NAAF News Expansion Cities Being Determined - 1956

 NAAF News

Expansion Cities Being Determined
Last offseason, Ryan Jameson announced that the NAAF would be expanding to 10 teams for the 1957 season. Over the past season, the committee has been visiting different cities and hearing from many different proposals for a new team in the league. While there were up to 10 candidates that seemed to have a decent plan 8 have made it to the next stage of the process.  

Hartford, CT/Springfield, MA - Jack Forsberg and Mark Vincent, were two of the owners looking to buy the Hawks when the team was looking for a new owner, but the two never seemed to have a solid plan or even the funds to buy the team, but a couple of years later they have a better offer. They are still working with Hartford to possibly bring the NAAF back to the city after the Hawks left, but also have an option in development for heading to Springfield. They have an interest in bouncing between the two cities much like the Tigers were doing before the move to Kitchener. The possibility could create a dynamic and interesting fanbase that would spread across two different cities. Hartford is still very hesitant about building a new stadium much like they were when the Hawks were looking to do so. The good news is Springfield is all for it, so the team could end up in Springfield full time in a brand new stadium. Travel would not be a big issue being right in the New England Division and could be an interesting situation that the league is liking a lot.  

Portland, ME - Portland is a much smaller city in the mix, but the proposal was pretty strong from the ownership group led by Phillip Dockson. Dockson has a possible building to be built near downtown which would seat only 21,000 with expansion possible in the future, but they are pointing out the lack of teams in the area. The lack of football will likely create a bigger reach for the team to fans outside of the city. The NAAF has not shown true commitment, but they continue to go back to Portland to talk which might be a sign that the city is in the mix.  

Quebec City, QC - Quebec City has been a pretty big contributor to the NAAF behind the scenes. The amateur team in the city has been home to lots of NAAF talent. RB Laurent Brazeau played in QC before joining the Tigers. The owner is Pierre Lambeau, who has been running the show in QC for many years. He used to be a part of the Quebec league with the Rouge and has worked closely with their owner Jean Beaulieu. Quebec City has a population of 279,251 which is similar to Ottawa in size. Their current stadium, Stade Mathieu Tremblay, is a bit small with only 19,000 seats, but the city is open to building a bigger home for the start of the 1958 season with a proposed 35,000 seats. Of course, Quebec would work well in the North division with Montreal and Ottawa not far down the road and marks a strong bid. 

Rochester, NY - Falling in a similar situation to Long Island ahead of them, Rochester was thrown to the curb by the NYFL as they merged with the ACFL. The former owner Greg Manheim has been the leader in the bid to bring football back to Rochester. Rochester currently has a population of 332,488 and 487,000 in the metro, which is pretty average for the NAAF cities, and an old stadium in George H. Johnson Field, which holds 31,000 at the moment, but they will likely look to renovate and expand the stadium. Rochester would fit in well as an immediate rival to Buffalo and likely Ontario being around the 2 teams. Rochester is one of the strongest bids to get a team so far. 

Syracuse, NY - Syracuse also made a bid next to Rochester. The city has the same problem with the NYFL, being a smaller market, it also struggled to survive especially after the Blue Wings left the league. The possible owner, Bill Gordon, would love to take part in the NAAF and would make for a great situation if they and Rochester got teams. The big concern with Syracuse which has a population of 220,583, is the stadium which only holds 20,560. Syracuse Ballpark doesn’t make the best football stadium but has been working for the time being, but they are looking into a new location for a new building.  

Several other cities made proposals in the Northeast, but they would pull out for various reasons. Manchester, NH had a small proposal but they were not looking at expanding the quite small 16,000 season stadium. Halifax, NS was thought to have a good proposal, but the city was not exactly backing up the owner which led to them pulling out of the race. Albany, NY and Scranton, PA also took shots but had a lack of leadership to them.  

Later in the process, the league did look to widen the reach by heading to some cities outside of their region. The move might be a risk, as the ACFL and GLFL control most of the areas outside of the Northeast NAAF region. However, there are a few cities that show some promise in growth that could become decent cities.  

Indianapolis, IN - Indianapolis has been steadily growing in recent years but has always been looked at as a bit too small to the Great Lakes Football League. The population is currently 427,173, which is bigger than a few of the NAAF markets but compared to Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit, it’s a bit small.  Possible Owner Sammy Kirkdale has however proven that the city is very capable of supporting sports with the Indy 500. The city would be looking to build a new stadium which is expected to be in the 30,000-40,000 range. The city is close to accepting the deal but there may be a couple of roadblocks yet. The big concern with Indy other westward cities is the travel distance as well as the region having the Great Lakes Football League around. 

Grand Rapids, MI - Grand Rapids was another interesting spot. The possible owner, David Harrison, has been on the down-low about the plan. Almost like he has his doubts about the league. He still wants to bring football back to the city which lost its team during WW2, but would rather it be in the GLFL as some are speculating. But much like Indy, the GLFL isn’t on their side. Grand Rapids Grounds is still standing with 22,000 seats but would need lots of upgrades to be usable long term. So a new stadium would be ideal and it doesn’t seem like Harrison is wanting to commit that to the NAAF.  

Cincinnati, OH - The last entry and the latest, Cincinnati also marks the biggest with a population of 503,998 and metro of 1.2 million. However, this makes it the biggest risk of the bunch. The GLFL’s presence is quite on and off in the city with several teams that haven’t been able to stay afloat in the city. Whether bad-ownership or the GLFL’s financial troubles, the city hasn’t been able to have a consistent team. The possible owner is Vince Forsyth, who is a friend of Sammy Kirkdale’s and was a part of the current Cincinnati team that is still going through financial pains from a terrible season. The biggest roadblock could be securing stadium rights for the team with a contending team already playing at Benjamin Coalfield Stadium. The stadium is an older field that holds 43,470. Not only could that be a challenge but also the GLFL could double down on trying to win the city if the NAAF tries to put a team there. 

The group of cities out west do provide some intriguing opportunities for the NAAF, but there is a lot of uncertainty about them for sure. Especially when considering travel. Though adding two of them would be able to help in that regard. The concerns about Grand Rapids seem to outweigh the benefit of heading to Michigan, as well as the risk of trying to target a bigger market like Cincinnati. 

The league is looking to cut down the list around draft time before making the final decision prior to the start of the 1956 season so the cities have the time to prepare stadiums, brands, and coaching.  

As for the expansion draft process, which the league wants to improve on from the year Worcester joined. The likely changes will see more players being left available for the new teams to pick, but also allow those teams to maintain more of those players. Throughout the process, Ryan Jameson has been concerned about the players’ opinions on this. He understands some frustrations athletes face during their careers being a former professional athlete himself and wants to make sure everything is fair between the league, the owners, and the players. In order to accomplish this, he has been working with former Independents QB, Larry Larson. Larson has started to represent players in the league talks and has been involved in the expansion process. Jameson and Larson have been looking at developing a player committee with a group of current players to also be involved in the expansion process and other situations moving forward.  

1956 Awards

1956 Awards

Most Valuable Player - LB Scotty Williams WOR
The Vote was close once again to decide the league’s MVP. For the first time, a defensive player will take home the award as Scotty Williams won out the vote. Williams put on his usual show in Worcester’s defence, yes, MVP calibre seasons are normal for Williams. He is such a dominant force on the league’s top team and defence. Leading the league in tackles and forced fumbles, Williams was the last guy you’d want to run into in the open field. Another fantastic season from Williams earns him this honour. 

Playoff MVP - QB Jean Matieau OTT
Matieau came alive in the playoffs once again. He put up 6 touchdowns and 392 Passing Yards in the playoffs leading the Royals to their 3rd straight title. Any demons he had back during his early years have been erased as the pressure no longer fazes him. 

Offensive Player of the Year - QB Riley Kiernan WOR
Kiernan came off of a down year in the 1955 season, and he shot to the top with a great season this year. Leading the Athletics to a 9-1 finish and topping Jean Matieau in passing touchdowns were just some of the highlights from an excellent season from Worcester’s starting QB. 

Defensive Player of the Year - LB Aengus Lynch ON
Aengus Lynch managed to put together a top-notch season despite missing 2 games. He finished 2nd in tackles and forced fumbles this season only behind MVP Scotty Williams. Lynch was a major part of the Tigers' success in the second half of the season. A well-deserved award for Lynch.

Special Teams Player of the Year - K Thomas McFadden - LI
Once again, Thomas McFadden takes home the special teams player of the year award. McFadden has made his mark on the franchise and the league. He is the last remaining Hartford Hawk from the team’s first season and he has continued to dominate in the kicking game over that time. 

Rookie of the Year  - RB Clifford Russell ON
The 1956 draft class was a much weaker class than normal, but it still provided a pair of top tier running backs. It was the 3rd overall pick that had a greater opportunity and ran with it. Russell took over the Tigers’ starting job midway through the season and was a big part of getting them into the playoffs. Russell should be an excellent player in Ontario for the foreseeable future. 

Coach of the Year - Emil Riddle WOR
Riddle takes home his second Coach of the Year award after leading the Athletics to a team-best 9-1 record. Another fantastic season for Riddle in Worcester with plenty more sure to come. 

Breakout Player of the Year - RB Marcus Devonshire WOR
Devonshire officially took over the starting role in Worcester 2 years ago. He dealt with injuries over the last season, but he broke through with a fantastic year this season. He put up 15 touchdowns (2nd in the league) and the 3rd most Rushing Yards. He is a great player and will likely be a key part of the Athletics success moving forward. 

1957 NAAF All-Stars
Offence:
QB Riley Kiernan WOR (1)
RB Arthur Conner BUF (3)
OL Bruce Wesley LI (1)
OL Cliff Strautzenberger WOR (2)
OL Aaron Spears OTT (1)
OL Casey York BUF (7)
OL Andrew Furrson BOS (8)
WR Christian Venegas WOR (2)
WR Chester Bennett OTT (1)
WR Peter Brooks PRO (6)
TE Jervonte Howell OTT (3)

Defence:
DL Sean Bowen BUF (7)
DL Dee Floyd ON (1)
DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT (3)
DL Calias McDonough PRO (1)
LB Scotty Williams WOR (5)
LB Aengus Lynch ON (3)
LB Elijah Goldwater LI (1)
DB Lee Wolfe PRO (8)
DB Alexander Bradley WOR (3)
DB Quentin Xavier MTL (1)
S Shawn Jensen WOR (3)

Special Teams:
K Thomas McFadden LI (5)

39th McCallister Cup Host - Richardson Stadium - Boston, MA
Historic Richardson Stadium will be the host of the 39th McCallister Cup bringing the game back to Boston for the first time since 1949. It will be the 3rd straight host from the New England area, however, it has been 6 years since a New England Division team has won.  

1956 NAAF Award Nominations

1956 NAAF Award Nominations 

MVP
LB Aengus Lynch ON
Aengus Lynch will often be overshadowed by Scotty Williams, but you cannot deny the value Lynch has on the field for the Tigers. He missed a pair of games early in the season which were a part of the Tigers’ 0-4 start. However, once Lynch returned the Tigers started to pull things together. He would go on to come second in both Tackles and forced fumbles (6) this season despite missing 2 and a half games. Only Williams had bigger stats. To make his impact more evident, when Lynch was in the lineup for the full game the Tigers were 5-2 this season. 
QB Jean Matieau OTT
The 2-time MVP is back in the running again. While Matieau’s stat line was not as dominant in the past with teams starting to invest more into pass defense, he was able to lead an injury-riddled Royals squad to an 8-2 season. His top WR Allen Atkins missed most of the season and several OL and defensive players missed considerable time. That didn’t stop Matieau from performing at his best and giving the Royals another great season. 
LB Scotty Williams WOR
Coming through with a league-best 9-1 record, the Athletics were something else this season. At the centre of that success is LB Scotty Williams, who has been nothing but dominant since going 1st overall in 1952. He led the league in tackles once again and had 7 forced fumbles which was the most in the league. His leadership and dominant play on defense earn him the nomination for MVP once again. 

Offensive Player of the Year
RB Arthur Conner BUF - 18 Rushing Touchdowns (1st), 1st in Rushing Yards
Conner was dominant once again on the ground despite the Blue Wings’ struggles this season.
QB Jean Matieau OTT - 15 Passing Touchdowns (2nd), 2nd in Passing Yards, Least Interceptions among starters
For the first time in his career, Matieau didn’t lead the league in both passing categories falling behind Riley Kiernan for TDs and Connor O’Rourke for passing yards. But his offensive presence is unmatched. 
RB Marcus Devonshire WOR - 15 Rushing Touchdowns (2nd), 3rd in Rushing Yards
Devonshire was a scoring machine for the Athletics this season and helped them achieve the top spot in the league. It was a true breakout season for the former second-round pick.
QB Riley Kiernan WOR - 16 Passing Touchdowns (1st), 3rd in Passing Yards
Kiernan got back to a strong season this year. Devonshire was a big help in taking off some of the pressure and that allowed Kiernan to be the first player not named Matieau to lead in touchdown passes since 1951.  

Defensive Player of the Year
DB Quentin Xavier MTL - 6 Interceptions (T-2nd), 2 Defensive Touchdowns (T-1st)
Xavier was able to be one of the best DBs in the league while being on a rough Rouge team. It’s only his second season and he is making a major impact.
LB Aengus Lynch ON - 2nd in Tackles, 6 Forced Fumbles (2nd)
Lynch had a very strong statistical year despite a pair of games missed early on.
DB Lee Wolfe PRO - 7 Interceptions (1st), 1 Defensive Touchdown (T-3rd), 2nd in Knockdowns
Wolfe has not let up over his ageing years and remains the top DB in the league still
LB Scotty Williams WOR - 1st in Tackles, 7 Forced Fumbles (1st)
Williams continues to hold the league lead in tackles and has continued to be a RB’s worst enemy when they need to hold on to the ball. 

Special Teams Player of the Year
K Donald Brewer BUF - 19 Field Goals (T-2nd), 21 Extra Points, 78 Points (T-1st)
Brewer won the STPOTY award two years ago and was a saviour for the Blue Wings in many cases keeping the team in several games this season.
K Thomas McFadden LI - 20 Field Goals (1st), 18 Extra Points, 78 Points (T-1st)
McFadden, now a 4-time winner, has continued to be the league’s best kicker despite missing the playoffs with the Raiders again.
K Nathaniel King ON - 19 Field Goals (T-2nd), 18 Extra Points, 75 Points (2nd)
King was a big help for the Tigers down the stretch in getting the team into the playoffs by the season’s end. 

Rookie of the Year
LB Konrad Aust BOS - 1 Forced Fumble, Leader in tackles among rookies
Aust certainly wasn’t a flashy player this season, but he showed lots of promise on the Boston defense and will make for an interesting player in the future for the team.
RB Scott Mallard-White MTL - 4 Rushing Touchdowns (2nd among rookies), 1 Kick Return Touchdown, 2nd in Rookie Rushing Yards
Mallard-White had a strong first season next to RB Marchal and looks to be a threat to be much like Marchal throughout his career.
RB Clifford Russell ON - 6 Rushing Touchdowns (1st among rookies), 1st in Rookie Rushing Yards
Russell was thrust into the starting role right out of the gate with RB Laurent Brazeau being injured, but he would be quite successful and even more so when he took over after Brazeau was traded. 

Coach of the Year
Lewis Gallegos ON - Record: 5-5
Gallegos’ job was in question at the start of the season, but he was able to get the team back on their feet and probably save his job with the team’s first playoff appearance.
Joseph Curry OTT - Record: 8-2
Curry has continued to be one of the top head coaches. With the Royals' injury issues this season, he was able to show his ability to adjust and think outside the box to get the Royals back to the top of the North.
Emil Riddle WOR Record: 9-1
The 1954 Coach of the Year was able to take the next step with the Athletics this season. He got the team to the best record in the league in a very dominant way earning the Athletics' first New England Division title. 

Breakout Player of the Year
RB Timothy Weeks LI - 8 Rushing Touchdowns (6th), 7th in Rushing Yards
Weeks made his first mark in the league in the 1955 playoffs replacing the injured Marcus Devonshire in Worcester. This season he was the starter for the Raiders and had quite a solid season. While his stats were behind the top of the RB table he shows that he has the potential to be a long term RB solution. 
QB Christian Stewart ON - 7 Passing Touchdowns (4th), 4th in Passing Yards
Stewart’s first season as the starter in Ontario was an up and down year, but he was able to be the 4th best QB in the league. He also showed great resilience in helping the Tigers come back from an 0-4 start.
RB Marcus Devonshire WOR - 15 Rushing Touchdowns (2nd), 3rd in Rushing Yards
Devonshire had a strong season last year, but this season saw him become a star for the Athletics. He was able to find the endzone 15 times and was a major part of the 9-1 season for Worcester. 

39th McCallister Cup Host
Richardson Stadium - Boston, MA - Capacity: 45,265 -  Last Host: 1949
Once again the legendary stadium makes another bid to host the big game. The same argument applies from the last three seasons, the storied stadium has hosted many games and to see a neutral site game here could be special for the teams involved. 
Buffalo Civic Stadium - Buffalo, NY - Capacity: 38,530 - Last Host: 1952
The fanbase in Buffalo remains top of the league and the city would love to see the championship game return. A new plan for safer capacity expansion is in the works for a game in Buffalo.  
Mount Royal Stadium - Montreal, QC - Capacity: 46,500 - Last Host: 1951
Montreal hosted both the ‘50 and ‘51 games due to being in them, but they would love to host one as a neutral site. Mount Royals is one of the bigger stadiums and it would make for as good an atmosphere as Buffalo. 

***VOTE HERE***

38th McCallister Cup

Worcester Athletics VS. Ottawa Royals - Worcester Stadium - September 30, 1956 - 6 PM ET - CBC/CBS 

1st Q
For the 5th straight season, the host team was in the McCallister Cup game. The Worcester Athletics were looking to become just the 3rd of those teams to win the game, but they had to get over the champions themselves, the Ottawa Royals. QB Riley Kiernan would get the offense rolling early, connecting on a few passes before letting RB Marcus Devonshire take in the touchdown to make it 7-0 early on. Ottawa would not let the Athletics get too far ahead and would put up their own touchdown with QB Jean Matieau finding WR Chester Bennett in the endzone. Worcester would rebound with a field goal just before the opening quarter came to a close.

2nd Q
The second quarter was where the defenses tightened up. Neither offense was gaining much ground with five 2 and outs between the teams. Eventually, Ottawa’s defense would make a big play with DB Mingan Oliver picking off Kiernan on a pass to WR Clyde McIntosh. The Royals would turn the interception into a touchdown with RB Alexei Volkov to make it 10-14 at halftime. 

3rd Q
Ottawa would continue to use the momentum they gained in the second to get back to the endzone early in the 3rd. Jean Matieau would connect with WR Allen Atkins for the big touchdown giving the Royals an 11-point lead. Worcester was showing some of the rust from not playing big games down the stretch. Their offense was struggling to move the ball and the defense was being picked apart by Matieau. The Royals would find themselves moving down the field again. However, Worcester’s defense came up with a big game-changing play. S Shawn Jensen would manage to knock the ball out of WR Chester Bennett’s arms after he had caught a pass over the middle. DB Lester Murphy would jump on the loose ball and the Athletics had some life. RB Marcus Devonshire would get the offense moving and would reach the endzone. Unfortunately, they were unable to make the 2-point convert with DL Olaf Viktorsson stuffing Devonshire up the middle. The score would be 16-21 heading into the final quarter.

4th Q
Both teams would trade chance after chance throughout the 4th, neither team getting close enough to score until Ottawa broke through on a 23-yard run from Volkov. The run would set up a K Maurice Lafayette field goal to make it 16-24 Royals. QB Riley Kiernan would have to step up and get the offense to the endzone. He would make a little progress here or there, but not getting close enough to score, however, they were slowly tipping the field position into their favour. Eventually, the defense would make a great stop forcing Ottawa to a 2 and out on their own 16-yard line. Lafayette would punt it against the wind resulting in a shorter punt. Lawrence Sharp would have a strong return on top of the short kick putting the ball into Ottawa territory. The noise in the stadium started to pick up with renewed hope heading into a crucial drive. Kiernan would lead the Athletics down to the 11-yard line before he would connect with WR Christian Venegas for the touchdown pulling the Athletics to within 2. They would have to go for 2 once again. Kiernan would drop back and fake the handoff to Devonshire; he would roll out and find that the Royals bit on the run. He instantly noticed open space to the right and took a chance. Tucking the ball, Kiernan would make a charge to the endzone. He would dive towards the goal line while getting hit by DB Uzzia Hayes. Kiernan’s outstretched arms would get over the line and tie the game and send it to only the second overtime in league history.

Overtime
-Quick refresh on the rules: 15 minutes, highest score at the end wins.
The Athletics would take the momentum into the extra frame and would be the first to score. K Tevoris Francis would hit a 34-yard field goal to make it 27-24. The crowd was really in it now making it that much more difficult for the Royals. QB Jean Matieau has been here before. He would get the offense rolling and would get them into field goal range on the very next drive. Maurice Lafayette would nail the 27-yarder to tie the game. The final 10 minutes of the frame would play out similar to the 2nd quarter with the defenses tightening up and neither offense gaining much ground. The Royals would make one last push in the final minute. It would be 2nd and 8 on their own 39 with 8 seconds to go. The Royals would take a shot at getting into field goal range, but the ball fell incomplete on with DB Alexander Bradley deflecting it. Ottawa would get the ball to start the second frame so they would set up to kneel.  But the Royals had other plans, Matieau would drop back and fake the handoff to Volkov before pitching the ball to WR Mackenzie Jones. Jones would take several steps bringing more of the panicked Athletics to the right side of the field opening it up for WR Chester Bennett on the other side. Jones would then turn and toss the ball back to Matieau who would throw the perfect pass down the field to Bennett who would bring it in and take it the rest of the way to the house for the game-winning touchdown.

Injury Report
DL Brayden Mills WOR - Day-to-Day

McCallister Cup MVP 

QB Jean Matieau - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 214 Passing Yards

1956 Champions

1956 Season Recap

1956 Playoffs

1956 Playoffs

Worcester Athletics VS. Providence Gold Stars - Worcester Stadium - September 22, 1956 - 6 PM ET - CBS 

1st Q
The first playoff game in Worcester since the 1940s started with the Athletics getting an early upper hand. RB Marcus Devonshire, who missed the playoffs last season due to injury, was the fuel for the offense and would get into the endzone to make it 6-0 early for the Athletics. K Tevoris Francis missed the extra point. Providence’s offense didn’t have the same success but they would be able to get a field goal to cut the lead in half going into the second quarter.
2nd Q
The Gold Stars would find their rhythm in the second and started to shift the field position in their favour. Eventually, RB Marcus Devonshire would make his first mistake losing the football to LB Roger Morrow. The Gold Stars would take over in Athletics territory. QB Connor O’Rourke, starting his first playoff game, would get the offense to the endzone finding WR Willard Brooks open just over the goal line. The Gold Stars were now up 6-10. Worcester would retaliate with Kiernan leading the team down the field to get a field goal and make it a 1-point game at the break.
3rd Q
Providence’s defense was playing strong and kept it up early in the 3rd stopping Worcester's first three drives of the half. On the offensive side, O’Rourke was able to get the Gold Stars back to field goal range to extend their lead, 9-13 Gold Stars. Frustration was slowly creeping in on the Athletics sideline, especially after WR Michael Mcleod would have to leave the game with an injury forcing RB Lawrence Sharp to take over the spot. QB Riley Kiernan tried to keep it strong, his confidence was way up this season and he was able to get the offense rolling again. They would also get a big boost from DB Alexander Bradley who would pick off O’Rourke and give Kiernan great field position. It wouldn’t take long for Kiernan to find WR Christian Venegas in the endzone for the touchdown to give them the 16-13 lead. Providence didn’t seem too fazed as a RB Laurent Brazeau led drive would end with a game-tying field goal to make it 16-16 going into the final quarter.
4th Q
During the break, the Athletics huddled up and LB Scotty Williams got the team together and reminded them what they were fighting for. Pointing to the heart on his jersey at the end of his small speech finishing with a simple line, “Let’s make him proud.” The Athletics were fired up out of the gate and seemed more like the team that no one could stop this season. On their second drive of the quarter, Marcus Devonshire would find himself back in the endzone to take the lead 23-16. The Gold Stars were reeling from the sudden surge of the Athletics. however, they didn’t back down. RB Laurent Brazeau was not ready to lose and took the offense on his back. It was still his first playoff appearance despite his own success over the past 7 years, but he was playing like a weathered playoff veteran. Brazeau would eventually push his way into the endzone tying the game with 4 minutes to go. The crowd in Worcester was tense. Kiernan would have to get the offense down the field, but he would fail, as DB Lee Wolfe picked him off at midfield. The crowd was in shock. Brazeau would safely get the Gold Stars into field goal range and even further down to the 30-yard line. An easy kick for K Bernard Barnett, so it would seem, as the kicker would miss the kick wide right. Luckily for the Gold Stars, the kick was far enough that the returner, Lawrence Sharp, couldn’t keep the ball in bounds, scoring the single. The Gold Stars had now a late 23-24 lead, but there was hope still in Worcester to end it. Kiernan wouldn’t make the same mistake on the next drive. He would get the Athletics down to field goal range and K Tevoris Francis would not miss sending the Athletics to the McCallister Cup for the first time since 1940 which was before the team had left the NEFC.

Ottawa Royals VS. Ontario Tigers - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 23, 1956 - 6 PM ET 
1st Q
The Tigers finally made their playoff debut against the 2-time defending champion Royals. Playoff experience between the two teams was very one-sided with the Royals, full of players who have now won 2 championships, while the Tigers had only 1 player who had started a playoff game at all. The difference showed early on in the game with the Royals jumping out to a lead on their second drive of the game. QB Jean Matieau was able to get the Royals to the endzone finding WR Chester Bennett open for the score. Not long after, the Tigers seemed to get some offense going, but it would be cut short by DL Olaf Viktorsson knocking the ball loose from RB Clifford Russell. Ottawa would take over and their own RB, Alexei Volkov, would give the Royals a 14-0 lead after the first.
2nd Q
Ontario was not letting the early mistakes faze them, and they would find themselves in scoring range midway through the quarter while their defense was holding up the Royals' attack. Eventually, RB Clifford Russell would make up for his earlier mistake and cut the lead in half with a touchdown. Ottawa was quick to retaliate and on the very next drive, they would be back in the endzone with WR Allen Atkins. The drive sapped any momentum the Tigers had gained in the 2nd.
3rd Q
The Tigers kept their foot on the gas out of the break and would find themselves back in scoring range again. A big help was a 43-yard play to WR Wilbert Benjamin. K Nathaniel King would cut the lead to 11 with a field goal. 21-10 Royals. The Royals kept their pressure but the Tigers defense was playing strong. LB Aengus Lynch would stand up Volkov on a 2nd and 3 forcing the Royals to a 3rd and 1. The Royals would not be able to get it with the short-yardage unit and Tigers took over at midfield. The stop gave the Tigers a pinch of momentum and QB Christian Stewart would try to make the most of it. The young QB would get the Tigers closer and closer to the endzone. Eventually, he would take a shot to WR Wilbert Benjamin but DB Uzzia Hayes would make an excellent play to stop the threat and force another field goal. 21-13 Royals.
4th Q
The Tigers were inching closer to the Royals, but the 4th quarter would bring an end to the threat. Ottawa would force the Tigers to back-to-back 2 and outs before DB Mingan Oliver would pick QB Stewart off and give the Royals excellent field position. Matieau wouldn’t take long finding WR Mackenzie Jones to make it 28-13. The Tigers gave it the best shot but the Royals held strong and would be headed back to the McCallister Cup for the 3rd year in a row. 

Injury Report
OL Eugésippe Chalifoux PRO - Day-to-Day
WR Michael Mcleod WOR - 2 Weeks 

Players of the Week

OFF: QB Jean Matieau OTT - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 178 Passing Yards 

DEF: DB Alexander Bradley WOR - 1 Interception, 6 Tackles 

38th McCallister Cup

Worcester Athletics VS. Ottawa Royals - Worcester Stadium - September 30, 1956 - 6 PM ET - CBS/CBC
Head-to-Head: W6: OTT 17-27 WOR
The Athletics took the only meeting between the teams this season. They look to be slim favourites on home-field. Many are expecting a much closer game than the week 6 battle, as the Royals are much healthier and will be in full playoff mode while the Athletics were a bit cold against the Gold Stars after clinching the division back in week 7. Ottawa’s experience gives them the advantage again, but the Athletics are looking just as good with several Boston veterans from their successful days. It’s anyone’s game at this point, get ready for some premiere NAAF football. 

1956 Season

Ottawa Royals - 36, Montreal Rouge - 3 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 14th, 1956 - 7 PM ET - CBC

1st
7-0 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
14-0 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
2nd
21-0 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
21-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd
24-3 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
31-3 OTT - TD WR Mackenzie Jones
4th
33-3 OTT - Safety DL Olaf Viktorsson
36-3 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette 

RB Alexei Volkov had a huge game with 2 rushing touchdowns for 143 yards
QB Jean Matieau would find both his young WRs for TD passes
The Royals defense dominated the Rouge all game with DB Uzzia Hayes and DB Mingan Oliver taking in interceptions
QB Bruce Woodard was sacked 5 times in the game which led to QB Rigobert St-Hilaire getting a few snaps
RB Scott Mallard-White had a few rushes as well in the game for a total of 26 Yards 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 20, Long Island Raiders - 15 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - July 15th, 1956 - 1 PM ET - CBS
1st
0-3 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
7-3 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
2nd
14-3 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
3rd
14-9 LI - TD WR Robert Lang
14-12 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
17-12 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
4th
20-12 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
20-15 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden 

RB Arthur Conner led the way for the Blue Wings, taking home two touchdowns in the first half
Long Island was able to make a comeback in the 3rd with QB Lyle Painter finding WR Robert Lang for a touchdown following a DB Slay Mitchell interception
WR Samuel Floyd left the game with an injury after being hit hard by DB Amyre Rouleau which resulted in a fumble. 

Ontario Tigers - 13, Boston Independents - 23 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - July 15th, 1956 - 4 PM ET
1st
0-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd
0-10 BOS - TD RB Joel Bonner
3-10 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
3rd
3-13 BOS - FG K Jonnie Berg
10-13 ON - TD RB Clifford Russell
4th
10-20 BOS - TD WR Ellis Lindholm
10-23 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
13-23 ON - FG K Nathaniel King 

Ontario had a rough start to the season losing two big players to injury from the start, LB Aengus Lynch and RB Laurent Brazeau.
Brazeau’s injury would allow 3rd overall pick, RB Clifford Russell, to finish off a drive in the third for his first career touchdown.
Boston controlled most of the game and was able to attack the middle of the field leading to WR Ellis Lindholm’s TD and a win to start the year.
DB Clayton Malone had a pick for Boston and LB Brent Harper had a forced fumble. 

Providence Gold Stars - 18, Worcester Athletics - 30 - New Providence Stadium - July 16th, 1956 - 3 PM ET - CBS
1st
7-0 PRO - TD WR Peter Brooks
7-7 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
7-14 WOR - TD DB Alexander Bradley
2nd
7-17 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
14-17 PRO - TD RB Johnnie Stafford
3rd
14-23 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
17-23 PRO - FG K Bernard Barnett
4th
18-23 PRO - Single K Bernard Barnett
18-30 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire 

QB Riley Kiernan showed his confidence with a pair of touchdown passes in the opener
DB Alexander Bradley would be a difference-maker with 2 interceptions with one going back to the house
Providence would have their moments with DB Lee Wolfe getting a pick to set up RB Stafford’s TD 

Injury Report
WR Samuel Floyd BUF - 3 Weeks
TE Johnny Mantle IV LI - 3 Weeks
LB Aengus Lynch ON - 2 Weeks
RB Laurent Brazeau ON - 1 Week
OL James Knowles OTT - 1 Week
OL Adorat Blain OTT - 4 Weeks 

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Arthur Conner BUF - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 124 Rushing Yards

DEF: DB Alexander Bradley WOR - 2 Interceptions, 1 Touchdown, 4 Tackles

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 1-0
Buffalo 1-0
Ontario 0-1
Montreal 0-1

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 1-0
Boston 1-0
Long Island 0-1
Providence 0-1

Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa - 
2 - Worcester - 
3 - Buffalo -
4 - Providence -
5 - Boston +2
6 - Long Island -1
7 - Ontario -1
8 - Montreal - 

Worcester Athletics - 34, Ontario Tigers - 10 - Worcester Stadium - July 20, 1956 - 7 PM ET
1st - CBS
7-0 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
14-0 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
2nd
17-0 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
24-0 WOR - TD WR Clyde McIntosh
3rd
27-0 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
4th
27-3 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
34-3 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
34-10 ON - TD RB Clifford Russell 

Worcester honoured Richard Paul with a moment of silence prior to the game
QB Riley Kiernan continued his hot start give Worcester a 24-0 lead at halftime
DB Lester Murphy would get 1 of 3 interceptions for the Athletics en route to the team’s win
Injuries continued to haunt Ontario with DB Jess Scott leaving the game early on
QB Christian Stewart was still adjusting to the starting role and couldn’t get much until the final quarter. 

Montreal Rouge - 31, Providence Gold Stars - 23 - Mount Royals Stadium - July 21, 1956 - 1 PM ET - CBC
1st
7-0 MTL - TD RB Élisée Marchal
14-0 MTL - TD DB Quentin Xavier
14-3 PRO - FG K Bernard Barnett
2nd
17-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
17-10 PRO - TD WR Willard Brooks
3rd
24-10 MTL - TD RB Élisée Marchal
24-17 PRO - TD WR Peter Brooks
31-17 MTL - TD RB Scott Mallard-White
4th
31-23 PRO - TD RB Johnnie Stafford 

Montreal shocked the Gold Stars with the RB combo of Marchal and Mallard-White exploding for a combined 3 touchdowns and 213 rushing yards.
DB Quentin Xavier had a great week with a pair of interceptions and a touchdown, and QB Bruce Woodard earned a win in his first match against his former team
Providence struggled to move the ball and QB Connor O’Rourke seemed a bit flustered on the field leading to several turnovers. 

Boston Independents - 6, Buffalo Blue Wings - 20 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - July 21, 1956 - 4 PM ET
1st
0-3 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
0-6 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
2nd
0-13 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
3rd
3-13 BOS - K Johnnie Berg
3-20 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
4th
6-20 BOS - K Johnnie Berg 

Buffalo controlled the game from the start, Boston’s offense didn’t have anything in the first half.
RB Arthur Conner is looking to continue his MVP bid with another game-winning performance. 

Long Island Raiders - 14, Ottawa Royals - 24 - Long Island Stadium - July 22, 1956 - 3 PM ET
1st
0-7 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
2nd
0-10 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
7-10 LI - TD RB Timothy Weeks
7-17 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
3rd
4th
7-24 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
14-24 LI - TD WR Travis Gallagher 

The rematch of the McCallister Cup
Ottawa would lose WR Allen Atkins to injury but WR Chester Bennett would come through with a big game
Long Island wasn’t bad, but could not keep up with the Royals offense in this one.  

Injury Report
TE Richard Stewart BOS - Day-to-Day
WR Darryl Duke LI - Day-to-Day
TE Eli Grant MTL - Day-to-Day
DB Jesse Scott ON - 2 Weeks
WR Allen Atkins OTT - 3 Weeks 

Players of the Week

OFF: WR Chester Bennett OTT - 2 Receiving Touchdowns, 98 Receiving Yards
DEF: DB Quentin Xavier MTL - 2 Interceptions, 1 Touchdown, 6 Tackles

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 2-0
Buffalo 2-0
Montreal 1-1
Ontario 0-2

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 2-0
Boston 1-1
Long Island 0-2
Providence 0-2

Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Worcester -
3 - Buffalo -
4 - Boston +1
5 - Long Island +1
6 - Montreal +2
7 - Providence -3
8 - Ontario -1

Worcester Athletics - 35, Montreal Rouge - 12 - Worcester Stadium - July 27,1956 - 7 PM ET
1st
7-0 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
14-0 WOR - TD WR Ethan Walters
2nd
14-3 MTL FG K Arthur Kettinger
21-3 WOR TD RB Marcus Devonshire
21-6 MTL FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd
21-9 MTL FG Arthur Kettinger
28-9 WOR - TD WR Ethan Walters
4th
35-9 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
35-12 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger 

QB Riley Kiernan had a really strong game with 3 touchdown passes and 237 passing yards
Montreal’s duo in the backfield had some success at times but LB Scotty Williams would slow them down and come up with a pair of fumbles
Alexander Bradley also caused issues for QB Bruce Woodard with an interception and several more big knockdowns 

Ottawa Royals - 21, Boston Independents - 19 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 28, 1956 - 1 PM ET - CBC
1st
0-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3-3 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
2nd
10-3 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
10-6 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3rd
10-9 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
16-9 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
18-9 OTT - 2PT TE Jervonte Howell
4th
18-16 BOS - TD RB Joel Bonner
18-19 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
21-19 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette 

Ottawa was not their usual selves in this game as Boston kept it closer than it should’ve been.QB Jean Matieau was pretty average with only a single TD pass and 2 interceptions
DB Carson Scott had one of the picks and LB Konrad Aust came up with the other.
Ottawa’s defense played fine but Boston was able to play smart and moved the ball enough to slowly rack up points. 

Providence Gold Stars - 34, Buffalo Blue Wings - 30 - New Providence Stadium - July 28, 1956 - 4 PM ET - CBS
1st
0-3 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
7-3 PRO - TD WR Peter Brooks
2nd
13-3 PRO - TD WR Willard Brooks
13-6 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
13-13 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
3rd
13-16 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
20-16 PRO - TD WR Willard Brooks
20-23 BUF - TD WR Joseph Barry
4th
27-23 PRO - TD RB Johnnie Stafford
27-30 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
34-30 PRO - TD WR Peter Brooks 

Providence and Buffalo lit up the scoreboard in their match
The Brooks Brothers paired up for 4 TDs and a combined 135 Yards
DB Lee Wolfe came up big with an interception along with his teammate DB Victor Bean
Buffalo’s defense had a couple of moments with DL Sean Bowen forcing a fumble to set up one of the Arthur Conner touchdowns, and LB Claude Adams had his own forced fumble.
The game came down to a deep shot to Peter Brooks which the receiver caught with former Gold Star DB Ollie Guy and S Frazier Brooks right with him. Guy was out of position and Peter Brooks beat Fraizer Brooks to the endzone for the game-winning touchdown.
*There are a few players named Brooks in this game* 

Long Island Raiders - 30, Ontario Tigers - 14 - Long Island Stadium - July 29, 1956 - 3 PM ET - CBS
1st
7-0 LI - TD RB Timothy Weeks
2nd
7-7 ON - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
14-7 LI - TD WR Robert Lang
3rd
17-7 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
17-14 ON - TD WR Wilbert Benjamin
24-14 LI - TD RB Timothy Weeks
4th
27-14 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
30-14 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden 

Ontario had Brazeau back in the line up which helped the team move the ball a bit better
The game was fairly close until DB Slay Mitchell took an interception deep into Tigers’ territory in the third leading to a Weeks touchdown
Long Island controlled the final quarter with DL Vernon Spears striping QB Christian Stewart to seal the deal 

Injury List
S Michael O’Brien BOS - 3 Weeks
OL Benjamin Harrell BUF - 5 Weeks
DL Lawrence Hudson BUF - 5 Weeks
DB Francis Veillette LI - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week

OFF: QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 4 Passing Touchdowns, 245 Passing Yards 

DEF: DB Slay Mitchell LI - 1 Interception, 3 Tackles, 3 Knockdowns

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 3-0
Buffalo 2-1
Montreal 1-2
Ontario 0-3

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 3-0
Boston 1-2
Long Island 1-2
Providence 1-2

Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Worcester -
3 - Buffalo -
4 - Providence +3
5 - Boston -1
6 - Long Island -1
7 - Montreal -1
8 - Ontario -

Ontario Tigers - 20, Providence Gold Stars - 22 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - August 3, 1956 - 7 PM ET - CBC
1st
7-0 ON - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
7-7 PRO - TD WR Peter Brooks
7-10 PRO - K Bernard Barnett
2nd
14-10 ON - TD WR Wilbert Benjamin
3rd
14-16 PRO - TD RB Johnnie Stafford
4th
17-16 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
17-22 PRO - TD WR John Osborn
20-22 ON - FG K Nathaniel King 

Ontario looks stronger at home, QB Christian Stewart had his strongest game with a TD pass and 168 yards and only 1 interception
Providence at times struggled to move the ball on the ground, and Ontario was able to interfere in the pass-game with DB Louie White grabbing a pick
DL Olympus Heights and DL Dee Floyd did a good job with stopping RB Johnnie Stafford on the day and Heights had a forced fumble
QB Connor O’Rourke was able to come through in the final quarter with a huge touchdown drive to give them the win

Montreal Rouge - 7, Long Island Raiders - 27 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 4, 1956 - 1 PM ET
1st
0-7 LI - TD WR Darryl Duke
2nd
0-14 LI - TD RB Timothy Weeks
0-17 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
3rd
0-24 LI - TD DB Slay Mitchell
4th
0-27 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
7-27 MTL - TD RB Scott Mallard-White 

Long Island’s defense shut down Montreal and DB Slay Mitchell was the star with a pick-6
LB Elijah Goldwater had a big moment knocking WR Ray Lopez out of the game with a huge hit
Montreal had their only score on a punt return touchdown from Mallard-White showing his pure skill 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 15, Ottawa Royals - 18 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - August 4, 1956 - CBS
1st
3-0 BUF - FG Donald Brewer
2nd
3-7 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
6-7 BUF - FG Donald Brewer
3rd
12-7 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
12-13 OTT - TD WR Mackenzie Jones
12-15 OTT - 2PT RB Alexei Volkov
4th
15-15 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
15-18 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette 

A rainy day in Buffalo led to a more defensive and run-heavy game
Both RB Arthur Conner and RB Alexei Volkov played well, but the defense was also at the top of their games preventing the two from truly breaking out
The final quarter was slow but intense with the teams trading drive until QB Jean Matieau got the Royals to within range to win the game 

Worcester Athletics - 28, Boston Independents - 10 - Worcester Stadium - August 5, 1956 - 3 PM ET - CBS
1st
3-0 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
10-0 WOR - TD WR Ethan Walters
2nd
17-0 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
17-7 BOS - TD RB Joel Bonner
3rd
20-7 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
4th
27-7 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
27-10 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
28-10 WOR - Single K Tevoris Francis 

The Athletics kept moving in the right direction with Boston struggling to move the ball against their defense
LB Scotty Williams had 13 tackles on the day plus a forced fumble
Boston’s defense was able to slow Worcester at times but they were too much at the end of the day 

Injury Report
LB Marco Price BOS - Day-to-Day
TE Johann Traeger BUF - Day-to-Day
DB Amyre Rouleau LI - Day-to-Day
OL Lewis David LI - 5 Weeks
DL Angus MacTavish MTL - 3 Weeks
WR Ray Lopez MTL - 1 Week
DL William Collins ON - 3 Weeks
DL Stephan Kendall OTT - 1 Week
LB Leo Davenport OTT - 2 Weeks
OL Derek Palmer PRO - 1 Week 


Players of the Week

OFF: QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 251 Passing Yards

DEF: LB Scotty Williams WOR - 1 Forced Fumble, 13 Tackles

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 4-0
Buffalo 2-2
Montreal 1-3
Ontario 0-4

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 4-0
Long Island 2-2
Providence 2-2
Boston 1-3

Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Worcester -
3 - Providence +1
4 - Buffalo -1
5 - Long Island +1
6 - Boston -1
7 - Ontario +1
8 - Montreal -1

Long Island Raiders - 23, Worcester Athletics - 28 - Long Island Stadium - August 11,1956 - 1 PM ET - CBS
1st
0-7 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
3-7 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
3-14 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
2nd
3rd
10-14 LI - TD RB Timothy Weeks
10-21 WOR - TD WR Clyde McIntosh
13-21 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
4th
16-21 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
16-28 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
23-28 LI - TD WR Robert Lang 

Worcester controlled the game in the first half, LB Scotty Williams had 8 tackles in the half
QB Riley Kiernan was able to find the endzone 3 times to Venegas and McIntosh
QB Lyle Painter was able to get Long Island back in the game in the second half and had a great throw that to pull the team within 5, but it was far too late 

Boston Independents - 6, Providence Gold Stars - 24 - Richardson Stadium - August 11, 1956 - 4 PM ET - CBS
1st
2nd
0-7 PRO - TD WR Willard Brooks
0-10 PRO - FG K Bernard Barnett
3rd
3-10 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3-17 PRO - TD Peter Brooks
4th
6-17 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
6-24 PRO - TD RB Johnnie Stafford 

Providence played a strong game holding Boston to only a pair of field goals
DL Calias McDonough had 3 sacks on QB Brian Meadows to help Providence on the defensive side, while DB Lee Wolfe had a pick
RB Johnnie Stafford struggled to move the ball again, still was able to get into the endzone but concerns about the back are growing 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 13, Ontario Tigers - 31 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - August 12, 1956 - 3 PM ET - CBS
1st
0-7 ON - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
0-10 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
2nd
7-10 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
7-17 ON - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
3rd
10-17 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
10-24 ON - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
10-31 ON - TD WR Wilbert Benjamin
4th
13-31 BUF - K Donald Brewer 

The Tigers explode in their first win of the season, RB Laurent Brazeau showed everyone he’s still one of the best in the league scoring 3 touchdowns and rushing for almost 200 yards
DB Louie White had a great game with a pick and LB Aengus Lynch was able to slow Arthur Conner
Buffalo struggled a lot and the team became frustrated and started some pushing and shoving between the teams leading to a few penalties that only helped the Tigers
The Tigers were not pleased with the Blue Wings’ antics and it's going to create an interesting atmosphere for next weeks’ rematch 

Montreal Rouge - 18, Ottawa Royals - 35 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 12, 1956 - 6 PM ET - CBC
1st
7-0 MTL - TD RB Élisée Marchal
7-7 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
2nd
7-14 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
10-14 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
10-21 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
3rd
16-21 MTL - TD RB Élisée Marchal
18-21 MTL - 2PT RB Scott Mallard-White
18-28 OTT - TD WR Mackenzie Jones
4th
18-35 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov 

Montreal gave the Royals a tougher time than expected with RB Marchal having a solid game with two touchdowns
DB Quentin Xavier was able to get the Rouge the early lead picking QB Jean Matieau off on just his second throw of the game
Ottawa’s defense stepped up as well in the 4th with DB Mingan Oliver grabbing a pick and DL Olaf Viktorsson striping QB Bruce Woodard

Injury List
LB Jim Daniels ON - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Laurent Brazeau ON - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 194 Rushing Yards

DEF: DL Calias McDonough PRO - 7 Tackles, 3 Sacks 

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 5-0
Buffalo 2-3
Ontario 1-4
Montreal 1-4

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 5-0
Providence 3-2
Long Island 2-3
Boston 1-4

Power Rankings
1 - Ottawa -
2 - Worcester -
3 - Providence -
4 - Long Island +1
5 - Buffalo -1
6 - Ontario +1
7 - Boston -1
8 - Montreal -

s

Boston Independents - 15, Montreal Rouge - 23 - Richardson Stadium - August 17, 1956 - 7 PM ET
1st
3-0 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
2nd
6-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
6-10 MTL - TD RB Élisée Marchal
6-13 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3rd
9-13 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
9-20 MTL - TD RB Élisée Marchal
4th
15-20 BOS - TD RB Joel Bonner
15-23 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger 

Both teams decided to go to their young backups for the second half of the season with Boston going to QB Caldwell Higgins III and Montreal with QB Rigobert St-Hilaire
Higgins struggled with the Rouge defense who was able to snag 3 interceptions off of him with DB Quentin Xavier, DB Jontray Cox and LB Rusty McVee getting them
St-Hilaire was quieter but threw one pick to DB Clayton Malone
Montreal managed their second win of the year on the back of Marchal who ran for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns 

Ottawa Royals - 17, Worcester Athletics - 27 - Royals Stadium - August 18, 1956 - 2 PM ET - CBS
1st
0-7 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
2nd
3-7 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
3-10 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
3-17 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
3rd
3-20 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
10-20 OTT - TD WR Allen Atkins
4th
17-20 OTT - TD WR Mackenzie Jones
17-27 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire 

Worcester dominated the first half against the Royals, Kiernan was perfect in the half with a touchdown pass and 126 yards through the air
QB Jean Matieau struggled in the first half throwing a pair of interceptions to DB Alexander Bradley and DB Lester Murphy
Ottawa was able to make a comeback in the 2nd half, but Kiernan took over in 4th to help the Athletics hold on for their NAAF best 6th win of the season
Worcester suffered their first major injury of the season with WR Ethan Walters leaving the game with a season and potentially career-ending injury, an estimated return would be the week of the McCallister Cup if things go smoothly 

Providence Gold Stars - 18, Long Island Raiders - 16 - New Providence Stadium - August 19, 1956 - 3 PM ET - CBS
1st
0-3 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
2nd
0-6 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
3-6 PRO - FG K Bernard Barnett
3-13 LI - TD WR Darryl Duke
3rd
10-13 PRO - TD WR Willard Brooks
17-13 PRO - TD DB Lee Wolfe
4th
17-16 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
18-16 PRO - Single K Bernard Barnett 

Long Island was in control of this game until QB Lyle Painter was hit hard by Calias McDonough early in the second half which knocked the QB out of the game and for the rest of the regular season
QB Stanislav Ovechkin took over but had a rough half throwing a pick 6 to DB Lee Wolfe and another pick to DB Will Atkinson
RB Johnnie Stafford continued to struggle and the Gold Stars were only able to get the offense going with the help of their defense 

Ontario Tigers - 29, Buffalo Blue Wings - 20 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - August 19, 1956 - 6 PM ET - CBC
1st
0-7 BUF - TD WR Samuel Floyd
7-7 ON - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
2nd
10-7 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
10-10 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
13-10 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
3rd
20-10 ON - TD RB Clifford Russell
20-13 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
4th
26-13 ON - TD WR David Burrows
26-20 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
29-20 ON - FG K Nathaniel King 

There are plenty of trade rumours surrounding the Tigers at the moment, some including RB Laurent Brazeau and the team would give RB Clifford Russell more touches in this game
QB Christian Stewart went down with an injury in the 3rd that brought in QB Ollie Rogers who threw a touchdown to WR David Burrows who finally got his first TD of his career
Buffalo continued to get frustrated and couldn’t get the ball moving and they ran into a red hot LB Aengus Lynch who dominated the field throughout the game

Injury Report
DB Clifton Powers BOS - 3 Weeks
DL Garret Mason BUF - 1 Week
OL Melvin Marshall BUF - 3 Weeks
QB Lyle Painter LI - 4 Weeks
OL Bernard Gide ON - Day-to-Day
QB Christian Stewart ON - Day-to-Day
S Lester Greer OTT - 2 Weeks
WR Peter Brooks PRO - Day-to-Day
WR Ethan Walters WOR - 5 Weeks 

Players of the Week 

OFF: RB Riley Kiernan WOR - 1 Passing Touchdown, 215 Passing Yards 

DEF: LB Aengus Lynch ON - 11 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble 

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 5-1
Ontario 2-4
Buffalo 2-4
Montreal 2-4

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 6-0
Providence 4-2
Long Island 2-4
Boston 1-5

Power Rankings
1 - Worcester +1
2 - Ottawa -1
3 - Providence -
4 - Long Island -
5 - Ontario +1
6 - Buffalo -1
7 - Montreal +1
8 - Boston -1

Buffalo and Providence Load Up for Playoff Push as Ontario Begins Unloading Stars
Just 2 days after the Ontario Tigers topped the Buffalo Blue Wings for the second straight week, the teams would make a trade. The Tigers sent their long time #1 DB Louie White to Buffalo for a 1957 2nd Round Pick and DB prospect, Amos King. Louie White has been a star for the Tigers over their surge into a mid-level team. However, heading into an offseason that White will likely become a free agent with the Tigers suffering from financial troubles. White was dealt to get some younger pieces and hopefully a part of a fairly short rebuild for the team. DB Amos King was a former 2nd round pick in 1954 and hasn’t broken into the line up yet for Buffalo, so a new location should help him out. 

That was not the only move being made, as less than 24 hours later, several more Tigers would be on their way to Providence. After the White trade, the rumours of a Brazeau trade spiked and the RB would be headed to Providence in this trade. He would be joined by DB Paul Gregory and OL Bernard Gide who both carry hefty salaries like Brazeau. The Tigers would get quite a haul for their starting RB in former 9th overall pick OL Chad Austin, 3rd round pick DB Ricardo Salvador, a 1957 2nd Round Pick, a 1958 3rd Round Pick, and RB Matthew Ferguson.  

The Gold Stars RB Johnnie Stafford had been struggling all season and Brazeau should add the much-needed power to the backfield. Gregory and Gide will fit nicely in their roles to give the Gold Stars a boost in depth and strength as they make a push. GM Virgil Gross was happy with the move and excited to bring the new players, but some are speculating that he might have overpaid for the trio, which could be tied to a shorter leash from Owner David Maxwell. With a likelihood of some of the players not returning, they are sacrificing a lot of the youth (they also traded their 1st rounder in a trade with Montreal in the offseason) The Tigers have a lot of youth joining the team and GM Joseph Johnson is hoping that the attempt to save money and go into a soft rebuild this season will open up the possibility to be more competitive in a year or two. 

Worcester Athletics - 27, Providence Gold Stars - 21 - Worcester Stadium - August 25, 1956 - 1 PM ET - CBS
1st
7-0 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
7-3 PRO - FG K Bernard Barnett
2nd
14-3 WOR - TD WR Clyde McIntosh
14-9 PRO - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
14-11 PRO - 2PT WR John Osborn
17-11 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
3rd
20-11 WOR - FG Tevoris Francis
4th
20-18 PRO - TD WR Peter Brooks
27-18 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
27-21 PRO - FG K Bernard Barnett  

RB Laurent Brazeau would make an immediate impact for the Gold Stars with a touchdown and 97 Yards on the ground
Worcester’s offense was a bit slower against the Gold Stars defense but was able to keep ahead of with QB Riley Kiernan continuing to play well
S Shawn Jensen made a big impact with a touchdown stopping pick in the 3rd to keep the game at 20-11 

Long Island Raiders - 20, Boston Independents - 17 - Long Island Stadium - August 25, 4 PM ET - CBS
1st
3-0 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
3-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd
10-3 LI - TD RB Timothy Weeks
3rd
10-10 BOS - TD WR Ellis Lindholm
13-10 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
4th
13-17 BOS - TD RB Joel Bonner
20-17 LI - TD WR Robert Lang 

QB Stanislav Ovechkin made his first start and threw his first TD pass to win the game to WR Robert Lang
Boston’s QB Caldwell Higgins III played well in his second start and had a TD pass which was also his first
Defense for both teams was strong, but only a pair of turnovers from LB Elijah Goldwater (LI) and LB Brent Harper (BOS) forcing fumbles for their respective teams 

Buffalo Blue Wings - 36, Montreal Rouge - 6 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - August 26, 1956 - 3 PM ET - CBS
1st
7-0 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
10-0 BUF - FG K Donald Brewe
2nd
17-0 BUF - TD WR Joseph Barry
24-0 BUF - TD QB Angelo Medina
3rd
24-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
30-3 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
4th
36-3 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
36-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger 

Buffalo played their best in a while with RB Arthur Conner getting to the house 3 times and Medina getting his first on the ground this season
DB Louie White was able to come down with an interception as well to help Buffalo get the 24-0 lead at the break
QB Rigobert St-Hilaire struggled in his second start of the season and was eventually pulled in the 4th quarter 

Ontario Tigers - 27, Ottawa Royals - 24 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - August 26, 1956 - 6 PM ET
1st
0-7 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
7-7 ON - TD WR Wilbert Benjamin
7-10 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
2nd
14-10 ON - TD RB Clifford Russell
21-10 ON - TD DL Olympus Heights
3rd
21-16 OTT - TD WR Allen Atkins
24-16 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
4th
24-22 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
24-24 OTT - 2PT TE Jervonte Howell
27-24 ON - FG K Nathaniel King 

Ontario shocked the world with a huge upset win over the Royals, the defense was a key contributor with DL Dee Floyd knocking the ball out of QB Jean Matieau’s hand leading to DL Olympus Heights taking it back for six
DB Jesse Scott came down with a pick and LB Aengus Lynch stole the ball from Alexei Volkov on a fumble that would lead to the game-winning field goal
Ottawa was still able to stay in the game because of Matieau but the Tigers were hungry and they feasted on the Royals 

Injury Report
LB Claude Adams BUF - 3 Weeks
DB Dylan Alston BUF - Day-to-Day
LB Sharquay Bradford LI - Day-to-Day
DB Mario Richard MTL - 1 Week
LB Jim Daniels ON - 4 Weeks
DB Paul Gregory PRO - Day-to-Day
DL Erik Cohen WOR - Day-to-Day
OL Brian Faulker WOR - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week

​OFF: RB Arthur Conner BUF - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 154 Rushing Yards 

DEF: LB Aengus Lynch ON - 12 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 5-2
Ontario 3-4
Buffalo 3-4
Montreal 2-5

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 7-0 -y
Providence 4-3
Long Island 3-4
Boston 1-6

Power Rankings
1 - Worcester -
2 - Providence +1
3 - Ontario +2
4 - Ottawa -2
5 - Long Island -1
6 - Buffalo -
7 - Montreal -
8 - Boston -

Worcester Athletics - 22, Long Island Raiders - 19 - Worcester Stadium - September 1, 1956 - 1 PM ET - CBS
1st
7-0 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
2nd
7-3 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
14-3 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
14-6 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
3rd
14-12 LI - TD RB Timothy Weeks
14-19 LI - TD RB Conner Riley
4th
20-19 WOR - TD WR Clyde McIntosh
22-19 WOR - 2PT RB Marcus Devonshire  

The game looked to be heavily in Worcester’s favour, but Long Island had a huge 3rd to pull themselves back into it
After Timothy Weeks scored, Worcester would go 2 and out and RB Conner Riley would take home the following punt
In the end, Worcester was able to hold on for the win despite a strong drive near the end of the game from the Raiders 

Providence Gold Stars - 31, Boston Independents - 10 - New Providence Stadium - September 1, 1956 - 4 PM ET - CBS
1st
7-0 PRO - TD WR Peter Brooks
14-0 PRO - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
2nd
17-0 PRO - FG K Bernard Barnett
17-7 BOS - TD TE Richard Stewart
3rd
24-7 PRO - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
4th
31-7 PRO - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
31-10 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg 

Brazeau showed his comfort with his new team leading them to 3 touchdowns on the day
QB Caldwell Higgins III had another TD pass for Boston, but he also ran into the Gold Star secondary throwing 3 picks 
DB Victor Bean took in 2 of them while newcomer DB Paul Gregory had the other 

Montreal Rouge - 28, Ontario Tigers - 30 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 2, 1956 - 3 PM ET - CBC
1st
7-0 MTL - TD RB Scott Mallard-White
7-7 ON - TD RB Clifford Russell
2nd
7-14 ON - TD WR Marqués Gardner
14-14 MTL - TD WR Marty Jay
3rd
14-17 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
21-17 MTL - TD RB Scott Mallard-White
21-24 ON - TD RB Clifford Russell
4th
28-24 MTL - TD RB Élisée Marchal
28-30 ON - TD WR Wilbert Benjamin 

A surprisingly high scoring affair between the Rouge and Tigers was centred around the battle of the two rookie backs
In the end, they both had 2 touchdowns, but Russell had more yards mainly without having to share the role
Both defenses were off, but the Tigers were able to pull away with their 4th straight win of the season 

Ottawa Royals - 23, Buffalo Blue Wings - 13 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 2, 1956 - 6 PM ET
1st
0-3 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
2nd
7-3 OTT - TD WR Allen Atkins
13-3 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
3rd
13-10 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
20-10 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
23-10 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
4th
23-13 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer 

Buffalo held the Royals back in the opening quarter, but WR Allen Atkins would make a fantastic play to get into the endzone and kickstart the Royals
They would take over from their never letting Buffalo get much momentum
The defense was a big factor with DL Olaf Viktorsson and LB Roland Hensley stopping most of the Arthur Conner attack and kept QB Angelo Medina contained 

Injury Report
DL James Beck LI - Season
OL Maxence Castex MTL - Day-to-Day
LB Liam O’Brien MTL - 4 Weeks
DL Stuart Howell PRO - 1 Week 

Players of the Week 

OFF: RB Laurent Brazeau PRO - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 109 Rushing Yards 

DEF: DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 8 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble, 2 Sacks 

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 6-2 -x
Ontario 4-4
Buffalo 3-5
Montreal 2-6

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 8-0 -y
Providence 5-3
Long Island 3-5
Boston 1-7

Power Rankings
1 - Worcester -
2 - Providence -
3 - Ontario -
4 - Ottawa -
5 - Long Island - 
6 - Buffalo -
7 - Montreal - 
8 - Boston -

Boston Independents - 7, Worcester Athletics - 35 - Richardson Stadium - September 8, 1956 - 1 PM ET - CBS
1st
0-7 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
0-14 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
2nd
7-14 BOS - TD RB Joel Bonner
7-21 WOR - TD DB Alexander Bradley
3rd
7-28 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
4th
7-35 WOR - TD RB Lawrence Sharp 

Worcester dominated the Independents with Devonshire leading the way on the ground
They would give the RB a break in the 4th with Lawrence Sharp taking over and scoring a touchdown as well
Boston had nothing for the Athletics and drop to 1-8 and a very likely 3rd overall pick coming to the team this season
Worcester also officially breaks Providence’s unbeaten streak with a 9-0 record to their 8-0 record in 1953 

Long Island Raiders - 13, Providence Gold Stars - 22 - Long Island Stadium - September 8, 1956 - 4 PM ET - CBS
1st
2nd
3-0 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
6-0 LI - FG K Thomas McFadden
6-1 PRO - Single K Bernard Barnett
3rd
13-1 LI - TD RB Timothy Weeks
13-8 PRO - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
4th
13-14 PRO - TD WR Willard Brooks
13-16 PRO - 2PT RB Laurent Brazeau
13-22 PRO - TD LB Daevion Shelton 

The Gold Stars had a rough start but QB Connor O’Rourke would make his mark in the 2nd half leading the Gold Stars back into the game and to their first playoff appearance since 1953
The game was sealed on a blocked field goal which Daevion Shelton took back the distance to make it 13-22 on the final play of the game
This also eliminates the former New England Division Champion Raiders from the playoffs 

Ottawa Royals - 27, Ontario Tigers - 12 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 9, 1956 - 3 PM ET - CBC
1st
7-0 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
7-3 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
2nd
10-3 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
10-6 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
17-6 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
3rd
17-9 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
20-9 OTT - FG K Maurice Lafayette
4th
27-9 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
27-12 ON - FG K Nathaniel King 

Despite their hot streak, the Tigers were unable to find the endzone against the Royals
The Royals defense held the Tigers at bay with a great performance from former Tiger, LB Roland Hensley, and DB Mingan Oliver
Volkov also found the endzone twice to help the Royals clinch their 3rd North Division title 

Montreal Rouge - 24, Buffalo Blue Wings - 28 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 9, 1956 - 6 PM ET
1st
7-0 MTL - TD RB Élisée Marchal
14-0 MTL - TD DB Quentin Xavier
2nd
14-7 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
14-14 BUF - TD WR Samuel Floyd
3rd
21-14 MTL - TD RB Élisée Marchal
24-14 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
4th
24-21 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
24-28 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner

A scary game for the Blue Wings as the Rouge almost took them out of the playoffs
The Blue Wings managed to stay alive with Arthur Conner coming alive in the final quarter
The defense also played a part with DB Louie White taking in a pick and DL Sean Bowen knocking the ball out of Marchal’s hands to set up the game-winning TD
Montreal’s defense had a good first half with Xavier taking in a pick-6 and LB Rusty McVee coming up with a fumble off of WR Nathan Green 

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Arthur Conner BUF - 3 Rushing Touchdowns, 146 Rushing Yards 

DEF: LB Roland Hensley OTT - 9 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 7-2 -y
Ontario 4-5
Buffalo 4-5
Montreal 2-7

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 9-0 -y
Providence 6-3 -x
Long Island 3-6
Boston 1-8

Power Rankings
1 - Worcester -
2 - Ottawa +2
3 - Providence -1
4 - Ontario -1
5 - Buffalo +1
6 - Long Island -1
7 - Montreal -
8 - Boston -

Buffalo Blue Wings - 27, Worcester Athletics - 16 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 15, 1956 - 1 PM ET - CBS
1st
7-0 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
7-3 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
10-3 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
2nd
17-3 BUF - TD WR Joseph Barry
3rd
17-10 WOR - TD RB Lawrence Sharp
17-16 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
20-16 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
4th
27-16 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner

The Athletics unbeaten season came to an end here with a loss to the Blue Wings trying to hold onto their playoff hopes
Worcester did start QB Andrew Glover, however, the QB took a massive hit after throwing the ball which had him unable to get off the field on his power, the hit could spell an early end to his career
QB Riley Kiernan took over from there and would almost tie the game up at 17, with a missed convert before the Blue Wings pulled away in the 4th and the Athletics didn’t want to risk any more injuries 

Providence Gold Stars - 19, Ottawa Royals - 20 - New Providence Stadium - September 15, 1956 - 1 PM ET
1st
7-0 PRO - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
2nd
7-7 OTT - TD RB Jacque Montier
10-7 PRO - FG K Bernard Barnett
3rd
10-14 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
16-14 PRO - TD QB Alex Agramonte
4th
19-14 PRO - FG K Bernard Barnett
19-20 OTT - TD WR Allen Atkins 

QB Duane Logan made his first start for Ottawa since 1951
Many other backups were also getting a chance, including Gold Stars’ backup QB Alex Agramonte
Agramonte was able to run in an 18-yard touchdown to give the Gold Stars a late lead, but an excellent drive from Logan would end in a passing touchdown to his old teammate Allen Atkins 

Ontario Tigers - 15, Montreal Rouge - 7 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - September 15, 1956 - 4 PM ET - CBC
1st
2nd
3-0 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
3-7 MTL - TD RB Scott Mallard-White
3rd
4th
6-7 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
12-7 ON - TD WR Wilbert Benjamin
15-7 ON - FG K Nathaniel King 

For a game that had playoff implications for Ontario, it was pretty lackluster, with Montreal’s defense able to shut down any offense until the 4th quarter
LB Rusty McVee had a pick and a fumble, and DB Quentin Xavier had a pick as well
Ontario’s defense was very much keeping the team in the game with LB Aengus Lynch keeping Mallard-White at bay for the most part and even coming up with a fumble to set up the last field goal
In the end, the Tigers pull off the unthinkable and make the playoffs for the first time in team history 

Boston Independents - 17, Long Island Raiders - 21 - Richardson Stadium - September 15, 1956 - 4 PM ET - CBS
1st
0-7 LI - TD WR Travis Gallagher
7-7 BOS - TD WR Clifford Church
2nd
3rd
14-7 BOS - TD RB Joel Bonner
14-14 LI - TD RB Conner Riley
4th
14-21 LI - TD WR Robert Lang
17-21 BOS - K Johnnie Berg 

Long Island finishes their season with a win as QB Stanislav Ovechkin makes a case for being a possible NAAF start for a team to look out for
Boston’s QB Caldwell Higgins III also played well and looks to be the future for the Independents
Defense’s both had a rough day, but DB Carson Scott and DB Slay Mitchell both had interceptions on the day

Injury Report
WR Darryl Duke LI - Day-to-Day
OL Samuel Weston LI - Day-to-Day
TE Paul McDowell ON - 1 Week
OL Ulysses Fairgrove ON - Day-to-Day
OL James Knowles OTT - Day-to-Day
LB Mickaël Beaumont OTT - Day-to-Day
RB Lawrence Sharp WOR - Day-to-Day
QB Andrew Glover WOR - Season 

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Arthur Conner BUF - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 95 Rushing Yards

DEF: LB Aengus Lynch ON - 9 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble 

Standings
NORTH
Ottawa 8-2 -y
Ontario 5-5 -x
Buffalo 5-5
Montreal 2-8

NEW ENGLAND
Worcester 9-1 -y
Providence 6-4 -x
Long Island 4-6
Boston 1-9

Power Rankings
1 - Worcester -
2 - Ottawa - 
3 - Providence -
4 - Ontario -
5 - Long Island +1
6 - Buffalo -1
7 - Montreal -
8 - Boston -

Playoff Preview
NEW ENGLAND SEMI-FINAL
Worcester Athletics VS. Providence Gold Stars - Worcester Stadium - September 22, 1956 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W1: PRO 18-30 WOR, W7: WOR 27-21 PRO
Worcester looks to be the favourites based on their skill and the season they just put together, but the Gold Stars are not the opponents to write off. RB Laurent Brazeau has been great for the Gold Stars and could be a big impact in the game alongside the veterans of Providence like DB Lee Wolfe and WR Peter Brooks. Worcester has come a long way since last year’s semi-finals and they have a great shot, especially if QB Riley Kiernan can get going with his RB, Marcus Devonshire. Worcester will be playing for Richard Paul and a chance to head home for the McCallister Cup 

NORTH SEMI-FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Ontario Tigers
Head-to-Head: W7: ON 27-24 OTT, W9: OTT 27-12 ON
​Ontario has shocked the league with their second half, but they will have a steep hill to climb against a much healthier Royals squad than the week 7 win. Ottawa has loads of championship experience that will have an advantage over the Tigers who have 1 player that has started a playoff game before in LB Jim Daniels with Long Island last season. The Royals will flex their strong offense for sure, but the improved defense will be as big a factor against first-year starter QB Christian Stewart.