IFL Football

The Real Housing Haifa Underdogs squad that lost to the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers in November was substantially different from the one that ran onto the field at Kibbutz Ein Hashofet on Saturday afternoon for their semi-final playoff game.

Either the Pioneers did not get the memo or, more aptly, they were simply helpless to fend off the powerful Real Housing attack and withered under the unyielding storm, going down by a final score of 38-14 in front of a spirited pro-Underdog crowd on a beautiful day for football in Haifa.

The game started out like a typical playoff contest with both teams a little tentative at the outset in their play-calling, neither wanting to make a mistake and give up a game-changing score. Haifa (7-3) got on the board first with a Leor Subotnik 14-yard touchdown scamper as the team went to the ground for run attempts on nine of its first 11 plays from scrimmage. Subotnik buoyed the offense all day long, finishing with a game-high 81 rushing yards and picking up four first downs by himself, just two less than the entire Hasharon side.

The Pioneers (3-7) knotted the game at eight late in the first quarter after a phenomenal 41-yard catch-and-run by Yaniv Yaron from QB Yoni Mayzel set up a first-and-goal for Hasharon, which Shmuel O’Neil punched in for a three-yard TD. The Underdogs responded, however, with a momentum-crushing 11-play, 45-yard drive culminating in a Niv Medlinger touchdown that began a run of 30 straight points by the Haifa squad to put the game out of reach.

Once Real Housing got going in full gear, the game changed drastically in their favor as they settled into their typical high-pressure style of play and started to take the advantage of mismatches in coverage that highlighted Hasharon’s inability to keep Haifa’s high-octane offense off the scoreboard. The turning point of the game occurred at the mid-way point of the second quarter, after the Pioneers, down by only six points, forced the Underdogs to punt from deep in their own territory.

Medlinger got off a towering kick that looked as if it would go into the endzone for a touchback, which would place the ball at the fifteen yard line and give Dancing Camel a chance for a game-tying drive. However O’Neil ill-advisedly fielded the ball at his own goal line and was immediately leveled by a charging Omer Kedmi, pinning the offense at the one-yard line. Two plays later, Mayzel threw an errant pass that Shachar Yeshurun picked off and high-stepped into the endzone for a touchdown, giving Haifa a 14 point lead on which they never looked back.

Yeshurun was undoubtedly the game breaker in this one, racking up a pair of interceptions, two touchdowns, three catches for 38 yards, two tackles and two pass break-ups. All three of his catches demonstrated his ability to use body position and long reach to prevent defenders from breaking up throws in tight coverage. The running game was also the other key difference in the game as Haifa out-ran Hasharon by an embarrassing difference of 199-16 total net yards.

Overall, the Underdogs were very efficient at taking care of business at home and careful to play ‘within themselves’, not becoming overconfident while allowing their superior preparation and talent to manifest itself on the field. The results speak for themselves – they came, they saw, they conquered. Now bring on the Big Blues!

The IFL takes this week off for the upcoming three day Purim festival and returns in two weeks on Friday, March 28 at Kraft Stadium in Jerusalem. The championship-weekend daytime double-header will feature an undercard 3 vs. 4 match-up between the Pioneers and the Mikes Place Tel Aviv Sabres (1- at 10:00 am, followed by the main event – a 1:00 pm kickoff of the inaugural Israel Bowl to determine the IFL champion between the Underdogs and the first-place Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (8-1).

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 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.

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

This week’s action in the Fieldturf IFL pits the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers (1-2) against the still winless Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres (0-3) in a game that is significant for both teams, who are facing each other for the first time this season. Each side is looking to rebound from a heart-breaking loss in their last contest; Tel Aviv let the game slip away against Haifa in a 35-30 tilt, while Hasharon played very tough against Jerusalem but fell short in the second half. The match will take place on Friday at 11:00 AM at Maccabi Fields in Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv’s offence both starts and finishes with quarterback Adi Hakami and wide receiver Liran Hovav. The two must get going early for them to have a chance at their first victory of the year.

The Sabres’ ball-control is most effective when Hakami escapes the pocket and makes plays with his feet, both on the ground and through the air. His ability to scramble and elude the rush frustrates pass rushers and hidden yardage compiled from the runs allows the team to sustain drives.

Hovav, the IFL’s leading pass-receiver, scorched Haifa for 12 catches for 165 yards and two scores in his last game, so he is sure to see a ton of double coverage from the Pioneer’s defence on most of his routes. Tel Aviv will need another receiver to step up and establish himself as a bona fide threat to complement Hovav and alleviate some of the pressure on the offence that has been relying exclusively on both him and Hakami.

As well, look for Mike’s Place to try and open up the field by getting running backs Daniel Gev and Asaf Katz involved early to keep the Pioneers from focusing exclusively on the passing game.

For its part, Hasharon must take some of the positives from their loss to Big Blue and build upon them in this match. With Shmuel O’neil likely still sidelined, the game plan should involve focusing both their offence and defense around emerging all-around talent Mike Levy.

His versatility allows them to line him up all over the field to take advantage of mismatches in space and coverage on both sides of the ball. Against Jerusalem, Levy finally got enough touches to get into a rhythm. Against an improving Tel Aviv defense, Hasharon must continue to run the ball to control the tempo of the game.

They will also look to attack the Sabres’ secondary with an assortment of underneath crossing patterns. Quarterback Johan Tynell must continue to make smart decisions and not turn the ball over by using a high-percentage passing game featuring shorter routes.

On defense, Dancing Camel certainly has the personnel to neutralize Hovav by mixing up their nickel and dime packages to keep a defensive back with him on passing downs. Their penchant for creating turnovers is a product of their ‘Tampa Two’ defense, capitalizing on tips or overthrows, and they will continue to focus on takeaways against a pass-happy Tel Aviv offense.

Also expect the Pioneers to crowd the line on early downs to try to stop the run and force Hakami to throw against their two-deep coverage in long-yardage situations.

I predict a high-scoring affair between two teams who are looking to showcase their offense and prove that they belong in the top of the league. If the Sabres’ can curtail their tendency of giving up a big turnover at a crucial point in the game, I believe they will put enough points up on the board to secure their first win.

The IFL gets under way again next week with a Thursday night match-up between Big Blue Jerusalem (4-1) and the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers. The game will take place at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem at 7:00 PM. Please secure your tickets early to guarantee a seat.

League notes: The IFL is actively seeking players for new franchises slated to begin play in the 2008-09 season. Regions presently being considered for expansion include Be’er Sheva, Nazareth, Gush Etzion, Modi’in, Rishon LeTzion/Holon and Ra’anana/Kfar Saba. Interested players should contact Adam Slater in the IFL office at afi@barak.net.il or register on the league website at www.ifl.co.il.

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

This week’s Fieldturf IFL game looks to be a classic revenge contest in which the last game’s losers try to prove that they ‘should have, would have’…and actually can, as the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs (2-2) are set to host the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (4-0) in a rematch of the Chanukah Bowl which Jerusalem convincingly won at home 46-18. The game will take place at the Meggido Fields next to Kibbutz Ein Hashofet on Friday at 10:00 am.

Haifa has been preparing for this game for two weeks in order to come up with a strategy that will counter Big Blue’s supremacy, exhibited thus far. While they have mostly run a conservative offense, pounding the ball on the ground with their running game, look for Haifa to mix it up this time and even throw in some gadget plays to throw Jerusalem off its game plan.

Real Housing will place an emphasis on gaining four or more yards on first down through an assortment of lead draws and off-tackle runs to keep quarterbacks Ori Shterenback and Roey Ziv out of bad late-down situations. Look for Big Blue to attempt and derail this strategy by crowding the line of scrimmage on the early downs and dare the Haifa quarterbacks to make big plays through the air, something they have been unable to do well.

Jerusalem has won all of its games by winning the turnover category and creating points off fumbles and interceptions of their opponents, while holding their own mistakes to a minimum. In order to have a chance, Haifa must protect the ball on offence and look to force turnovers on defense and capitalize on them. To do so, they will have to shut down the Lion’s on first and second downs, forcing Big Blue to throw against two-deep coverage, which will likely lead to interceptions, as it did last week when Jerusalem threw two long picks.

The problem is that with Haifa playing a lot of two-deep and zone coverage defense, there will be room for Jerusalem to exploit in the middle of field. Look for Big Blue to connect with their big receivers down the seams of the zone off play-action and stretch the defense horizontally by feeding their tight ends and backs on underneath routes as well as short crosses and option routes to set up deeper throws for later in the game.

The Underdogs will therefore need to create confusion for the Jerusalem offence by taking a page from Jerusalem’s last two opponents, who successfully pressured quarterback Aryeh Bauman by using a variety of delayed blitzes with combination coverage. The Underdogs will piggy-back off that strategy by incorporating some delayed rushes off their zone blitz package. Expect big linebacker Idan Maor to come up the middle after disguising his alignment and coverage prior to the snap.

The bottom line is that Haifa’s chances of winning rely on their quarterbacks’ ability to move the chains through short passes and take care of the football, while complementing their’ power running tandem of Niv Medlinger and Lior Subotnik. To defeat Big Blue, the Underdogs must slow down the Jerusalem running game on early downs and force Aryeh Bauman to pass under duress. Haifa’s front four has to control the line of scrimmage and harass Bauman with consistent pressure. If it can manage to do that, expect a very close match that will come down to who turns the ball over more.

Plenty of tickets are still available for walk-up purchase for this exciting match-up. The Fieldturf IFL returns next Friday to Maccabi Fields in Tel Aviv with an 11:00 AM game between the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres and the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers.

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 Big Blue Jerusalem Lions have won again to improve to a perfect 4-0, but not before the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers announced emphatically to the rest of the IFL that the gap between Jerusalem and the other three teams is closing – fast! With their backs seemingly against the wall at the beginning of the game, Big Blue refused to panic, following their game plan and, once again, winning the battle of the big plays, on their way to a 36-14 victory at the Baptist Village in Petach Tikvah.

The real story of the day, however, was that the Pioneers, playing without, arguably, their best player, were able to shape the tempo of the game and knock the Jerusalem team around the field on both sides of the ball - for a short while at least.

While the Lions were able to regroup, and things ultimately returned to Big Blue normal in the second half, the message was certainly felt by the players on the field. One Jerusalem linebacker exclaimed, “It really is scary how good [Hasharon] has gotten. They’ve jumped light-years overnight! We have a lot of work to do to stay on top!”

The game got off to a perfect start for Dancing Camel, who accomplished their goal of putting up an early score when they turned an interception by Ben Gross into a Mike Levy 2 yard touchdown run to go up 6-0 at 8:55 of the first quarter. After Jerusalem jumped on top 8-6, a botched snap on a punt attempt deep in their zone led to a safety and the score was tied 8-8 after one.

On a muddy field, both teams were avoiding the passing game and were satisfied trying to grind out yards on the ground in an old-fashioned Pittsburgh Steeler-type affair.

After two possessions for each team in the second quarter, the score remained tied with Jerusalem pinned deep in their own zone once again and forced to punt, apparently to give the Pioneers great field position and an opportunity to take the lead.

In the span of the next 3:30, however, were two crucial plays on punts that both went Big Blue’s way and turned the momentum of the football game. First, Mike Levy muffed a punt and the ball was recovered by Aharon Kestenbaum, leading to a Yoni Lehrer touchdown.

On the next possession, Hasharon went three-and-out and punted the ball to Adam Lemberg, who looked as if he was trapped deep on the right side of the field. He managed to avoid three tackles and broke out left, following his blockers into the end zone for his first return for a touchdown on the season.

This score deflated the Pioneers and put Jerusalem up 20-8 going into the half.

While a quick touchdown at 10:22 of the third quarter brought it to within one score, a key hold by the Big Blue defense on a Hasharon first-and-goal that ended in a turnover on downs helped cement the victory and allow the offence to put the game out of reach.

The game featured some bone-crunching tackles on both sides, most notably Levy’s open field collision with Aryeh Bauman, sending the Jerusalem quarterback flying and the crowd into a collective groan and a smattering of ‘ooohs and aaahs’.

Although the loss brings Dancing Camel’s record to 1-2, look for them to benefit in the long run from the many positive lessons they can take away from the day, especially the confidence boost in knowing they are beginning to match up evenly with the best team in the league. The Fieldturf IFL gets under way once again this week with a Friday morning affair at the Meggido Fields next to Kibbutz Ein Hashofet as the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs (2-2) host the undefeated Big Blue Jerusalem Lions at 10:00 am.

GAME/LEAGUE NOTES: Jerusalem QB Aryeh Bauman both threw and ran for 2 TDs, as well as threw 2 INTs and ran for 79 yards; Hasharon’s Mike Levy was a beast on both sides of the ball, with 9 tackles and 4 assists to go along with 124 total yards; Hasharon RB Shmuel O’Neal was out for a stint in the IDF; Substitute Jerusalem punter Ben Lemberg had a beautiful 56 yard punt downed at the 3 inch line late in the third; each team recorded a safety and Hasharon fumbled the ball 4 times on the day, losing 3 of them; Last week marked the start of Israel’s first ever coaching certification course in American Football. The 20-week course is being run jointly by the Wingate Institute for Physical Culture and Sport and American Football in Israel, and is being taught by IFL Commissioner Eric Amkraut.

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

Running back Shmuel O’Neil recorded the Fieldturf Israel Football League’s first-ever 100-yard rushing game and scored three touchdowns in the second half to lead the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers to a 28-13 victory over the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs at the Yarkon Sports Complex in Petah Tikva’s Baptist Village today (Friday).

O’Neil finished with 115 yards, played on a 60-yard long field, and scored two of his TDs in the fourth quarter as Dancing Camel broke open a close game.

After a scoreless first quarter in the first Fieldturf IFL game at Baptist Village, Real Housing took a 7-0 lead with 7:37 remaining in the second, when quarterback Ori Shterenbach ran seven yards for a touchdown and then converted the extra point.

In the final minute of the first half, Dancing Camel got on the scoreboard as quarterback Yoni Mayzel launched a pass 35 yards downfield that was tipped by a Haifa defender, but landed in the hands of Ben Gross. The Pioneers’ receiver then ran the remaining 15 yards for a touchdown. Dancing Camel went for two, but Real Housing’s Idan Maor stopped Mayzel on the conversion attempt.

After O’Neil scored the first of his three TDs on a 14-yard run to make it 12-7, he also was given the ball as Dancing Camel converted on its two-point attempt, this time to take a 14-7 lead in the third quarter.

Trailing by seven, Haifa’s Shterenbach connected with receiver Shachar Yeshurun for a 25-yard gain. Even though it appeared Yeshurun coughed up the ball after being hit and the Pioneers recovered, the play was called dead before the apparent fumble. The Underdogs’ drive continued, but not for long. Pioneers linebacker Uri Heiman intercepted the ball at the 10-yard line and Dancing Camel took over.

The defenses controlled the game until Dancing Camel’s Mike Levy returned a punt 40 yards, from his own 10-yard line to Real Housing’s 10-yard line.

On the very next play, the Pioneers handed the ball off to their workhorse, O’Neil, who ran the ball in for a touchdown and made Fieldturf IFL history by going over the 100-yard mark. With a successful extra-point kick, Dancing Camel took a 21-7 lead with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Hasharon intercepted the ball on their own 10-yard line to stop a Haifa drive, and then at the end of a time-consuming drive, O’Neil ran five yards for his third touchdown of the day.

Now facing a 28-7 deficit with two minutes left, Haifa drove down the field and Shterenbach threw his second touchdown pass of the day, a 12-yarder to Yeshurun with one second on the clock. The two-point conversion failed.

The Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs are both 1-1.

The Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres (0-1) host Big Blue Jerusalem (1-0) on Saturday, December 1, at the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer club’s training facility in Kiryat Shalom. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 P.M.

המשחק השני בליגת התאקל פוטבול בישראל שוחק היום בקיבוץ עין השופט כשריל האוסינג חיםה ניצחה את מייקס פלייס תל אביב 27-20. לעיני כ -100 צופים הקבוצה מתל אביב נראתה במהלך רוב המשחק כקבוצה העדיפה, אך כשהגיעו לאזור האנד-זון לא הצליחו לממש את עליונותם. וכמאמר הקלישאה, כשלא מבקיעים, חוטפים. במהלך הרבע הראשון תל אביב שלטה כמעט ללא עוררין, אך חיפה עלתה ליתרון 7-0. התל אביבים נשברו בנקודה זו וחטפו עוד שני טאצדאונים והקבוצות ירדו למחצית כשחיפה מובילה 19-6.

מייקס פלייס חזרו למשחק עם כמה מהלכים יפים בהתקפה וכשנשארו עוד 3 דקות למשחק, צימצמו את התוצאה ל 27-20, אך החיפאים ידעו לשמור על הכדור, הורידו את השעון וניצחו במשחקם הראשון בליגה.

“המשחק היה ברמה גבוהה מאוד” ציין אריק אמקראוט, הקומישינר של הליגה. “אנחנו רק יכולים לקוות שכל המשחקים יתעלו לרמה כזאת”.

המשחק הבא בליגת התאקל פוטובל יהיה ביום ששי הבא, ה- 23.11 בכפר הבפטיסטים בפתח תקווה כשדנסינג קאמל השרון יארחו את ריל האוסינג חיפה בשעה 12.00 בצהריים.