Gear Up for the Very First Tackle Football Championship Game in Israel’s History!
And then there were two…
It’s probably fitting that the Fieldturf IFL Israel Bowl I will be immediately followed by Shabbat. After all, the battle between the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs for IFL supremacy figures to be a survival of the fittest that will leave all those involved gasping for air, and in need of a well-deserved rest.
Friday’s action at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem features a mouth-watering season-ending doubleheader. The Dancing Camel HaSharon Pioneers take on the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres at 10:00 am in a clash for 3rd place, a game which will be followed by the main event, the inaugural Israel Bowl, scheduled to kick off at 1:00 pm.
The highly anticipated championship match pits the top two teams in all respects against each other. The Lions and Underdogs boast the league’s #1 and #2 offenses AND defenses respectively, as determined by points scored and allowed, and both teams have had a couple of weeks to prepare for this contest after coasting through their last few games in dominating fashion.
There are a myriad of intriguing storylines to watch out for, from the ability of the defensive units to handle the multi-faceted running approach employed by both teams to the comparatively different styles of the starting quarterbacks, Jerusalem’s Aryeh Bauman and Haifa’s Ori Shterenbach, who finished 1-2 in the IFL in yards thrown.
Both teams must refrain from being whistled for mindless infractions - indeed Jerusalem and Haifa were the most penalized squads over the season – and keep their turnovers to a minimum, if not to none at all. Big Blue was a +10 in turnover ratio as opposed to Haifa’s -5 differential for the year. These secondary stats often end up being the difference in a close game that is decided on a couple of big plays.
In the end, however, I believe we are in for an old-fashioned barnyard shoot-out that will showcase the immense offensive talent that both teams have displayed throughout the season. Real Housing has erupted for 91 points in its past two games and has outscored opponents 236-103 on a current 6-1 tear, which includes a victory over Big Blue. They are playing fantastic team football, are brimming with confidence and, perhaps most importantly, believe that they can and will beat the top-ranked Lions for the title.
Jerusalem, on the other hand, comes into this game as the decided favorites, having won the season series over Haifa 2-1 and come away triumphant in the teams’ most recent meeting by a convincing 38-22 score on February 7. Putting points on the board has not been an issue for the Lions this year, having been held under 30 just once all season (in a 26-18 loss to the Underdogs, mind you!), and that shouldn’t change on Friday when they have had ample time to practice with a healthy roster and incorporate a couple of new wrinkles to their already aggressive play calling.
They possess an impressive array of offensive weapons that has the ability to burn Haifa at any time from anywhere on the field, including league MVP Moshe Horowitz at running-back, star tight-end Yoni Lehrer and the propensity of Bauman to come up with crucial yardage in key situations through either his arm or legs. Expect them to come out with a scripted attack and run the ball down Haifa’s throat early to gain a lead before going to spread formations and relying on Bauman’s arm, their receivers, and their defense to seal the deal.
Much of the Underdogs’ offense depends on Shterenbach’s pre-snap reads and audibles and he will have to be at his visionary best to orchestrate a victory for his club. Their top strategy will be to run the ball with the ‘thunder and lightning’ duo of MVP runner-up Niv Medlinger and Leor Subotnik, who tallied a combined 878 yards on the ground this season, to keep the Big Blue possessions to a minimum. Each should get equal opportunities and give the defense a variety of looks and speeds to keep them on their heels. While they know they can score themselves, they also have to be able to stop an equally explosive Jerusalem team from getting in the end zone and will need to control the clock to do this successfully.
‘No one believes except us’ would be an accurate refrain to describe the sentiment in the Haifa camp and the team will use that as motivation to play with no fear, open up the playbook and let it all hang out. They certainly have the firepower to match Big Blue’s intensity with their #1 ranked running game and individual playmakers such as Shachar Yeshurun and Omer Kedmi and could befuddle Jerusalem with an early break to set the tone. While the Underdogs are the underdogs, to be sure, they cannot be dismissed by anyone who has observed what they’ve accomplished over the past few weeks.
If Haifa can manage to spread the field at the outset and proceed through the air, even on short tosses, to take advantage of their new-found offensive balance, it will help counter Jerusalem’s all-out pressure attack on both sides of the ball and make for a wide open juggernaut of a game.
After all is said and done, we can sit and discuss past numbers, stats, and interesting storylines from today until tomorrow. All of that is over now, however, and really doesn’t matter - it’s time to play the game!
So, strap on your cleats and get ready for a wild ride – this is Israel Bowl I and it’s sure to be super!
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
