West All-Stars win GLIFL All-Star Game 49-17
August 7, 2006 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) News Release
The Rochester Raiders tried all year to beat Port Huron (as did everyone else), and it never happened. When they got together with the best from Lehigh Valley and NY/NJ, they figured to have a real chance to give Pirates players their first loss this season. The problem is, the Pirates had Marion and Battle Creek players with them, and the result was more of the same.
Only worse.
Shane Franzer was an efficient 6/11 passing for 103 yards and three touchdowns. He added 45 rushing yards and two more touchdowns in being named the All-Star Game MVP. When the game was no longer in doubt, he added a late fourth-quarter interception. While playing as a defensive back.
The Eastern Conference took a 14-7 lead in the first quarter on Matt Cottengim's second touchdown pass, to Maurice Jackson. No one at Stabler Arena knew that the East would score exactly three more points after that in what was then an offensive game. Cottengim's two touchdowns were part of the GLIFL MVP's 9/21 performance with two interceptions as well.
As has been standard with Port Huron, the most telling part of the game was the rushing statistic. The West ran for 110 yards on 27 carries, while holding the East to negative-17 yards on eight carries. Cottengim led the East All-Stars with negative-1 yard on two carries.
Despite the 42-3 run from the West, fans at Stabler Arena enjoyed themselves, which gave a fitting end to a very successful first season for the Great Lakes Indoor Football League. Co-founder Jeff Spitaleri echoed that sentiment. "It wasn't easy, but we got through it. We were told we wouldn't last through last (2005) summer, then that we wouldn't kick off, then that we wouldn't finish our season. We aren't being told those things anymore, and it's because of the fans of this league embracing their teams. Without the support from our fans, we wouldn't have made it."
"Now, all we have to do is make our second season better than our first."
The Great Lakes Indoor Football League is now in preparations for its second season of exciting 7-on-7 professional indoor football. In addition to the five teams that played home games, the traveling NY/NJ Revolution have a home at Mennen Arena in Morristown, New Jersey. The league also has brought in five expansion teams, bringing it to a total of 11 teams for 2007. Expansion will be finalized for the league's second season in the coming weeks. For more information about the GLIFL, please visit the league website at www.glifl.com, or contact Director of Media Relations Josh Stein at jstein@glifl.com.
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Continental Indoor Football League Stories from August 7, 2006
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