Playoff Preview, Real Housing and Dancing Camel
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.
