Outlaws Survive the Storm

Richmond, VA: For a span of fourteen regular season games and three rounds of playoff action, two teams fought to make their way to the IFL championship game. The United Bowl is the premier championship game in indoor football and two teams showcased why on Saturday night. The city of Billings in Montana was the backdrop for what proved to be a memorable night between the United and Intense Conference champions.

The Billings Outlaws (14-4) have endured quite a bit in their efforts to reach post-season glory. Their home arena was damaged by a tornado and all efforts were made to make a suitable replacement facility in a short amount of time. Battling through the playoffs on location at a converted practice facility, the Outlaws never once quit on themselves or their fans. They made their way to the United Bowl where a different storm looked to cause havoc.

The Sioux Falls Storm (16-2) held up their end of the playoff bargain. Lead by QB Terrance Bryant, the Storm had an offensive downpour on opponents throughout the regular season and playoffs. They rolled into Billings as serious contenders for the United Bowl crown.

The Storm would get on the board first as the game began. Terrance Bryant threw a strike to WR James Terry in the first quarter. The Outlaws would battle from there. KR Tim Brown of the Outlaws tied the game when he returned a kick 45-yards for the score. Brown would impress many on the night by being all over the field. On returns, Brown managed 65 yards and a touchdown. As always, his game would go well beyond that. Brown had 47 yards on eight receptions with a touchdown and picked up 14 yards and a touchdown on six rushes. Many might have picked Brown for a possible MVP of the game.

The second quarter saw more along the lines of what was expected. The two teams had a back and fourth affair with Billings leading 28-27 at halftime. While the Storm would strike back, their ability to keep the Outlaws down eventually blew over. The Outlaws roped themselves a 43-34 finish and for the second year in a row, became United Bowl Champions.

The MVP of the game proved to be the man who best kept his team in the game. Outlaws QB Chris Dixon made every effort count in his team's momentous victory. Despite being picked off twice, Dixon never faltered. He went 17 for 25 on his passing attempts for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps his biggest accomplishment was within the final minutes of the game. Deep in their own territory, Dixon broke off a run that got the Outlaws a first down and wiped away any chances of the Storm getting the ball back for late game heroics.

While Sioux Falls QB Terrance Bryant performed admirably with 139 yards and a touchdown, he could not match the versatile Dixon. The Outlaws quarterback also proved to be a force on the running game. Dixon brought in two touchdowns himself and 50 yards rushing on 13 carries. His mobility and ability to drive his team down the field when they needed him most proved to be the biggest asset of the game.

Sioux Falls came close several times during the game to put it away. James Terry had several big scoring moments to put up points for Sioux Falls. Terry had 55 yards and a touchdown on five receptions as well as 39 yards and two touchdowns on twelve rushes. Despite the big effort, he and the rest of the Sioux Falls team had to watch on, as the Outlaws were the team that got to hoist the United Bowl trophy in celebratory fashion.

The Outlaws will now go into the offseason looking forward to defending their championship in 2011. While repairs will be done to their home arena, they can take solace knowing that when things looked bleak, they and their fans rallied to become champions. For Sioux Falls, the Storm performed admirably. They will go into 2011 still heavy favorites to return to the United Bowl next year. With a league that is ever expanding and providing constant competition, nothing is ever a given. So until next season, the Billings Outlaws will savor tonight, knowing they will be defending their title sooner rather than later.

The Indoor Football League was created in 2008 from a merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football Association. It consists of 25 teams located across the United States from Alaska to Washington D.C. For more information about all things IFL log on to www.GoIFL.com or contact Jeremy Hirsch, IFL Communications Department, at the league office, (804) 643-7277.

Richmond, VA: The Indoor Football League is proud to announce the 2010 United Bowl Vidswap.com Players of the Week. The United Bowl is the premier championship game in indoor football. With the Intense and United Conference champions clashing, play on the grid-iron was at its highest point. All the efforts over the fourteen game regular season and each round of the playoffs culminate to separate who has the true heart of a champion. Each week the IFL selects three players, one from each phase of the game, offense, defense, and specials teams, whose play on the field stood out among the rest of the competition. The following players key performance snagged them the privilege as a team to call themselves United Bowl Champions. However, their individual efforts are also acknowledged as they are named the 2010 IFL United Bowl Vidswap.com Players of the Week.

Offensive Player of the Week: QB Chris Dixon, Billings Outlaws

Chris Dixon is well on his way to becoming one of the most decorated quarterbacks the league has seen. Aside from being this week's offensive player of the week, Dixon received the honor of being the United Bowl MVP for his ability to keep driving his team down the field for scores and adding a huge run at the end of the game that sealed a 43-34 win for the Outlaws over the Sioux Falls Storm. In his efforts to repeat as United Bowl champions, Dixon went 17 for 25 on his passing attempts for 153 yards and two touchdowns. The versatile QB also had his ground game working. Dixon managed 50 yards and two touchdowns on 13 rushes to help get his team crowned United Bowl champions for the second year in a row.

Defensive Player of the Week: DL Tyrell Herndon, Billings Outlaws

While much focus can be placed on Billings offensive endeavors, their defense should never be overlooked. DL Tyrell Herndon proved during the United Bowl how much of a physical presence the Outlaws defense brings. Herndon had 5.5 tackles during the United Bowl, 2.5 of which were for a loss. Adding to the Outlaws defensive dominance, Herndon also recorded a sack and forced a fumble to keep the Storm threat at a downgraded level. His ability to help keep the Storm from striking was a primary factor in aiding the Outlaws 43-34 victory.

Special Teams Player of the Week: KR Tim Brown, Billings Outlaws

There were several possibilities when naming the potential United Bowl MVP and if the award was not bestowed on Chris Dixon, you can bet Tim Brown would have been the next likely candidate. Brown capped off his remarkable playoff run by once again bringing his abilities to almost every facet of the offense. On his first kick-return, he managed to bring the ball back for a touchdown, which was one of his two runs that culminated in 64 total yards. Brown once again also contributed to the passing and running attacks. Brown had a touchdown and 47 yards on eight receptions while also posting a touchdown and 14 yards on six carries. Brown was truly offensive dynamite that helped catapult Billings over the Storm in the 43-34 win.

VidSwap.com provides numerous services for coaches, players, agents, teams, and leagues. These services include: online game exchange for scouting opponents, distribution of videos to coaches, players, agents, and scouts, game analysis, and player profile and highlight video creation for roster pages and easy recruiting.

The Indoor Football League was created in 2008 from a merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football Association. It consists of 25 teams located across the United States from Alaska to Washington D.C. The season kicked off Friday February 26th and will conclude with the United Bowl on Saturday July 17th. For more information about all things IFL log on to www.GoIFL.com or contact Jeremy Hirsch, IFL Communications Department, at the league office, (804) 643-7277.

Richmond, VA: The four final teams were left in contention for the right to complete their season long mission. Enduring an exciting season of football and tough playoff match-ups, the Arkansas Diamonds, Billings Outlaws, Wichita Wild, and Sioux Falls Storm were all that remained in the quest for post season glory. Now the final two slots are set in stone and the battle for IFL supremacy is marked for the United Bowl. The two championship wars were waged. With either game being Game of the Week quality, two tight finishes gave us the United and Intense Conference representatives for what will shape up to be quite the grid-iron grind to be the sole survivor and lay claim to the title of IFL United Bowl champion.

The IFL Game of the Week saw the defending United Bowl champion Billings Outlaws (15-2) one step away from defending their crown on the biggest stage of them all. The Outlaws hosted the sharp Arkansas Diamonds (13-4). The contest was shaped up to be a slugfest and did not disappoint.

The Outlaws started the scoring early by taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. From there, the Outlaws were able to turn in a high gear performance. Coming off a Player of the Week performance for his offensive efforts, Diamonds QB Brian Jones did what he could to help move the Arkansas offense. Jones was able to connect on 49% of his passes for 197 yards and four touchdowns. His undoing however would be the three interceptions he threw. Jones did make some amends on the ground, rushing in for a touchdown to help his own cause. However, Jones efforts were in vein as the Diamonds cracked under the playoff pressure to the Outlaws by a 53-42 finish. Billings proved why they were the defending United Bowl champions with an impressive offensive showcase. Last week's Special Teams Player of the Week Tim Brown was at it again against Arkansas. Brown only returned one kick this game, good for a 19 yard return, but once again contributed all over offensive schemes. Rushing, Brown picked up 57 yards on 11 carries. The versatile player also found himself on the receiving end of two Chris Dixon touchdowns passes. QB Chris Dixon also proved why he is an elite quarterback. Dixon was 19 for 25 on his passing attempts, good for 191 yards and a staggering 8 touchdowns. The main target for Dixon as far as end-zone scores are concerned was WR James Walton. The talented wide receiver came down with four of the eight Dixon passes to the end-zone. Walton had a 76 yard total for the contest off of five receptions. The United Bowl will await Billings for the second year straight. The Outlaws will defend their championship at home against the Sioux Falls Storm.

Not to be out done, the United Conference championship also proved to be a high scoring affair. The Sioux Falls Storm (14-3) played host to the Wichita Wild (11-6). Both of these teams have had an impressive stretch throughout the playoffs, but as the saying goes, there can be only one. For the second consecutive season, the Wichita Wild failed by one game to make it to the United Bowl. The Wild were hit hard by the Storm with a 52-34 final score. The Wild kept things close in the first half, only losing by a touchdown. However, the Storm opened the offensive flood gates in the second half, outscoring Wichita 24-13. While the indoor game typically relies on a strong passing game, Sioux Falls took this one on the ground. Every one of Sioux Falls touchdowns came off of a running play. The Storm had 146 yards on the ground. James Jones had the biggest day on the ground for Sioux Falls. Jones scored three of the Storm's touchdowns and had 67 yards off of 22 carries. Wichita's usual headline rusher, Darius Fudge, was mostly kept ineffective by the Sioux Falls defense. Fudge only had one touchdown and 10 yards off of nine carries. Wild quarterback Dixie Wooten had what looked to be a promising game. Wooten went 17 for 32, compiling 233 yards and four touchdowns. All of this however could not match-up with the Storms defensive front. Sioux Falls racked up an interception, two fumble recoveries, two sacks, and five tackles for loss. Sioux Falls will now get to play on the biggest stage in indoor football, the United Bowl. Sioux Falls will meet the Outlaws in Billings on Saturday to determine the United Bowl champions.

The Conference Finals Vidswap.com IFL Players of the Week will be announced on Wednesday. The IFL Post Season run ends on a spectacular note on Saturday, July 17th. The United Bowl will feature the two very best teams of the 2010 IFL season as the Billings Outlaws host the Sioux Falls Storm.

The Indoor Football League was created in 2008 from a merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football Association. It consists of 25 teams located across the United States from Alaska to Washington D.C. For more information about all things IFL log on to www.GoIFL.com or contact Jeremy Hirsch, IFL Communications Department, at the league office, (804)643-7277.

Expansion Team to Begin Play in 2011

Richmond, Virginia: The Indoor Football League (IFL) has officially announced the acceptance of Lehigh Valley expansion franchise. The new Pennsylvania based team is owned by Glenn Clark, while his son Mike will serve as the Team President.

The Clark family is excited about the opportunity to bring IFL football to Pennsylvania.

"We couldn't be more thrilled then to have the Lehigh Valley join the IFL. The excitement and enthusiasm that we have already received, in the short time since our induction into the league as an expansion franchise, has our group confident that we will establish a long-lasting brand in the Valley for years to come," states Mike Clark.

IFL Commissioner Tommy Benizio shares in the jubilation of the Clark family. "Expanding the league's presence has always been a goal for the IFL," says Benizio. "We are very excited to bring the IFL into Lehigh Valley and provide top quality football to the fans and community".

Lehigh Valley will begin play for the Indoor Football League for the 2011 season. For more information visit LVIndoorFootball.com or GoIFL.com.

The Indoor Football League was created in 2008 from a merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football Association. It consists of 25 teams located across the United States from Alaska to Washington D.C. For more information about all things IFL log on to www.GoIFL.com or contact Jeremy Hirsch, IFL Communications Department, at the league office, (804)643-7277.

Richmond, VA: Anticipation met realization as the long awaited 2010 IFL post season got underway. Eight games played out over the course of three days which saw several teams play some of their best football when they needed it most. First round action included two top seeds getting knocked off, including one coming in the IFL Game of the Week.

The IFL Game of the Week featured one of the most deep seeded feuds in all of football. The Green Bay Blizzard (10-5) hosted their Central North rivals, the Chicago Slaughter (7-8). While Chicago went 2-1 against the Blizzard during the regular season, the one loss the Slaughter received from Green Bay came just a week ago. The action remained tight for the entirety of the game. With seconds remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter, Green Bay QB Willie Copeland was picked off byChicago's Sam Smith. The ball was then lateralled to DB Dennison Robinson who brought in the winning score. Chicago defeated the three seeded Blizzard by a thrilling 46-39 finish. The Slaughter offense was running on all gears for the game. QB Tavares Woodley was 16-25 on his passing attempts, good for 217 yards and four TD passes. "Big Play" Reggie Grey lived up to his moniker as the receiver had three touchdowns and 114 yard off of six receptions. The eight seeded Slaughter will try to play the role of giant killer again when they travel to Sioux Falls for a conference semi-final game against the Storm.

Despite getting out to an early 10-0 lead, the Blooming Extreme (9-6) could not keep down the Wichita Wild (10-5) in first round playoff action. A complete performance turned in by Wild QB Dixie Wooten saw the Wild claw their way to a 61-48 victory over the Extreme. While throwing a pick in the game, Wooten was still able to throw for 191 yards with two touchdowns. He also demonstrated his running ability by rushing in four touchdowns. Not to be left out of the ground game, Wild RB Darius Fudge also played a prominent part in the Wichita win. Fudge had three touchdowns and 86 yards on 18 carries. While the first half saw a fairly even match-up, Wichita was able to pull away starting late in the third quarter. They would not relinquish the lead from there. Due to a few upsets within the United Conference, Wichita will remain at home for the Conference Semi-Finals as they host a hot Rochester Raiders team next week.

If there ever was a time for the Diamonds (12-3) to shine, the playoffs would certainly be the best time for it. Finding themselves down 14-6 early in the first quarter, the Corpus Christi Hammerheads (6-9) could never really find their rhythm against an Arkansas team that was an offensive machine. Corpus Christi only managed 74 total yards of offense, getting eclipsed by the 200 total yards put up by Arkansas. The Diamonds carved out a 44-29 victory in the opening round of the playoffs. Arkansas will hope to continue on their roll as they will now face the Venom in Amarillo when the Intense Conference Semi-Finals get underway.

The sole Sunday game featured the Tri-Cities Fever (7-8) trying to seek retribution against a Billings Outlaws (13-2) team that handed them a loss in the final week of the season. Jumping out to an early 13-0 lead, the defending United Bowl Champions seemed to have the game well enough in hand. Fever QB Houston Lillard did more than his fair share to keep Tri-Cities in the game. The Fever quarterback was 21 for 34 on his passing attempts, netting him 206 yards and three touchdowns. However the offensive explosion the Outlaws received from their quarterback would be more than enough to pull away with the 54-45 win. Chris Dixon went 15 for 20 on his day for 162 yards and five touchdown passes. However, his rushing efforts would prove to be a sticking point for Billings. On eighteen attempts,Dixon ran 134 yards and also came away with a rushing touchdown. This versatility proved too much for the Fever to contain. The Outlaws receiving duo of James Walton and Carl Sims also came up big for Billings. Walton had three catches in the end-zone while Sims came away with two TDs and 72 yards on the day. The defending champs will host again next week when they take on San Angelo in the Conference Semi-Finals.

One of the biggest United Conference rivalries found its way to the playoffs when the second seed Sioux Falls Storm (12-3) played host to their Central West rivals, the Omaha Beef (9-6). While Beef looked hot in the second half of the regular season, they could not keep up the momentum against the Central West champions.Sioux Falls surged past Omaha by a 42-23 final. Omaha had started on the scoreboard early with two Shane Longest field goals to give them an early 6-0 lead heading into the second quarter. Three straight scoring drives by the Storm would put them back in the game with a 21-6 lead. It was all downhill from there forOmaha. While Beef QB Ben Sankey tried to keep his offense moving with a dominating passing game in which he accounted for 236 yards and two touchdowns on 30 completions, Sankey fell victim to the Storm defense. Sioux Falls picked off Sankey three times during the game, the last of which resulted in a Brian McIntire touchdown to cap off the game. Sioux Falls will continue their home field advantage in the Conference Semi-Finals when they host a surprising Chicago Slaughter team.

The Intense Conference's number two seed was also looking for a first round victory as the Amarillo Venom (12-3) took on the visiting West Texas Roughnecks (7-8). While West Texas did get on the board first with a field goal to open the first quarter, they could never maintain momentum and ended up getting snake bitten by a 56-36 loss to Amarillo. The Amarillo offensive flurry included a second quarter where they scored 21 straight points. Odessa's QB Tommy Jones did all he could to keep his team in the game. Jones did throw for 211 yards with four touchdowns, but did give up an interception. His Amarillo counterpart Julian Reese had four touchdowns and only 137 yards passing. The difference maker seemed to be Amarillo's stellar ground game. While West Texas only had 18 yards on the ground, the Venom slithered through with 108 rushing yards. Amarillo will remain in wait as they will be coiled and looking to strike again when Arkansas comes into town for the Conference Semi-Finals.

Only one team beat Richmond in the regular season. The Rochester Raiders looked to accomplish the improbable one more time. Under all the pressure, Rochester(10-5) was able to once again defeat Richmond (12-2) in a close 26-24 contest that saw the Revolution only manage three points in the fourth quarter of the game. Quarterbacks Bryan Randall and Perry Patterson looked to once again out duel each other for the fifth time in 2010. Both men came away with similar statistics in the passing column. Richmond's Randall went 14 for 23 on his completions for 162 yards and three touchdowns. The Raiders Perry Patterson matched him fairly equally by completing 13 of his 27 attempts for one touchdown and 140 yards. With Randall known as quite the mobile quarterback, the QB ran for 23 yards, but none of which for a score. Patterson countered by rushing for 24 yards and coming up with a touchdown. The low scoring game would be decided just over three minutes on the clock when Rochester kicker Adam Lanctot blasted one between the uprights to secure the Raider victory. Rochester hopes to keep their playoff run alive in the Conference Semi-finals when they travel to Wichita for the rights to go to the Conference Championship game.

In the final first round game, the Fairbanks Grizzlies (9-6) traveled quite the distance to head to Texas as they looked to end San Angelo's (11-4) playoff run. Despite a close first half and an offensive onslaught in the fourth quarter, it would be Fairbanks who saw their playoff hopes put into hibernation with a 45-35 San Angelovictory. The game saw a break out performance by the IFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Derrick Ross. The running back managed three touchdowns and 86 yards off of 19 carries to help propel his team into the next round of the playoffs. Fairbanks could not match the Stampede Express ground game, having only 5 total rushing yards for the game in comparison to 102 yards by San Angelo. Grizzlies QB Justin Rummell tried to compensate with a tremendous passing game. TheFairbanks quarterback had 186 yards and three touchdown passes for the game. However, Stampede Express QB Dustin Almond more than matched him with three touchdowns and 172 yards. Overall it was a tight game with the Express capitalizing on a strong ground game to advance. Derrick Ross will hope to put another strong showing when San Angelo travels to Billings to try and knock off the defending United Bowl champions.

The First Round Vidswap.com IFL Players of the Week will be announced on Wednesday. The IFL Post Season will continue with the IFL Conference Semi-Finals featuring four Semi-Final games.

The Indoor Football League was created in 2008 from a merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football Association. It consists of 25 teams located across the United States from Alaska to Washington D.C. For more information about all things IFL log on to www.GoIFL.com or contact Jeremy Hirsch, IFL Communications Department, at the league office, (804)643-7277.

First Round:

United Conference

(1)    Richmond vs. (6) Rochester, Monday June 28, 7:00 PM

(2)    Sioux Falls vs. (5) Omaha , Saturday June 26, 7:05 PM

(3)    Green Bay vs. (8) Chicago, Saturday June 26, 7:05 PM

(4)    Wichita vs. (7) Bloomington, Saturday June 26, 7:05 PM

Home teams in Bold

Intense Conference

(1)    Billings vs. (6) Tri-Cities, TBD (Tornado damage to arena)

(2)    Amarillo vs. (7) West Texas, Monday June 28, 7:00 PM

(3)    Arkansas vs. (8) Corpus Christi, Saturday June 26, 7:05 PM

(4)    San Angelo vs. (5) Fairbanks, Monday June 28, 7:05 PM

Home teams in Bold