Minor League Football News Hall of Fame Announcements!!

The 5^th Annual Minor League Football Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held Friday, December 5^th at 7:00pm in Mesquite, Nevada’s Oasis Hotel and Casino.  The event is being moved to Friday night to accommodate more guests who otherwise would not make it on Thursday night, or earlier in the week.

List of Events

·         December 5, 2008 – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm – Seminars and Symposiums led by Minor League Football Team Owners and Coaches to discuss coaching trends, offensive and defensive X’s and O’s and business practices for team owners and league administrators.

In conjunction with the Seminars and Symposium schedule there will be vendors from the football world demonstrating their products at booths located around the event center.  Meet with these representatives to obtain information on football software, hardware, technological advances, uniforms, equipment, etc.  Start building your business contacts with these vendors to benefit your team in the current upcoming seasons.

·         December 5, 2008 – 6:00pm to 7:00pm – Enjoy mingling at our no-host pre-Banquet Mixer.  Meet Hall of Famers from 2004 through 2007 as well as those newly inducted members of the Minor League Football Hall of Fame.

·         December 5, 2008 – 7:00pm to 11:00pm – The Big Event, Fifth Annual Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.  This year’s event will be MC’d by a very well known voice in the world of Professional Football.  We have also arranged for a surprise visitor to give a key note address to describe what professional football has meant to him, and what the sport has inspired in so many others who have participated for such a large part of their lives.

·         December 6, 2008 – Three Big Games on Tap at Mesquite’s Virgin Valley High School. 

o   Game One – 1:00pm – Minor League Football’s own All-Stars versus Team Canada

o   Game Two – 4:00pm – Team USA Football versus Great Britain Knights

o   Game Three – 7:00pm – Far Western Football Association Regional Championship (tbd)

Rooms at the Oasis are available at $24.95 per night from Monday through Thursday and $34.95 Friday through Sunday.  A link will be provided on this website that allows you to make your reservation online.  Book early!  The cost of the banquet, which includes a buffet dinner, is $45 per person.

Minor League Football News and Hall of Fame merchandise will be available at the Vendors Booths as well as at the Banquet including Trophy’s, Plaque’s and All American Awards.  A photographer will be available to capture the moments that are important to you.

A growing list of 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees will be announced next week!

We hope to see you all in Mesquite, Nevada for the Fifth Annual Minor League Football Hall of Fame Banquet and Games.  It will be an unforgettable night for everone.  If you have any questions, please contact us at admin@minorleaguefootballnews.com and watch this website for more information.

Minor League Football has released its Top 50 National Rankings for Summer/Fall Leagues that includes games reported through Semi-Pro Football Headquarters for the week ended August 31, 2008.

The Rankings may be viewed by clicking on the related Summer Rankings, along the left side menu of this page.

Special thanks to Joe Hulsebus at Semi-Pro Football Headquarters for providing scores and league standings tables to Minor League Football News. Seme-Pro Football Headquarters can be found at www.semiprofootball.org and is full of information for those interested in the sport of amateur football.

We receive dozens of emails every day questioning how these rankings work and why one team is ranked above another.

Please read the paragraph at the bottom of the rankings for information on how they are done. Please keep in mind, this is a national ranking system and it does not contemplate league standings as a component of the rankings. Remember, also, that a 2nd or 3rd place team in a league who has lost 1 or 2 games may actually rank higher than an undefeated team in first place of the same league.

For those teams who send us corrections to standings, records, points, etc. thank you. However, we cannot change the rankings once they have been posted. If there are corrections to be made, please report those directly to your league,and ask your league to make the correction and submit them to Semi-Pro Football Headquarters to be included in next weeks reporting.

For questions or corrections, please contact MLFN at admin@minorleaguefootballnews.com

Editor
MLFN

Home Team: Carolina Heat - 49
Visiting Team: Jacksonville Raiders - 7
Game Date: August 23, 2008
City and State of Game: Ramsuer, North Carolina

Weather: Hot
Field Conditions: Great

Game Story Line: The Carolina Heat win big over the Jacksonville Raiders 49 - 7 on Saturday. The victory is the second of the season over the Jacksonville Raiders, however this outcome was more decisive than the first.

The HEAT first met the Raiders in 2008 on opening day and came away with a 10 - 6 victory. Saturday nights game was more complete as the HEAT dominated on offense, defense and special teams. The HEAT offense was led by first year Quarterback #6 Markeith Collins who was 8 for 13 with 189 yds and 2 touchdowns. The victory was especially satisfying to Collins who was injured in the first contest of the season versus Jacksonville. Other notable offensive standouts were #5 WR James Glenn with another receiving touchdown (giving him 4 on the season), #47 RB William Edwards with a rushing touchdown and #35 RB Phil Finn with 3 rushing touchdowns on the night.

The Heat Defense was dominant once again as they held Jacksonville to 1 score and scored themselves with a phenomenal 70 yd interception return for touchdown by #7 DB Curt Marshall. Other defensive notables were #92 DL Ken Brown with 13 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery; #75 DL Kerry Greene with 10 tackles a sack and a fumble recovery; and 8 tackles each from #22 DB Tony Cleveland and #19 LB Orrick Quick who also had an interception.

League: Mason Dixon

FLAMES 22 - GRIZZLIES 26 8/24/8 - CFC CHAMPIONS.

The Grizzlies put the finishing touches on an undefeated CFC season as they outlasted the Colorado Springs Flames in a seesaw battle that saw 5 lead changes throughout the game.

From a spectator's standpoint, this had to be one of the best CFC games in years. Two quality teams battling out for 4 quarters.

The Grizziles struck first on K Kevin Van Voris' 42 yard field goal. Grizzlies 3 - Flames 0. The Flames responded a couple of series later with a 40 yard or so drive that ended on a 1 yard TD plunge by QB James Everett. A couple of plays earlier, Everett had taken the ball on a QB keeper around right end for about a 30 yard scamper to the 1 yard line.
A bobbled snap was turned into a successful two point conversion. Flames 8 - Grizzlies 3.

The Grizzlies responded by driving on the next series to the Flames 20 yard line only to have an errant pass picked off at the 3 yard line by Flame LB Donte' Stewart, who returned the interception 95 yards for a score. Flames 14 - Grizzlies 3.

Having been down by 14 points the previous week to the 6 time defending champion Denver Titans, there was not an ounce of panic on the Orange sideline. The Grizz knew what was at stake and began the climb. The Grizzlies offense marched down the field and scored on a 23 yd TD pass from QB Zach Magalei to Ken "Big Play" Williams. With Van Voris' extra point, the Grizz were creeping back into the game. Flames 14 - Grizzles 10.

The Grizz defense turned it up a notch and stuffed the Flames offense again, forcing another punt. After a short punt return, the Grizzlies pushed the ball up the field far enough for Van Voris to attempt a 52 yard field goal at the end of the half. He connected with just a foot or two to spare. Halftime......Flames 14 - Grizzlies 13.

The Grizzlies opened the 2nd half with a kickoff return to midfield by returner Kavin McBride. On the first play from scrimmage, RB Michael "Flash" Jennings squirted around the left end for an 8 yard gain. On the next play, Jennings took the handoff off tackle and sprinted 42 yards untouched for the Grizzlies TD. The two point conversion failed. Grizzlies 19 - Flames 14.

Defense reigned supreme until about 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter when Flames QB Everett finally hit receiver Bobby Purify for a 42 yard catch and run. The Flames converted the 2 point conversion. Flames 22 - Grizzlies 19.

The Grizzlies methodically moved the ball down the field to about the Flames 35 yard line, running the clock down to about 3 minutes. After a couple of penelties, the Grizzlies were pushed back to the Flames 45 yard line. With 4th down staring them in the face, the Grizzlies elected to have Van Voris attempt a 62 yard field goal. The kick fell short at the back of the end zone, caught by the Flames return man. Touchback. Starting at their own 20 yard line and attempting to protect the 3 point lead with only 2 minutes and 20 seconds left, the Flames ran the ball. Stuffed behind the line of scrimmage. Timeout Grizzlies.

On 2nd and 12, Flames QB Everett was sacked behind the line of scrimmage. Two minute warning. On a 3rd and 15 play, the Flames tried to trick the Grizzlies defense with a quick pass to the slot, incomplete. 4th down. The Grizzlies return the ball to about the Flames 45 yard line. Then the Grizz offense cranked it up, marching down to about the Flames 20 yard line with short passes, QB Zach Magalei hooked up one more time with Ken "Big Play" Williams for the final 20 yards. Van Voris' extra point was good. With a little over a minute left, Grizzlies 26 - Flames 22.

Because of an excessive celebration penalty on Williams, the Grizzlies were forced to kickoff from their own 20 yard line. The Grizzlies attempted a high pooch kickoff that was shanked out of bounds. The Flames got the ball back on the Grizzlies 45 yard line with about a minute to go. The Grizzlies defense went into lock down mode and the Flames offense with 4 and out. The Grizzlies took a knee on the last play of the game. FINAL....GRIZZLES 26 - FLAMES 22

The Glens Falls Greenjackets ran away with a 41-8 victory Saturday night at East Field as they improved to 6-1 in NAFL league play. James Deloatch continues to help power the backfield rushing for 91 yards to go along with 2 TDʼs. Backup quarterback Jack Gibbs also ran for 2 TDʼs on 66 yards and John Brennan added 75 yards with a Touchdown. Larry Alberts added a receiving touchdown to aid the victory for the Jackets.

The Greenjackets have a bye over the holiday weekend before division foe Western Mass comes to town for a huge Sept 6th matchup. The Greenjackets are looking to avenge their only league loss this season from an early season contest. The winner of this game will have a stronghold of the division as it comes down to playoffs. September 6th will be our 80th Anniversary alumni night celebration at East Field. The Greenjackets invite any former players and staff to come join us in a celebration and show support as we look to bring back home a division title to Glens Falls. For more information visit www.eteamz.com/greenjacketsfb.