1st Q
The first playoff game in Western Canada would start with a less-than-stellar first drive from the Blacksmiths. However, the home squad would give the fans something to cheer about, getting into the endzone on their first drive. RB Jeremiah Morrow was the one to break it into the endzone to give the Wolves the early lead. Pittsburgh didn’t get too shaken as they bounced right back with a score of their own shortly after. QB Louis Vaughn would hit TE Jesse Butler for the score to tie the game. Both offences were certainly showing that this game could be higher scoring.
PIT 7-7 VAN
2nd Q
Vancouver kept the offence coming with QB Kevin Westwood picking apart the weaker Blacksmith’s secondary. Both WR Keshawn Johnston and WR Akria Sakamoto caught a couple of passes each and got Vancouver down to the 19 before Johnston would slip by DB Aiden Sargent to get into the endzone and give Vancouver the 7-14 lead. Once again down by 7, the Blacksmith’s offence went to work. They managed to get deep into Vancouver territory and QB Louis Vaughn would take a shot for the endzone, however, his pass would almost cost the team being slightly overthrown. S Takuya Sasaki came over to pick the ball off, however, WR Justin Dubuque would keep running through Sasaki and break up the interception allowing the Blacksmiths to escape with a field goal. While the Blacksmiths did get away with a close call on the field goal drive, they were not so lucky on their next. RB Raymond Green broke out of the backfield only to get sideswiped by LB John Ritter. The jarring hit would send the ball flying over to DB Vern Nowitski giving the Wolves the ball. Vancouver would get a field goal out of the drive to retain their 7-point lead.
PIT 10-17 VAN
3rd Q
The offence slowed down to start the 3rd quarter. Each team had a couple of failed drives, however, it was a single from Pittsburgh that broke the silence midway through the quarter. The single point seemed to be enough to get the ball rolling as Vancouver would answer back with a field goal to take an 11-20 lead. The Blacksmiths were starting to slip behind in this game so Louis Vaughn would turn it up. The star QB would take a shot down the field to WR Orlando Barrack which would connect for a pick-up of 47. That turned into a touchdown a few plays later with Vaughn finding WR Taylor Austin in the back corner of the endzone to cut the lead down to just 2 right as the quarter came to a close.
PIT 18-20 VAN
4th Q
The momentum created by Pittsburgh’s offence carried over to their defence. DL Arthur Bradshaw would get the ball from QB Kevin Westwood after hitting him during his wind-up. Pittsburgh took over after that and the offence continued as they were. They got right back down to the 23 before Vaughn would hit WR Orlando Barrack breaking across the back of the endzone to make it 25-20. The game had completely flipped as the fans in Vancouver got quiet. However, the team was unfazed as QB Kevin Westwood immediately got the ball moving, finding WR Akira Sakamoto to the outside which broke off for an 18-yard play. With each play, the Wolves got closer to the endzone. Once Vancouver got down to the 14-yard line, Pittsburgh sent in extra pressure to try and disrupt the drive. Several players broke through the line, but Westwood stood his ground and waited just a split second for WR Keshawn Johnston to get out of his break. Westwood would take a big hit but the ball would get to Johnston who then rolled into the endzone to give Vancouver the lead. They would miss a 2-point conversion keeping the score at 25-26. Following Vancouver’s touchdown the two sides settled into a punt battle for several minutes. However, the urgency was rising for the Blacksmiths, so they finally elected to go for it on 3rd down with 3 minutes remaining. They were successful on their first attempt after RB Ronald O’Sullivan caught the ball out of the backfield. However, on their next 3rd down play, QB Louis Vaughn was pressured like crazy and had to just try to make a throw as he was being dragged to the ground. The ball hit the dirt 3 yards in front of the intended receiving giving Vancouver the ball. The Wolves would aim to run the clock, but they would end up scoring after RB Jeremiah Morrow slipped through a tackle. There is a possibility that Pittsburgh let Morrow score so they could get the ball back, but it’s all speculation. Vancouver still only went for 1 point despite the fact that a 2-point conversion would make it a 9-point game. Ultimately, it would not matter as Pittsburgh would turn the ball over again on a 3rd down play, sealing the result. Vancouver was off to the McCallister Cup in their first NAAF season.
(7) Indiana Victors @ (2) Long Island Raiders - Long Island Stadium - September 27, 1970 - 7:00 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy 13ºC | 56ºF - Attendance: 40,351
Indiana hoped to start the game with a bang to quiet the Raiders’ fans. QB Tom Applewhite would let the ball fly toward WR Jake Abbredezzi on his first pass of the game. Unfortunately, the Raiders were well prepared and S Sully Callahan came bursting from his place and hammered Abbredezzi as the ball got there. The Victors complained about the hit being early but the home crowd drowned it out as they were fired up over the monster hit. The Raiders would get the ball and they would pound the rock. RB Scott Norton and RB Dareion Fields alternated snaps and slowly got the Raiders into field goal range to open the scoring 0-3. The Victors would recover from their quick 2 and out and get down the field for their own field goal not long after. The teams would remain deadlocked heading into the 2nd.
IND 3-3 LI
2nd Q
The deadlock continued into the 2nd. It wasn’t until midway through the quarter when DB Neville Falkner made his mark and picked off QB Ivan Sanchez to give Indiana a shorter field. The offence took the opportunity and drove the rest of the way to get down to the 8-yard line. From there, QB Tom Applewhite would hit WR Jake Abbredezzi on a quick slant to give them the 10-3 lead. The Raiders looked a bit shaken after the turnover and went 2 and out on their next drive. Luckily, their defence stepped up and nearly took the ball back the other way after DL Dallas Breaker got to QB Tom Applewhite, knocking the ball loose. OL Viktor Stahl fell on the loose ball to keep it in Indiana’s possession although at the cost of his health, having to leave the game with a minor injury. The Raiders still got the ball back and were able to get into field goal range before the end of the half to cut the lead down to 4.
IND 10-6 LI
3rd Q
The Raiders aimed to build on the momentum they picked up in the 2nd quarter. However, after a 2 and out from Long Island, the Victors were driving the field again. Indiana would get down to the 31 before making a costly mistake. QB Tom Applewhite would face some pressure and rushed a throw intended for WR Ed Edwards. The ball was behind Edwards and DB Ross Conroy read it well swiping the ball for the Raiders. Long Island capitalized on that momentum eventually turning the field position battle in their favour. After some solid throws from QB Ivan Sanchez, the Raiders would be in striking distance and Sanchez would hit WR Otto Washington for a touchdown to give the Raiders the lead, 10-13. The Victors did what they could to bounce back from the momentum swing, but they were unsuccessful and the Raiders kept it up on their end, scoring another field goal to take a 6-point lead into the 4th.
IND 10-16 LI
4th Q
It was more of the same to start the final quarter between the two teams. The Raiders' defence kept up the pressure and made it a very frustrating day for the Victors, while the offence was doing a good job of killing time. They would add a field goal to their lead with 5 minutes to go, making it a 2-score game, 10-19. It was starting to become crunch time for the Victors. On the bench, HC Urick Wilkins started to pump up the defence in hopes of them coming up with a big play. The message would get across as the defence would be the ones to make a big play with LB Marshall Langenbrunner hammering RB Scott Norton, forcing the ball loose. Unlike the Raiders earlier in the game, the Victors would come up with the fumble. The offence fed off of the energy and did not waste the opportunity. QB Tom Applewhite would step up and lead a determined drive down the field. Eventually, Applewhite would hit TE Eric Peterson for a touchdown which would cut the lead down to just 2, 17-19. The Victors put faith into their defence to stop the Raiders with time winding down. The faith was well warranted as the defence forced the Raiders to punt after just 4 plays. The Victors got the ball and started to move down the field once again with a quick play to WR Ed Edwards. As they got to their own 44, they would be forced to a 3rd and 6. With limited time, the Victors had to go for it. QB Tom Applewhite would drop back to pass on the play. The Raiders would send some late pressure from S Sully Callahan, forcing Applewhite to scramble. Applewhite was able to get away, but he was not finding an open man. So as he rolled out to the left he started to head up field. LB William Washington II came barreling down. Applewhite braced and dove for the first. Washington made contact right at the marker and the two hit the ground as Washington slammed into Applewhite’s nameplate. The crowd went silent as the refs measured the spot. Then, Long Island erupted as the referee signalled a turnover on downs, giving the Raiders the ball back. Long Island would have a short drive following the stop, ending with another field goal to make it 17-22. The Victors had another chance but with less than a minute left and needing a touchdown. The odds were not in their favour as the Raiders’ defence stood tall and forced another turnover on downs to seal the win and send Long Island to their 6th McCallister Cup in the NAAF era.
Injury Report
IND: OL Viktor Stahl - Day-to-Day
IND: DB Carl Odebell - Day-to-Day
LI: DB Lauri Hayha - Day-to-Day
PIT: OL Ben Salem - 9 Weeks
PIT: DB Zed McLaughlin - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
52nd McCallister Cup Preview
(4) VAN VS. (2) LI - Mount Royal Stadium - Montreal, QC - OCT 4, 1970 - 7:00 PM ET
1970 Head-to-Head: Did Not Play
Historic Head-to-Head: VAN 0-0 LI
Historic Playoff Head-to-Head: VAN 0-0 LI
The battle between the Raiders and Wolves will be the first time two teams have ever played each for the first time in the McCallister Cup. The Wolves will be looking to add to their collection this season of the Mackenzie Cup, hoping to prove that they can dance with the best of the best in North America to any who still don’t think they can. The Raiders are arriving in Montreal in hopes of taking home their 3rd McCallister Cup and being able to complete the turnaround from 4-8 last season to potential champions. The two teams are fairly evenly matched. The Raiders may have an advantage defensively with the Wolves having some key injuries to DL Rashawn Sutherland and DB Christian Allen, however, Allen could return next week. The Raiders are a bit banged up on the O-line, but it has not slowed down their offence too much. Both teams have played well in the playoffs and will likely make this game a very close battle that could go either way. In the end, I do think that the QB is going to be the difference maker and the Wolves have the better and more experienced player in Kevin Westwood.
My Pick: Wolves
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