Rebels rout Haifa, Sabres survive scare
Kings take TA the distance but fall on last-minute kick return TD; 'Dogs extend slump
It was a fittingly phenomenal Super Bowl weekend in the Kraft Family IFL as a pair of wildly different football experiences brought new meaning to the old adage that – as with cats – there is more than one way to skin a pig.
On Friday at the Wingate Institute, the Judean Rebels jumped all over an undermanned opponent and set a new league single-game scoring mark in a 72-20 trouncing of the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs, now losers of four straight.
That proved to be just the table setter for a spectacular Saturday night special in Holon between the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv/Jaffa Sabres and Papagaio Jerusalem Kings, which came right down to the wire before the hosts prevailed 52-46 in a true barn-burning thriller.
With seven combined touchdowns from Rebels QB Joe Martisius and a 232-yard, five TD performance from Kings super-back Jon Rubin, there was plenty of sizzle to go around between the two games. However, it was the Sabres’ all-around talent Adi Hakami who undoubtedly provided the highlight of the weekend with a 46-yard kick return for a touchdown in the final minute of Saturday’s extravaganza that snatched victory from the jaws of the defeat and put Tel Aviv back alone atop the standings at 7-1. Read more
Lions beat up on disheveled ’Dogs
Haifa’s losing streak now at three as Big Blue takes care of business 26-6 at Wingate
It’s quickly emerging as a two-horse race for first place in the Kraft Family IFL... and here they come, barreling down the stretch of what is sure to be a heart-stopping, too-close-to-call photo finish!
The Big Blue Jerusalem Lions came prepared for an all-out battle on Friday afternoon at the Wingate Institute and took advantage of a Real Housing Haifa Underdogs squad that was flat from the outset and never really got going in a 20-point pasting that could have been worse for the displaced hosts.
Itai Ashkenazi threw for three scores in the victory while receivers Amichai Bergman and Idan Yaron continued their season-long assault on defensive backs throughout the league by combining for 167 yards and all four Jerusalem touchdowns plus accounting for all 11 of their QB’s completions.
On the other side of the ball, the Lions had an army of defenders who played out of their minds, holding Haifa to a harmless six points while forcing seven fumbles and recording four sacks in a display of domination that got the club back atop the standings with just three games remaining in the regular season. Read more