had one last drive.
The Victors would find a way to get down the field and WR Evan Clanton would score the game-winning touchdown against his own team.
Injury Report
LB Joe Larkin BOS - 8 Weeks
DB Jackson Miles LDN - 6 Weeks
LB Deon Wiggins LI - 4 Weeks
LB Norman Field LOU - Day-to-Day
LB Aristofane Zuccaro OTT - 1 Week
LB Kurt Warlock PRO - Day-to-Day
OL Nicholas Waller PRO - 9 Weeks
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 4 Passing Touchdowns, 351 Passing Yards
DEF: DL Bernhard Hartmann OTT - 1 Sack, 1 Forced Fumble, 6 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Pittsburgh 4-1
Louisville 3-2
Toronto 3-2
Buffalo 2-3
Indiana 2-3
London 2-3
EAST
Halifax 4-1
Ottawa 3-2
Long Island 2-3
Montreal 2-3
Providence 2-3
Boston 1-4
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax -
2 - Pittsburgh +2
3 - Buffalo -1
4 - Louisville -1
5 - Ottawa +3
6 - Toronto -
7 - Long Island -2
8 - Indiana +1
9 - Montreal +2
10 - Boston -3
11 - Providence -1
12 - London -
Week 6 Games - RIVALRY WEEK
HFX (4-1) @ LI (2-3) - JUL 26 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
TOR (3-2) @ PIT (4-1) - JUL 27 - 12 PM ET
IND (2-3) @ LOU (3-2) - JUL 27 - 3:30 PM ET
PRO (2-3) @ BOS (1-4) - JUL 27 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
OTT (3-2) @ MTL (2-3) - JUL 28 - 1 PM ET
LDN (2-3) @ BUF (2-3) - JUL 28 - 4 PM ET
Roster Moves
BUF: OL Clancy Harrison - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
BUF: OL Doug Dix - Reserve List -> Active Roster
HFX: LB Hector Greenville - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
HFX: LB Walker Colson - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: DL Bartolo Cruz - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: DL Porter Hines - Free Agent -> Active Roster
Halifax Mariners - 34, Toronto Steelheads - 10 - Atlantic Stadium - July 18, 1968 - 6 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
10-0 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
2nd Q
17-0 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
24-0 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
3rd Q
24-3 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
24-10 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
27-10 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
34-10 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
Toronto struggled out of the gate, following a short week and was completely shut down by the Mariners’ defence.
Halifax, on the other hand, was moving the ball just fine, as they jumped out to a strong 24-0 lead in the first half.
The Steelheads would bounce back in the 3rd with back-to-back scores to make it 24-10, however, they would not get anything else throughout the rest of the game.
QB Lyle Painter would close out a strong performance with his 3rd Passing Touchdown of the game to give the Mariners a strong 4-1 start.
Louisville Thunder - 13, Montreal Rouge - 22 - Thunder Stadium - July 19, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
2nd Q
3-7 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
10-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
3rd Q
10-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
10-11 MTL - Single K Arthur Kettinger
4th Q
10-14 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
13-14 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
13-20 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
13-22 MTL - 2PT QB Gene Bishop
RB Hugo Hughes entered Week 5 having only 1 touchdown on the season, and he would finally add to that total with a touchdown in the opening quarter.
Louisville would take over in the second, with a pick from S Johnny Berger, the Thunder were able to take a 10-7 lead into the half.
The 3rd would be sluggish with the Rouge putting up the only 4 points of the quarter.
After each team traded field goals to start the 4th, the Rouge were aiming to burn some of the clock when RB Hughes would find a hole and take the ball 61 yards to the house to give Montreal a 7-point lead.
QB Gene Bishop would end up taking the ball himself into the endzone to get the 2-pointer to put the game out of reach.
London Tigers - 10, Providence Gold Stars - 20 - Western Fair Stadium - July 20, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
2nd Q
0-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
3-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
3-13 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
10-13 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Joshua Lafleur
10-20 PRO - KRTD WR Mark Taylor
Despite dealing with an unreal number of injuries, the Gold Stars came out of the gate with a 0-10 lead.
The Tigers looked to come back but were struggling to move the ball again.
Providence’s defence was strong overall in the game despite losing LB Kurt Warlock and were able to prevent the Tigers from getting more than 3 points through the first 3 quarters.
In the 4th, Kiernan would lead the Tigers down the field and get a late touchdown on a great throw to WR Joshua Lafleur.
They were back in the game, but rookie WR Mark Taylor would take away the hope by returning the kickoff back to the house to retake the 10-point lead.
Ottawa Royals - 24, Buffalo Blue Wings - 21 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 20, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
7-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
2nd Q
14-7 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Colby Bancana
3rd Q
14-14 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
4th Q
14-21 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
21-21 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Marshall Leonard
24-21 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
The Royals returned home to play a tough Blue Wings squad, where they jumped out a 7-0 lead on a RB Corbyn Knight touchdown.
Buffalo countered with a touchdown of their own to tie the game heading into the second.
The Royals' defence did a good job stopping the Blue Wings’ offence in the second quarter, while QB Tyrion Gainsborough would give the Royals the lead back.
In the second half, the Blue Wings would jump back out to a lead with the Blue Wings getting back-to-back touchdowns with Jimmy Golden and Jimmy Jack scoring.
Buffalo looked to be back in control of the game, but Gainsborough and the Royals were able to make some strong plays and Gainsborough would find Marshall Leonard for the game-tying field goal.
Buffalo had a chance to win, but a perfectly timed DL Bernhard Hartmann sack allowed the Royals to get the ball back.
With the limited time, the Royals would get back into field goal range and Ira Foster would nail the game-winning kick, giving the Blue Wings their first back-to-back losses since 1965.
This is also the first time the Royals have beaten the Blue Wings since 1961.
Long Island Raiders - 20, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 26 - Long Island Stadium - July 21, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
7-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
10-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-6 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
10-13 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
13-13 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
13-16 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
4th Q
13-23 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
20-23 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Larry Mossholder
20-26 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
The Raiders were hoping to bounce back from their loss to the Steelheads, and they would have a strong start with a Dareion Fields touchdown.
The Blacksmiths would keep pace with the Raiders with a couple of field goals in the first half.
In the second half, the Blacksmiths would take charge and Taylor Austin would score to give them the lead.
They would keep the 3-point lead into the final quarter, but Tresean Jones would extend the lead to 10 with a touchdown early in the quarter.
The Raiders would get a touchdown to pull back within 3, but the Blacksmiths would put together a long, late drive to run the clock and put themselves up by 6.
Indiana Victors - 38, Boston Independents - 35 - Victory Stadium - July 21, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-7 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
2nd Q
14-7 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
14-14 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
17-14 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
17-21 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
17-28 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
4th Q
24-28 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
31-28 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
31-35 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
38-35 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
It was an offensive duel between Indiana and Boston that kicked off with a Pembroke touchdown.
Indy would get the next two touchdowns with Ed Edwards and Raymond Green scoring.
DB Kelly Kirkland would get a fumble as well in the first half to help with Raymond Green’s touchdown.
Boston would tie the game back up before Indy would sneak in a field goal just before the break.
The third quarter would see the Independents take charge with back-to-back touchdowns along with a pick from DB Mordecai King.
The final quarter would see the Victors roar back to take the lead again with an Ed Edwards touchdown.
Boston kept up the pace with Alexei Dubois scoring to retake the lead, however, Indiana had one last drive.
The Victors would find a way to get down the field and WR Evan Clanton would score the game-winning touchdown against his own team.
Injury Report
LB Joe Larkin BOS - 8 Weeks
DB Jackson Miles LDN - 6 Weeks
LB Deon Wiggins LI - 4 Weeks
LB Norman Field LOU - Day-to-Day
LB Aristofane Zuccaro OTT - 1 Week
LB Kurt Warlock PRO - Day-to-Day
OL Nicholas Waller PRO - 9 Weeks
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Pittsburgh 4-1
Louisville 3-2
Toronto 3-2
Buffalo 2-3
Indiana 2-3
London 2-3
EAST
Halifax 4-1
Ottawa 3-2
Long Island 2-3
Montreal 2-3
Providence 2-3
Boston 1-4
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax -
2 - Pittsburgh +2
3 - Buffalo -1
4 - Louisville -1
5 - Ottawa +3
6 - Toronto -
7 - Long Island -2
8 - Indiana +1
9 - Montreal +2
10 - Boston -3
11 - Providence -1
12 - London -
Week 6 Games - RIVALRY WEEK
HFX (4-1) @ LI (2-3) - JUL 26 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
TOR (3-2) @ PIT (4-1) - JUL 27 - 12 PM ET
IND (2-3) @ LOU (3-2) - JUL 27 - 3:30 PM ET
PRO (2-3) @ BOS (1-4) - JUL 27 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
OTT (3-2) @ MTL (2-3) - JUL 28 - 1 PM ET
LDN (2-3) @ BUF (2-3) - JUL 28 - 4 PM ET
1968 Week 6
Roster Moves
BOS: LB Joe Larkin - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
BOS: LB Eric Dionne - Reserve List -> Active Roster
LDN: DB Jackson Miles - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LDN: DB Billy Bass - Reserve List -> Active Roster
LI: LB Deon Wiggins - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LI: LB Jeremy Trudeau - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: OL Nicholas Patterson - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: OL Rick Patterson - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Long Island Raiders - 17, Halifax Mariners - 25 - Long Island Stadium - July 26, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
7-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
7-6 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
7-13 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
10-13 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-16 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
17-16 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Otto Washington
17-22 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
17-25 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
To kick off the rivalry week of 1968, the Raiders and Mariners would be in a tight duel that would start with a RB Dareion Fields touchdown in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Mariners’ defence would shut down the Raiders while their offence had a lot of success scoring on 3 consecutive drives.
In the second half, the two teams would trade field goals to leave the game at 10-16 heading into the final quarter.
The Raiders would finally get the offence going after being almost completely shut down in the middle two quarters and would score a touchdown with Sanchez finding Otto Washington for his 3rd of the season.
Halifax’s defence may have taken a step back, but their offence was still thriving and would counter with a touchdown of their own as former Raiders’ QB Lyle Painter would find Jav Kerrigan for the game-winning score.
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 21, Toronto Steelheads - 31 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - July 27, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
7-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
10-7 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
13-7 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
13-14 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
13-21 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
4th Q
13-24 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
19-24 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
21-24 PIT - 2PT RB Tresean Jones
21-31 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
The Blacksmiths looked to remain perfect at home with a strong start in their game against their “rival” Steelheads.
While Max Tracy would find the endzone for Toronto, the Blacksmiths remained in control throughout the first half, holding onto a 13-7 lead heading into the half.
In the second half, the Steelheads would get back into the game with a strong 3rd quarter, putting up a pair of touchdowns.
They would continue to add to their lead early in the 4th after Vaughn threw an interception to DB Luke Warren.
Pittsburgh, now down by 11, would march down the field to score a touchdown and get back to within a score.
RB Tresean Jones would get into the endzone to make it only a 3-point difference.
Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, their defence was unable to stop the Steelheads’ march down the field and Tracy would add his 3rd touchdown of the game.
Louisville Thunder - 24, Indiana Victors - 27 - Thunder Stadium - July 27, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy/Scattered Showers
1st Q
0-7 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
2nd Q
3-7 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
3-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
3-20 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
10-20 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Carter Henderson
17-20 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
4th Q
17-27 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
24-27 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
It was a sloppy start to the classic Louisville-Indiana battle.
Raymond Green’s first score of the game would come following a fumble by RB George Seahorse on Louisville’s first drive.
The second would eventually see both teams add a field goal or two, but Indy held the 10-point lead heading into the break.
Green would add his second touchdown of the game early in the third to make it a 17-point game, but then the Thunder offence decided to wake up.
Buck Murphy would find the endzone twice during the third to pull back to within a field goal.
Indy was able to answer back following the Casey Coleman score, but Louisville kept up with Murphy’s 3rd TD pass of the game.
Luckily for the Victors, their defence would find their footing and hold off the Thunder to keep their team on top and earn their second straight win.
Boston Independents - 38, Providence Gold Stars - 28 - Richardson Stadium - July 27, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
7-3 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
2nd Q
14-3 BOS - DTD INT - DB Lawrence Ralph
14-4 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
21-4 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
3rd Q
21-11 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
28-11 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> TE Tobias Lindholm
28-18 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
31-18 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
4th Q
31-21 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
31-22 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
38-22 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
38-28 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
Boston and Providence’s rivalry was a battle to stay out of the basement of the East Division this time around.
The Independents, who were looking for their second win of the season, would get off to a strong start with their defence taking it to the Gold Stars’ offence.
A Lawrence Ralph pick-6, along with touchdowns from Felix Fontaine and Reggie Whitehead would give the Independents the 17-point lead at the half.
The Gold Stars would start to make a push back when rookie WR Mark Taylor would return the opening kick into Boston territory.
A pair of Ronnie Byers touchdowns would keep Providence within range, however, the Independents were still able to add 10-points themselves.
Providence would inch back, but a fumble from WR Doug Piva would give Boston a short field to extend their lead.
In the last few minutes of the game, the Gold Stars would put together a strong drive in which Cedric Peterson would use his great hands to make a strong touchdown catch, but it was too late.
Montreal Rouge - 7, Ottawa Royals - 30 - Mount Royal Stadium - July 28, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 OTT - DTD INT - S Marc Bellecourt
2nd Q
0-14 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
0-17 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
0-24 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> TE Luiss de Brands
7-24 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
4th Q
7-27 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
7-30 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
The Ottawa Royals defence put on a clinic against the Rouge, starting off with a pick from S Marc Bellecourt in his return to his old college town.
Ottawa’s defence would completely shut down the Rouge offence throughout the first half while their offence would add on 10 more points to their lead.
In the second half, the Royals would tag on another touchdown as Gainsborough would find rookie TE Luiss de Brands for his first career touchdown.
Montreal would finally get on the board with Taylor Karis getting back to the endzone.
After their lone score, Montreal had no other answers and the Royals would tack on a pair of field goals to seal a dominant win over their rivals.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 20, London Tigers - 16 - Milton Charles Stadium - July 28, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
7-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
10-7 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
10-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
17-10 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
17-13 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
4th Q
17-16 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
20-16 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
Despite being completely outmatched on paper, the London Tigers were able to stick with their rivals from Buffalo throughout the first half.
Buffalo was able to jump out to a pair of leads, but the Tigers matched the scores both times.
The Blue Wings would regain their 7-point lead early in the 3rd with a Julius Drake touchdown.
London would bounce back with a couple of field goals to cut the lead down to 1.
They looked to be getting close to another field goal to take the lead, but a timely interception from DB Ezra Power would put a stop to it.
Buffalo would add to their lead and hold off their rivals.
Injury Report
RB Yancy Harrison HFX - Day-to-Day
LB Mike Francis IND - Day-to-Day
DB Adam Levesque IND - Day-to-Day
RB Raymond Green IND - Day-to-Day
WR Larry Mossholder LI - Day-to-Day
OL Elliot Barrett MTL - 5 Weeks
OL Wally McRose PIT - Day-to-Day
DL Matthias Hartmann PIT - 1 Week
WR Luc St. Cyr PIT - 5 Weeks
OL Andrew Parsley TOR - Day-to-Day
TE Jesse Butler TOR - 2 Weeks
DL Johnathan Ellison TOR - 2 Weeks
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Max Tracy TOR - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 131 Rushing Yards
DEF: S Marc Bellecourt OTT - 1 Defensive Touchdown, 1 Interception, 6 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Toronto 4-2
Pittsburgh 4-2
Buffalo 3-3
Indiana 3-3
Louisville 3-3
London 2-4
EAST
Halifax 5-1
Ottawa 4-2
Boston 2-4
Long Island 2-4
Providence 2-4
Montreal 2-4
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax -
2 - Pittsburgh -
3 - Toronto +3
4 - Ottawa +1
5 - Buffalo -2
6 - Louisville -2
7 - Indiana +1
8 - Long Island -1
9 - Boston +1
10 - Montreal -1
11 - London +1
12 - Providence -1
Week 7 Games
PIT (4-2) @ PRO (2-4) - AUG 2 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
BOS (2-4) @ HFX (5-1) - AUG 3 - 6 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
BUF (3-3) @ LDN (2-4) - AUG 4 - 2 PM ET
BYE: IND, LI, LOU, MTL, OTT, TOR
BOS: LB Joe Larkin - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
BOS: LB Eric Dionne - Reserve List -> Active Roster
LDN: DB Jackson Miles - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LDN: DB Billy Bass - Reserve List -> Active Roster
LI: LB Deon Wiggins - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LI: LB Jeremy Trudeau - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: OL Nicholas Patterson - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: OL Rick Patterson - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Long Island Raiders - 17, Halifax Mariners - 25 - Long Island Stadium - July 26, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
7-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
7-6 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
7-13 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
10-13 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-16 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
17-16 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Otto Washington
17-22 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
17-25 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
To kick off the rivalry week of 1968, the Raiders and Mariners would be in a tight duel that would start with a RB Dareion Fields touchdown in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Mariners’ defence would shut down the Raiders while their offence had a lot of success scoring on 3 consecutive drives.
In the second half, the two teams would trade field goals to leave the game at 10-16 heading into the final quarter.
The Raiders would finally get the offence going after being almost completely shut down in the middle two quarters and would score a touchdown with Sanchez finding Otto Washington for his 3rd of the season.
Halifax’s defence may have taken a step back, but their offence was still thriving and would counter with a touchdown of their own as former Raiders’ QB Lyle Painter would find Jav Kerrigan for the game-winning score.
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 21, Toronto Steelheads - 31 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - July 27, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
7-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
10-7 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
13-7 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
13-14 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
13-21 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
4th Q
13-24 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
19-24 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
21-24 PIT - 2PT RB Tresean Jones
21-31 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
The Blacksmiths looked to remain perfect at home with a strong start in their game against their “rival” Steelheads.
While Max Tracy would find the endzone for Toronto, the Blacksmiths remained in control throughout the first half, holding onto a 13-7 lead heading into the half.
In the second half, the Steelheads would get back into the game with a strong 3rd quarter, putting up a pair of touchdowns.
They would continue to add to their lead early in the 4th after Vaughn threw an interception to DB Luke Warren.
Pittsburgh, now down by 11, would march down the field to score a touchdown and get back to within a score.
RB Tresean Jones would get into the endzone to make it only a 3-point difference.
Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, their defence was unable to stop the Steelheads’ march down the field and Tracy would add his 3rd touchdown of the game.
Louisville Thunder - 24, Indiana Victors - 27 - Thunder Stadium - July 27, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy/Scattered Showers
1st Q
0-7 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
2nd Q
3-7 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
3-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3-13 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
3-20 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
10-20 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Carter Henderson
17-20 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
4th Q
17-27 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
24-27 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
It was a sloppy start to the classic Louisville-Indiana battle.
Raymond Green’s first score of the game would come following a fumble by RB George Seahorse on Louisville’s first drive.
The second would eventually see both teams add a field goal or two, but Indy held the 10-point lead heading into the break.
Green would add his second touchdown of the game early in the third to make it a 17-point game, but then the Thunder offence decided to wake up.
Buck Murphy would find the endzone twice during the third to pull back to within a field goal.
Indy was able to answer back following the Casey Coleman score, but Louisville kept up with Murphy’s 3rd TD pass of the game.
Luckily for the Victors, their defence would find their footing and hold off the Thunder to keep their team on top and earn their second straight win.
Boston Independents - 38, Providence Gold Stars - 28 - Richardson Stadium - July 27, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
7-3 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
2nd Q
14-3 BOS - DTD INT - DB Lawrence Ralph
14-4 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
21-4 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
3rd Q
21-11 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
28-11 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> TE Tobias Lindholm
28-18 PRO - RTD RB Ronnie Byers
31-18 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
4th Q
31-21 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
31-22 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
38-22 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
38-28 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
Boston and Providence’s rivalry was a battle to stay out of the basement of the East Division this time around.
The Independents, who were looking for their second win of the season, would get off to a strong start with their defence taking it to the Gold Stars’ offence.
A Lawrence Ralph pick-6, along with touchdowns from Felix Fontaine and Reggie Whitehead would give the Independents the 17-point lead at the half.
The Gold Stars would start to make a push back when rookie WR Mark Taylor would return the opening kick into Boston territory.
A pair of Ronnie Byers touchdowns would keep Providence within range, however, the Independents were still able to add 10-points themselves.
Providence would inch back, but a fumble from WR Doug Piva would give Boston a short field to extend their lead.
In the last few minutes of the game, the Gold Stars would put together a strong drive in which Cedric Peterson would use his great hands to make a strong touchdown catch, but it was too late.
Montreal Rouge - 7, Ottawa Royals - 30 - Mount Royal Stadium - July 28, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 OTT - DTD INT - S Marc Bellecourt
2nd Q
0-14 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
0-17 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
0-24 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> TE Luiss de Brands
7-24 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
4th Q
7-27 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
7-30 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
The Ottawa Royals defence put on a clinic against the Rouge, starting off with a pick from S Marc Bellecourt in his return to his old college town.
Ottawa’s defence would completely shut down the Rouge offence throughout the first half while their offence would add on 10 more points to their lead.
In the second half, the Royals would tag on another touchdown as Gainsborough would find rookie TE Luiss de Brands for his first career touchdown.
Montreal would finally get on the board with Taylor Karis getting back to the endzone.
After their lone score, Montreal had no other answers and the Royals would tack on a pair of field goals to seal a dominant win over their rivals.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 20, London Tigers - 16 - Milton Charles Stadium - July 28, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
7-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
10-7 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
10-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
17-10 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
17-13 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
4th Q
17-16 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
20-16 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
Despite being completely outmatched on paper, the London Tigers were able to stick with their rivals from Buffalo throughout the first half.
Buffalo was able to jump out to a pair of leads, but the Tigers matched the scores both times.
The Blue Wings would regain their 7-point lead early in the 3rd with a Julius Drake touchdown.
London would bounce back with a couple of field goals to cut the lead down to 1.
They looked to be getting close to another field goal to take the lead, but a timely interception from DB Ezra Power would put a stop to it.
Buffalo would add to their lead and hold off their rivals.
Injury Report
RB Yancy Harrison HFX - Day-to-Day
LB Mike Francis IND - Day-to-Day
DB Adam Levesque IND - Day-to-Day
RB Raymond Green IND - Day-to-Day
WR Larry Mossholder LI - Day-to-Day
OL Elliot Barrett MTL - 5 Weeks
OL Wally McRose PIT - Day-to-Day
DL Matthias Hartmann PIT - 1 Week
WR Luc St. Cyr PIT - 5 Weeks
OL Andrew Parsley TOR - Day-to-Day
TE Jesse Butler TOR - 2 Weeks
DL Johnathan Ellison TOR - 2 Weeks
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Toronto 4-2
Pittsburgh 4-2
Buffalo 3-3
Indiana 3-3
Louisville 3-3
London 2-4
EAST
Halifax 5-1
Ottawa 4-2
Boston 2-4
Long Island 2-4
Providence 2-4
Montreal 2-4
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax -
2 - Pittsburgh -
3 - Toronto +3
4 - Ottawa +1
5 - Buffalo -2
6 - Louisville -2
7 - Indiana +1
8 - Long Island -1
9 - Boston +1
10 - Montreal -1
11 - London +1
12 - Providence -1
Week 7 Games
PIT (4-2) @ PRO (2-4) - AUG 2 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
BOS (2-4) @ HFX (5-1) - AUG 3 - 6 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
BUF (3-3) @ LDN (2-4) - AUG 4 - 2 PM ET
BYE: IND, LI, LOU, MTL, OTT, TOR
1968 Week 7
Roster Moves
LI: DL Abraham Evans Jr. - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
LI: DL Jim Kennedy - Active Roster -> Reserve List
MTL: OL Elliot Barrett - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
MTL: OL Harvey Stephenson - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PIT: WR Luc St. Cyr - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PIT: WR Randy Wilkins - Free Agent -> Active Roster
PRO: RB Rashed Smith - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
PRO: RB Henri Létourneau - Active Roster -> Waivers
Providence Gold Stars - 33, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 30 - New Providence Stadium - August 2, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Doug Piva
7-7 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
2nd Q
14-7 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
14-10 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
17-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
20-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
20-17 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
4th Q
20-24 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
27-24 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
27-27 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
OT
30-27 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
30-30 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
33-30 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
The Gold Stars got some reinforcements off of the injured reserve to try and recover from their 2-4 start to the season.
RB Rashed Smith was back in the backfield and helped the Gold Stars' offence throughout the game, especially early on, picking up 33 yards on a touchdown drive.
The Blacksmiths kept up with the Gold Stars on a touchdown of their own, but Rashed Smith would get a touchdown in the 2nd to give the Gold Stars the lead at the half.
Pittsburgh fell further behind early in the 3rd with the Gold Stars picking up 2 field goals.
Tresean Jones would score a TD to pull the game back within 3 near the end of the quarter.
Louis Vaughn, despite throwing a pair of interceptions earlier in the game, would find the endzone for the second time in the game, this time to Orlando Barrack, to give the Blacksmiths the lead.
The Blacksmiths would look to close out the game later in the 4th, but RB Tresean Jones would lose the football to DL Ryan Sargent, who was back in the lineup for the first time in a couple of weeks.
RB Rashed Smith would give the Gold Stars back the lead, however, Pittsburgh was still able to tie the game to force overtime.
In overtime, there would be some strong defensive play, but the Gold Stars’ 2 field goals would be enough to top the Blacksmiths 33-30.
Halifax Mariners - 35, Boston Independents - 24 - Atlantic Stadium - August 3, 1968 - 6 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
2nd Q
7-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
14-7 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
21-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
21-14 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
21-17 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
4th Q
28-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> TE Dylan Chowder
35-17 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
35-24 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
Boston was the first to break through the defence to score the first points of the game on a touchdown from Reggie Whitehead.
In the second, the Mariners’ offence would pick it up and score back-to-back touchdowns to take a lead into the half.
In the second half, the Mariners would extend their lead to 21-7, but Boston would be able to bounce back with a pair of scores.
However, Boston’s defence continued to slip in the final quarter with Halifax’s offence scoring a pair of touchdowns to get up 35-17.
Boston would make a push and get one more touchdown before the end of the game, but the team would fall short again and head into their break at 2-5.
London Tigers - 25, Buffalo Blue Wings - 24 - Western Fair Stadium - August 4, 1968 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
7-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
10-0 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
10-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
2nd Q
13-7 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
13-14 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
16-14 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
16-17 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
4th Q
16-24 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
22-24 LDN - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Joshua Lafleur
25-24 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
The rematch between the Tigers and Blue Wings was once again a tight battle.
The Tigers would jump out to a 10-0 lead, with the defence managing to stall the Blue Wings' offence early.
QB Charles Lemieux would kick start the offence with a touchdown near the end of the opening frame.
In the second, the Blue Wings would take the lead on a 23-yard touchdown run from RB Jimmy Golden.
Following the break, the Tigers would suffer a major blow with QB Riley Kiernan taking a hit, knocking him out of the game, so experienced backup, QB Magnus Torrensen, would replace Kiernan in the 3rd.
The Blue Wings would take advantage of the Tigers’ stumbling offence and get up to an 8-point lead.
Torrensen would eventually get the offence going for the Tigers in the 4th quarter, leading a touchdown drive, however, they were unable to tie the game on the 2-point conversion attempt.
The Blue Wings would look to burn the clock, but the Tigers were able to force the 2 and out and would get the ball back and drive the field to allow Nimrod Handsworth to kick the game-winning kick.
Injury Report
OL Kane Warwick HFX - Day-to-Day
QB Riley Kiernan LDN - Day-to-Day
OL Ben Jammin PIT - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Rashed Smith PRO - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 112 Rushing Yards
DEF: DL Pat Butler HFX - 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Sack, 4 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Toronto 4-2
Pittsburgh 4-3
Indiana 3-3
Louisville 3-3
Buffalo 3-4
London 3-4
EAST
Halifax 6-1
Ottawa 4-2
Providence 3-4
Long Island 2-4
Montreal 2-4
Boston 2-5
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax -
2 - Toronto +1
3 - Ottawa +1
4 - Pittsburgh -2
5 - Louisville +1
6 - Indiana +1
7 - Buffalo -2
8 - Long Island -
9 - Boston -
10 - Providence +2
11 - London -
12 - Montreal -2
Week 8 Games
LI (2-4) @ OTT (4-2) - AUG 9 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
LOU (3-3) @ TOR (4-2) - AUG 10 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
MTL (2-4) @ IND (3-3) - AUG 11 - 2 PM ET
Roster Moves
LI: DL Abraham Evans Jr. - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
LI: DL Jim Kennedy - Active Roster -> Reserve List
MTL: OL Elliot Barrett - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
MTL: OL Harvey Stephenson - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PIT: WR Luc St. Cyr - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PIT: WR Randy Wilkins - Free Agent -> Active Roster
PRO: RB Rashed Smith - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
PRO: RB Henri Létourneau - Active Roster -> Waivers
Providence Gold Stars - 33, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 30 - New Providence Stadium - August 2, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Doug Piva
7-7 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
2nd Q
14-7 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
14-10 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3rd Q
17-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
20-10 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
20-17 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
4th Q
20-24 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
27-24 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
27-27 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
OT
30-27 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
30-30 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
33-30 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
The Gold Stars got some reinforcements off of the injured reserve to try and recover from their 2-4 start to the season.
RB Rashed Smith was back in the backfield and helped the Gold Stars' offence throughout the game, especially early on, picking up 33 yards on a touchdown drive.
The Blacksmiths kept up with the Gold Stars on a touchdown of their own, but Rashed Smith would get a touchdown in the 2nd to give the Gold Stars the lead at the half.
Pittsburgh fell further behind early in the 3rd with the Gold Stars picking up 2 field goals.
Tresean Jones would score a TD to pull the game back within 3 near the end of the quarter.
Louis Vaughn, despite throwing a pair of interceptions earlier in the game, would find the endzone for the second time in the game, this time to Orlando Barrack, to give the Blacksmiths the lead.
The Blacksmiths would look to close out the game later in the 4th, but RB Tresean Jones would lose the football to DL Ryan Sargent, who was back in the lineup for the first time in a couple of weeks.
RB Rashed Smith would give the Gold Stars back the lead, however, Pittsburgh was still able to tie the game to force overtime.
In overtime, there would be some strong defensive play, but the Gold Stars’ 2 field goals would be enough to top the Blacksmiths 33-30.
Halifax Mariners - 35, Boston Independents - 24 - Atlantic Stadium - August 3, 1968 - 6 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
2nd Q
7-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
14-7 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
3rd Q
21-7 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Jav Kerrigan
21-14 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
21-17 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
4th Q
28-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> TE Dylan Chowder
35-17 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
35-24 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
Boston was the first to break through the defence to score the first points of the game on a touchdown from Reggie Whitehead.
In the second, the Mariners’ offence would pick it up and score back-to-back touchdowns to take a lead into the half.
In the second half, the Mariners would extend their lead to 21-7, but Boston would be able to bounce back with a pair of scores.
However, Boston’s defence continued to slip in the final quarter with Halifax’s offence scoring a pair of touchdowns to get up 35-17.
Boston would make a push and get one more touchdown before the end of the game, but the team would fall short again and head into their break at 2-5.
London Tigers - 25, Buffalo Blue Wings - 24 - Western Fair Stadium - August 4, 1968 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
7-0 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
10-0 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
10-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
2nd Q
13-7 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
13-14 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
16-14 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
16-17 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
4th Q
16-24 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
22-24 LDN - PTD QB Magnus Torrensen -> WR Joshua Lafleur
25-24 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
The rematch between the Tigers and Blue Wings was once again a tight battle.
The Tigers would jump out to a 10-0 lead, with the defence managing to stall the Blue Wings' offence early.
QB Charles Lemieux would kick start the offence with a touchdown near the end of the opening frame.
In the second, the Blue Wings would take the lead on a 23-yard touchdown run from RB Jimmy Golden.
Following the break, the Tigers would suffer a major blow with QB Riley Kiernan taking a hit, knocking him out of the game, so experienced backup, QB Magnus Torrensen, would replace Kiernan in the 3rd.
The Blue Wings would take advantage of the Tigers’ stumbling offence and get up to an 8-point lead.
Torrensen would eventually get the offence going for the Tigers in the 4th quarter, leading a touchdown drive, however, they were unable to tie the game on the 2-point conversion attempt.
The Blue Wings would look to burn the clock, but the Tigers were able to force the 2 and out and would get the ball back and drive the field to allow Nimrod Handsworth to kick the game-winning kick.
Injury Report
OL Kane Warwick HFX - Day-to-Day
QB Riley Kiernan LDN - Day-to-Day
OL Ben Jammin PIT - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Toronto 4-2
Pittsburgh 4-3
Indiana 3-3
Louisville 3-3
Buffalo 3-4
London 3-4
EAST
Halifax 6-1
Ottawa 4-2
Providence 3-4
Long Island 2-4
Montreal 2-4
Boston 2-5
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax -
2 - Toronto +1
3 - Ottawa +1
4 - Pittsburgh -2
5 - Louisville +1
6 - Indiana +1
7 - Buffalo -2
8 - Long Island -
9 - Boston -
10 - Providence +2
11 - London -
12 - Montreal -2
Week 8 Games
LI (2-4) @ OTT (4-2) - AUG 9 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
LOU (3-3) @ TOR (4-2) - AUG 10 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
MTL (2-4) @ IND (3-3) - AUG 11 - 2 PM ET
BYE: BOS, BUF, HFX, LDN, PIT, PRO
BREAKING NEWS - August 7, 1968 - Coaching Change in Boston
The Independents have decided to part ways with Head Coach Levi Bray after just a season and a half of Bray at the helm. The decision comes after the Independents dropped to a disappointing 2-5 on the year. Many fans as well as Owner Benjamin Harris had hoped the team would be a playoff contender this season, but it has not worked out.
Bray’s time in Boston was short-lived, being the second shortest tenure in the team’s history, only having more time served than his predecessor Jonathan Fox. Bray coached the Independents over 19 games going 7-12 over that time. Boston had hoped that Bray’s offensive mind would certainly help the team use its strengths to win with QB Nathaniel Braddock under centre. Overall, the plan may have worked offensively with the team boasting the 2nd highest-scoring offence this season. However, Bray’s lack of attention to the defence seems to shine through with the team allowing the 2nd most points on the season as of week 6 (the most after week 7, but several teams have played 1 less game). Many may fault DC Hugo Martinez for the defensive failings, but the team is sticking with the veteran coach for now.
Bray does become just the 3rd coach in NAAF history to be fired mid-season, joining Roy Aguire and Harry Meadows who were both let go by the Gold Stars mid-season in 1958 and 1965 respectfully.
To replace Bray, the Independents decided to reach back into their history and hired former Independents Head Coach, Dean Reed. Reed coached the Independents following Hall of Fame Coach Peter McDuffin’s retirement in 1953, all the way up until 1959. He appeared in 1 McCallister Cup in 1954, before leading the Independents through their tough rebuild in the mid-50s. Reed would go on to be the Head Coach of the Montreal Rouge from 1960-1963, taking them to the McCallister Cup in 1962. Reed would spend the next few years coaching at Maine State University before he retired at the end of last season. Reed was convinced to come back to coach the Independents by Owner Benjamin Harris, as the two have shared a good relationship for many years.
On the field, Harris hopes that hiring Reed will bring some stability to the rocky defence and hope that a familiar face can get the Independents back on track and maybe make a push for the postseason this year.
Another reason many are pointing to as a reason for Bray’s departure is a rocky relationship with star QB Nathaniel Braddock. The two had been seen arguing on the sidelines during games over the last two years, and many fans and reporters have kept an eye on it ever since. Rumours swirled that the two just did not like each other, but Braddock was asked about his relationship with Bray following the firing and seemed to paint a different picture.
Braddock: “We butted heads for sure, but it was because we were both competitive and wanted to win. Sometimes we did not see eye-to-eye on some decisions, but I have respect for him regardless and hope he finds success in the future.”
Reporter: “What are your thoughts on Dean Reed as the hire?”
Braddock: “Coach Reed is the first coach I ever had in the NAAF, so there’s some familiarity there. He’s a good coach and I don’t doubt he can handle the situation.”
The Independents have decided to part ways with Head Coach Levi Bray after just a season and a half of Bray at the helm. The decision comes after the Independents dropped to a disappointing 2-5 on the year. Many fans as well as Owner Benjamin Harris had hoped the team would be a playoff contender this season, but it has not worked out.
Bray’s time in Boston was short-lived, being the second shortest tenure in the team’s history, only having more time served than his predecessor Jonathan Fox. Bray coached the Independents over 19 games going 7-12 over that time. Boston had hoped that Bray’s offensive mind would certainly help the team use its strengths to win with QB Nathaniel Braddock under centre. Overall, the plan may have worked offensively with the team boasting the 2nd highest-scoring offence this season. However, Bray’s lack of attention to the defence seems to shine through with the team allowing the 2nd most points on the season as of week 6 (the most after week 7, but several teams have played 1 less game). Many may fault DC Hugo Martinez for the defensive failings, but the team is sticking with the veteran coach for now.
Bray does become just the 3rd coach in NAAF history to be fired mid-season, joining Roy Aguire and Harry Meadows who were both let go by the Gold Stars mid-season in 1958 and 1965 respectfully.
To replace Bray, the Independents decided to reach back into their history and hired former Independents Head Coach, Dean Reed. Reed coached the Independents following Hall of Fame Coach Peter McDuffin’s retirement in 1953, all the way up until 1959. He appeared in 1 McCallister Cup in 1954, before leading the Independents through their tough rebuild in the mid-50s. Reed would go on to be the Head Coach of the Montreal Rouge from 1960-1963, taking them to the McCallister Cup in 1962. Reed would spend the next few years coaching at Maine State University before he retired at the end of last season. Reed was convinced to come back to coach the Independents by Owner Benjamin Harris, as the two have shared a good relationship for many years.
On the field, Harris hopes that hiring Reed will bring some stability to the rocky defence and hope that a familiar face can get the Independents back on track and maybe make a push for the postseason this year.
Another reason many are pointing to as a reason for Bray’s departure is a rocky relationship with star QB Nathaniel Braddock. The two had been seen arguing on the sidelines during games over the last two years, and many fans and reporters have kept an eye on it ever since. Rumours swirled that the two just did not like each other, but Braddock was asked about his relationship with Bray following the firing and seemed to paint a different picture.
Braddock: “We butted heads for sure, but it was because we were both competitive and wanted to win. Sometimes we did not see eye-to-eye on some decisions, but I have respect for him regardless and hope he finds success in the future.”
Reporter: “What are your thoughts on Dean Reed as the hire?”
Braddock: “Coach Reed is the first coach I ever had in the NAAF, so there’s some familiarity there. He’s a good coach and I don’t doubt he can handle the situation.”
1968 Week 8
Roster Moves
PRO: DL Bartolo Cruz - Injured List -> Active Roster
PRO: DL Porter Hines - Active Roster -> Waivers
PRO: RB Henri Létourneau - Waivers -> Reserve List
Ottawa Royals - 22, Long Island Raiders - 12 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - August 9, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
2nd Q
14-0 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Colby Bancana
14-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
15-3 OTT - Single K Ira Foster
15-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
18-6 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
18-9 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
19-9 OTT - Single K Ira Foster
19-12 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
22-12 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
The Royals rolled out of the bye week with a strong start, going up 7-0 early in the first.
The defence would stifle the Raiders’ attack while a LB Sam Wheeler forced fumble would allow the Royals to take a 14-0 lead.
The second half ended up being both a defensive battle, as well as a kicking duel between Ira Foster and Henderson Schumacher.
Both teams would keep the other from the endzone, while the kickers would combine for 20 points in total right to the end of the game.
In the end, the early touchdowns would be enough as the Royals keep pace with the Mariners and their 2-game gap over the Gold Stars.
Toronto Steelheads - 26, Louisville Thunder - 23 - Anderson Stadium - August 10, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
7-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
7-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
14-10 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
17-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
3rd Q
17-17 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
17-20 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
4th Q
23-20 TOR - QB Todd Baker -> WR Al Allmendinger
23-23 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
26-23 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
The Steelheads and Thunder met in what could be a very important game for both teams.
The Thunder were looking to avoid losing their 3rd straight game and would get out to a 0-7 lead early in the first.
Toronto, aiming to get their 5th win of the season, would get a touchdown from RB Max Tracy to tie it up.
In the second, The Steelhead would take a 7-point lead off of a second Tracy touchdown and a field goal from K Vic Greatwood.
In the third, the Thunder would score early to tie the game, before then taking the lead on a field goal from K Frank Hughes.
In the final quarter, the Steelheads would retake the lead, but Greatwood would miss the extra point allowing the Thunder to tie the game with a field goal.
Greatwood would be able to redeem himself with a game-winning field goal shortly after.
Indiana Victors - 33, Montreal Rouge - 16 - Victory Stadium - August 11, 1968 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
14-0 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
2nd Q
21-0 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
21-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
3rd Q
24-7 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
24-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
27-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
30-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
33-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
33-16 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Russell Wilcox
The Indiana Victors were on a mission to secure their 3rd straight win right from the opening snap.
They would score 3 straight touchdowns to start the game up 21-0, as Montreal’s offence was unable to get more than 2 first downs.
Bishop was finally able to break through the Victors’ defence late in the first half, but they would still be down 14 going into the half.
The Victors coasted the rest of the way as K Ross Poindexter kicked 4 field goals in the second half.
Montreal tried what they could, but 4 turnovers on the day made it impossible as they would fall to 2-5.
Injury Report
DL Allen Barrera TOR - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Tom Applewhite IND - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 301 Passing Yards
DEF: LB Sam Wheeler OTT - 1 Forced Fumble, 8 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Toronto 5-2
Indiana 4-3
Pittsburgh 4-3
Buffalo 3-4
Louisville 3-4
London 3-4
EAST
Halifax 6-1
Ottawa 5-2
Providence 3-4
Boston 2-5
Long Island 2-5
Montreal 2-5
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax -
2 - Toronto -
3 - Ottawa -
4 - Pittsburgh -
5 - Indiana +1
6 - Louisville -1
7 - Buffalo -
8 - Providence +2
9 - London +2
10 - Boston -1
11 - Long Island -3
12 - Montreal -
Week 9 Games
TOR (5-2) @ BOS (2-5) - AUG 15 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
PIT (4-3) @ MTL (2-5) - AUG 16 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
OTT (5-2) @ LOU (3-4) - AUG 17 - 3 PM ET
PRO (3-4) @ BUF (3-4) - AUG 17 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
IND (4-3) @ LI (2-5) - AUG 18 - 1 PM ET
LDN (3-4) @ HFX (6-1) - AUG 18 - 4 PM ET
*HFX clinches playoff spot with Win + PRO + LI + MTL Losses
Roster Moves
PRO: DL Bartolo Cruz - Injured List -> Active Roster
PRO: DL Porter Hines - Active Roster -> Waivers
PRO: RB Henri Létourneau - Waivers -> Reserve List
Ottawa Royals - 22, Long Island Raiders - 12 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - August 9, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
2nd Q
14-0 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Colby Bancana
14-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
15-3 OTT - Single K Ira Foster
15-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
18-6 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
18-9 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
19-9 OTT - Single K Ira Foster
19-12 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
22-12 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
The Royals rolled out of the bye week with a strong start, going up 7-0 early in the first.
The defence would stifle the Raiders’ attack while a LB Sam Wheeler forced fumble would allow the Royals to take a 14-0 lead.
The second half ended up being both a defensive battle, as well as a kicking duel between Ira Foster and Henderson Schumacher.
Both teams would keep the other from the endzone, while the kickers would combine for 20 points in total right to the end of the game.
In the end, the early touchdowns would be enough as the Royals keep pace with the Mariners and their 2-game gap over the Gold Stars.
Toronto Steelheads - 26, Louisville Thunder - 23 - Anderson Stadium - August 10, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
7-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
7-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
14-10 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
17-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
3rd Q
17-17 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
17-20 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
4th Q
23-20 TOR - QB Todd Baker -> WR Al Allmendinger
23-23 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
26-23 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
The Steelheads and Thunder met in what could be a very important game for both teams.
The Thunder were looking to avoid losing their 3rd straight game and would get out to a 0-7 lead early in the first.
Toronto, aiming to get their 5th win of the season, would get a touchdown from RB Max Tracy to tie it up.
In the second, The Steelhead would take a 7-point lead off of a second Tracy touchdown and a field goal from K Vic Greatwood.
In the third, the Thunder would score early to tie the game, before then taking the lead on a field goal from K Frank Hughes.
In the final quarter, the Steelheads would retake the lead, but Greatwood would miss the extra point allowing the Thunder to tie the game with a field goal.
Greatwood would be able to redeem himself with a game-winning field goal shortly after.
Indiana Victors - 33, Montreal Rouge - 16 - Victory Stadium - August 11, 1968 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
14-0 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
2nd Q
21-0 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
21-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
3rd Q
24-7 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
24-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
27-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
30-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
33-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
33-16 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Russell Wilcox
The Indiana Victors were on a mission to secure their 3rd straight win right from the opening snap.
They would score 3 straight touchdowns to start the game up 21-0, as Montreal’s offence was unable to get more than 2 first downs.
Bishop was finally able to break through the Victors’ defence late in the first half, but they would still be down 14 going into the half.
The Victors coasted the rest of the way as K Ross Poindexter kicked 4 field goals in the second half.
Montreal tried what they could, but 4 turnovers on the day made it impossible as they would fall to 2-5.
Injury Report
DL Allen Barrera TOR - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Toronto 5-2
Indiana 4-3
Pittsburgh 4-3
Buffalo 3-4
Louisville 3-4
London 3-4
EAST
Halifax 6-1
Ottawa 5-2
Providence 3-4
Boston 2-5
Long Island 2-5
Montreal 2-5
Power Rankings
1 - Halifax -
2 - Toronto -
3 - Ottawa -
4 - Pittsburgh -
5 - Indiana +1
6 - Louisville -1
7 - Buffalo -
8 - Providence +2
9 - London +2
10 - Boston -1
11 - Long Island -3
12 - Montreal -
Week 9 Games
TOR (5-2) @ BOS (2-5) - AUG 15 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
PIT (4-3) @ MTL (2-5) - AUG 16 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
OTT (5-2) @ LOU (3-4) - AUG 17 - 3 PM ET
PRO (3-4) @ BUF (3-4) - AUG 17 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
IND (4-3) @ LI (2-5) - AUG 18 - 1 PM ET
LDN (3-4) @ HFX (6-1) - AUG 18 - 4 PM ET
*HFX clinches playoff spot with Win + PRO + LI + MTL Losses
1968 Week 9
Roster Moves
BUF: DB Dean Hawkins - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
BUF: DB Santino Arriola - Active Roster -> Reserve List
OTT: OL Matt Helmut - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
OTT: OL Daren Olsen - Active Roster -> Waivers
OTT: DL Jordan-Eugene White - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
OTT: DL Buddy Hibbert - Active Roster -> Reserve List
PRO: WR Owen Paisley - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
PRO: WR Johnny Starwood - Active Roster -> Waivers
Boston Independents - 31, Toronto Steelheads - 13 - Richardson Stadium - August 15, 1968 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
7-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
14-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
21-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
3rd Q
21-13 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
24-13 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
4th Q
31-13 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
The coaching change in Boston seemed to make an immediate impact, as Braddock would lead the offence to 3 first-half touchdowns, while the defence was able to stifle RB Max Tracy and take a 21-10 lead into the half.
The Steelheads would struggle to move the ball throughout the game as Boston’s adjusted defensive scheme was not what the team had prepared for.
The second half would be a lot more defensive, but the Independents remained in control to get just their 3rd win of the season.
Montreal Rouge - 21, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 35 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 16, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Russell Wilcox
7-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
7-6 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
7-13 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
7-14 PIT - Single K Al Highlander
14-14 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
3rd Q
14-21 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
21-21 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
4th Q
21-28 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
21-35 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
Montreal was holding onto what looked to be their last hope of a playoff push, and they would get off to a strong start with a touchdown in the first quarter.
Pittsburgh would score the next 4 sets of points to take a 7-point lead, but Montreal would tie the game up just before the break.
The game would remain back and forth in the 3rd quarter, with both teams scoring a touchdown.
In the final quarter, the Blacksmiths ran away with the game with a pair of passing touchdowns from Louis Vaughn.
Louisville Thunder - 24, Ottawa Royals - 31 - Thunder Stadium - August 17, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
2nd Q
7-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
7-14 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
14-14 LOU - RTD RB George Seahorse
3rd Q
21-14 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
21-21 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Piers Key
4th Q
24-21 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
24-24 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
24-31 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Marshall Leonard
Ottawa was the first to score in Louisville with a Corbyn Knight touchdown in the 1st quarter.
In the second the Thunder would rally back with a pair of TDs to Lloyd Lane and George Seahorse, but Corbyn Knight’s second of the game would keep it tied.
The Thunder came out of the second half and continued to take a lead before the Royals would bounce back to tie it again.
However, the last score would go the Royals' way when DB Sergio Alvarez would intercept a Buck Murphy pass to then set up a strong play from WR Marshall Leonard to earn Ottawa’s 6th win of the season, which is the most the team has had since going 7-5 in 1962.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 37, Providence Gold Stars - 12 - Milton Charles Stadium - August 17, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
10-0 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
17-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
2nd Q
17-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> RB Rashed Smith
24-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Sebastian Dassler
3rd Q
27-7 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
34-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
34-8 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
34-11 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
37-11 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
37-12 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
Buffalo’s last four games had been easily the worst stretch of games the team has had over the last few seasons, but they came home to try and change their fate this season taking it to the Gold Stars.
QB Charles Lemieux would lead the offence to 3 touchdown drives in the first half, making Providence’s usually strong defence look amateur.
Providence was completely outmatched in the first half, however, they did bounce back in the second half to slow down the Blue Wings’ attack, however, their offence only managed 5 points in the second half.
Long Island Raiders - 35, Indiana Victors - 33 - Long Island Stadium - August 18, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-7 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> TE Eric Peterson
7-7 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Larry Mossholder
2nd Q
7-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
10-10 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
17-10 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Larry Mossholder
17-17 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
3rd Q
20-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
27-17 LI - DTD INT DB Lauri Hayha
28-17 LI - Single K Henderson Schumacher
28-20 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
35-20 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
35-27 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
35-33 IND - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Ed Edwards
The Victors appeared to be taken aback by the suddenly aggressive passing attack from the Raiders.
Long Island, who was looking to end their 4-game skid, would allow Ivan Sanchez to use his arm in the first half to grab a pair of passing TDs.
The Victors would maintain pace with the Raiders with a pair of TD passes from Applewhite to keep the game tied at halftime.
The 3rd quarter became a miserable one for the Victors as they would lose their star QB on an awkward collision with DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand.
QB Lee Rogers would replace him only to be picked off on his first throw by DB Lauri Hayha, allowing the Raiders to go up 28-20 by the end of the quarter.
They would continue to add to their lead with a forced fumble from LB William Washington II, leading to a Dareion Fields touchdown.
Rogers and the Victors would manage to come back after falling behind by 15, however, they were unable to make the 2-point convert to tie the game.
Halifax Mariners - 18, London Tigers - 20 - Atlantic Stadium - August 18, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
0-14 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> TE Tranquille Rousseau
3-14 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
3rd Q
3-17 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
6-17 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
12-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Edward Webb
4th Q
18-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Dwayne Alexander
18-20 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
Right from the start, the Mariners looked a little rusty coming off of their bye week as KR/RB Adam Zingaro would drop the opening kickoff, allowing the Tigers to take a quick 0-7 lead.
Another touchdown would be added later after a botched punt would give Kiernan and the Tigers strong field position.
The Mariners would escape the first half with a field goal but were in a deep hole.
The 3rd quarter didn’t get much better as RB Ronald O’Sullivan would be knocked out of the game before RB Adam Zingaro would fumble for the second time in relief of O’Sullivan.
The Mariners would finally start moving the ball on offence, electing to use the passing game without O’Sullivan in the game, however, they would also lose top, WR Jav Kerrigan, as well.
Painter worked with what he had and manage to score a pair of touchdowns to take the lead late, however, they missed their 2-point conversion attempt both times allowing the Tigers to have one last shot at taking the lead.
Kiernan got the team in position and Nimrod Handsworth, who does not seem to miss clutch kicks, would drill home the game-winner to give the Tigers their second straight win.
Injury Report
S Ernie Osborne BOS - 3 Weeks
DB Ezra Power BUF - Day-to-Day
RB Ronald O’Sullivan HFX - 1 Week
WR Jav Kerrigan HFX - 3 Weeks
QB Tom Applewhite IND - 2 Weeks
S Tom Parrish IND - 3 Weeks
DL Ilya Mikaelov IND - 2 weeks
WR Joshua Lafleur LDN - Day-to-Day
DB Jayden Mills LOU - Day-to-Day
WR Owen Paisley PRO - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 312 Passing Yards
DEF: DL William Sanderson BUF - 2 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 4 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Toronto 5-3
Pittsburgh 5-3
Buffalo 4-4
Indiana 4-4
London 4-4
Louisville 3-5
EAST
Ottawa 6-2
Halifax 6-2
Long Island 3-5
Boston 3-5
Providence 3-5
Montreal 2-6
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa +2
2 - Halifax -1
3 - Toronto -1
4 - Pittsburgh -
5 - Buffalo +2
6 - Indiana -1
7 - London +2
8 - Boston +2
9 - Louisville -3
10 - Long Island +1
11 - Providence -3
12 - Montreal -
Week 10 Games
LOU (3-5) @ PIT (5-3) - AUG 22 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
MTL (2-6) @ OTT (6-2) - AUG 23 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
*OTT clinches playoff spot with Win + BOS Loss
BOS (3-5) @ LDN (4-4) - AUG 24 - 3 PM ET
LI (3-5) @ BUF (4-4) - AUG 24 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
TOR (5-3) @ PRO (3-5) - AUG 25 - 1 PM ET
HFX (6-2) @ IND (4-4) - AUG 25 - 4 PM ET
*HFX clinches playoff spot with Win + LI Loss
BUF: DB Dean Hawkins - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
BUF: DB Santino Arriola - Active Roster -> Reserve List
OTT: OL Matt Helmut - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
OTT: OL Daren Olsen - Active Roster -> Waivers
OTT: DL Jordan-Eugene White - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
OTT: DL Buddy Hibbert - Active Roster -> Reserve List
PRO: WR Owen Paisley - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
PRO: WR Johnny Starwood - Active Roster -> Waivers
Boston Independents - 31, Toronto Steelheads - 13 - Richardson Stadium - August 15, 1968 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
7-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
14-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
21-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
3rd Q
21-13 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
24-13 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
4th Q
31-13 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
The coaching change in Boston seemed to make an immediate impact, as Braddock would lead the offence to 3 first-half touchdowns, while the defence was able to stifle RB Max Tracy and take a 21-10 lead into the half.
The Steelheads would struggle to move the ball throughout the game as Boston’s adjusted defensive scheme was not what the team had prepared for.
The second half would be a lot more defensive, but the Independents remained in control to get just their 3rd win of the season.
Montreal Rouge - 21, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 35 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 16, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Russell Wilcox
7-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
7-6 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
7-13 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
7-14 PIT - Single K Al Highlander
14-14 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
3rd Q
14-21 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
21-21 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
4th Q
21-28 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
21-35 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
Montreal was holding onto what looked to be their last hope of a playoff push, and they would get off to a strong start with a touchdown in the first quarter.
Pittsburgh would score the next 4 sets of points to take a 7-point lead, but Montreal would tie the game up just before the break.
The game would remain back and forth in the 3rd quarter, with both teams scoring a touchdown.
In the final quarter, the Blacksmiths ran away with the game with a pair of passing touchdowns from Louis Vaughn.
Louisville Thunder - 24, Ottawa Royals - 31 - Thunder Stadium - August 17, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
2nd Q
7-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
7-14 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
14-14 LOU - RTD RB George Seahorse
3rd Q
21-14 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
21-21 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Piers Key
4th Q
24-21 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
24-24 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
24-31 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Marshall Leonard
Ottawa was the first to score in Louisville with a Corbyn Knight touchdown in the 1st quarter.
In the second the Thunder would rally back with a pair of TDs to Lloyd Lane and George Seahorse, but Corbyn Knight’s second of the game would keep it tied.
The Thunder came out of the second half and continued to take a lead before the Royals would bounce back to tie it again.
However, the last score would go the Royals' way when DB Sergio Alvarez would intercept a Buck Murphy pass to then set up a strong play from WR Marshall Leonard to earn Ottawa’s 6th win of the season, which is the most the team has had since going 7-5 in 1962.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 37, Providence Gold Stars - 12 - Milton Charles Stadium - August 17, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
10-0 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
17-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
2nd Q
17-7 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> RB Rashed Smith
24-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Sebastian Dassler
3rd Q
27-7 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
34-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
34-8 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
34-11 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
37-11 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
37-12 PRO - Single K Elvis Franklin
Buffalo’s last four games had been easily the worst stretch of games the team has had over the last few seasons, but they came home to try and change their fate this season taking it to the Gold Stars.
QB Charles Lemieux would lead the offence to 3 touchdown drives in the first half, making Providence’s usually strong defence look amateur.
Providence was completely outmatched in the first half, however, they did bounce back in the second half to slow down the Blue Wings’ attack, however, their offence only managed 5 points in the second half.
Long Island Raiders - 35, Indiana Victors - 33 - Long Island Stadium - August 18, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-7 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> TE Eric Peterson
7-7 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Larry Mossholder
2nd Q
7-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
10-10 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
17-10 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Larry Mossholder
17-17 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
3rd Q
20-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
27-17 LI - DTD INT DB Lauri Hayha
28-17 LI - Single K Henderson Schumacher
28-20 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
35-20 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
35-27 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
35-33 IND - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Ed Edwards
The Victors appeared to be taken aback by the suddenly aggressive passing attack from the Raiders.
Long Island, who was looking to end their 4-game skid, would allow Ivan Sanchez to use his arm in the first half to grab a pair of passing TDs.
The Victors would maintain pace with the Raiders with a pair of TD passes from Applewhite to keep the game tied at halftime.
The 3rd quarter became a miserable one for the Victors as they would lose their star QB on an awkward collision with DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand.
QB Lee Rogers would replace him only to be picked off on his first throw by DB Lauri Hayha, allowing the Raiders to go up 28-20 by the end of the quarter.
They would continue to add to their lead with a forced fumble from LB William Washington II, leading to a Dareion Fields touchdown.
Rogers and the Victors would manage to come back after falling behind by 15, however, they were unable to make the 2-point convert to tie the game.
Halifax Mariners - 18, London Tigers - 20 - Atlantic Stadium - August 18, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
0-14 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> TE Tranquille Rousseau
3-14 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
3rd Q
3-17 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
6-17 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
12-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Edward Webb
4th Q
18-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Dwayne Alexander
18-20 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
Right from the start, the Mariners looked a little rusty coming off of their bye week as KR/RB Adam Zingaro would drop the opening kickoff, allowing the Tigers to take a quick 0-7 lead.
Another touchdown would be added later after a botched punt would give Kiernan and the Tigers strong field position.
The Mariners would escape the first half with a field goal but were in a deep hole.
The 3rd quarter didn’t get much better as RB Ronald O’Sullivan would be knocked out of the game before RB Adam Zingaro would fumble for the second time in relief of O’Sullivan.
The Mariners would finally start moving the ball on offence, electing to use the passing game without O’Sullivan in the game, however, they would also lose top, WR Jav Kerrigan, as well.
Painter worked with what he had and manage to score a pair of touchdowns to take the lead late, however, they missed their 2-point conversion attempt both times allowing the Tigers to have one last shot at taking the lead.
Kiernan got the team in position and Nimrod Handsworth, who does not seem to miss clutch kicks, would drill home the game-winner to give the Tigers their second straight win.
Injury Report
S Ernie Osborne BOS - 3 Weeks
DB Ezra Power BUF - Day-to-Day
RB Ronald O’Sullivan HFX - 1 Week
WR Jav Kerrigan HFX - 3 Weeks
QB Tom Applewhite IND - 2 Weeks
S Tom Parrish IND - 3 Weeks
DL Ilya Mikaelov IND - 2 weeks
WR Joshua Lafleur LDN - Day-to-Day
DB Jayden Mills LOU - Day-to-Day
WR Owen Paisley PRO - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Toronto 5-3
Pittsburgh 5-3
Buffalo 4-4
Indiana 4-4
London 4-4
Louisville 3-5
EAST
Ottawa 6-2
Halifax 6-2
Long Island 3-5
Boston 3-5
Providence 3-5
Montreal 2-6
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa +2
2 - Halifax -1
3 - Toronto -1
4 - Pittsburgh -
5 - Buffalo +2
6 - Indiana -1
7 - London +2
8 - Boston +2
9 - Louisville -3
10 - Long Island +1
11 - Providence -3
12 - Montreal -
Week 10 Games
LOU (3-5) @ PIT (5-3) - AUG 22 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
MTL (2-6) @ OTT (6-2) - AUG 23 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
*OTT clinches playoff spot with Win + BOS Loss
BOS (3-5) @ LDN (4-4) - AUG 24 - 3 PM ET
LI (3-5) @ BUF (4-4) - AUG 24 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
TOR (5-3) @ PRO (3-5) - AUG 25 - 1 PM ET
HFX (6-2) @ IND (4-4) - AUG 25 - 4 PM ET
*HFX clinches playoff spot with Win + LI Loss
1968 Trade Deadline
TRADE 1 - Pittsburgh Grabs Veteran DB, Helps Louisville with Cap Situation
The first trade of the deadline would be a small player-for-player deal where the Louisville Thunder sent DB Ross McCurtry to the Blacksmiths in exchange for DB Davidson Moreno. Louisville needed to make the move in order to activate RB Théodore Lemieux from the IR without exceeding the salary cap, while the Blacksmiths get some veteran experience to add to their group.
TRADE 2 - Montreal Fire Sale Begins
The Rouge had many pieces that were bound to be traded throughout the days leading up to the deadline, and the first pieces to go were LB Calvin Hardy and DB William Quincy. They would be packaged and sent to the Buffalo Blue Wings in exchange for Buffalo’s 2nd Round Pick and LB Billy Frederick. Buffalo appears to be building up for a late-season push with this trade. Both players should be solidifying their depth at each position, but William Quincy may be the more impactful player as the Blue Wings have been dealing with injuries in the secondary all season. As for Montreal, Billy Frederick should be a solid piece for the rest of the season and potentially the future as he is only 26. Montreal does retain $1,750 of Calvin Hardy’s $18,750 salary.
TRADE 3 - Blue Wings’ Make Second Deal for Cap Breathing Room
Shortly after their big trade with the Rouge, the Blue Wings would send OL Lance Mackenzie to the Gold Stars for OL Rick Patterson. The difference in salary should help when OL Clancy Harrison returns for the Blue Wings in the coming weeks.
TRADE 4 - Mariners Get Jav Kerrigan Replacement
With WR Jav Kerrigan set to miss most of what is left of the regular season, the Mariners were looking for someone to help in his absence. GM Anthony Vigneault spoke with several teams, looking for a WR. Those being Boston, London, Long Island, and Montreal. In the end, the team would make a swap with the Raiders who were willing to part ways with WR Troy York. York had been a starting WR for the last couple of seasons but had been beat out this season by breakout WR, Otto Washington, for the job. The full trade would be WR Troy York to the Mariners in exchange for WR Jake Columbus and Halifax’s 1969 3rd Round Pick. Long Island will also retain $4,000 of York’s $17,500 salary. York should be a solid piece to fill Kerrigan’s spot for the next few games. The Raiders shouldn’t see much change to their roster on their end of the deal.
TRADE 5 - Toronto Makes First Move
The rumours about the Steelheads in talks with many teams have put the spotlight on them. Their first move of the deadline would see them acquire 33-year-old OL Varo Giovanni from the Gold Stars in exchange for 25-year-old OL Evan Kilgore and Providence’s 1969 5th Round Pick, which the Steelheads had acquired at the last trade deadline. Toronto gets a veteran O-lineman to help boost their protection and run game down the home stretch. Providence ends up with a much younger OL, although he is not as skilled as Giovanni is.
TRADE 6 - Royals Make Unexpected Move for Raiders D-lineman
The Royals were on the radar for looking for extra help on the D-line, but some expected that they would have had conversations with London or Montreal as the bigger sellers, or even Indiana who has a lot of extra players at the position. However, the Royals would end up going to Long Island and acquiring DL Dean Leanman in exchange for a 1969 2nd Round Pick and DL Keith Gavelstein. Leanman is a true interior lineman, someone who eats up blocks to allow for other linemen to get more chances to get into the backfield. That play style may make Leanman a perfect fit for the Royals' D-line. The 2nd round pick might be a bit of a high price, but the Royals knew they wanted this guy and are clearly not in rebuild mode anymore.
TRADE 7 - Boston Isn’t Giving Up Yet, Acquire LB Yokoi from Montreal
Boston has decided that they are still going to make a push for the postseason with a 3-5 record. The decision is reflected in the team acquiring a 31-year-old LB in George Yokoi in exchange for Boston’s 3rd Round Pick in 1969 and LB Eric Dionne. Yokoi is a smart player who should be able to jump into the Independents lineup right away, but there are some concerns that Yokoi, who hasn’t seen the field as much in Montreal, is not the player he used to be.
TRADE 8 - Raiders and Victors Complete Massive 6-Player Trade
The Raiders appear to not be finished with their two earlier trades and managed to strike a shocking deal with the Victors to acquire DL Ilya Mikaelov, S Sully Callahan, OL Chet Atkins, and Indiana’s 1969 4th Round Pick in exchange for S Clarence Sale, DL Brian Alvagardo, OL Leroy Hankins, and Halifax’s 1969 3rd Round Pick.
On the Raiders' end, this is a move for the future. Mikaelov should be an upgrade to the D-line for next season. He is currently injured and will likely miss the next couple of games, but the player should slot in as a starter next season with still a year left on his contract. Sully Callahan was the 29th Overall selection in 1967 and should be a nice younger piece for the Raiders to add to the secondary.
As for the Victors, they get Clarence Sale to replace the injured S Tom Parrish for the next few weeks, plus they get some value for Mikaelov, who was hurt and expecting to be a player the team would lose in the expansion draft based on their other pieces on the line. Alvagardo and Hankins also join the team to replace Mikaelov and shore up their offensive line depth respectively.
TRADE 9 - Royals Move One of Their QBs for Defensive Depth
The Royals were rumoured to be looking into moving one of their 5 QBs prior to the expansion draft. The only team to bite was the London Tigers, who are managing an aging QB Riley Kiernan. They would get QB Michael Miranda, who was selected with the 24th Overall Pick in 1966, to add an option to their hunt for their next QB. On top of Miranda, the Tigers would also receive Ottawa’s 1969 3rd Round Draft Pick and DB Gord Honk. The Royals would receive DB Jacques Gaul and London’s 1969 4th Round Pick in return for their assets. Gaul should be a good fit with the Royals as he has played for the team previously and should feel comfortable stepping back into the team’s locker room.
TRADE 10 - Steelheads Make Last Minute Blockbuster Move To Acquire Defensive Lineman
The Steelheads had been the team to watch all week, but it seemed that none of their deals were able to come together. It didn’t help that some of their top targets for D-line trades were starting to make deals with other teams. With the trade hunt winding down, the Tigers were the Steelheads’ last hope of landing a player. Without much leverage, the team would have to spend a little more than expected to pry their guy loose from the Tigers, but they are happy to land long-time Tiger, DL Richard Blunt. The full trade would see the Steelheads get DL Richard Blunt and QB Nikolas Diakos in exchange for Toronto’s 1969 1st Round Pick, DL Daniel Myers, and DL Peter Mongoose. Blunt also waived his no-trade clause in order for the deal to go through.
The Steelheads certainly have made a pair of the largest upgrades to their starting lineup in comparison to the rest of the league, already getting help on the O-line with Varo Giovanni. Blunt is a force that should make the Steelheads’ pass rush a serious threat to teams down the stretch as they take a shot at the title.
As for the Tigers, while fans certainly will not like the move to trade a fan-favourite and a London-native in Blunt, it looks like some great handy work by GM Joseph Johnson who is still getting a 3rd Round talent in Daniel Myers, but more importantly a 1st Round Pick. After all, earlier rumours had the Tigers only getting a 3rd in a similar offer.
The two smaller players in this deal don’t have as big of an effect. Nikolas Diakos was traded due to the Tigers picking up QB Michael Miranda, and Peter Mongoose was acquired to fill the roster spot left by Blunt. Though it is fun to point out that Mongoose was traded last year during the deadline from the Tigers to the Steelheads, so he has now been returned.
Blunt was interviewed later in the week on his arrival in Toronto and had this to say: “I love my hometown, I will always be a Tiger. Double-J (GM Joseph Johnson) gave me a shot to compete for a title in a place that’s just down the road… I couldn’t turn it down. I hope to be back though, London is always my home.”
TRADE 11 - Mariners Finally Land a RB with Last Trade of the Deadline
The Mariners had been searching for a suitable RB to replace Ronald O’Sullivan for the next game or two, but they were not having a lot of luck. There was early talk with the Independents over RB Rodney Clark, but Boston decided to stay the course and keep their RB depth. In the end, the Mariners would have to go to Montreal and acquire RB Ronald Kociba and Montreal’s 1969 5th Round Pick in exchange for Halifax’s 1969 4th Round Pick and RB Yancy Harrison. Kociba, doesn’t have a lot of starting experience, but still has more than Adam Zingaro, who struggled with 2 fumbles in the loss to London.
TRADE 1 - Pittsburgh Grabs Veteran DB, Helps Louisville with Cap Situation
The first trade of the deadline would be a small player-for-player deal where the Louisville Thunder sent DB Ross McCurtry to the Blacksmiths in exchange for DB Davidson Moreno. Louisville needed to make the move in order to activate RB Théodore Lemieux from the IR without exceeding the salary cap, while the Blacksmiths get some veteran experience to add to their group.
TRADE 2 - Montreal Fire Sale Begins
The Rouge had many pieces that were bound to be traded throughout the days leading up to the deadline, and the first pieces to go were LB Calvin Hardy and DB William Quincy. They would be packaged and sent to the Buffalo Blue Wings in exchange for Buffalo’s 2nd Round Pick and LB Billy Frederick. Buffalo appears to be building up for a late-season push with this trade. Both players should be solidifying their depth at each position, but William Quincy may be the more impactful player as the Blue Wings have been dealing with injuries in the secondary all season. As for Montreal, Billy Frederick should be a solid piece for the rest of the season and potentially the future as he is only 26. Montreal does retain $1,750 of Calvin Hardy’s $18,750 salary.
TRADE 3 - Blue Wings’ Make Second Deal for Cap Breathing Room
Shortly after their big trade with the Rouge, the Blue Wings would send OL Lance Mackenzie to the Gold Stars for OL Rick Patterson. The difference in salary should help when OL Clancy Harrison returns for the Blue Wings in the coming weeks.
TRADE 4 - Mariners Get Jav Kerrigan Replacement
With WR Jav Kerrigan set to miss most of what is left of the regular season, the Mariners were looking for someone to help in his absence. GM Anthony Vigneault spoke with several teams, looking for a WR. Those being Boston, London, Long Island, and Montreal. In the end, the team would make a swap with the Raiders who were willing to part ways with WR Troy York. York had been a starting WR for the last couple of seasons but had been beat out this season by breakout WR, Otto Washington, for the job. The full trade would be WR Troy York to the Mariners in exchange for WR Jake Columbus and Halifax’s 1969 3rd Round Pick. Long Island will also retain $4,000 of York’s $17,500 salary. York should be a solid piece to fill Kerrigan’s spot for the next few games. The Raiders shouldn’t see much change to their roster on their end of the deal.
TRADE 5 - Toronto Makes First Move
The rumours about the Steelheads in talks with many teams have put the spotlight on them. Their first move of the deadline would see them acquire 33-year-old OL Varo Giovanni from the Gold Stars in exchange for 25-year-old OL Evan Kilgore and Providence’s 1969 5th Round Pick, which the Steelheads had acquired at the last trade deadline. Toronto gets a veteran O-lineman to help boost their protection and run game down the home stretch. Providence ends up with a much younger OL, although he is not as skilled as Giovanni is.
TRADE 6 - Royals Make Unexpected Move for Raiders D-lineman
The Royals were on the radar for looking for extra help on the D-line, but some expected that they would have had conversations with London or Montreal as the bigger sellers, or even Indiana who has a lot of extra players at the position. However, the Royals would end up going to Long Island and acquiring DL Dean Leanman in exchange for a 1969 2nd Round Pick and DL Keith Gavelstein. Leanman is a true interior lineman, someone who eats up blocks to allow for other linemen to get more chances to get into the backfield. That play style may make Leanman a perfect fit for the Royals' D-line. The 2nd round pick might be a bit of a high price, but the Royals knew they wanted this guy and are clearly not in rebuild mode anymore.
TRADE 7 - Boston Isn’t Giving Up Yet, Acquire LB Yokoi from Montreal
Boston has decided that they are still going to make a push for the postseason with a 3-5 record. The decision is reflected in the team acquiring a 31-year-old LB in George Yokoi in exchange for Boston’s 3rd Round Pick in 1969 and LB Eric Dionne. Yokoi is a smart player who should be able to jump into the Independents lineup right away, but there are some concerns that Yokoi, who hasn’t seen the field as much in Montreal, is not the player he used to be.
TRADE 8 - Raiders and Victors Complete Massive 6-Player Trade
The Raiders appear to not be finished with their two earlier trades and managed to strike a shocking deal with the Victors to acquire DL Ilya Mikaelov, S Sully Callahan, OL Chet Atkins, and Indiana’s 1969 4th Round Pick in exchange for S Clarence Sale, DL Brian Alvagardo, OL Leroy Hankins, and Halifax’s 1969 3rd Round Pick.
On the Raiders' end, this is a move for the future. Mikaelov should be an upgrade to the D-line for next season. He is currently injured and will likely miss the next couple of games, but the player should slot in as a starter next season with still a year left on his contract. Sully Callahan was the 29th Overall selection in 1967 and should be a nice younger piece for the Raiders to add to the secondary.
As for the Victors, they get Clarence Sale to replace the injured S Tom Parrish for the next few weeks, plus they get some value for Mikaelov, who was hurt and expecting to be a player the team would lose in the expansion draft based on their other pieces on the line. Alvagardo and Hankins also join the team to replace Mikaelov and shore up their offensive line depth respectively.
TRADE 9 - Royals Move One of Their QBs for Defensive Depth
The Royals were rumoured to be looking into moving one of their 5 QBs prior to the expansion draft. The only team to bite was the London Tigers, who are managing an aging QB Riley Kiernan. They would get QB Michael Miranda, who was selected with the 24th Overall Pick in 1966, to add an option to their hunt for their next QB. On top of Miranda, the Tigers would also receive Ottawa’s 1969 3rd Round Draft Pick and DB Gord Honk. The Royals would receive DB Jacques Gaul and London’s 1969 4th Round Pick in return for their assets. Gaul should be a good fit with the Royals as he has played for the team previously and should feel comfortable stepping back into the team’s locker room.
TRADE 10 - Steelheads Make Last Minute Blockbuster Move To Acquire Defensive Lineman
The Steelheads had been the team to watch all week, but it seemed that none of their deals were able to come together. It didn’t help that some of their top targets for D-line trades were starting to make deals with other teams. With the trade hunt winding down, the Tigers were the Steelheads’ last hope of landing a player. Without much leverage, the team would have to spend a little more than expected to pry their guy loose from the Tigers, but they are happy to land long-time Tiger, DL Richard Blunt. The full trade would see the Steelheads get DL Richard Blunt and QB Nikolas Diakos in exchange for Toronto’s 1969 1st Round Pick, DL Daniel Myers, and DL Peter Mongoose. Blunt also waived his no-trade clause in order for the deal to go through.
The Steelheads certainly have made a pair of the largest upgrades to their starting lineup in comparison to the rest of the league, already getting help on the O-line with Varo Giovanni. Blunt is a force that should make the Steelheads’ pass rush a serious threat to teams down the stretch as they take a shot at the title.
As for the Tigers, while fans certainly will not like the move to trade a fan-favourite and a London-native in Blunt, it looks like some great handy work by GM Joseph Johnson who is still getting a 3rd Round talent in Daniel Myers, but more importantly a 1st Round Pick. After all, earlier rumours had the Tigers only getting a 3rd in a similar offer.
The two smaller players in this deal don’t have as big of an effect. Nikolas Diakos was traded due to the Tigers picking up QB Michael Miranda, and Peter Mongoose was acquired to fill the roster spot left by Blunt. Though it is fun to point out that Mongoose was traded last year during the deadline from the Tigers to the Steelheads, so he has now been returned.
Blunt was interviewed later in the week on his arrival in Toronto and had this to say: “I love my hometown, I will always be a Tiger. Double-J (GM Joseph Johnson) gave me a shot to compete for a title in a place that’s just down the road… I couldn’t turn it down. I hope to be back though, London is always my home.”
TRADE 11 - Mariners Finally Land a RB with Last Trade of the Deadline
The Mariners had been searching for a suitable RB to replace Ronald O’Sullivan for the next game or two, but they were not having a lot of luck. There was early talk with the Independents over RB Rodney Clark, but Boston decided to stay the course and keep their RB depth. In the end, the Mariners would have to go to Montreal and acquire RB Ronald Kociba and Montreal’s 1969 5th Round Pick in exchange for Halifax’s 1969 4th Round Pick and RB Yancy Harrison. Kociba, doesn’t have a lot of starting experience, but still has more than Adam Zingaro, who struggled with 2 fumbles in the loss to London.
1968 Week 10
LI: LB Deon Wiggins - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
LI: LB Jeremy Trudeau - Active Roster -> Waivers
LOU: RB Théodore Lemieux - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
LOU: RB Mario Leclair - Active Roster -> Reserve List
OTT: OL Daren Olsen - Waivers -> Reserve List
PRO: WR Johnny Starwood - Waivers -> Reserve List
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 42, Louisville Thunder - 20 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - August 22, 1968 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
14-0 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
2nd Q
14-7 LOU - RTD RB Théodore Lemieux
21-7 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
21-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
3rd Q
28-10 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
28-13 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
4th Q
28-20 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
35-20 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
42-20 PIT - DTD INT DB Aiden Sargent
The Pittsburgh Blacksmiths would look to grab their 2nd straight win with a hot start against the Thunder to go up 14-0.
Louisville was able to get a touchdown from Lemieux in his return, to cut the lead in half, however, the Blacksmiths would add another TD after to regain their 14-point lead.
The Thunder offence struggled to get into the endzone but had gotten a pair of field goals, however, they were falling further behind following another Pittsburgh touchdown.
Buck Murphy would finally get the Thunder into the endzone on a pass to WR Lloyd Lane, but the Blacksmiths quickly countered with their own touchdown to maintain their 15-point lead.
Murphy attempted to still crawl back into the game but ended up throwing a pick-6 to DB Aiden Sargent to seal the game for the Blacksmiths.
The win does seal the first at least .500 season by a team in Pittsburgh for the first time since the early 50s.
Ottawa Royals - 21, Montreal Rouge - 14 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - August 23, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
2nd Q
10-0 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
10-7 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
3rd Q
17-7 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
17-14 MTL - DTD INT S Garet deVale
4th Q
18-14 OTT - Single K Ira Foster
21-14 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
In the rematch of the classic Ottawa-Montreal rivalry, the Rouge fared much better than in the 7-30 loss they suffered in Week 6 to the Royals.
However, they still fell into a 10-0 hole before Hugo Hughes was finally able to break their silence in the 2nd quarter.
In the second half, the Royals would extend their lead, but a bad throw from Tyrion Gainsborough would result in a touchdown from S Garet deVale.
Luckily for Gainsborough, the Royals defence would hold off the Montreal attack and win their 7th game of the season extending their now 5-game win streak.
London Tigers - 24, Boston Independents - 22 - Western Fair Stadium - August 23, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - Game of the Week
1st Q
0-3 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
7-3 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
2nd Q
7-10 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
14-10 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
17-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
18-10 LDN - Single K Nimrod Handsworth
18-16 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
4th Q
21-16 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
21-22 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
24-22 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
After Boston’s promising win over the Steelheads, they came into London a little flat-footed.
The Tigers would take an early 7-3 lead on a Cole Fletcher touchdown, but Boston would bounce back with their own touchdown, however, LB George Yokoi would make a mistake on his coverage allowing RB Austin Andrews to take home a 45-yard touchdown in the second.
The Tigers would get up to an 8-point lead before the Independents would strike back in the 3rd, but in the end, they would fail to get a 2-point convert to tie the game.
In the final quarter, the Tigers would get a field goal to push their lead back up to 5, but Braddock would march down the field to get the Independents into the endzone to take the lead, but again failed to get the 2-point attempt after DB Bernard Wilkins made a great pass deflection.
The Tigers would fail to score immediately, but when Boston received the punt, RB Rodney Clark would lose the football on a hit from LB Oscar Wilkins.
The Tigers didn’t have to go far to be in Handsworth range and the reliable kicker would nail the game-winner.
*With Boston’s Loss, the Royals have clinched their first playoff berth since 1963.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 34, Long Island Raiders - 23 - Milton Charles Stadium - August 23, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy/Muddy (Post Rain)
1st Q
0-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
7-3 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
2nd Q
14-3 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
21-3 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
21-6 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
28-6 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> TE Paul Arturberry
28-13 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
4th Q
28-16 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
31-16 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
31-23 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Otto Washington
34-23 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
The Blue Wings continued their comeback tour with a solid start against the Raiders, jumping out to a 21-3 lead.
The Raiders struggled out of the gate with QB Ivan Sanchez throwing a pick in the first half, which led to the team throwing QB Landon Ross onto the field for a few drives throughout.
Ross would help get the Raiders back into the game in the 3rd with a touchdown drive.
However, Buffalo remained far ahead, so the Raiders would allow Ivan Sanchez back into the game and he used his arm to get into the endzone to make it a 1-score game.
However, Buffalo’s defence would shut them down the rest of the way to get their 2nd straight win.
Providence Gold Stars - 30, Toronto Steelheads - 28 - New Providence Stadium - August 24, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
10-0 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
2nd Q
10-7 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Al Allmendinger
10-14 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
3rd Q
13-14 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
20-14 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
20-21 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
4th Q
23-21 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
30-21 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
30-28 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Samuel Petri
The Steelheads' new acquisitions did not make a huge difference early on against the Gold Stars as they would fall behind 10-0 in the first, following a DB Perry Ferris Interception.
The second quarter would be much better with the Steelheads grabbing a pair of TDs to take the lead into the half.
Providence bounced back in the 3rd, but Max Tracy’s 2nd TD of the game would help the Steelheads maintain the lead.
In the final quarter, the Gold Stars would grab back-to-back scores, with a K Elvis Franklin field goal and Rashed Smith touchdown.
The Steelheads, down by 9, would bounce back with a touchdown of their own, but still needed another score to get back the lead, but the Gold Stars would hold them off to secure the win.
Indiana Victors - 20, Halifax Mariners - 16 - Victory Stadium - August 24, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
2nd Q
3-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
10-3 IND - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Ed Edwards
3rd Q
10-10 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
13-10 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
13-13 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
13-16 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
20-16 IND - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Silas Peyton
An important battle in Indianapolis would start slow with Indy only able to get a field goal to start.
Halifax would tie it up before QB Lee Rogers would use his arm to find WR Ed Edwards in the back of the endzone to give the Victors the lead at the break.
In the second half, the Mariners would bounce back with a touchdown from Shane Steadman, while each team would get a field goal to leave the game tied heading into the final quarter.
In the final frame, the Mariners would get a field goal, while their defence was doing a good job keeping the Victors from scoring, however, a missed tackle would allow WR Silas Peyton to slip out and get the Victors in scoring range.
A few plays later the Victors would seal the victory with a touchdown from Silas Peyton, who would make the catch with DB Janek Rodoslav all over him, giving the Victors a huge win.
Injury Report
TE Hunter Ziegelbauer MTL - Day-to-Day
OL Andrew Parsley TOR - 6 Weeks
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Pittsburgh 6-3
Buffalo 5-4
Indiana 5-4
London 5-4
Toronto 5-4
Louisville 3-6
EAST
Ottawa 7-2 -x
Halifax 6-3
Providence 4-5
Long Island 3-6
Boston 3-6
Montreal 2-7
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Pittsburgh +2
3 - Halifax -1
4 - Buffalo +1
5 - Indiana +1
6 - Toronto -3
7 - London -
8 - Providence +3
9 - Boston -1
10 - Long Island -
11 - Louisville -2
12 - Montreal -
Week 11 Games
BUF (5-4) @ BOS (3-6) - AUG 30 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
LI (3-6) @ HFX (6-3) - AUG 31 - 3 PM ET
*HFX clinches playoff spot with Win or PRO Loss
LDN (5-4) @ PIT (6-3) - AUG 31 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
PRO (4-5) @ MTL (2-7) - SEP 1 - 2 PM ET
OTT (7-2) @ TOR (5-4) - SEP 2 - 2 PM ET - Labour Day
LOU (3-6) @ IND (5-4) - SEP 2 - 6 PM ET - Labour Day
1968 Week 11
Roster Moves
BUF: OL Clancy Harrison - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
BUF: OL Rick Patterson - Active Roster -> Waivers
LI: LB Jeremy Trudeau - Waivers -> Reserve List
PRO: DL Newton Dalton - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
PRO: DL Terry Lynch - Active Roster -> Waivers
Boston Independents - 35, Buffalo Blue Wings - 28 - Richardson Stadium - August 30, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3-7 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
10-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
2nd Q
17-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
3rd Q
20-7 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
20-14 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
20-21 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
26-21 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
28-21 BOS - 2PT QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
4th Q
28-28 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
35-28 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
Boston, with their backs against the wall, had a difficult matchup with the Buffalo Blue Wings in order to keep their season alive.
The first quarter would be a close battle with the Independents’ offence getting the team out in front 10-7.
Braddock would extend the lead in the 3rd quarter to take a 10-point lead into the break.
The 3rd quarter would see a spike in scoring with the Blue Wings getting back-to-back touchdowns to retake the lead.
However, just before the end of the quarter, the Independents would get a touchdown and 2-point conversion to extend their lead to 7.
In the final quarter, the Blue Wings would tie the game up on a strong drive led by Charles Lemieux, however, Braddock would have the last laugh, leading his own clutch drive to win the game 35-28.
Halifax Mariners - 17, Long Island Raiders - 20 - Atlantic Stadium - August 31, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
0-14 LI - PTD QB Landon Ross -> WR Larry Mossholder
7-14 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
3rd Q
7-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
14-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Troy York
4th Q
17-17 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
17-20 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
The Mariners got off to a horrid start against the Raiders, falling behind 0-14 while the offence had a couple of turnovers.
The Raiders, who were seeing what QB Landon Ross could do, were thriving early with the great field position.
Halifax started to counter at the end of the 2nd with a touchdown to WR Shane Steadman before Troy York would catch a score against his former team in the 3rd quarter.
Halifax would be able to tie the game in the final quarter, however, the Raiders would get the last chance to score and K Henderson Schumacher would kick the game-winning field goal to give the Raiders the win and the Mariners their 3rd straight loss.
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 17, London Tigers - 23 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - August 31, 1968 - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
3-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3-10 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
10-10 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
3rd Q
10-17 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
4th Q
10-23 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
17-23 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
The Blacksmiths got off to a rocky start when trying to defend their 4-1 record at home.
QB Louis Vaughn would throw an interception in the first half to allow the Tigers to get up 3-10.
Luckily, Vaughn would get the touchdown back shortly after to tie the game up before halftime.
However, Vaughn continued to struggle in the 3rd quarter throwing 2 more interceptions.
As for the Tigers, WR Cole Fletcher would show his speed and elusiveness taking home a pair of long touchdowns in the game.
The Blacksmiths would hope to recover from the rough 3rd quarter, but the Tigers would maintain their lead and shock the Blacksmiths for their 4th straight win.
Montreal Rouge - 16, Providence Gold Stars - 10 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 1, 1968 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
7-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
2nd Q
10-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
13-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
13-10 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
4th Q
16-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
The Montreal Rouge were set on playing spoiler for the Gold Stars, who many deemed to have the easiest final 3 games of the season compared to other teams fighting for the final playoff spots.
RB Hugo Hughes would get Montreal’s lone touchdown in the 1st quarter, while the defence and the crowd noise was making things difficult for the Gold Stars’ offence
Providence would finally get to the endzone in the 3rd quarter when Connor O’Rourke found WR Owen Paisley for just his 2nd receiving touchdown of the season.
However, Montreal’s defence would shut down the Gold Stars in the final quarter to secure their first win since Week 5.
The loss also makes the Gold Stars 0-4 against the division this season.
*With this result the Mariners have clinched a playoff spot despite their 3-game losing streak
Toronto Steelheads - 8, Ottawa Royals - 27 - Anderson Stadium - September 2, 1968 - 2 PM ET - Labour Day - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Marshall Leonard
7-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
7-10 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
2nd Q
7-17 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
3rd Q
7-20 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
8-20 TOR - Single K Vic Greatwood
4th Q
8-27 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Marshall Leonard
The Royals would roll into Toronto on labour day and dominate them throughout the game.
Aside from Max Tracy’s first-quarter touchdown, the Steelheads struggled to move the ball all day long.
The Royals’ offence fared just fine against the Steelheads as WR Marshall Leonard had a strong day with a pair of receiving touchdowns.
Even QB Tyrion Gainsborough had his missteps with an interception in the 3rd, but the Steelheads were came away with 1 point.
The loss is Toronto’s 3rd straight and they are quickly slipping in the playoff race, while the Royals now have won 6 straight games and are looking like the standout team as the playoffs near.
Indiana Victors - 36, Louisville Thunder - 26 - Victory Stadium - September 2, 1968 - 6 PM ET - Labour Day - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
7-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
14-7 IND - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Silas Peyton
2nd Q
17-7 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
17-14 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
20-14 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
23-14 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
23-17 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
23-23 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
4th Q
26-23 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
33-23 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
33-26 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
36-26 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
QB Lee Rogers continued to play well in the absence of QB Tom Applewhite and would lead the team to a 17-7 lead to start the rematch with the Thunder.
Louisville was looking for any way to end their 5-game losing streak and would pass on a great majority of plays in this game evident by Buck Murphy’s 2 first-half passing touchdowns.
Indiana remained in control, but Buck Murphy’s 3rd passing touchdown would leave the game tied heading into the final quarter.
In the final frame, the Victors would get a pair of scores to increase their lead to 10 before Louisville was able to get another field goal back.
Unfortunately for the Thunder, they were unable to stop the Victors from getting a first down as they burned most of what remained of the clock and then extended their lead back up to 10.
The Thunder have now dropped 6 in a row, going from McCallister Cup contender to now being in line to get a top 3 pick in the draft.
Injury Report
K Nimrod Handsworth LDN - 5 Weeks
WR Joshua Lafleur LDN - 5 Weeks
OL Varo Giovanni TOR - 2 Weeks
WR Al Allmendinger TOR - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
OFF: WR Cole Fletcher LDN - 2 Receiving Touchdowns, 139 Receiving Yards
DEF: LB William Washington II LI - 12 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Indiana 6-4
London 6-4
Pittsburgh 6-4
Toronto 5-5
Buffalo 5-5
Louisville 3-7
EAST
Ottawa 8-2 -x
Halifax 6-4 -x
Long Island 4-6
Boston 4-6
Providence 4-6
Montreal 3-7
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Indiana +3
3 - Pittsburgh -1
4 - Halifax -1
5 - London +2
6 - Buffalo -2
7 - Boston +2
8 - Toronto -2
9 - Long Island +1
10 - Providence -2
11 - Montreal +1
12 - Louisville -1
Week 12 Games
HFX (6-4) @ MTL (3-7) - SEP 6 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
BOS (4-6) @ OTT (8-2) - SEP 7 - 12 PM ET
*OTT Clinches East Division with Win or HFX Loss
PIT (6-4) @ BUF (5-5) - SEP 7 - 3:30 PM ET
*PIT Clinches Playoff Spot with Win or TOR + BOS Loss + PRO + LI Tie
TOR (5-5) @ IND (6-4) - SEP 7 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
*IND Clinches Playoff Spot with Win or BUF + BOS Loss + PRO + LI Tie
LDN (6-4) @ LOU (3-7) - SEP 8 - 1 PM ET
*LDN Clinches Playoff Spot with Win + BUF or TOR Loss or BUF + TOR + BOS Loss + PRO + LI Tie
PRO (4-6) @ LI (4-6) - SEP 8 - 4 PM ET
BUF: OL Clancy Harrison - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
BUF: OL Rick Patterson - Active Roster -> Waivers
LI: LB Jeremy Trudeau - Waivers -> Reserve List
PRO: DL Newton Dalton - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
PRO: DL Terry Lynch - Active Roster -> Waivers
Boston Independents - 35, Buffalo Blue Wings - 28 - Richardson Stadium - August 30, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3-7 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
10-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
2nd Q
17-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
3rd Q
20-7 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
20-14 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
20-21 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
26-21 BOS - RTD RB Reggie Whitehead
28-21 BOS - 2PT QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
4th Q
28-28 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
35-28 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
Boston, with their backs against the wall, had a difficult matchup with the Buffalo Blue Wings in order to keep their season alive.
The first quarter would be a close battle with the Independents’ offence getting the team out in front 10-7.
Braddock would extend the lead in the 3rd quarter to take a 10-point lead into the break.
The 3rd quarter would see a spike in scoring with the Blue Wings getting back-to-back touchdowns to retake the lead.
However, just before the end of the quarter, the Independents would get a touchdown and 2-point conversion to extend their lead to 7.
In the final quarter, the Blue Wings would tie the game up on a strong drive led by Charles Lemieux, however, Braddock would have the last laugh, leading his own clutch drive to win the game 35-28.
Halifax Mariners - 17, Long Island Raiders - 20 - Atlantic Stadium - August 31, 1968 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
0-14 LI - PTD QB Landon Ross -> WR Larry Mossholder
7-14 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
3rd Q
7-17 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
14-17 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Troy York
4th Q
17-17 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
17-20 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
The Mariners got off to a horrid start against the Raiders, falling behind 0-14 while the offence had a couple of turnovers.
The Raiders, who were seeing what QB Landon Ross could do, were thriving early with the great field position.
Halifax started to counter at the end of the 2nd with a touchdown to WR Shane Steadman before Troy York would catch a score against his former team in the 3rd quarter.
Halifax would be able to tie the game in the final quarter, however, the Raiders would get the last chance to score and K Henderson Schumacher would kick the game-winning field goal to give the Raiders the win and the Mariners their 3rd straight loss.
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 17, London Tigers - 23 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - August 31, 1968 - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
3-3 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
3-10 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
10-10 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
3rd Q
10-17 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
4th Q
10-23 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
17-23 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
The Blacksmiths got off to a rocky start when trying to defend their 4-1 record at home.
QB Louis Vaughn would throw an interception in the first half to allow the Tigers to get up 3-10.
Luckily, Vaughn would get the touchdown back shortly after to tie the game up before halftime.
However, Vaughn continued to struggle in the 3rd quarter throwing 2 more interceptions.
As for the Tigers, WR Cole Fletcher would show his speed and elusiveness taking home a pair of long touchdowns in the game.
The Blacksmiths would hope to recover from the rough 3rd quarter, but the Tigers would maintain their lead and shock the Blacksmiths for their 4th straight win.
Montreal Rouge - 16, Providence Gold Stars - 10 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 1, 1968 - 2 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - RTD RB Hugo Hughes
7-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
2nd Q
10-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd Q
13-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
13-10 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
4th Q
16-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
The Montreal Rouge were set on playing spoiler for the Gold Stars, who many deemed to have the easiest final 3 games of the season compared to other teams fighting for the final playoff spots.
RB Hugo Hughes would get Montreal’s lone touchdown in the 1st quarter, while the defence and the crowd noise was making things difficult for the Gold Stars’ offence
Providence would finally get to the endzone in the 3rd quarter when Connor O’Rourke found WR Owen Paisley for just his 2nd receiving touchdown of the season.
However, Montreal’s defence would shut down the Gold Stars in the final quarter to secure their first win since Week 5.
The loss also makes the Gold Stars 0-4 against the division this season.
*With this result the Mariners have clinched a playoff spot despite their 3-game losing streak
Toronto Steelheads - 8, Ottawa Royals - 27 - Anderson Stadium - September 2, 1968 - 2 PM ET - Labour Day - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Marshall Leonard
7-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
7-10 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
2nd Q
7-17 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
3rd Q
7-20 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
8-20 TOR - Single K Vic Greatwood
4th Q
8-27 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Marshall Leonard
The Royals would roll into Toronto on labour day and dominate them throughout the game.
Aside from Max Tracy’s first-quarter touchdown, the Steelheads struggled to move the ball all day long.
The Royals’ offence fared just fine against the Steelheads as WR Marshall Leonard had a strong day with a pair of receiving touchdowns.
Even QB Tyrion Gainsborough had his missteps with an interception in the 3rd, but the Steelheads were came away with 1 point.
The loss is Toronto’s 3rd straight and they are quickly slipping in the playoff race, while the Royals now have won 6 straight games and are looking like the standout team as the playoffs near.
Indiana Victors - 36, Louisville Thunder - 26 - Victory Stadium - September 2, 1968 - 6 PM ET - Labour Day - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
7-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
14-7 IND - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Silas Peyton
2nd Q
17-7 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
17-14 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
20-14 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
23-14 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
23-17 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
23-23 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
4th Q
26-23 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
33-23 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
33-26 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
36-26 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
QB Lee Rogers continued to play well in the absence of QB Tom Applewhite and would lead the team to a 17-7 lead to start the rematch with the Thunder.
Louisville was looking for any way to end their 5-game losing streak and would pass on a great majority of plays in this game evident by Buck Murphy’s 2 first-half passing touchdowns.
Indiana remained in control, but Buck Murphy’s 3rd passing touchdown would leave the game tied heading into the final quarter.
In the final frame, the Victors would get a pair of scores to increase their lead to 10 before Louisville was able to get another field goal back.
Unfortunately for the Thunder, they were unable to stop the Victors from getting a first down as they burned most of what remained of the clock and then extended their lead back up to 10.
The Thunder have now dropped 6 in a row, going from McCallister Cup contender to now being in line to get a top 3 pick in the draft.
Injury Report
K Nimrod Handsworth LDN - 5 Weeks
WR Joshua Lafleur LDN - 5 Weeks
OL Varo Giovanni TOR - 2 Weeks
WR Al Allmendinger TOR - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Indiana 6-4
London 6-4
Pittsburgh 6-4
Toronto 5-5
Buffalo 5-5
Louisville 3-7
EAST
Ottawa 8-2 -x
Halifax 6-4 -x
Long Island 4-6
Boston 4-6
Providence 4-6
Montreal 3-7
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Indiana +3
3 - Pittsburgh -1
4 - Halifax -1
5 - London +2
6 - Buffalo -2
7 - Boston +2
8 - Toronto -2
9 - Long Island +1
10 - Providence -2
11 - Montreal +1
12 - Louisville -1
Week 12 Games
HFX (6-4) @ MTL (3-7) - SEP 6 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
BOS (4-6) @ OTT (8-2) - SEP 7 - 12 PM ET
*OTT Clinches East Division with Win or HFX Loss
PIT (6-4) @ BUF (5-5) - SEP 7 - 3:30 PM ET
*PIT Clinches Playoff Spot with Win or TOR + BOS Loss + PRO + LI Tie
TOR (5-5) @ IND (6-4) - SEP 7 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
*IND Clinches Playoff Spot with Win or BUF + BOS Loss + PRO + LI Tie
LDN (6-4) @ LOU (3-7) - SEP 8 - 1 PM ET
*LDN Clinches Playoff Spot with Win + BUF or TOR Loss or BUF + TOR + BOS Loss + PRO + LI Tie
PRO (4-6) @ LI (4-6) - SEP 8 - 4 PM ET
1968 Week 12
Roster Moves
BUF: OL Rick Patterson - Waivers -> Reserve List
LDN: DB Jackson Miles - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
LDN: DB Gord Honk - Active Roster -> Waivers
LDN: WR Joshua Lafleur - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LDN: WR Jessie Lambert - Reserve List -> Active Roster
LDN: K Nimrod Handsworth - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LDN: K Ray Bough - Free Agency -> Active Roster
MTL: OL Elliot Barrett - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
MTL: OL Harvey Stephenson - Active Roster -> Waivers
PRO: DL Terry Lynch - Waivers -> Reserve List
TOR: OL Andrew Parsley - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
TOR: OL Benoit Leduc - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Montreal Rouge - 29, Halifax Mariners - 26 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 6, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear - Game of the Week
1st Q
3-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3-7 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
10-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun
2nd Q
13-7 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
16-7 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
16-14 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Edward Webb
3rd Q
16-17 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
19-17 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
19-20 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
22-20 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
22-26 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
29-26 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
The Montreal Rouge appeared to be rejuvenated following their first win since week 5, as they looked up to par with the Mariners throughout the first half.
Halifax still was able to score a pair of touchdowns, but their team was struggling to stop the Rouge offence from scoring.
The 3rd would see both defences step up, with only field goals being scored.
In the final quarter, it appeared that the Mariners would be in line to get their first win in a few weeks by scoring a touchdown to give themselves the 4-point lead.
Montreal, however, would manage to drive the field before Gene Bishop would find WR Taylor Karis to win the game and give Montreal their second win in a row.
*With HFX’s loss, the Royals have clinched the East Division for the first time since 1959
Ottawa Royals - 30, Boston Independents - 20 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 7, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-7 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Piers Key
2nd Q
10-7 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
10-10 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
17-10 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
3rd Q
17-17 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
20-17 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
4th Q
20-20 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
27-20 OTT - PTD QB Michael Benedict -> WR Marshall Leonard
30-20 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
Despite clinching the division the night before, the Royals would still come out swinging against the Independents.
While Boston did jump out to a 7-0 lead, the Royals would come back and take a 17-10 lead.
Boston would eventually get the game tied by the 4th quarter, but the Royals would manage to break away at the end with QB Michael Benedict under centre, giving Gainsborough a rest.
The Royals would close out the game with a big interception from S Marc Bellecourt off of a deflection from DL Bernhard Hartmann, which would set up their final touchdown.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 38, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 24 - Milton Charles Stadium - September 7, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
2nd Q
14-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Tracy Driscoll
21-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
21-7 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
3rd Q
21-14 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
24-14 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
4th Q
24-21 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
31-21 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
31-24 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
38-24 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
Buffalo got off to a great start in a vital home game against the Blacksmiths, as Charles Lemieux would lead the Blue Wings to a 21-0 lead in the first half.
Louis Vaughn would finally get a scoring drive going near the end of the first half and would get one touchdown back before the break.
Pittsburgh inched back into the game in the 3rd with a touchdown compared to Buffalo’s field goal.
Vaughn would throw his second touchdown of the game to pull the Blacksmiths back to within 3 points, however, Buffalo would have enough of the comeback attempt and would put up 2 more touchdowns in the 4th to win handily 38-24.
Indiana Victors - 20, Toronto Steelheads - 31 - Victory Stadium - September 7, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
0-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
7-10 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Silas Peyton
2nd Q
7-17 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
10-17 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
17-17 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
20-17 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
20-24 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
20-31 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
The Steelheads aimed to put an end to their 3-game skid and would jump out to a 0-10 lead early in the first.
QB Tom Applewhite was back in action for the Victors and managed to get a touchdown back, but the Victors would be in a 10-17 hole heading into halftime.
In the 3rd, the Victors would take over the game with the offence putting up 10 points while the defence managed to hold off the Steelheads attack with LB Marshall Langenbrunner getting a rare forced fumble on RB Max Tracy.
Luckily for the Steelheads, Tracy would bounce back along with the rest of the offence and grab a pair of touchdowns in the 4th to make the playoff race in the West Division just that much crazier.
Louisville Thunder - 24, London Tigers - 17 - Thunder Stadium - September 8, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
7-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
14-7 LOU - RTD RB Théodore Lemieux
3rd Q
14-10 LDN - FG K Ray Bough
4th Q
17-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
17-17 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
24-17 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
The Thunder hoped to end their league-high 6-game losing streak and would start their game against the Tigers with a pair of touchdowns in the first half.
The Tigers certainly were not falling too far behind as a RB Austin Andrews touchdown would keep them in the game.
After each team grabbed a field goal in the 3rd/start of the 4th, Riley Kiernan would get the Tigers down the field before tossing a game-tying touchdown to Cole Fletcher.
However, Louisville had another great drive in the 4th leading to a Casey Coleman touchdown to give the Thunder their 4th win of the season.
On top of that, they have definitely set up one of the most interesting final weeks of an NAAF season yet.
Long Island Raiders - 24, Providence Gold Stars - 14 - Long Island Stadium - September 8, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
7-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
10-7 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-14 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
3rd Q
17-14 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
24-14 LI - PTD QB Landon Ross -> TE Christopher Gist
4th Q
With all the results of the earlier games, the battle between the Raiders and Gold Stars would be a must-win game for both teams; whoever wins the game has a shot at the playoffs next week and whoever loses is out.
The Gold Stars would be the first to strike with a Rashed Smith touchdown, but the Raiders countered quickly with a rushing touchdown from Dareion Fields.
Henderson Schumacher would give the Raiders the lead to start the 2nd, but the Gold Stars countered with a touchdown following a DB Neville Falkner interception.
In the 3rd, the Raiders’ offence took over with QB Landon Ross, in his second straight start, leading the team to two touchdown drives.
In the final quarter, the Gold Stars would make several attempts to score, but the Raiders’ defence held them off to give the Raiders a fighting chance at the postseason.
Injury Report
S Clarence Sale IND - 3 Weeks
RB Raymond Green IND - Day-to-Day
DB Jackson Miles LDN - 4 Weeks
DL Lawrence Armstrong OTT - 6 Weeks
RB Ronnie Byers PRO - 9 Weeks
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 117 Rushing Yards
DEF: DL Ilya Mikaelov LI - 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Sack, 5 Tackles
Standings
WEST
Buffalo 6-5
Indiana 6-5
Pittsburgh 6-5
London 6-5
Toronto 6-5
Louisville 4-7
EAST
Ottawa 9-2 -y
Halifax 6-5 -x
Long Island 5-6
Boston 4-7
Montreal 4-7
Providence 4-7
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Buffalo +4
3 - Indiana -1
4 - Pittsburgh -1
5 - Toronto +3
6 - Halifax -2
7 - Long Island +2
8 - London -3
9 - Boston -2
10 - Montreal +1
11 - Louisville +1
12 - Providence -2
Week 13 Games
MTL (4-7) @ LI (5-6) - SEP 14 - 12 PM ET
*LI Clinches Playoff Spot with Win
OTT (9-2) @ HFX (6-5) - SEP 14 - 3:30 PM ET
BOS (4-7) @ PRO (4-7) - SEP 14 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
PIT (6-5) @ TOR (6-5) - SEP 15 - 12 PM ET
IND (6-5) @ LDN (6-5) - SEP 15 - 3:30 PM ET
BUF (6-5) @ LOU (4-7) - SEP 15 - 7 PM ET - Season Finale
*WEEK 13 PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
It’s pretty crazy the different ways this could go so I will try to run through each team’s possible scenarios, and hope that it makes some sense, either way, it is going to be a crazy final week of the season (while the East mostly gets to just relax).
First, if any of the 6-5 teams in the West win, then they have a ticket to the postseason, and their opponent will be hoping they have the right tiebreakers.
BUF
Clinches playoffs with Win or TOR Win or IND Win or LI Loss
*The only way Buffalo misses the playoffs is if PIT + LDN + LI Wins and BUF Lose
Clinches West Division with Win + TOR or IND Loss
IND
Clinches Playoff with Win or LI Loss + PIT Loss
Clinches West Division with Win + PIT Win + LOU Win
LDN
Clinches Playoff with Win or LI Loss
Clinches West Division with Win + BUF Loss
PIT
Clinches Playoff with Win
*Pittsburgh is in the worst spot, they will not make it if they don’t win, and they are unable to win the division (they are 1-4 against the division with their only win coming against LOU)
TOR
Clinches Playoff with Win or LDN + LOU Win or LI Loss + LDN + BUF Win
Clinches West Division with Win + IND Win
LI
The Raiders are simple, they win and they are in, preventing the crossover due to a tied record, however, if they lose then they will be watching the playoffs from the couch.
Roster Moves
BUF: OL Rick Patterson - Waivers -> Reserve List
LDN: DB Jackson Miles - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
LDN: DB Gord Honk - Active Roster -> Waivers
LDN: WR Joshua Lafleur - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LDN: WR Jessie Lambert - Reserve List -> Active Roster
LDN: K Nimrod Handsworth - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LDN: K Ray Bough - Free Agency -> Active Roster
MTL: OL Elliot Barrett - Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
MTL: OL Harvey Stephenson - Active Roster -> Waivers
PRO: DL Terry Lynch - Waivers -> Reserve List
TOR: OL Andrew Parsley - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
TOR: OL Benoit Leduc - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Montreal Rouge - 29, Halifax Mariners - 26 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 6, 1968 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Clear - Game of the Week
1st Q
3-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3-7 HFX - RTD RB Ronald O’Sullivan
10-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun
2nd Q
13-7 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
16-7 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
16-14 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Edward Webb
3rd Q
16-17 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
19-17 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
19-20 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
22-20 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
22-26 HFX - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Shane Steadman
29-26 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
The Montreal Rouge appeared to be rejuvenated following their first win since week 5, as they looked up to par with the Mariners throughout the first half.
Halifax still was able to score a pair of touchdowns, but their team was struggling to stop the Rouge offence from scoring.
The 3rd would see both defences step up, with only field goals being scored.
In the final quarter, it appeared that the Mariners would be in line to get their first win in a few weeks by scoring a touchdown to give themselves the 4-point lead.
Montreal, however, would manage to drive the field before Gene Bishop would find WR Taylor Karis to win the game and give Montreal their second win in a row.
*With HFX’s loss, the Royals have clinched the East Division for the first time since 1959
Ottawa Royals - 30, Boston Independents - 20 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 7, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-7 OTT - PTD QB Tyrion Gainsborough -> WR Piers Key
2nd Q
10-7 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
10-10 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
17-10 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
3rd Q
17-17 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
20-17 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
4th Q
20-20 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
27-20 OTT - PTD QB Michael Benedict -> WR Marshall Leonard
30-20 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
Despite clinching the division the night before, the Royals would still come out swinging against the Independents.
While Boston did jump out to a 7-0 lead, the Royals would come back and take a 17-10 lead.
Boston would eventually get the game tied by the 4th quarter, but the Royals would manage to break away at the end with QB Michael Benedict under centre, giving Gainsborough a rest.
The Royals would close out the game with a big interception from S Marc Bellecourt off of a deflection from DL Bernhard Hartmann, which would set up their final touchdown.
Buffalo Blue Wings - 38, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 24 - Milton Charles Stadium - September 7, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
2nd Q
14-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Tracy Driscoll
21-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
21-7 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Orlando Barrack
3rd Q
21-14 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
24-14 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
4th Q
24-21 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence
31-21 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
31-24 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
38-24 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
Buffalo got off to a great start in a vital home game against the Blacksmiths, as Charles Lemieux would lead the Blue Wings to a 21-0 lead in the first half.
Louis Vaughn would finally get a scoring drive going near the end of the first half and would get one touchdown back before the break.
Pittsburgh inched back into the game in the 3rd with a touchdown compared to Buffalo’s field goal.
Vaughn would throw his second touchdown of the game to pull the Blacksmiths back to within 3 points, however, Buffalo would have enough of the comeback attempt and would put up 2 more touchdowns in the 4th to win handily 38-24.
Indiana Victors - 20, Toronto Steelheads - 31 - Victory Stadium - September 7, 1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
0-10 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
7-10 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Silas Peyton
2nd Q
7-17 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
10-17 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
3rd Q
17-17 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Evan Clanton
20-17 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
20-24 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
20-31 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
The Steelheads aimed to put an end to their 3-game skid and would jump out to a 0-10 lead early in the first.
QB Tom Applewhite was back in action for the Victors and managed to get a touchdown back, but the Victors would be in a 10-17 hole heading into halftime.
In the 3rd, the Victors would take over the game with the offence putting up 10 points while the defence managed to hold off the Steelheads attack with LB Marshall Langenbrunner getting a rare forced fumble on RB Max Tracy.
Luckily for the Steelheads, Tracy would bounce back along with the rest of the offence and grab a pair of touchdowns in the 4th to make the playoff race in the West Division just that much crazier.
Louisville Thunder - 24, London Tigers - 17 - Thunder Stadium - September 8, 1968 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
7-7 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
2nd Q
14-7 LOU - RTD RB Théodore Lemieux
3rd Q
14-10 LDN - FG K Ray Bough
4th Q
17-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
17-17 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
24-17 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman
The Thunder hoped to end their league-high 6-game losing streak and would start their game against the Tigers with a pair of touchdowns in the first half.
The Tigers certainly were not falling too far behind as a RB Austin Andrews touchdown would keep them in the game.
After each team grabbed a field goal in the 3rd/start of the 4th, Riley Kiernan would get the Tigers down the field before tossing a game-tying touchdown to Cole Fletcher.
However, Louisville had another great drive in the 4th leading to a Casey Coleman touchdown to give the Thunder their 4th win of the season.
On top of that, they have definitely set up one of the most interesting final weeks of an NAAF season yet.
Long Island Raiders - 24, Providence Gold Stars - 14 - Long Island Stadium - September 8, 1968 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
7-7 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
2nd Q
10-7 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-14 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
3rd Q
17-14 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
24-14 LI - PTD QB Landon Ross -> TE Christopher Gist
4th Q
With all the results of the earlier games, the battle between the Raiders and Gold Stars would be a must-win game for both teams; whoever wins the game has a shot at the playoffs next week and whoever loses is out.
The Gold Stars would be the first to strike with a Rashed Smith touchdown, but the Raiders countered quickly with a rushing touchdown from Dareion Fields.
Henderson Schumacher would give the Raiders the lead to start the 2nd, but the Gold Stars countered with a touchdown following a DB Neville Falkner interception.
In the 3rd, the Raiders’ offence took over with QB Landon Ross, in his second straight start, leading the team to two touchdown drives.
In the final quarter, the Gold Stars would make several attempts to score, but the Raiders’ defence held them off to give the Raiders a fighting chance at the postseason.
Injury Report
S Clarence Sale IND - 3 Weeks
RB Raymond Green IND - Day-to-Day
DB Jackson Miles LDN - 4 Weeks
DL Lawrence Armstrong OTT - 6 Weeks
RB Ronnie Byers PRO - 9 Weeks
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Buffalo 6-5
Indiana 6-5
Pittsburgh 6-5
London 6-5
Toronto 6-5
Louisville 4-7
EAST
Ottawa 9-2 -y
Halifax 6-5 -x
Long Island 5-6
Boston 4-7
Montreal 4-7
Providence 4-7
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Buffalo +4
3 - Indiana -1
4 - Pittsburgh -1
5 - Toronto +3
6 - Halifax -2
7 - Long Island +2
8 - London -3
9 - Boston -2
10 - Montreal +1
11 - Louisville +1
12 - Providence -2
Week 13 Games
MTL (4-7) @ LI (5-6) - SEP 14 - 12 PM ET
*LI Clinches Playoff Spot with Win
OTT (9-2) @ HFX (6-5) - SEP 14 - 3:30 PM ET
BOS (4-7) @ PRO (4-7) - SEP 14 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
PIT (6-5) @ TOR (6-5) - SEP 15 - 12 PM ET
IND (6-5) @ LDN (6-5) - SEP 15 - 3:30 PM ET
BUF (6-5) @ LOU (4-7) - SEP 15 - 7 PM ET - Season Finale
*WEEK 13 PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
It’s pretty crazy the different ways this could go so I will try to run through each team’s possible scenarios, and hope that it makes some sense, either way, it is going to be a crazy final week of the season (while the East mostly gets to just relax).
First, if any of the 6-5 teams in the West win, then they have a ticket to the postseason, and their opponent will be hoping they have the right tiebreakers.
BUF
Clinches playoffs with Win or TOR Win or IND Win or LI Loss
*The only way Buffalo misses the playoffs is if PIT + LDN + LI Wins and BUF Lose
Clinches West Division with Win + TOR or IND Loss
IND
Clinches Playoff with Win or LI Loss + PIT Loss
Clinches West Division with Win + PIT Win + LOU Win
LDN
Clinches Playoff with Win or LI Loss
Clinches West Division with Win + BUF Loss
PIT
Clinches Playoff with Win
*Pittsburgh is in the worst spot, they will not make it if they don’t win, and they are unable to win the division (they are 1-4 against the division with their only win coming against LOU)
TOR
Clinches Playoff with Win or LDN + LOU Win or LI Loss + LDN + BUF Win
Clinches West Division with Win + IND Win
LI
The Raiders are simple, they win and they are in, preventing the crossover due to a tied record, however, if they lose then they will be watching the playoffs from the couch.
1968 Week 13
Roster Moves
IND: S Clarence Sale - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
IND: S Chase Penrod - Reserve List -> Active Roster
LDN: DB Jackson Miles - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LDN: DB Gord Honk - Waivers -> Active Roster
OTT: DL Lawrence Armstrong - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
OTT: DL Buddy Hibbert - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: RB Ronnie Byers - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: RB Henri Létourneau - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Long Island Raiders - 31, Montreal Rouge - 18 - Long Island Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
7-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
2nd Q
14-3 LI - PTD QB Landon Ross -> WR Larry Mossholder
21-3 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
3rd Q
21-10 MTL - PTD QB Mike Key -> WR Denis Langlois
4th Q
21-16 MTL - PTD QB Mike Key -> WR Moe Schafer
21-18 MTL - 2PT QB Mike Key -> WR Denis Langlois
24-18 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
31-18 LI - RTD RB Scott Norton
The Raiders needed a win on Saturday afternoon to lock in their 5th straight playoff appearance, or else they were going home.
They would get a bit of help with the Rouge starting QB Mike Key and many other younger players.
The Raiders continued with QB Landon Ross under centre and the QB led them to a 21-3 score in the first half.
QB Mike Key would get Montreal back into the game in the second half, throwing a pair of touchdowns to make it 21-18 in the 4th quarter.
After losing their massive lead, the Raiders would tighten up their play and would hold off the Rouge to win the game and clinch a ticket to Halifax next week.
Halifax Mariners - 23, Ottawa Royals - 26 - Atlantic Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
3-6 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
2nd Q
10-6 HFX - RTD RB Adam Zingaro
10-9 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
13-9 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
13-16 OTT - PTD QB Martin Keller -> WR Julian Santiago
16-16 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
16-19 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
23-19 HFX - PTD QB Jace Beleren -> WR Troy York
23-26 OTT - PTD QB Martin Keller -> WR Colby Bancana
A battle of the backups in Halifax would see the starting QB duties shift to Jace Beleren for the Mariners and Martin Keller in his first career start for the Royals.
The first half would end up being a slow field goal duel with RB Adam Zingaro scoring the only touchdown.
The second half would see QB Martin Keller get more comfortable under centre as he would throw a touchdown to get the Royals back in front.
In the final quarter, the Royals would get a 3-point lead, but QB Jace Beleren would throw a touchdown to Troy York to give the Mariners the lead.
However, Martin Keller would lead his first career game-winning drive to get the Royals back in front to win their 8th game in a row, while Halifax drops their 5th straight finishing a disappointing 6-6 on the season.
Providence Gold Stars - 16, Boston Independents - 37 - New Providence Stadium - September 14 ,1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 BOS - PTD QB Joel Joeson -> WR Sam Nash
7-7 PRO - PTD QB Ulysses Lawyer -> WR Leonard Green
2nd Q
7-10 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
7-17 BOS - RTD RB Rodney Clark
10-17 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
10-20 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
3rd Q
10-27 BOS - PTD QB Oscar Rigano -> WR Jimmy Franks
13-27 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
16-27 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
16-34 BOS - RTD RB Rodney Clark
16-37 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
The final Saturday Night game would be another duel of backups with QB Joel Joeson starting for Boston against his former team, and QB Ulysses Lawyer getting the start for the Gold Stars.
Both QBs threw touchdowns in the opening quarter, but the Independents would start to pull away in the 2nd quarter.
Unfortunately for Joeson, he would take a hit late in the 2nd quarter and would be taken out of the game, leaving QB Oscar Rigano to finish the contest.
Rigano did well with a passing touchdown in the second half and led the Independents to hold on for a 16-37 win.
As for Lawyer, he would struggle with the rest of the backup crew on offence for the Gold Stars only having one truly strong drive in the 1st quarter.
Toronto Steelheads - 17, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 14 - Anderson Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
10-0 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
3rd Q
10-7 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
10-14 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
4th Q
17-14 TOR - RTD RB Lukas Ivarsson
The much more exciting Sunday would kick off with last season’s bottom-2 teams duelling for a ticket to the playoffs.
The game would start in the favour of the Steelheads who scored a touchdown with RB Max Tracy.
Defensively, the Steelheads were able to shut down the Blacksmiths in the first half, leading to some frustration from the Pittsburgh sideline.
However, in the 3rd, the Blacksmiths bounced back with a pair of touchdowns to take a 10-14 lead heading into the final quarter.
On top of that, RB Max Tracy would leave the game with a scary injury, and had to be carried off the field.
Toronto rallied without their star running back and managed to get back down to the endzone and backup RB Lukas Ivarsson got into the endzone to take the lead.
The Steelheads’ defence would hold off the Blacksmiths’ attack and they would clinch a playoff spot.
*Toronto clinches playoff spot
*Buffalo clinches playoff spot
*Pittsburgh is eliminated from contention
London Tigers - 12, Indiana Victors - 24 - Western Fair Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
3-0 LDN - FG K Ray Bough
2nd Q
3-7 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
6-7 LDN - FG K Ray Bough
3rd Q
6-14 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
6-17 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
12-17 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
12-24 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
A pair of roller coaster seasons would come to a close in London, Ontario, as the Tigers and Victors battled for a ticket to the postseason.
The Tigers managed to get a lead in the first with K Ray Bough getting an early field goal in his second career start in relief for Nimrod Handsworth.
The Victors would bounce back with a touchdown in the 2nd and would be able to keep the lead heading into the half up 6-7.
In the second half, the Victors’ offence continued to roll with a second WR Ed Edwards touchdown in order to give the Victors an 8-point lead.
Indy would add a field goal, but the Tigers finally would see some success on offence as QB Riley Kiernan drove the field to get the Tigers in scoring range.
Kiernan would end up finding long-time teammate WR Max Sutton to pull within 5, but they were unable to secure the 2-point conversion to make it a 3-point game.
The Tigers’ injuries started to finally take a tole as the Victors would easily drive once more to extend their lead and secure their ticket to the playoffs
*Indiana clinches playoff spot
*Toronto clinches West Division
*London is eliminated from contention
Louisville Thunder - 13, Buffalo Blue Wings - 40 - Thunder Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
0-10 BUF - DTD INT DB Ezra Power
2nd Q
3-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
3-13 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3-20 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
3rd Q
3-27 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3-34 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Sebastian Dassler
10-34 LOU - RTD RB Neil Bradley
4th Q
10-37 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
13-37 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
13-40 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
The final game of the season was certainly the least interesting of the Sunday matchups as the Blue Wings would thrash the Thunder in order to clinch a home playoff game next weekend.
The first 2 and a half quarters would be played by the starters, and Charles Lemieux would shred a mostly backup defence to get up 3-34.
Buffalo would flip to QB Jack Owens and the rest of the backups to close out the game.
Louisville did start QB Rider Wandrey, however, the QB would get hurt on a run play in the 1st quarter which would lead to QB Leonidas Dumont stepping in and helping the Thunder to score 13 points throughout the rest of the game.
Rookie RB Neil Bradley would score his first career touchdown in the 3rd quarter to get Louisville’s lone major.
Injury Report
QB Joel Joeson BOS - Day-to-Day
RB Richard Morin LDN - Season
QB Ivan Sanchez LI - Day-to-Day
WR Nick Nacker LOU- Day-to-Day
QB Rider Wandrey LOU - 3 Weeks
RB Max Tracy TOR - 11 Weeks
Players of the Week
OFF: RB Rodney Clark BOS - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 142 Rushing Yards
DEF: DL Richard Blunt TOR - 2 Sacks, 4 Tackles, 1 Knockdown
Standings
WEST
Toronto 7-5 -y
Buffalo 7-5 -x
Indiana 7-5 -x
London 6-6
Pittsburgh 6-6
Louisville 4-8
EAST
Ottawa 10-2 -y
Halifax 6-6 -x
Long Island 6-6 -x
Boston 5-7
Montreal 4-8
Providence 4-8
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Buffalo -
3 - Indiana -
4 - Toronto +1
5 - Long Island +2
6 - Pittsburgh -2
7 - Halifax -1
8 - London -
9 - Boston -
10 - Montreal -
11 - Louisville -
12 - Providence -
1968 Division Semi-Final Preview
East Division Semi-Final - Halifax Mariners VS. Long Island Raiders
Head-to-Head: W6: LI 17-25 HFX, W11: HFX 17-20 LI
The Mariners and Raiders will meet for the 3rd time this season in the postseason. This will be the first playoff game to be played in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and their first home playoff game since 1956. The Mariners are coming into the match having lost their last 5 games, while the Raiders are riding 3 straight wins to close out the season. Momentum would suggest the Raiders would have the advantage, however, QB Landon Ross is making his first career start in the postseason so the Mariners can take advantage by pressuring him. I think it’s going to be a close game, but I still see the Mariners finally waking up and clicking in the postseason and moving on to the next round.
My Pick: Mariners
*Lyle Painter (I believe) will be the first QB to start a playoff game for 3 different teams (LI, IND, HFX).
West Division Semi-Final - Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Indiana Victors
Head-to-Head: W1: BUF 28-18 IND
Buffalo and Indiana met in the first game of the season. Since then, both teams have had wild rides to get to the West Division Semi-Final. Neither team has looked perfect this season, but the Blue Wings have had a stronger finish to the season, putting up 30+ points in 4 of their last five games. The Victors certainly won’t back down without a fight, but beating the 2-time defending champs, in Buffalo, is going to be a tall task. I think Buffalo is getting hot at the right time and should be able to claim another playoff victory and move onto the second round.
My Pick: Blue Wings
IND: S Clarence Sale - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
IND: S Chase Penrod - Reserve List -> Active Roster
LDN: DB Jackson Miles - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LDN: DB Gord Honk - Waivers -> Active Roster
OTT: DL Lawrence Armstrong - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
OTT: DL Buddy Hibbert - Reserve List -> Active Roster
PRO: RB Ronnie Byers - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: RB Henri Létourneau - Reserve List -> Active Roster
Long Island Raiders - 31, Montreal Rouge - 18 - Long Island Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
7-0 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
7-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
2nd Q
14-3 LI - PTD QB Landon Ross -> WR Larry Mossholder
21-3 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
3rd Q
21-10 MTL - PTD QB Mike Key -> WR Denis Langlois
4th Q
21-16 MTL - PTD QB Mike Key -> WR Moe Schafer
21-18 MTL - 2PT QB Mike Key -> WR Denis Langlois
24-18 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
31-18 LI - RTD RB Scott Norton
The Raiders needed a win on Saturday afternoon to lock in their 5th straight playoff appearance, or else they were going home.
They would get a bit of help with the Rouge starting QB Mike Key and many other younger players.
The Raiders continued with QB Landon Ross under centre and the QB led them to a 21-3 score in the first half.
QB Mike Key would get Montreal back into the game in the second half, throwing a pair of touchdowns to make it 21-18 in the 4th quarter.
After losing their massive lead, the Raiders would tighten up their play and would hold off the Rouge to win the game and clinch a ticket to Halifax next week.
Halifax Mariners - 23, Ottawa Royals - 26 - Atlantic Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
3-6 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
2nd Q
10-6 HFX - RTD RB Adam Zingaro
10-9 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
13-9 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
13-16 OTT - PTD QB Martin Keller -> WR Julian Santiago
16-16 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
16-19 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
23-19 HFX - PTD QB Jace Beleren -> WR Troy York
23-26 OTT - PTD QB Martin Keller -> WR Colby Bancana
A battle of the backups in Halifax would see the starting QB duties shift to Jace Beleren for the Mariners and Martin Keller in his first career start for the Royals.
The first half would end up being a slow field goal duel with RB Adam Zingaro scoring the only touchdown.
The second half would see QB Martin Keller get more comfortable under centre as he would throw a touchdown to get the Royals back in front.
In the final quarter, the Royals would get a 3-point lead, but QB Jace Beleren would throw a touchdown to Troy York to give the Mariners the lead.
However, Martin Keller would lead his first career game-winning drive to get the Royals back in front to win their 8th game in a row, while Halifax drops their 5th straight finishing a disappointing 6-6 on the season.
Providence Gold Stars - 16, Boston Independents - 37 - New Providence Stadium - September 14 ,1968 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 BOS - PTD QB Joel Joeson -> WR Sam Nash
7-7 PRO - PTD QB Ulysses Lawyer -> WR Leonard Green
2nd Q
7-10 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
7-17 BOS - RTD RB Rodney Clark
10-17 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
10-20 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
3rd Q
10-27 BOS - PTD QB Oscar Rigano -> WR Jimmy Franks
13-27 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
16-27 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
16-34 BOS - RTD RB Rodney Clark
16-37 BOS - FG K Woody Woodstock
The final Saturday Night game would be another duel of backups with QB Joel Joeson starting for Boston against his former team, and QB Ulysses Lawyer getting the start for the Gold Stars.
Both QBs threw touchdowns in the opening quarter, but the Independents would start to pull away in the 2nd quarter.
Unfortunately for Joeson, he would take a hit late in the 2nd quarter and would be taken out of the game, leaving QB Oscar Rigano to finish the contest.
Rigano did well with a passing touchdown in the second half and led the Independents to hold on for a 16-37 win.
As for Lawyer, he would struggle with the rest of the backup crew on offence for the Gold Stars only having one truly strong drive in the 1st quarter.
Toronto Steelheads - 17, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 14 - Anderson Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
10-0 TOR - FG K Vic Greatwood
3rd Q
10-7 PIT - RTD RB Tresean Jones
10-14 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
4th Q
17-14 TOR - RTD RB Lukas Ivarsson
The much more exciting Sunday would kick off with last season’s bottom-2 teams duelling for a ticket to the playoffs.
The game would start in the favour of the Steelheads who scored a touchdown with RB Max Tracy.
Defensively, the Steelheads were able to shut down the Blacksmiths in the first half, leading to some frustration from the Pittsburgh sideline.
However, in the 3rd, the Blacksmiths bounced back with a pair of touchdowns to take a 10-14 lead heading into the final quarter.
On top of that, RB Max Tracy would leave the game with a scary injury, and had to be carried off the field.
Toronto rallied without their star running back and managed to get back down to the endzone and backup RB Lukas Ivarsson got into the endzone to take the lead.
The Steelheads’ defence would hold off the Blacksmiths’ attack and they would clinch a playoff spot.
*Toronto clinches playoff spot
*Buffalo clinches playoff spot
*Pittsburgh is eliminated from contention
London Tigers - 12, Indiana Victors - 24 - Western Fair Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
3-0 LDN - FG K Ray Bough
2nd Q
3-7 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
6-7 LDN - FG K Ray Bough
3rd Q
6-14 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
6-17 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
12-17 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
12-24 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
A pair of roller coaster seasons would come to a close in London, Ontario, as the Tigers and Victors battled for a ticket to the postseason.
The Tigers managed to get a lead in the first with K Ray Bough getting an early field goal in his second career start in relief for Nimrod Handsworth.
The Victors would bounce back with a touchdown in the 2nd and would be able to keep the lead heading into the half up 6-7.
In the second half, the Victors’ offence continued to roll with a second WR Ed Edwards touchdown in order to give the Victors an 8-point lead.
Indy would add a field goal, but the Tigers finally would see some success on offence as QB Riley Kiernan drove the field to get the Tigers in scoring range.
Kiernan would end up finding long-time teammate WR Max Sutton to pull within 5, but they were unable to secure the 2-point conversion to make it a 3-point game.
The Tigers’ injuries started to finally take a tole as the Victors would easily drive once more to extend their lead and secure their ticket to the playoffs
*Indiana clinches playoff spot
*Toronto clinches West Division
*London is eliminated from contention
Louisville Thunder - 13, Buffalo Blue Wings - 40 - Thunder Stadium - September 14, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
0-10 BUF - DTD INT DB Ezra Power
2nd Q
3-10 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
3-13 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3-20 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Jimmy Jack
3rd Q
3-27 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3-34 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Sebastian Dassler
10-34 LOU - RTD RB Neil Bradley
4th Q
10-37 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
13-37 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
13-40 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
The final game of the season was certainly the least interesting of the Sunday matchups as the Blue Wings would thrash the Thunder in order to clinch a home playoff game next weekend.
The first 2 and a half quarters would be played by the starters, and Charles Lemieux would shred a mostly backup defence to get up 3-34.
Buffalo would flip to QB Jack Owens and the rest of the backups to close out the game.
Louisville did start QB Rider Wandrey, however, the QB would get hurt on a run play in the 1st quarter which would lead to QB Leonidas Dumont stepping in and helping the Thunder to score 13 points throughout the rest of the game.
Rookie RB Neil Bradley would score his first career touchdown in the 3rd quarter to get Louisville’s lone major.
Injury Report
QB Joel Joeson BOS - Day-to-Day
RB Richard Morin LDN - Season
QB Ivan Sanchez LI - Day-to-Day
WR Nick Nacker LOU- Day-to-Day
QB Rider Wandrey LOU - 3 Weeks
RB Max Tracy TOR - 11 Weeks
Players of the Week
Standings
WEST
Toronto 7-5 -y
Buffalo 7-5 -x
Indiana 7-5 -x
London 6-6
Pittsburgh 6-6
Louisville 4-8
EAST
Ottawa 10-2 -y
Halifax 6-6 -x
Long Island 6-6 -x
Boston 5-7
Montreal 4-8
Providence 4-8
Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Buffalo -
3 - Indiana -
4 - Toronto +1
5 - Long Island +2
6 - Pittsburgh -2
7 - Halifax -1
8 - London -
9 - Boston -
10 - Montreal -
11 - Louisville -
12 - Providence -
1968 Division Semi-Final Preview
East Division Semi-Final - Halifax Mariners VS. Long Island Raiders
Head-to-Head: W6: LI 17-25 HFX, W11: HFX 17-20 LI
The Mariners and Raiders will meet for the 3rd time this season in the postseason. This will be the first playoff game to be played in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and their first home playoff game since 1956. The Mariners are coming into the match having lost their last 5 games, while the Raiders are riding 3 straight wins to close out the season. Momentum would suggest the Raiders would have the advantage, however, QB Landon Ross is making his first career start in the postseason so the Mariners can take advantage by pressuring him. I think it’s going to be a close game, but I still see the Mariners finally waking up and clicking in the postseason and moving on to the next round.
My Pick: Mariners
*Lyle Painter (I believe) will be the first QB to start a playoff game for 3 different teams (LI, IND, HFX).
West Division Semi-Final - Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Indiana Victors
Head-to-Head: W1: BUF 28-18 IND
Buffalo and Indiana met in the first game of the season. Since then, both teams have had wild rides to get to the West Division Semi-Final. Neither team has looked perfect this season, but the Blue Wings have had a stronger finish to the season, putting up 30+ points in 4 of their last five games. The Victors certainly won’t back down without a fight, but beating the 2-time defending champs, in Buffalo, is going to be a tall task. I think Buffalo is getting hot at the right time and should be able to claim another playoff victory and move onto the second round.
My Pick: Blue Wings
