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Post by Administrator on Jul 21, 2009 0:04:08 GMT -5
Discuss the Maryland Maniacs (10-4) at RiverCity Rage (9-6) Atlantic Division Championship Playoff Game here.
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GAME NOTES:
The Maryland Maniacs come into the game with a 10-4 regular season record. Maryland finished off the regular season on a two game losing streak, but won the previous ten games prior to that. Maryland went 4-3 on the road with their four wins coming against the Alaska Wild, Muskegon Thunder, and Saginaw Sting (twice). Maryland had a first round playoff bye, but goes on the road to RiverCity this week since their home venue is unavailable for the playoffs.
The RiverCity Rage come into the game with a 9-6 overall record. RiverCity went 8-6 in the regular season and is 1-0 in the playoffs. RiverCity is on a one game winning streak thanks to a 45-42 win on the road over the Rochester Raiders. RiverCity is 5-2 at home, with their only setbacks coming against the Omaha Beef and El Paso Generals.
RiverCity won the only meeting of these teams in the regular season, defeating Maryland 42-24 at home on 29 March.
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Post by Banana Cat on Jul 21, 2009 0:32:49 GMT -5
I'll take the revitalized RiverCity Rage at home over the visiting Maryland Maniacs, 44-26.
Maryland's long layoff and slump to end the season will make them easy pickings in this matchup.
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Post by CF4L on Jul 23, 2009 13:36:13 GMT -5
www.gazette.net/stories/07232009/largspo164830_32528.shtml The Maryland Maniacs Indoor Football League team is entitled to host a second-round playoff game this weekend at Show Place Arena. But instead, the team will travel by bus to St. Charles, Mo., to face the River City Rage.
Maryland won the IFL's Atlantic Division title, but the team didn't secure use of Show Place Arena past the end of June and wasn't able to book another home date for the playoffs.
"I was trying to host a playoff game, but I found out last month that we couldn't," said Messay Hailemariam, CEO and president of the Maniacs. "It's a multi-use facility and I take a lot of the blame for that. We plan on leaving Friday morning, traveling and then getting there Friday evening. They'll get a walk-through. I would like to travel on Thursday, but a lot of these guys have other commitments. The ideal situation would be for us to stay home. It's going to take a couple of years to get the fan base and to become a profitable business."
Hailemariam said the team will spend $17,000 on the trip, while the average cost of renting Show Place Arena for a home game ranges from $6-10,000, depending on the day of the week and the number of personnel needed. Hailemariam added because the Maniacs are officially the home team, he is responsible for the expenses at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The field rental fee is part of the $17,000 the team will spend on the trip, Hailemariam said.
River City (9-6) defeated the Rochester Raiders, 45-42, in an opening-round playoff game on Monday, while the Maniacs have been idle since losing their last two games of the regular season on June 20 and 27. Maryland (10-4) opened the season by dropping a 42-24 decision to River City in the Maniacs' at Show Place Arena on March 29. The Maniacs opened an 18-0 lead, but lost, and then dropped their second game of the season before reeling off 10 consecutive wins.
During the long layoff since their last game, coach Matt Steeple said the team has had ample time to heal all the minor aches and bruises that accumulated during the 14-game slate. The team held its last practice prior to the trip on Tuesday. In the previous practices the Maniacs fine tuned their offense, and Steeple said he is confident in their progress.
"We've been working on having our receivers get separation and now it's up to our offensive line to keep [quarterback] Bryson [Spinner] from getting hit," Steeple said. "We'll play our usual defense and make adjustments to whatever they're doing. We've gotten much better since the first time we played them. It's going to be a very good matchup."
At one time River City held the lead in the Atlantic Division, but the Rage lost five of their last six regular season games and dropped to third place. The Rage ended the skid on Monday night by beating Rochester, which had defeated River City, 34-19, in their previous meeting.
In 13 games played, Spinner has thrown for 1,821 yards and 29 touchdowns. Maniacs' running back Darryl Overton is fifth in the IFL in scoring with 24 touchdowns, 15 on the ground and nine through the air. The Maniacs' top receiver is Terry Moss (74 catches for 808 yards and 16 touchdowns). River City quarterback Dixie Wooten had tossed a whopping 41 touchdown passes in 10 games prior to Monday.
E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.17K to play this game for Maryland? Is it really worth it??
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Post by Bouncer_Texxx on Jul 23, 2009 15:12:36 GMT -5
with the 200 people that are likey to show up for it, doubtful.
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Post by showstopper on Jul 23, 2009 15:30:36 GMT -5
That seems really ridicoulous that the Maniacs have to pay for expenses at the Family Arena.
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Post by Banana Cat on Jul 23, 2009 17:29:32 GMT -5
The owner didn't check into playoff availability of the arena because he didn't think he would be hosting in the playoffs. Now he has to go on the road because of it, which is unfortunate for them.
The IFL must have a rule that makes the higher seed pay for the arena in playoffs, otherwise why would Maryland have to pay?
Hopefully they'll get some word out in Saint Charles and some people will come, it is a playoff game after all, one they have a great chance at winning.
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Post by kratos on Jul 24, 2009 9:27:40 GMT -5
Lol their talking about Dixie Wooten guess they dont keep up with news around the league...
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Post by Banana Cat on Jul 24, 2009 10:30:35 GMT -5
Lol their talking about Dixie Wooten guess they dont keep up with news around the league... The people doing the website don't, that's for certain.
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Post by showstopper on Jul 24, 2009 14:33:22 GMT -5
This game really reminds me of a 2004 NIFL playoff game for the old Show Me Believers. In that situation the Believers were suppose to host Fort Wayne in the first round however the Believers' owners opted to save costs and move the playoff game to Fort Wayne. The mover hurt the Believers' momentum, and they struggled on the road. I very likely see that scenario playing out in St. Charles. Maryland will likely start flat and never recover.
Maniacs 27 Rage 44
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Post by rcragefan on Jul 24, 2009 14:49:39 GMT -5
so does this mean Maryland is the designated "home" team and the rage will get to make the call on the coin toss (not important but just wondering)? as for the game i think the rage will pull away early and end up taking the game by 2 TDs or so. hopefully fairbanks and san angelo pull out Ws and the rage continue on so the rage can host a championship game !!!!
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Post by kratos on Jul 24, 2009 20:38:10 GMT -5
To bad when Wichita wins you will go to Wichita then Wichita will go to Billings...
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Post by showstopper on Jul 25, 2009 11:36:03 GMT -5
Yea, first beat Omaha in Omaha before you start talking about beating us next week.
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Post by rcragefan on Jul 25, 2009 20:36:15 GMT -5
blowout city!!!!!! 35-7 rage at half. maryland scored 1st after a rage fumble on the 1 and it has been all rage since!!!!
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Post by rcragefan on Jul 25, 2009 22:08:24 GMT -5
55-31 RAGE WIN RAGE WIN!!!! dominated the whole game and now move on to the league semis lets hope its not like last seasons...
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Post by kratos on Jul 25, 2009 22:27:54 GMT -5
wow this one caught me by surprise I thought Maryland would have atleast kept it close...
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