IFL Football

Both the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs had better pay close attention to what transpires on the field this week in their tilt at Kibbutz Ein Hashofet on Saturday, as the two teams will be lining up and doing it all over again in the first round of the Fieldturf IFL playoffs in two weeks.

This match is just practice – the next meeting will be the real deal, and lessons about opponents’ tactics learned now, in the final game of the regular season, could go a long way in dictating which team emerges victorious when it’s all on the line in a win-or-go-home affair in the postseason.

The Underdogs (5-3) come into the game, ironically name-wise, as the clear favorites, having established themselves over the course of the long season as the league’s second-best all-around squad next to Jerusalem. Haifa has matured in all aspects of its game, from basic offensive and defensive fundamentals to more complex strategy and play-calling, and steady improvements have been made almost every week. They come in brimming with confidence, despite having lost their last game, to Big Blue, by a wide margin.

The Pioneers (3-5), as well, enter this contest full of optimism, after securing the final spot in the playoffs with a defensive-minded 8-6 triumph over Tel Aviv their last time out and having won their last two overall. While Hasharon was spanked by Real Housing 36-6 in the clubs’ most recent meeting, they remain emboldened by the knowledge that they can, and have, beat the Underdogs, already having conquered them in convincing fashion early in the season by a score of 28-13.

After the disappearance of all-IFL talent Mike Levy, Dancing Camel spent a couple of frustrating games working their new personnel into the rotation and trying to gel again as a cohesive unit. It seems that they have gotten it all together just in the nick of time and are now poised to make a run at the top teams in the league.

Running back Shmuel O’Neil has found his stride once again and is looking like his early-season self, finding small holes in the defense and moving the chains for crucial first-down conversions. As well, an emerging physical receiving corps, including Ben Gross and Raphael Bloom, have developed a burgeoning chemistry with quarterback Yoni Mayzel and the trio have combined for at least one touchdown in each of the past five games.

Look for the Pioneers to employ a balanced and conservative game-plan, while sprinkling in a number of experimental plays to test out against the Haifa defense. In tandem with their own defensive unit, which has enjoyed some success blanketing opponents’ passing attack of late, they will look to keep the scoring down and sneak away with a close victory.

Real Housing, on the other hand, will be looking to make a strong statement with this game that they are the far superior team to Hasharon and, more aptly, belong in a conversation comparing them to Big Blue than to the lower-tiered clubs.

I anticipate them trying to run up the score through an aggressive blend of a play-action-based aerial assault and by feeding their star running back duo of Niv Medlinger and Leor Subotnik on a healthy array of off-tackle run attempts. It is important for them to get starting quarterback Roey Ziv, who has not seen all that much time taking snaps, experience in pressure situations to see how he will respond before sending him out in upcoming games, which will have much more at stake.

In addition, the Underdogs are still hoping for another reliable receiver option to surface and take some of the load off wide-out Shachar Yeshurun, who has not been himself the past couple of games. Look for Omer Kedmi and/or Roy Rubin to step-up and fill this role to give some variety to a passing game that has become somewhat lackluster in recent weeks.

The attitude that each squad takes away from this weekend will almost certainly set the tone for their next, all-important, square-off. While both sides will be careful not to tip their hand’s too much as to what to foresee in the postseason, the opposite approaches that the teams will take towards this game could provide a very interesting sub-plot to look out for in what, otherwise, should be a game that is more prelude than main event.

The IFL returns next week for the final game of the regular season with a rematch between the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (7-1) and the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres (1-7). The highly-anticipated contest will be played at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem in front of the field’s namesake and New England Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft, who has indicated that he will be bringing a couple of surprise guests. Kickoff will take place at 6:30 p.m. next Thursday evening and a sell-out crowd is expected for what should be a very special event.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com.

The setting may have different, but the result was an old story in Fieldturf IFL action last week.

Tackle football arrived in Modi’in on Thursday night as Israel’s first league kicked off under the city’s new stadium lights with a game between the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres and the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions. The energized local crowd of about 150 witnessed an entertaining match which Big Blue won in convincing fashion by a tally of 40-8 in a game that played much closer than the final score indicates. The game was also attended by special guests Modi’in Deputy Mayor Alex Weinreb and Modi’in Matnas Director Chanan Danziger.

“What a great welcome Modi’in gave the IFL and our players from both teams. The crowd was really excited!” said IFL Commissioner Eric Amkraut, who worked closely with Modi’in officials and community members to bring the game to this new venue. “The enthusiasm of the local fans speaks volumes for the future of the sport in the region.”

Tel Aviv (1-7) fought the first place Lions head-to-head for most of the first half, even jumping out to an 8-0 lead with a pair of early scores. An errant Jerusalem snap late in the first quarter went for a safety for the first points of the game, and that was quickly followed by another six for the Sabres on a touchdown pass to receiver Liran Hovav. After being held off the scoresheet for the last couple of games, Hovav had a strong outing, catching six balls for 85 yards to go along with his TD.

Jerusalem (7-1) was able to bounce back and go into the locker room with a 14-8 lead on a pair of Moshe Horowitz touchdown runs. Horowitz took over the IFL lead in that category with three scoring runs on the day of five, 13 and 15 yards respectively.

The Lions took the momentum and ran with it in the second half, pouring on 26 unanswered points and managing to play prevent defence to stop Tel Aviv in almost every crucial situation. They forced five punts and a missed field goal and turned what had been an early battle for field position into a one-sided affair. The main problem for the Sabres seemed to be their fatigue level, which increased drastically as the game went on with a number of players seeing action on both sides of the ball due to injuries.

Jerusalem quarterback Aryeh Bauman had a rare off game personally, throwing for only 30 yards and two interceptions. However his team more than compensated and allowed Big Blue to cruise to a relatively easy victory even on a day when the air attack was subpar. The Lions also benefited from their usual touchdown by receiver Yoni Lehrer, who has seen the end zone in every game he has played.

Big Blue effectively ran the football at the Sabres’ recently lauded defence by incorporating more single-back sets into the game plan. By using a mixture of double tight end sets and three-receiver formations, they were able to limit the three and four-man looks that Tel Aviv could use to defend the running game. Enjoying sizable contributions from Adam Lemberg and Uri Schiff, in addition to Horowitz, they managed to pile up 173 yards on the ground for the game.

The Big Blue defence not only played an outstanding coverage game, holding the Mike’s Place to single digits for the second straight week and holding them off the board completely in the second half, but also contributed two scores of their own with Michael Amzalag and Ido Ben Dayan each returning picks for TDs. Amzalag had another interception as well on the final play of the game and played a strong game overall, racking up two tackles and three pass break-ups.

The two teams will meet once again this year in the final regular season game on March 6 in Jerusalem in a game that will be attended by new England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and a couple of surprise NFL players. The IFL returns next week with a Saturday game at Kibbutz Ein Hashofet near Haifa. The 12:00 noon kickoff will feature a first round playoff preview between the second-place Real Housing Haifa Underdogs (5-3) and third-place Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers (3-5).

prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and/or recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com.

The Lions (6-1) come into the contest on an emotional high, having clinched first place in their last game over the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs (5-3) and getting a boost of fresh energy with the return of more players from the IL each week. The impact of injuries on any football club cannot be understated, and Big Blue getting back to full strength just as the playoffs are approaching should be a scary image for the rest of teams in the league.

The Sabres (1-6), on the other hand, must be feeling discouraged by this point, having drastically improved many aspects of their game over the past month after the departure of starting quarterback Adi Hakami, yet having nothing to show for their efforts in the win column. They are coming off a pair of tightly-fought, crushing losses to their closest rival, the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers (3-5), by a total combined margin of five points, leaving them looking in from the outside of the playoff picture in this, the IFL’s inaugural season.

Despite the teams’ seeming inequality, judging by their inverse mirroring records, the Lions must be careful not to overlook Mike’s Place, which has the ability to play the type of blanketing, shut-down defense that could disrupt the offensive flow of the game for Big Blue. While the Sabres’ are playing simply for pride, with no chance of qualifying for the post-season, if they are able to force a couple of turnovers in critical situations and take adavantage of the element of surprise that comes with being cast in the position of big underdogs, they may be able to pull of the huge upset.

Moving on to an unrelated issue, I have been getting quite a bit of feedback over the past few weeks regarding my tendency to overlook the defensive stars of the IFL in my weekly recaps and previews of the games and focus on players who have performed well offensively, at the expense of not giving credit to those on the other side of the ball who have been just as responsible for their teams’ success.

In a word (or two) to my critics - you’re right! Looking back at my previous columns, I must concur that I have given short shrift to some of the bright stars, or even total defensive units, of the league for whatever reason, maybe due to the ‘team-first’ nature of defensive football which tends not to focus on the individual or maybe due to my own ignorance and preoccupation with high-scoring offensive performances. In any case, I would like to redeem myself slightly by devoting a couple of paragraphs here to highlight the defensive accomplishments I have seen so far this season in the IFL.

I must say at the outset that, undoubtedly, the defensive football talent in the league far outweighs the offensive profiency being displayed on a weekly basis and that the development of skills and positioning on what may be the less glamerous side of the ball is nothing short of remarkable in such a short period of time, with many players who, as recently as eight months ago, had never been on a football field before in their lives.

On the front lines, Big Blue’s top pass rushing tandem of Avigdor Moore and Asher Meckler have been the league’s most explosive duo. While lacking explosive initial quickness and a top-speed closing burst, Meckler has a knack for getting to the quarterback off the edge by using his athleticism to gain leverage on opposing players. Despite being one of the IFL’s oldest players, Moore’s size, strength, dedication and position flexibility makes him a dominating interior force on the pass rush and many a quarterback’s worst nightmare.

When looking at the packages being employed, we have seen a influx of the 3-4 defense due to the formation’s flexibility of personnel and opportunity for creative zone blitz packages. Middle defenders around the league, from Jerusalem’s Tomer Shacham and Marwan Sima’an to Hasharon’s Yaniv Yaron to Haifa’s Idan Maor and Losha Ivlev, have been successful all year blowing up the oposition’s running game and creating long-yardage situations that have allowed there team to pressure the passer.

Additionally, the league has featured an array of top-notch safeties who have emerged as their teams’ top playmakers. The Lions’ Adam Lemberg, Hasharon’s Mike Levy, Haifa’s Arbel Rom and the Sabres’ Eli Patael are just a few of the difference-makers who have starred in various games this season. Each has the combination of cover skills and blitz ability to be used in multiple ways. This versatility has become a premium and teams will continue to place an added emphasis on finding players with this combination of talent to develop into shutdown defender.

The popularity of the cover two and zone blitz have minimized the need for a classic ’shut down’ corner on most rosters. Both schemes place a premium on pressuring the quarterback and emphasize the importance of pass rush over coverage. This has been one of the key defensive philosophies that has been effective at overpowering blockers at the point of attack and completely disrupting the offensive balance of the opposing team.

What has been most impressive by far for an observer of this upstart league on the defensive side of the ball is the fundamentally sound and ferocious tackling form being exhibited by almost all of the teams. Outstanding instincts, awareness, relentlessness and toughness have been the characteristics that most aptly describe so many of the league’s first-time participants in the sport, and I look forward to seeing the further development of talent and football philosophy in the future.

All eyes have turned towards the upcoming playoffs in the IFL and this week’s game between the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers and the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres could clear up the picture of what match-ups to expect in the postseason…or it can muddle it even more. The teams have split their two games against each other thusfar, most recently a thrilling 24-21 Dancing Camel win just two weeks ago, and this, the rubber match, may ultimately decide who makes the playoffs should both end the regular season with the same record.  The contest will be played at the Yarkon Sports Complex in the Baptist Village near Petah Tikva with kickoff at noon. Looking forward, in a scenario where the teams finish tied at the end of the season, the winner of this game will determine who make the playoffs and who goes home.  If Tel Aviv (1-5) can emerge triumphant they will bring their record to 2-5 while sending Hasharon (2-5) to a 2-6 mark with one game remaining against the Haifa Underdogs (5-3).  Mike’s Place will still have two games left to play, however both will come against the mighty Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (6-1), a daunting task, to say the least, in their hope to pick up an additional victory, or two, on the year. With a win, the Pioneers would clinch the third and final spot in the “Fight for the Israel Bowl” as they would be up by two in the win column and will have taken the season series even in the case of a then-unlikely dead-heat finish with the Sabres. All told, this means that we can anticipate a leave-it-all-on-the-field balls-out battle for gridiron supremacy in what should be an emotional and impassioned game of pigskin on the (almost) frozen tundra of Baptist Village.   With Mike Levy still expected to be out of the lineup, Dancing Camel must continue to run the slight adjustments to their game plan that they have done in recent weeks.  Look for them to keep on calling more isolations and powers between the tackles to get Shmuel O’Neil running downhill.The key for the Tel Aviv defense will be to stuff the box.  The Pioneers average more rushing attempts per game than any other team in the league, so stopping the run will be the Sabres’ top priority. Expect them to use several five-man pressure packages with Josh Klein playing the role of a quasi-linebacker in the middle to keep the running game in check. In response, Hasharon must try and build upon its success in the passing game last time out and feature more three and even four-receiver sets to help the quarterback, likely Yoni Mayzel, run an efficient, ball-control passing game featuring short underneath throws to receivers Ben Gross, Yaniv Yaron and Raphael Bloom. Without their most explosive weapon in Levy, the Pioneers will continue to use this formula throughout their playoff push.As for Mike’s Place, it will have to find a way to get star receiver Liran Hovav more involved than he has been in the past few games, despite the likelihood of him having some form of double coverage directed his way for most of the day. While the Hasharon secondary has played well in recent weeks after struggling as a unit during the early part of the season, Hovav has the ability to create separation with his elusive agility and speed in running routes, and Tel Haviv will have to exploit that advantage at a key skill position.In addition, the Sabres’ offense should be encouraged by the glimpses of the quickness and cutback ability displayed by their running game with backs Daniel Gev and Gabe Kaplinsky. In the absence of Asaf Katz with a separated shoulder, this resurgence comes at a much-needed time, with defenses opting to relentlessly blitz quarterback Roi Yair with more two and three-man pressures. If Tel Aviv can put up the appearance of a viable running game, they will be able to incorporate more play-action passes to alleviate the pressure off Yair in the pocket.Defensively, Dancing Camel will look to stem this strategy with their second-level defenders (linebackers and safeties) making sure they do not over-run their assigned gaps and either allow runners to utilize the over pursuit by attacking soft spots or give time for  the QB to find a open man downfield after a delayed dropback. By having a backside safety flow through the weak side A-gap before chasing the ball, they will be able to defend both the run and the pass more effectively. This is a game that, decidedly, means more for Tel Aviv than it does for Hasharon, as even with a loss they remain in the playoff hunt which is not the case for the Sabres. Looking to avenge a heart-breaking last minute loss at the hands of their opponent two weeks ago, I think that extra motivation will play a role. The prediction here is that Mike’s Place will ride the wings of a Hovav and Amir Benvenisti, who is looking to redeem himself after his defensive gaffe last game, to victory and keep the post-season suspense alive into the final month of the regular season. 

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com.

There is certainly no debate this week over the top team in the Fieldturf IFL. Thursday night’s highly-touted match at Kraft Stadium failed to live up to the pre-game hype as the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions were simply too strong and determined for an over-matched Real Housing Haifa Underdogs squad, riding an inspired performance from both their offense and defense, and not turning over the ball once, en route to a 38-22 victory that clinched first place and a trip to IFL championship game in March.

After a quick strike by Haifa (5-3) put them on the board first with a 6-0 lead, Jerusalem (6-1) went on a 38-2 tear that all but iced the game by the start of the final quarter. While two fourth quarter scores by the Underdogs made the final score respectable, the game was never in doubt for a Big Blue team that played full-throttle football for 48 minutes, focused on avenging their only loss of the season.

Credit the Jerusalem play callers for incorporating more runs to Moshe Horowitz and Adam Lemberg in the opening stages of the game. By running the tandem early on an assortment of draws and quick-hitters, Big Blue was able to exploit the deep drops of the Haifa linebackers and keep them guessing.

Lemberg is beginning to provide Jerusalem with a second running threat needed to handle the exotic looks they will see in the playoffs. Not only did he post his second long touchdown run of the season (the other coming on a punt return), he broke off a couple of long runs where he baffled awaiting tacklers and showed good toughness while running hard between the tackles. After being a minimal contributor on offense for the early part of the season, Lemberg is giving Big Blue another explosive offensive weapon at just the right time.

Despite using a ball-control passing game against the Underdogs, Aryeh Bauman continues to torch secondaries with the semi-deep ball. Bauman’s pair of 24 yard TD passes were the Lions’ 24^th and 25^th completions of more than 20 yards. He had a very workman-like day at the office with an efficient 7-9 for 71 yards and two touchdowns passing, to go along with another score and 51 yards on the ground.

As well, Jerusalem experimented with using receivers Yoni Lehrer and Gai Van Straten on the same side of the field at times to counter the bracket coverage defenses are using to slow the dynamic duo. By pairing the tandem on a side, they are assured of getting one of their top targets single coverage through various combination routes. The subtle adjustment resulted in a TD for each receiver, but the tweak will pay dividends even more towards the playoffs, as teams will focus on stopping Big Blue’s top playmakers with various brackets.

On defense, the Lions continue to bottle up opposing receivers without using tricks or gimmicks. Using their vaunted defensive schemes, Big Blue effectively neutralized receiver Shachar Yeshurun by jamming him at the line, while floating their safeties over the top. With their underneath zone players reading the Haifa QBs’ eyes in the pocket, they were also able to shrink the open windows available over the middle.

As well the Lions blanketed the Haifa passing game with their two-mid defense. Their combination of coverage and pressure allowed them to shrink the passing windows and hold the Underdogs’ offense to minimal yardage. While quarterback Ori Shterenbach finished 6-18 for 95 yards, 3 touchdowns and no turnovers, those numbers look better than he did on a day when he was wildly inconsistent for much of the game.

Curiously, the Underdogs seemed to base their game plan on playing to Big Blue’s weaknesses rather than to their own strengths. The strong, smashmouth running game that has been the defining feature of the offense in their recent winning streak was abandoned for a pass-happy mentality that didn’t produce results until it was too late. For most of the contest the failed to incorporate more slants and quick-outs to take advantage of the open windows available against Jerusalem’s zone blitzes. Leor Subtonik was almost invisible and the running game produced only 89 yards, their lowest output of the season.

On a positive note, Idan Maor is starting to stake his claim on the Haifa’s offensive corps and was one of the bright spots on the day for Real Housing. His ability to generate big plays in both the passing and running game has given the Underdogs’ an added dimension. He scored a long 45 yard catch-and-run touchdown, bouncing off Jerusalem defenders like a pinball and was a whirling dervish on defense all game, compiling seven solo tackles and 3 and a half sacks. With Haifa’s hopes of embarking on a long playoff run, it will need Maor to continue to be a difference maker.

Among the other things Haifa can take away from this crushing loss was their success at putting pressure on the Big Blue quarterback all game, leading to a whopping eight sacks. Also, after going into halftime down 24-8, they managed to regroup and play the Lions to a 14-14 draw in the second half. However, Jerusalem was playing their backups towards the end of the game and much of the Underdogs’ offensive prowess was displayed only when the final outcome of the game was already decided.

The IFL returns this upcoming Friday with an important duel with playoff implications between the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres and the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers at the Yarkon Sports Complex in the Baptist Village near Petah Tikva with kickoff at noon.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.

For the throngs of avid Fieldturf IFL fans out there, this game needs no introduction. The top two teams in the standings, both extremely hungry, bordering on starving, for this victory. Playing for first place. Winner has the inside track to a first round playoff bye with just a couple of games left in the regular season. The biggest, best and most anticipated regular season game in the young history of the league.

Add it all up and the showdown between the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs this Thursday evening at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem could go a long way in deciding the IFL champion in March.

The truth is these are two really good football teams who will go at it playing with a combustible mix of motivation on both sides of the field.

Big Blue (5-1) is coming into this game with added incentive in front of their home fans after getting spanked by the Underdogs in their last meeting, in Haifa, for their only loss of the season. The Lions will benefit from playing at close to full-strength for the first time in more than two months after more than three weeks off to rest a number of nagging injuries. This extra vigor and enthusiasm could tip the balance in their favor in a tightly-fought contest that could go down to the wire.

The Underdogs (5-2), on the other hand, are riding a wave of momentum and confidence that is unprecedented, tearing through teams with apparent ease on their current four game winning streak and clicking on all cylinders both offensively and defensively. Look for this positive energy to play a factor in the early stages of the contest if Haifa can take advantage of the Lions’ rustiness with a quick strike to throw them off their game plan and rattle them at the outset, not allowing them to settle into their groove.

The premise of the Underdogs’ coverage on defense will be to make the Big Blue offense earn their points by limiting big plays. Against a passing game that has the most completions of more than 20 yards (16) in the league, Haifa will test Jerusalem quarterback Aryeh Baumans’ patience by sitting in soft zone coverage and conceding short throws. They are willing to let Bauman pass for more than 200 yards, but they want to make him earn it by limiting his big play opportunities.

To this end, not only will they have to guard against the deep bomb, but they will also have to focus on limiting the Lions’ YAC (yards after catches). Big Blue’s passing game excels partly because of their receivers’ ability to pick up yardage after the catch. The Underdogs must combat this by swarming to the ball and making solid tackles in open space.

The Underdogs should also try and keep Bauman off-balance in the pocket by blending in “two-man” coverage with their two-deep package. “Two-man” uses some of the same principles of standard two-deep coverage, but the underneath players lock up with the receivers in man coverage with two safeties over top. When used in conjunction with two-deep, it clouds the read for the quarterback. This could be crucial in confusing the Jerusalem high-octane offense and keeping them off the scoreboard.

Big Blue will try and play off of this strategy by exploiting the Underdogs’ inexperience at safety and attacking down the middle of the field. With Haifa sitting in those types of defensive zones, expect Bauman to manipulate the safeties by looking outside before hitting Yoni Lehrer repeatedly down the seams. I anticipate at least a couple of scores as a result of Haifa’s safeties being pump-faked out of position and unable to recover before the ball arrives.

As well, Big Blue will turn to the running game to handle the Underdogs’ aggressive blitz-package, using Moshe Horowitz on an assortment of sprint draws and powers. It will be interesting to see if the Lions can seamlessly switch between a quick, rhythm passing game to a vertical passing attack complemented by a power running game. Such versatility will not only help them in this match, but will also serve them well during their playoff run because it would allow them to compete in and win any style of game.

Haifa will have their hands full trying to keep up with Jerusalem in a shootout and will attempt to keep the score fairly low in the first half by calling more running plays early to slow the tempo of the game. If they are able to run successfully, they’ll set up their play-action passing game while keeping the Big Blue offensive unit on the sideline. They should look plenty to both Niv Medlinger and Leor Subotnik on the edges where off-tackle zone runs can take advantage of the upfield rushes of the pass-rushers while giving their backs several cutback options.

Jerusalem’s defense is anchored by the dynamic pass-rushing tandem of Yonah Misha’an, just back from the Superbowl, and Avigdor Moore. Expect Big Blue to unleash the duo off the edges on an assortment of blitzes to take advantage of the Underdogs’ suspect play at offensive tackle.

Real Housing must be ready for the pressure and attack it by hitting their receivers on quick slants and fades before the rush arrives. Look for more three-step routes to counter the Lions’ blitz-heavy game plan.

In the end, if the New York Giants taught us anything last Sunday in Arizona it was to have faith and ride the hot and streaking team who peaked at the right time…so why am I so damn uneasy picking Haifa? I’ve been pumping them up for weeks. Because I think these teams are even on offense and defense, but not on special teams. Big Blue has a slight edge there - add that to the home-field advantage and I think they’ll stop the rolling Underdog express and win. 37-35 final score.

Normally I’m fairly well hype-intolerant, but here’s all I know: Jerusalem-Haifa is as good as it gets in the IFL, circa 2008, and I can’t wait to see what drama it all produces this Thursday at 7:00 pm at Kraft Stadium. Lions-Underdogs. Bring it on!

The IFL returns next Friday with an important duel with playoff implications between the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres and the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers at the Yarkon Sports Complex in the Baptist Village near Petah Tikva with kickoff at noon.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com

A thrilling game of twists, turns and turbulence on a muddy field in the Baptist Village ended in jubilation for the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers, who pulled off the heist of the IFL season against a bewildered Tel Aviv squad that is kicking themselves this morning over what might have been.

Quarterback Yoni Mayzel threw three touchdown passes, Shmuel O’Neil rushed for 75 yards and the Pioneers (2-5), desperate for a victory after coming into the game on a four game skid, rallied behind two touchdowns from receiver Ben Gross to come back and outlast the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres 24-21 on Friday afternoon to take over third place in the IFL standings.

Tel Aviv (1-5) still can’t believe the outcome after going into the fourth quarter with a seemingly comfortable 21-8 lead, and having the game literally slip out of their fingers with a last minute Hasharon game-winning touchdown drive in which the Sabres could have iced the game but for a dropped interception by the usually sure-handed Amit Benvenisti.

The victory was especially sweet for the Hasharon passing attack, led by Mayzel, who finally made a team pay for daring him to win using his arm after his recent struggles. He was 9-19 for 129 yards for the day and, more importantly, was able to find his receivers on pin-point completions for first downs or scores when his team needed them most.

The Pioneers’ defense was also misleadingly impressive, holding the Tel Aviv offense to just one touchdown on a short seventeen yard drive (two of the Sabres’ three touchdowns came on a punt and interception return) and allowing only 70 total yards for the game, despite playing without their best player, Mike Levy, once again. Corners Yaniv Yaron and Ariel Greisas filled in admirably as Hasharon was able to use its press coverage to take the Tel Aviv receivers out of the game.

Whether a function of quarterback Roi Yair still getting acclimated to the Sabres’ offense or simply the dominance of the relentless Dancing Camel defensive unit, Tel Aviv was only able to generate four first downs and four completions for the entire game and star receiver Liran Hovav was held in check for the second straight outing with only 19 receiving yards, although he did manage an interception return for 38 additional yards.

Tel Aviv linebacker Josh Klein was especially unstoppable in a losing cause and he ended up with an astounding 14 solo tackles for the game. Klein flew all over the field making solid stops to bottle up Hasharons’ usually stellar run, and his instincts and awareness in middle coverage were almost clairvoyant as he seemed to anticipate where the ball was going to end up on every play.

Tel Aviv running back Daniel Gev opened the scoring with a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown and after Gross evened the things at 8-8 with a beautiful over the shoulder catch in the back left corner of the endzone, another Gev touchdown, this one a 15-yard pass from Yair, and an interception return for a score by Benvenisti staked Tel Aviv to a 13 point cushion after three.

After a huge goal line stand to begin the fourth, it looked as if the Sabres were going to cruise to their second win of the season. However a Hasharon safety caused by Yaron and a quick 11-yard TD strike to Raphael Bloom on the ensuing possession, followed by another defensive hold and forced punt, gave the Pioneers the ball back with 2:30 left on the clock, plenty of time to score the deciding points. eventual game-winning drive.

On the first play of what was the eventual game-winning drive, Tel Aviv had a chance to assure a victory when Hasharon got their offensive signals mixed up and Mayzel hung a pass to the outside that appeared ripe for the picking. However the ball slithered through the open arms of the waiting Benvenisti, who mistakenly had his eye on a big return instead of securing the ball, and the rest is history.

One play later, Mayzel feathered a 35-yard pass deep down the sideline that Gross was able to haul in for a touchdown, giving Hasharon their first lead of the day and completing their improbable fourth-quarter comeback, a pass that every member of a deflated Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres team won’t soon forget.

In this week’s IFL action, the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (5-1) take on the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs (5-2) in a long-awaited rematch of the league’s two best teams for a mouth-watering battle for first place. The season series between the teams is knotted at one and Big Blue is looking to avenge their only loss of the season which came in their last game against Haifa. Kickoff will take place at 7:00 PM this Thursday at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem. Tickets are going fast.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com.