1968 NAAF Playoffs
1968 Division Semi-Finals
Roster MovesRB Max Tracy TOR - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
RB Dylan Robertson TOR - Reserve List -> Active Roster
East Division Semi-Final
Halifax Mariners VS. Long Island Raiders - Atlantic Stadium - September 21, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 25ºC | 78ºF
1st Q
The Halifax Mariners had much to prove in their first home playoff game since moving to the city. There was a quiet intensity from most of the players, showing little to no emotion throughout warmups. They knew they had to win the game, or many jobs would be in jeopardy. As for the Raiders, they were quite loose, thriving in being the underdog this season, after coming back from a 2-5 start to make the postseason. Both offences struggled to move the ball out of the gate, with the opposing defences showing up to lock them down. By the 5-minute mark of the opening quarter, there was a total of 31 yards of offence between the teams. Finally, a play would cause the silence to break. RB Dareion Fields looked to pick up a first down on 2nd and 6, only to have DL Pat Butler shed his block with speed and hit Fields just after getting the handoff from QB Landon Ross. Fields didn’t have a full grip on the ball and it popped right out. OL Forrest Green jumped to get onto the ball, but it slipped out of his clutches and DL Bernard King would come up with it for Halifax. QB Lyle Painter only had 22 yards to reach the endzone, so it was a couple of quick plays before WR Shane Steadman was able to get separation from DB Lauri Hayha to score the first points of the contest.
HFX 7-0 LI
2nd Q
The Raiders bounced back from their mistake with a field goal early in the 2nd quarter. Their defence also stepped up again to keep the Mariners’ offence quiet. Eventually, the Raiders would get their own defensive break with Mariners’ QB Lyle Painter facing pressure from DL Ilya Mikaelov, he would make a poor throw that would flutter into the arms of DB Lauri Hayha, who would take it back into Mariners’ territory. The Raiders would march the rest of the way down to the 6-yard line before the Raiders decided to throw the ball instead of making the obvious handoff to RB Dareion Fields. The Mariners’ defence was not prepared and WR Larry Mossholder would catch QB Landon Ross’ pass to give the Raiders the lead.
HFX 7-10 LI
3rd Q
The Mariners came out of the break and looked like a completely different team. After receiving the kickoff, the offence made up 33 yards on 2 plays to get to midfield. The Raiders' defence would be able to hold them up there, but they would be pinned deep in their own territory. The Mariners would force a quick 2 and out and get the ball back near midfield. The offence continued to click and they moved down to the 4-yard line before RB Ronald O’Sullivan would take a pitch around the edge and into the endzone to give the Mariners the lead again. The Raiders’ offence continued to sputter after DL Wayne Baxton would crush QB Landon Ross on 2nd down to force another punt. Lyle Painter went back to work and got the Mariners back into Raiders’ territory. From the 42, Painter would finally take a big shot down the field to WR Jav Kerrigan, who had been quiet all game. Kerrigan, while having one of the best DBs in the game, Rutherford Winters, right on him, was able to come down with a stellar grab to put the Mariners within 10-yards of the endzone. “JAV! JAV! JAV!” shouted the crowd as Kerrigan returned to the huddle. From there, Painter would then find former Raiders’ WR Troy York in the endzone to extend the Mariners’ lead to 11.
HFX 21-10 LI
4th Q
The Raiders just had no answers for the Mariners’ 3rd quarter resurgence. QB Landon Ross was certainly feeling the pressure, especially when needing to pass more. Ross would be sacked 2 more times in the game, giving him more reason to be frantic. With the struggling QB, the Raiders would decide to switch in Ivan Sanchez for plays here and there. They would eventually pin the Mariners deep before they would catch a break when WR Shane Steadman would lose the football on a hit from LB William Washington II. The Raiders would get excellent field position, however, their offence couldn’t get any further and would get just a field goal off of the play. The game was now at 8-points, and the Mariners looked a bit nervous despite having the lead. Their offence became more conservative as they would run the ball a lot more, and passes would be short or just tossed out of bounds. While this did give the Raiders many possessions, the Mariners’ defence was playing like they had at the start of the season and was stopping everything from the Raiders. The game would crawl to a finish as the Mariners would win just the 2nd playoff game in the franchise’s NAAF history. Their last one had come at home in Worcester in 1956 against the Gold Stars.
HFX - 16 WR Jav Kerrigan
LI - 54 LB William Washington II
West Division Semi-Final
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Indiana Victors - Milton Charles Stadium - September 22, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - 19ºC | 67ºF
1st Q
The Blue Wings entered their first West Division Semi-Final since 1961 with hopes of topping the Victors to get to their 4th West Division Final in 5 years. QB Charles Lemieux and company got off to a strong start, as they drove the field on their first drive of the day. RB Jimmy Golden would be the one to get into the endzone, running over DL Brandon Hall for the score. To make matters worse for the Victors, Hall would not return to the game following the play. The Victors' offence was not as sturdy out of the gate, as they would only pick up 11 yards before being forced to punt. Buffalo kept up the pressure in the first, picking up a field goal to take a 10-0 lead into the second.
BUF 10-0 IND
2nd Q
Indiana aimed to get their offence going in the second quarter. QB Tom Applewhite decided to finally take a shot down the field and it would work with WR Ed Edwards making a great catch before breaking away from DB Ezra Power. Luckily for the Blue Wings, S Wesley Jones was able to stop Edwards from scoring. However, Indiana would be in the endzone a few plays later with WR Evan Clanton diving over the goal line. Buffalo’s offence kept up their production, getting themselves back into Indiana territory, but once again was stopped after DB Kelly Kirkland broke up a pass intended for WR Sebastian Dassler, and would settle for a field goal. Time winded down in the quarter, but the Victors would get a break when rookie WR Jake Aberdezzi would return a punt all the way into Buffalo territory. The short field would be taken advantage of by Applewhite and the Victors as RB Raymond Green would power his way into the endzone to give Indiana the lead at halftime.
BUF 13-14 IND
3rd Q
The Buffalo fans were a little shocked to find themselves down at halftime, but they had faith the team would bounce back in the 3rd. Especially after their defence would force Indiana to a 2 and out. WR Tracy Driscoll would receive the Victors' only to lose the ball while being tackled. Indiana was on top of the fumble and would add to their lead just a few plays later with a field goal. Driscoll rebounded from the fumble with a solid return on the next drive. Buffalo’s offence got up the field as well and was back in scoring range. However, another mistake on Buffalo’s behalf would cost them points. QB Charles Lemieux would be looking to take a shot at the endzone, however, WR Jimmy Jack would make an error on his route, cutting out instead of in. DB Cameron Taylor read it and had no contest for the ball, grabbing the interception. Indy would push the ball out of their end, before kicking it back to Buffalo, but a couple of drives later, they would be in the endzone again with RB Raymond Green’s second of the game.
BUF 13-24 IND
4th Q
There was a nervous energy at Milton Charles Stadium as the Blue Wings reeled from a 24-3 run by the Victors over the last two quarters. Lemieux aimed to ease those nerves with a strong drive early in the 4th. Once again, the Blue Wings were in scoring range and this time they would get into the endzone with Lemieux finding Jimmy Jack on what appeared to be a very similar play as the earlier interception. Buffalo would go for 2 to try and make it a 3-point game, but RB Jimmy Golden was unable to get in being held up by LB Marshall Langenbrunner. Indy took advantage of the momentum off of the stop and had another strong drive themselves to get another field goal to extend their lead to 8. Buffalo still had time to work with, but the Victors’ defence was not letting up. Stalling out back-to-back Blue Wings’ drives. The Victors’ offence would push the ball close to midfield before K Ross Poindexter would pin the Blue Wings at their own 12. QB Charles Lemieux would go to work with just under 3 minutes to go. Slowly the Blue Wings found ways to gain yards. Just past midfield, the Victors would get the Blue Wings to 3rd and 7. Lemieux would stare the pressure in the face and toss the ball 17 yards to WR Sebastian Dassler to pick up the first down. Buffalo continued to roll now and would get down to the 8 with 43 seconds left. On first, RB Jimmy Golden would be stopped on the screen pass for a gain of 2. Second down, Lemieux would see an open WR Julius Drake for a slant, but as the ball got into his hands, LB Mike Francis stepped up and hit him, knocking the ball away for an incomplete pass. On 3rd down, needing to score, Lemieux would take the snap before getting away from DL Fred Webster and would toss it towards WR Sebastian Dassler, but the WR couldn’t grab it and DB Kelly Kirkland would interfere enough to cause an incompletion and a turnover on downs. Indiana would run the clock out and seal the win and hand Buffalo their first playoff loss since 1961.
BUF - 7 QB Charles Lemieux
IND - 19 DB Cameron Taylor
Injury Report
DL Brandon Hall IND - 3 Weeks
DL Howard Grant IND - Day-to-Day
DL Keith Gavelstein LI - 3 Weeks
Players of the Week
Division Final Preview
East Division Final - Ottawa Royals VS. Halifax Mariners
Head-to-Head: W13 - HFX 23-26 OTT
The Mariners will have a chance to exercise the franchise’s demons when they take on the Royals in the East Division Final. The two teams have met twice in the postseason, and both games were won by the Royals. One of those games, of course, being the ‘56 McCallister Cup which the Royals won in overtime. In terms of this game, this will be a battle of two of the league’s best defences. There are expectations that this game could be a close, but low-scoring affair. However, the advantage could come on offence and the Mariners have more experience under centre with QB Lyle Painter, while QB Tyrion Gainsborough is entering his first career playoff game. The Mariners look to have a slight advantage and I think they will squeak out a win.
My Pick: Mariners
West Division Final - Toronto Steelheads VS. Indiana Victors
Head-to-Head: W12 - IND 20-31 TOR
One of these two teams will get their first shot at the McCallister Cup. Toronto this season was one of those teams that seemed to be able to win games, even when they were outmatched at times. Unfortunately, the key reason for that was RB Max Tracy who is out for the remainder of the season. Toronto will have a tough task to take down the Victors who shocked the Blue Wings this past week. Indiana is one of the hottest teams remaining having won 7 of their last 9 games. Indy’s defence did a fantastic job against the Blue Wings and if they can shut the Steelheads down, I think they can easily take this one and get to the cup.
My Pick: Victors
1968 Division Finals
East Division Final - Ottawa Royals VS. Halifax Mariners - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 28, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy - 13ºC | 56ºF
1st Q
The Royals’ return to the postseason started off pretty quiet as both their defence and Halifax’s were playing well to start. It would be Ottawa who was able to get into Mariners’ territory first, on a great play from WR Piers Key, who spun off a tackle to pick up 34 yards. K Ira Foster would trot onto the field to give Ottawa their first points of the game. Halifax’s offence followed suit not long after with a strong push into Royals’ territory to get their own field goal. The remainder of the opening quarter would be scoreless.
OTT 3-3 HFX
2nd Q
The defensive battle remained intact in the 2nd quarter. The Mariners would be the first team to start to make a push into the opposing territory. However, as they got closer to the endzone, QB Lyle Painter would take a risky shot down the field to WR Jav Kerrigan and it would come up intercepted in the arms of S Marc Bellecourt. Ottawa’s offence would take the field and look to get out of their own end, however, on their second play of offence DL Wayne Baxton would break around the O-line on a blitz and nail QB Tyrion Gainsborough with a brutal hit. The ball practically flew off of the flailing arm of Gainsborough and the Mariners’ blitz would swarm the ball and would come up with possession. The Mariners’ offence retook the field and would make quick work to score the first major of the day on a pass to WR Shane Steadman. The touchdown would be the lone score of the quarter.
OTT 3-10 HFX
3rd Q
The second half would see the Royals appear to make some adjustments. The offence was being quick and decisive with their plays. It would work well as the team continuously picked up enough yards to keep the drive alive. Unfortunately, their luck would run out when QB Tyrion Gainsborough threw a horrid pass into the ground on 2nd down. K Ira Foster would get his second field goal of the game to pull Ottawa back to within 4. The Mariners hoped to continue moving the ball themselves, but they would run into a sturdy Royals defence who would get a fumble of their own when RB Ronald O’Sullivan was hit by LB Sam Wheeler. The Royals would have good field position, but once again they were unable to get to the endzone and would settle for a field goal. The lead was cut down to 1, but the Mariners did not let that bother them. The offence would put together a strong drive to get their own field goal and regain the 4-point separation heading into the final quarter.
OTT 9-13 HFX
4th Q
Defence remained at the forefront of the game into the final quarter, but the Royals were making progress towards finally getting into the endzone. After RB Corbyn Knight broke off a strong run for 15 yards, the royals would go back to the air, but a Mariner would come down with the Tyrion Gainsborough pass. DB Aquilio Ruiz was in the right place at the right time as Gainsborough’s pass was off the mark. Ruiz’s pick would set the Mariners up at their own 38. They would not score on the ensuing drive, but after they forced the Royals to a 2 and out, they would get the ball back and march down to the 7-yard line. From there, the Mariners would elect to pass, but as QB Lyle Painter turned to throw out to the flat, DL Bernhard Hartmann got his arms out. Painter reacted enough to pull the ball back and shift to the side. Hartmann would get off balance and topple over along with OL Kane Warwick. Painter now had some space and would toss the ball to the check down of RB Ronald O’Sullivan. TE Dylan Chowder would make a great block and O’Sullivan would dive for the endzone and get the ball over the line. The Royals were in a tough spot now needing a pair of scores. They would respond with a strong drive headlined by a 32-yard play from WR Marshall Leonard, but they would not get close enough to the endzone, so K Ira Foster would get the first points in the comeback attempt. The Royals' defence would stall out the Mariners and get the ball back. Once again the Royals' offence made some strong plays early to get over midfield, but the Mariners would stand them up right there to force a 3rd down. Gainsborough would be trusted to make the throw to keep the drive alive. The Mariners would bring some pressure but focused on pass coverage. Gainsborough had to roll out, but he would eventually find WR Marshall Leonard for a huge first down at the sideline. The Royals lined up for the next play with the crowd praising the excellent play. On first down, Gainsborough would drop back to pass again. He looked for a quick pass and saw Marshall Leonard making his quick slant route. Pressure from DL Wayne Baxton would force Gainsborough to make a rushed pass and it would be slightly behind Leonard. DB Joe Robinson would be right there to make the interception. Robinson would take it back into Royals territory but would be stopped by WR Colby Bancana. From there, the Mariners were able to run down the clock and book their first ticket to the McCallister cup since 1956.
OTT - 21 WR Marshall Leonard
East Division Final - Ottawa Royals VS. Halifax Mariners - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 28, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy - 13ºC | 56ºF
1st Q
The Royals’ return to the postseason started off pretty quiet as both their defence and Halifax’s were playing well to start. It would be Ottawa who was able to get into Mariners’ territory first, on a great play from WR Piers Key, who spun off a tackle to pick up 34 yards. K Ira Foster would trot onto the field to give Ottawa their first points of the game. Halifax’s offence followed suit not long after with a strong push into Royals’ territory to get their own field goal. The remainder of the opening quarter would be scoreless.
OTT 3-3 HFX
2nd Q
The defensive battle remained intact in the 2nd quarter. The Mariners would be the first team to start to make a push into the opposing territory. However, as they got closer to the endzone, QB Lyle Painter would take a risky shot down the field to WR Jav Kerrigan and it would come up intercepted in the arms of S Marc Bellecourt. Ottawa’s offence would take the field and look to get out of their own end, however, on their second play of offence DL Wayne Baxton would break around the O-line on a blitz and nail QB Tyrion Gainsborough with a brutal hit. The ball practically flew off of the flailing arm of Gainsborough and the Mariners’ blitz would swarm the ball and would come up with possession. The Mariners’ offence retook the field and would make quick work to score the first major of the day on a pass to WR Shane Steadman. The touchdown would be the lone score of the quarter.
OTT 3-10 HFX
3rd Q
The second half would see the Royals appear to make some adjustments. The offence was being quick and decisive with their plays. It would work well as the team continuously picked up enough yards to keep the drive alive. Unfortunately, their luck would run out when QB Tyrion Gainsborough threw a horrid pass into the ground on 2nd down. K Ira Foster would get his second field goal of the game to pull Ottawa back to within 4. The Mariners hoped to continue moving the ball themselves, but they would run into a sturdy Royals defence who would get a fumble of their own when RB Ronald O’Sullivan was hit by LB Sam Wheeler. The Royals would have good field position, but once again they were unable to get to the endzone and would settle for a field goal. The lead was cut down to 1, but the Mariners did not let that bother them. The offence would put together a strong drive to get their own field goal and regain the 4-point separation heading into the final quarter.
OTT 9-13 HFX
4th Q
Defence remained at the forefront of the game into the final quarter, but the Royals were making progress towards finally getting into the endzone. After RB Corbyn Knight broke off a strong run for 15 yards, the royals would go back to the air, but a Mariner would come down with the Tyrion Gainsborough pass. DB Aquilio Ruiz was in the right place at the right time as Gainsborough’s pass was off the mark. Ruiz’s pick would set the Mariners up at their own 38. They would not score on the ensuing drive, but after they forced the Royals to a 2 and out, they would get the ball back and march down to the 7-yard line. From there, the Mariners would elect to pass, but as QB Lyle Painter turned to throw out to the flat, DL Bernhard Hartmann got his arms out. Painter reacted enough to pull the ball back and shift to the side. Hartmann would get off balance and topple over along with OL Kane Warwick. Painter now had some space and would toss the ball to the check down of RB Ronald O’Sullivan. TE Dylan Chowder would make a great block and O’Sullivan would dive for the endzone and get the ball over the line. The Royals were in a tough spot now needing a pair of scores. They would respond with a strong drive headlined by a 32-yard play from WR Marshall Leonard, but they would not get close enough to the endzone, so K Ira Foster would get the first points in the comeback attempt. The Royals' defence would stall out the Mariners and get the ball back. Once again the Royals' offence made some strong plays early to get over midfield, but the Mariners would stand them up right there to force a 3rd down. Gainsborough would be trusted to make the throw to keep the drive alive. The Mariners would bring some pressure but focused on pass coverage. Gainsborough had to roll out, but he would eventually find WR Marshall Leonard for a huge first down at the sideline. The Royals lined up for the next play with the crowd praising the excellent play. On first down, Gainsborough would drop back to pass again. He looked for a quick pass and saw Marshall Leonard making his quick slant route. Pressure from DL Wayne Baxton would force Gainsborough to make a rushed pass and it would be slightly behind Leonard. DB Joe Robinson would be right there to make the interception. Robinson would take it back into Royals territory but would be stopped by WR Colby Bancana. From there, the Mariners were able to run down the clock and book their first ticket to the McCallister cup since 1956.
s
OTT - 21 WR Marshall Leonard
HFX - 62 DB Joe Robinson
West Division Final - Toronto Steelheads VS. Indiana Victors - Anderson Stadium - September 29, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - 10ºC | 51ºF
1st Q
The Steelheads and Victors entered the West Division Final with a ticket to their first McCallister Cup respectively on the line. The Victors were coming into the game on the high of ending the Blue Wings’ run at a 3rd cup and they kept up their strong play by shutting down the Steelheads' offence in the opening quarter. On offence, they were having the same level of success. RB Raymond Green would score the first points of a game on a 12-yard run to put Indy up 0-7 early. The Steelheads would continue to struggle without their star, RB Max Tracy, who was hurt in the final game of the season. RB Lukas Ivarsson had a few good runs, but the absence of their star showed. Indiana’s offence on the other hand continued to look strong as QB Tom Applewhite would lead the team to another score, finding WR Silas Peyton in the endzone for the 0-14 lead.
TOR 0-14 IND
2nd Q
Toronto had to make the adjustment to the air more in the second, which would come back to bite them when DB Cameron Taylor got in front of a QB Todd Baker pass to take the ball for the Victors. Shortly after, the Victors would make it 0-21 when WR Ed Edwards would get separation in the endzone from DB Luke Warren. Toronto managed to gather themselves following the long Victors' drive and started to make genuine progress towards some points. However, the Victors were certainly not letting them get much, making it a very tedious drive. The Steelheads keep going though, even gambling and getting a first down on 3rd and 8 just past midfield. The long drive would eventually run out of time and the Steelheads would just take the field goal just before the break.
TOR 3-21 IND
3rd Q
The 3rd quarter would be intense, yet uneventful. The Steelheads' offence was still being slowed to a halt by the Victors’ defence, which certainly soured fans, but they were starting to get into it with their defence which was finally managing to put an end to the Victors’ success. They would get a huge break when LB Judge Barrett hammered RB Raymond Green to force a fumble. Unfortunately, Todd Baker was sacked on first down to take them out of Indiana territory and were unable to get anything on second down. Thus, they had to punt the ball away, leaving the 3rd quarter a scoreless one.
TOR 3-21 IND
4th Q
The defence was clicking for the Steelheads, but they were going to need their offence to help them get out of the hole they were in. Luckily, the offence would click, finally breaking through the Victors’ defences early in the quarter. QB Todd Baker would lead a great drive down the field before taking a shot at the endzone for WR Al Allmendinger, who would come down with the catch and pull the Victors to within 11. The score got the crowd at Anderson Stadium back into the game, as they began to believe they had a chance. However, QB Tom Applewhite planned to shut them up. He would start to move the ball which made the excitement in the stands turn to nerves. Then, he would shatter their hearts by taking a shot over the top to WR Ed Edwards who cleanly got past his defender and was in the clear. Edwards would make the catch and would have enough gas to get to the endzone before S Charles Clerk could catch him. The stadium fell silent again. The Steelheads’ offence tried to get back the score, but it was no use, Indiana was playing aggressive and confident and was not making many mistakes. The game would come to a close with Toronto losing their 4th consecutive playoff game, while the Indiana Victors finally have booked a ticket to the McCallister Cup.
IND - 89 WR Ed Edwards
Injury Report
LB Mike Francis IND - 1 Week
Players of the Week
50th McCallister Cup Preview
Halifax Mariners VS. Indiana Victors - Richardson Stadium - Boston, MA
Head-to-Head: W10 IND 20-16 HFX
The 50th McCallister Cup will be the 3rd matchup to feature two non-division-winning teams (the previous two being 1962 and 1960). QB Lyle Painter, starting for the Mariners, will join QB Riley Kiernan as the only QBs to start a McCallister Cup with 2 different teams. The Victors are the last of the first 10 teams in the NAAF to make the McCallister Cup. As for the actual matchup, this game could be a very good one. The Mariners have gotten here with their defensive play only allowing 25 total points in 2 games. While their offence remains potent enough scoring 41 points. As for Indiana, they have been really strong offensively with 7 touchdowns in their 2 games. Their defence has also played well keeping Toronto to just 10 points in the West Final. The Mariners have fared well with their defence, however, they are going up against the best offence they have faced in this postseason so it will be a true test. As for Indiana, this game can’t be too much different than the game against the Blue Wings, as Halifax is about as talented as them. I am expecting a close battle that can go either way, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Victors will finally live up to their name.
My Pick: Victors
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