Eastern Conference Championship

New Jerseys Tangle up Homes

Mobile thought they'd turned the tables from their playoff game with Maryland last week, but it turned out the roles were reversed, all too well. The Homes used grinding offense for long possessions and still on defense muzzled the New Jersey offense, only to have it turned on them in then end, even down to crucial 4th down plays. Just as Mobile blocked a Maryland punt to set up the winning TD, the Homes this time botched a punt late in the game that gave the ball to the New Jerseys in their own territory, and after a worse error, a 15-yard personal foul committed by the Homes on defense, set up the winning field goal.

For 3 1/2 quarters, Mobile dominated. Although they couldn't stop all-everything TE Bud Ugly, they did as others, Amityville and Columbus, had done in keeping the New Jerseys out of the end zone. And also limiting their possession. Mobile opened the game with a 15-play, 81-yard drive that consumed half the 1st quarter, QB Jethro Ittaway spreading the pass around to his marquee WR Guy Nicologi, RB Torpedo Lovecraft, and even WRs off the bench, Mel Fraud and Bowie O'Bowie. RB Everett DeMall capped the effort with a 1-yard plunge for the TD. The Homes squelched a long New Jerseys drive at Mobile's 11-yard line, forcing the New Jerseys to settle for a field goal. The Homes struck right after the FG with a drive that included a 21-yard pass to Nicologi and a 9-yard run by Ittaway to score. They then forced a three-and-out and got a field goal of their own to stretch their lead. The Homes had their best defensive stand when, after letting the New Jerseys drive to their own 4, they then held on three plays, all of them passes -- the New Jerseys were trying to use Ugly to force a play -- to force another field goal, and led 17-3 at the half.

The third quarter fell into a complete defensive deadlock, with only two first downs made, other than one on a penalty. This suited Mobile, holding an 11-point lead and stealing time from the potent New Jerseys offense. But it came. In the 4th quarter, the New Jerseys revived their blitzkrieg with all their weapons, as QB Upton O'Good hit Ugly on a 24-yard pass play, WR Holden DeBagg for an 18-yard gain, RB Hyam D. Wahlroos had a 9-yard run, RB Juan Moorehead carried for 2, the O'Good, not to be foiled this time, beat the Mobile coverage by running it in himself from 22 yards out. The New Jerseys forced a three-and-out and added their own field goal, after a 27-yard strike from O'Good to Ugly, to pull within a point, 17-16.

The New Jerseys then tried an onsides kicked, but failed, giving the possession at the Mobile 43, more of risk because there were still some 4 minutes remaining. Mobile tried three consecutive pass plays, not that unusual because of their play-action offense operated by Ittaway, and because they'd netted 31 yards rushing in the game. The New Jerseys forced three straight incompletions. Then came the cruel twist. The snap intended for the punt play was botched, the Homes tried to improvise a pass play, which also fell incomplete, and the New Jerseys had the ball right there, at the Mobile 43, after all. Two plays later came the personal foul, moving the ball to the Mobile 28, and after three incomplete passes of their own, the New Jerseys brought on K Franco File for the 45-yard field goal to win.

Western Conference Championship

Jacks Trip up Bunch

After all four playoff games a week ago were thrillers, it was hard to expect the law of averages would allow more. The Monterey Jacks, the team with the best record in the league, jumped on the Iowa Bunch right off, scoring on their first two possessions in th first quarter, then their defense wrapped up the Iowa offense and they made the rest of the game like a snake eating its prey, exciting if that's the sort of pace you're into.

While Iowa had a great first drive of their own, in between those two Jack scores, it was killed by a great Monterey defensive play, an interception in the endzone. The Bunch generated very little offense after that, getting a field goal late in the 3rd quarter, that set up on a wild sequence when Iowa fumbled to Monterey, then intercepted the Jacks on the next play, then on their next play, Iowa QB Tab Lloyd completed a 45-yard pass play to WR Sawyer Hiney. That was the big play of the game for the Bunch, and the field goal was all they got from it. Iowa played well defensively against Monterey, not allow big guns RB Buster Hymen and WR Ira Fuse, or even QB Heller Highwater to have the kind of game they did against Wichita last week or like many impressive performances in the regular season.

Monterey added an insurance TD in the 4th, on a 1-yard run by RB Tex Avvy. The big play of that drive was a 22-yard pass to WR Rufus Sonfire. Sonfire, considered the supporting player for star WR Fuse, scored on Monterey's first drive on a 28-yard run on a reverse. The Jacks continued to show in the playoffs their penchant for, and ability to, switch off players from the bench, frequently and apparently as a tactic, so while they have league-class players like Hymen and Fuse, they also threw more at Iowa: RB Bud O'Gold who had a 19-yard run on opening drive; former starter and veteran WR Jacques Tactic who had a 28-yard catch on their second drive; backup TE Dave Gonnen-Dunnet who had the 9-yard TD catch on the second drive; even 3rd-string TE Will Knott who carried the ball on a 4-yard rush in the 3rd quarter; WR Miles von Nowerr who tried a reverse in the 3rd, though he got only a yard. And all this produced the unlikely hero in Sonfire.

Monterey QB Highwater threw for 197 yards and an interception, and rushed for 9 yards. Hymen was held to 68 yards, rushing, Fuse to just 4 catches for 48 yards. The Jacks similarly minimized the damage from Bunch's big weapons: QB Tab Lloyd just 189 yards passing; RB Orson DeWater 23 yards rushing; All-West WR Hollis Assaway 73 yards on 7 catches. Like Sonfire, Iowa's Hiney, second fiddle to Assaway, ended up with the bigger game.

Monterey got a measure of revenge for the 2007 Western final, when Iowa won 13-7 to prevent the Jacks from a second consecutive Hyperbowl appearance. The Jacks would have been making their attempt at a 5th Hyperbowl along with the back-to-back then. But now at least they're back for that try at the 5th. No other team has won 4 Hyperbowls.