1965 Division Semi-Finals
EAST DIVISION SEMI-FINAL
Boston Independents VS. London Tigers - Richardson Stadium - September 19, 1965 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy 13ºC | 57ºF
1st Q
The opening quarter between Boston and London was quite slow with both teams opening up with 2 and outs. London was the first of the teams to start making some moves downfield after a strong 17-yard pass to WR Russell Wilcox. However, the Independents were able to stand strong and hold London to a field goal, which K Nimrod Handsworth drilled to make it 0-3 London. Boston would counter with their first strong drive of the game. After a pair of first downs, QB Nathaniel Braddock was able to connect with WR Alexei Dubois who broke off a 23-yard run after the catch to set up Boston at the 9-yard line. 2 plays later Braddock would throw into a tight window to connect with WR Evan Clanton for the first major of the game.
BOS 7-3 LDN
2nd Q
In the second quarter, the Tigers looked to retaliate after the touchdown, but Boston’s defence stepped up and DL Timmy Kerr was able to get to QB Riley Kiernan on 2nd and 3 to stop the drive. Boston would take advantage of the strong defensive play and would find the endzone once again later in the 2nd with Braddock finding WR Chester Bennett on a 3-yard out route. The strong first half by the Independents would leave them up 14-3 at the break.
BOS 14-3 LDN
3rd Q
The second half got off to a better start for the Tigers. Kiernan was able to get the ball moving on their opening drive. RB Austin Andrews was a big help with a pair of strong runs. K Nimrod Handsworth would finish off the drive with a field goal to cut the lead to 8. The drive sparked some life into the Tigers’ defence as they would step up and make several stops during the 3rd quarter. While the defence did their job, Kiernan continued to get the Tigers down the field. Kiernan would get into scoring range after a 15-yard pass to WR Max Sutton that would put them on the 6-yard-line. RB Austin Andrews would be able to punch it in on the next play before Kiernan found TE Micheal Bowman III for the 2-point conversion and the tie game.
BOS 14-14 LDN
4th Q
The fans in Boston certainly were on the edge of their seats following the Tigers’ comeback. It was only made worse when a long Boston drive came to an end following a WR Alexei Dubois fumble on a hit from S Niel Graham. The Tiger continued to find success on offence and would slowly move the ball down the field before taking the lead on K Nimrod Handsworth’s 3rd field goal of the game. The pressure mounted for Boston who was close to losing yet another playoff game (their last win came in the 1961 McCallister Cup). However, Braddock was able to rise to the occasion. He would mount a late-game drive that would find Boston in London territory with loads of time left. They would run the ball a couple of times to try and burn some of the clock and pick up another first down. They would be setting up for a 3rd run in a row, but Braddock noticed a slight weakness in the defence and called an audible. The ensuing play saw WR Alexei Dubois make a breakup field. Braddock would fake the handoff to RB Kendall Morgan before firing a perfect pass to Dubois. The WR caught the ball and spun off DB Ricardo Salvador, before diving into the endzone for the go-ahead score. The defence would manage to hold off a strong counterattack from Kiernan and the Tigers and the Independents would finally break the playoff win drought against the team they had beaten in their last playoff win.
BOS - 20 WR Alexei Dubois
LDN - 7 QB Riley Kiernan
WEST DIVISION SEMI-FINAL
Louisville Thunder VS. Indiana Victors - Thunder Stadium - September 19, 1965 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy 21ºC | 70ºF
1st Q
QB Lyle Painter looked to make some noise right from the start in his first playoff start since 1959. On the first snap of the game, the team would look to take a shot downfield for WR Ed Edwards, who had a step on DB Oliver Langstrom. However, the ball was a little long and S Johnny Berger flew in to make the interception to give Louisville the ball in Indiana territory. The offence would capitalize on the great field position with RB Rodney Clark scoring on a 14-yard run. Through the rest of the quarter, Indy’s offence would try to recover from the early misfire, while Louisville would add a field goal to their lead.
LOU 10-0 IND
2nd Q
Indiana would finally get on the board in the second quarter with a field goal, but Louisville would quickly counter with another of their own. The Thunder defence continued to keep up their strong play in the first half, however, it was their offence that would make the big mistake. DL Ilya Mikaelov would fly into the backfield unblocked and he would get a hand on the ball as QB Leonidas Dumont pulled the ball back to throw. The ball came loose and the Victors would get on the ball. Painter and the Victors would capitalize on the turnover with TE Emmanuel Hines scoring a touchdown to make it 13-10 heading into the half.
LOU 13-10 IND
3rd Q
Louisville seemed a lot more in control overall in the first half, as the Victors made some significant mistakes in the first half, however, they were not satisfied with only a 3-point lead. QB Leonidas Dumont and the offence were able to turn it up a bit in the 3rd quarter. On their second drive of the half, Dumont would connect with WR Sammy Moss for a solid 22-yard gain, before finding TE Christopher Gist for another 16 to get into Indy territory. From there, RB Rodney Clark would run for another 23, before he got to punch in his second touchdown of the game. Indiana’s defence looked more like swiss cheese on that drive, and they would not get a chance to recover as DB Oliver Langstrom would get the Thunder their second interception of the game only 2 plays into Indiana’s next drive. The Thunder would roll on down to score another touchdown, this time on a short pass to WR Piers Key. Despite the game going from a 3-point game to a 17-point game, Painter was able to recover from the interception and get the Victors into scoring range as the quarter ended.
LOU 27-10 IND
4th Q
The Thunder defence would be able to halt the Victors’ drive and force a field goal, making it a 2-score game once again. The Victors’ drive seemed to be great for giving their defence a rest as they looked stronger in the 4th. They would be able to force the Thunder to a 2 and out on back-to-back drives early on in the quarter. The offence continued to pick up steam as they marched into the redzone once again. Despite his early interception on a dangerous throw to WR Ed Edwards, Painter would not be scared to throw to his favourite target. Edwards would make a stellar catch in the endzone with DB Oliver Langstrom on him to cut the lead to just 7. The Victors would continue to make several pushes down the field, but the Thunder defence would stand strong. It would ultimately be LB Scotty Williams that would break the Victors’ back with a forced fumble on RB Cody Barnes that would lead to a Thunder field goal to seal the game. It was a hard-fought effort by the Victors, but they were completely outmatched by the red-hot Thunder who now claim their 7th straight win.
LOU - 24 RB Rodney Clark
IND - 1 QB Lyle Painter
Injury Report
DL Eli McDuff LDN - 3 Weeks
Players of the Week
EDSF: QB Nathaniel Braddock BOS - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 301 Passing Yards
WDSF: S Johnny Berger LOU - 1 Interception, 8 Tackles, 2 Passes Deflected.
1965 Division Finals Preview
EAST DIVISION FINAL - Long Island Raiders VS. Boston Independents
Head-to-Head: W3 - BOS 16-10 LI
The Raiders’ record-breaking defence will certainly be a major factor in the matchup between Long Island and Boston. Boston was able to get past them in the week 3 game, which will be encouraging for Braddock and the Independents. The defence will still remain to be a tough battle, but it could come down to Boston’s own defence who had quite the lapse in the second half this week. If they struggle again, RB Dareion Fields will certainly make them pay and could steal the game for Long Island. I like the chances the Raiders have so I am take the home squad.
My Pick: Raiders
WEST DIVISION FINAL - Toronto Steelheads VS. Louisville Thunder
Head-to-Head: W7 - LOU 20-13 TOR OT
Louisville took care of Indiana fairly easily, but it will not be the same story as they head into Toronto. The Steelheads may not have a lot of playoff experience behind them in the NAAF, but they have loads from the OFU. They are expected to be more organized than the Victors last week, which will certainly pose a greater challenge to the Thunder. Plus, Louisville will have to manage a loud and passionate crowd in Toronto that are thrilled to see their team in the playoffs at home. As much as I like the red-hot Thunder, I think Toronto will manage to squeak out a win like they have all season.
My Pick: Steelheads
1965 Division Finals
EAST DIVISION FINAL
Long Island Raiders VS. Boston Independents - Long Island Stadium - September 26, 1965 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy 19ºC | 67ºF
1st Q
To no surprise, the East Division final was very defensive early. After the first 4 drives of the game, there were no first downs, and a net -4 yards of offence combined between the teams. The offences did start to pick it up, but the opening frame would remain quite slow with both defences punishing the other offence.
LI 0-0 BOS
2nd Q
Offence finally found its place in the game when RB Dareion Fields of the Raiders broke loose for a 38-yard run that would set up K Henderson Schumacher for a field goal and the 3-0 lead. The run would swing the momentum heavily in the favour of the Raiders as their defence would come through with a turnover on the next drive. LB William Washington II would punch it out of RB Kendall Morgan’s arms to cause the fumble and give the Raiders another chance to score. Schumacher would nail his second field goal to head into the half up 6-0.
LI 6-0 BOS
3rd Q
Boston would certainly need a spark in the second half as they only managed 62 yards of offence in the first half. They would get it on the opening kickoff as rookie RB Tresean Jones was able to return the ball into Raiders’ territory. The play would give Boston a great opportunity to which they would turn into a field goal to cut the lead in half. While the momentum seemed to shift, the Raiders were able to counter the Boston attack with a strong drive of their own. QB Stanley Troyer would look to the air and would connect with WR Casey Coleman who would scramble for a 45-yard gain. Then Dareion Fields would continue to push the ball down into the redzone. Eventually, Fields would escape the Boston defence and get into the endzone to make it 13-3 heading into the final frame.
LI 13-3 BOS
4th Q
It had certainly been a frustrating game for QB Nathaniel Braddock and the Independents, but he was not going to be taken down so easily. In the fourth, Boston’s offence finally started to click. Braddock was starting to find holes in the defence and RB Kendall Morgan was having more success on the ground. After a successful drive that finally saw Boston get into the redzone, Braddock would dump a pass off to WR Alexei Dubois, who would get a block from WR Chester Bennett en route to the endzone to cut the lead back down to just 3. The Raiders’ defence would tighten up following the Boston drive, but the Independents managed to keep rolling and would be challenging for a score late in the quarter. Braddock would need to convert a 3rd and 3 to keep the late drive alive, and the QB would connect with WR Chester Bennett to get it. He would then set up K Johnnie Berg to kick a field goal to tie the game. The pressure would be immense for Berg, but the veteran kicker nailed the kick to tie the game. Both teams would shut the other down to send the game to overtime.
LI 13-13 BOS
Overtime
The extra frame remained much like the rest of the game went. Both defences were able to shut the other team down. After 9 minutes of back and forth punts, Long Island’s defence would be the one to make the difference. Braddock would look to make a play downfield, but his throw was a little slightly knocked off course by DL Vernon Spears. The pass intended for WR Evan Clanton would flutter and DB Rutherford Winters would jump in front to grab the interception. The Raiders' offence would not be able to get to the endzone, but K Henderson Schumacher would easily knock down a field goal to give them the 3-point lead. Braddock would do his best to make some more late-game heroics, but the Raiders defence would not allow any more ground and would hold on to make it to back-to-back McCallister Cups.
LI - 28 DB Rutherford Winters
BOS - 13 QB Nathaniel Braddock
WEST DIVISION FINAL
Toronto Steelheads VS. Louisville Thunder - Anderson Stadium - September 26, 1965 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy 6ºC | 43ºF
1st Q
The crowd in Toronto was electrifying ahead of their first home playoff game in the NAAF. It certainly made it tough on the Thunder offence who were struggling with communication. The Steelheads’ defence was able to stall them out early while the offence was able to give them an early 3-0 lead on a K Bob Randall field goal. The slow start did not deter the Thunder as they would make some adjustments and with some different communication, techniques would start getting the offence rolling. QB Leonidas Dumont would make a couple of strong passes leading to get them down to the 32 before K Frank Hughes would tie the game up.
TOR 3-3 LOU
2nd Q
The Thunder continued to roll on offence early in the second quarter. They would get down into the redzone before RB Rodney Clark was able to break through the Toronto defence and get into the endzone for the 3-10 lead. The Steelheads woke up a bit after the 10-point swing in the game. QB Todd Baker was struggling through the air with Louisville’s secondary being able to turn back any attempt downfield. RB Max Tracy would be looked upon to start moving the offence. He did well to start getting them back into field goal range to cut into the Thunder lead, but soon enough the Thunder were starting to bottleneck the line and slow down Tracy as well. Louisville would add another field goal of their own to take a 7-point lead into the break.
TOR 6-13 LOU
3rd Q
It was a disappointing first half for the Steelheads, which was taking the crowd out of the game. Louisville fed off of the anxious crowd and continued to roll on and create a bigger gap. The defence would come up with a big interception from DB Oliver Langstrom, which would lead to another Thunder touchdown from RB Rodney Clark. Down by 14, the Steelheads would finally make some significant adjustments to try and claw their way back into the game. More runs from RB Max Tracy and RB Tommy Allen was the main change and it ended up working. The two were able to pick up 65 yards combined on the next drive. Tracy would get the last touch and would find the endzone to cut the lead back down to 7 heading into the final quarter.
TOR 13-20 LOU
4th Q
Toronto’s march continued early in the second, but the Thunder front 7 were starting to push back against the run. They only managed a field goal on their next drive to cut the lead to 4. The Thunder offence was also starting to see some struggles with Toronto’s front 7 holding off RB Rodney Clark more than they had earlier in the contest. The game was stuck at 16-20 for a few drives before finally QB Leonidas Dumont was able to connect with WR Piers Key to get the team into scoring range. They got down inside the 10 before Toronto would try to stall them. However, after a stop on 1st down, Dumont would find his TE Christopher Gist open for a touchdown to extend Louisville’s lead to 11. Toronto was certainly feeling down after the score, but they did not give in. QB Todd Baker would lead an excellent drive down the field. Making tough throws that somehow got through the Thunder secondary. As they approached deep Thunder territory, Baker’s luck had run out and he would fly a little too close to the sun and a shot at WR Edmund Landry would land in the arms of DB Oliver Langstrom for the DB’s second interception of the game. The play killed any hopes for the Steelheads as the Thunder would hold on to win and send themselves to the McCallister Cup for the second time in team history and give LB Scotty Williams a final shot at the cup.
LOU - 4 QB Leonidas Dumont
Injury Report
OL Stanley Witt BOS - 3 Weeks
LB Aristofane Zuccaro BOS - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
EDF: LB William Washington II LI - 12 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble
WDF: DB Oliver Langstrom LOU - 2 Interceptions, 2 Passes Deflected, 4 Tackles
47th McCallister Cup Preview
Long Island Raiders VS Louisville Thunder
Head-to-Head: W2 - LOU 9-32 LI
Defence seems to be the key to success this season as both teams in the final have been winning games from that side of the ball. The Raiders’ historic defence had been shutting down offences left and right, while the Thunder secondary has continuously stolen the ball and the game. IT should be a very defensive battle between these two teams however, the advantage may be ever so slightly in the Raiders’ favour. The team has a stronger all-around defence, as well as having a great run-game which the Thunder have struggled against. Louisville will certainly not go down easy as they are rolling in on 8 straight victories. In the end, the advantage of the Raiders seems to be the difference and they should come through with a win in this one.
My Pick: Raiders
*Also Stanley Troyer joins just Jean Matieau, Larry Larson, and Riley Kiernan as the only 4 QBs to reach back-to-back McCallister Cups.*
