www.siouxcityjournal.com/sports/f....f840c213e8.htmlBandits blast their way into to APFL title gameby Jerry Giese
SIOUX CITY - Welcome back to the finals, Buddy Williams.
The Sioux City defensive back darted in and out of traffic for one of the Bandits' most unusual touchdowns of the season, part of the their 54-20 rout of the Kansas Koyotes on Sunday night in the American Professional Football League semifinals.
As a result, Williams and teammates Spetlar Tonga and Alex Ardley are in a championship game for the second time in their indoor football careers.
Early in the third quarter, Taylor Schumacher wowed the Tyson Events Center crowd with his 12th interception of the season. Schumacher dashed from the end zone for a short gain, then flipped lateral to Williams, who did the rest, returning it 34 yards for a touchdown.
"Different guys have been making great plays all year and Schumacher made the right play at the right time," said Williams, who became the 23rd Bandit to score a touchdown this season.
"We've been working together so long. Everyone's on the same page. He just helped me out, he tossed the ball and it was my turn to make a play. Simi (Toeaina) gave me a great block. When I got that, I went down field."
"Every time we had done that this year, we haven't always liked it," Bandits head coach Butch Faulkenberry said. "We want guys to hold on to it and not lateral it back. That hasn't sunk in too well, but we seem to keep doing it. It's a fun play for the guys and we made it work. It's been our goal to get those to work and I'm glad it did.
"These guys feel like they can score at any time."
Williams' touchdown was among the defensive highlights in a contest which attracted 2,402 fans. The Sioux City franchise is hoping for a bigger crowd this Saturday night it plays the second league championship game in team history.
The Bandits will risk their perfect, 13-0 record when they host the two-time defending champion Iowa Blackhawks (7-5) at 7:05 p.m. Iowa advanced to the finals with a 57-45 win over Mid-Missouri on Saturday at Council Bluffs.
Williams had 79 tackles and 10 pass breakups in 2005 when the Bandits went 15-3 and fell 40-38 to Sioux Falls in the United Indoor Football finals - an event that drew 6,840 fans, the largest crowd in team history.
Cornerback Alex Ardley and linebacker Spetlar Tonga had 69 and 54 tackles, respectively, for the squad coached by Jose Jefferson.
"It feels great to be back in the finals, it's a long time coming," said Williams. "It's going to be a redemption for that season and for all the fans. We're going to try to bring the championship back home."
Williams scored the Bandits' 18th defensive touchdown of the season. Schumacher, Ardley and J.J. Washington each picked up interceptions in the Bandits' fourth win of the season over Kansas.
Toeaina, Fred Mitchell and Kirkland Grant each recorded one sack, all in the first half, as Sioux City jumped to a 27-0 halftime lead and held an opponent scoreless for third time this season heading into the locker room.
Quarterback Scott Jensen passed for 115 yards and four touchdown passes and enters the APFL finals with 41 TD tosses. Fredrick Bruno caught two touchdown passes while in the fourth quarter and reserve quarterback Kyle Gerdes threw a pair of scoring tosses to Eddie Pertilla, the team's leader with 18 receiving TD's.
Running back Andrew Prohaska ran for a six-yard touchdown in the second quarter and caught a 17-yard score in the third quarter.
The Bandits beat the Blackhawks 57-50 on March 25 at the Tyson Events Center, in the season opener for both teams.
The Bandits also bested the Blackhawks on April 29 (50-26) and June 3 (49-42).