Big Blue withstands Rebels’ rally in opener

IFL regular season kicks off in Jerusalem as expansion Judea falls 32-30 in squeaker

For the third time in the three-year history of the Kraft Family IFL, the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions got their season off to a winning start on Thursday night in the capital... just barely!

The navy-and-gold were certainly given a run for their money by the expansion Judean Rebels in a 32-30 bonanza of an opening-night game for 2009/10 Israeli tackle football. But an intergalactic four-touchdown debut performance from Lions rookie receiver Idan Yaron was just too much for the league newcomers to overcome and Big Blue escaped with an all-too-narrow victory that it almost let slip away.

Even in defeat, the team from the Gush was impressive in the its first meaningful game as a franchise, storming back from a 24-6 deficit to come within a whisker of what would have been a shock upset of the inaugural champions and two-time Israel Bowl finalists. If you would have told them before the game that they would dominate the time of possession and outgain Big Blue in total yards (including both passing and rushing inpidually) and first downs, all while not turning over or punting the ball once, the Rebels probably would have been quite a happy bunch. But, alas, it was not to be this time.

In what obviously amounts to Monday (or Friday) morning quarterbacking, Coach Ty Rogers will be second-guessing a couple of his decisions this weekend – most notably his choosing to attempt both an extra point kick and a field goal at early points in the game. With both clubs reaching the endzone the same amount of times (4), and Big Blue losing the only turnover of the contest, the game was definitely there for the Rebels’ taking, and it only came down to a missed conversion in the first quarter or a red-zone false start infraction in the third that provided the final two-point differential and could have swung the result the other way.

Judea’s Joe Marticius dazzled in his first performance for the new club, even winning the battle of the transplanted all-star QBs and once again bringing his team to the brink of a miracle comeback. Overall, the Big Red Machine – who starred for the Papagiao Jerusalem Kings in ’08 – was 15-24 for 105 yards, while scrambling for an eye-popping 135 yards on 13 carries, including a 41-yard TD dash to keep it close after it looked like the Lions were going pull away again in the fourth.

New Lions quarterback Itai Ashkenazi, as well, demonstrated why his move from the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs over the offseason has catapulted the club’s stock in the eyes of the oddsmakers, posting an efficient 8-15 for 101 yards with two TDs and no interceptions in his Jerusalem introduction. He also ran the ball seven times, accounting for four points on his own with a pair of conversions as well as the two scores through the air to Yaron. More importantly, Ashkenazi did not turn the ball over and his offense was forced to punt just once all night – on the last play of the game.

However, the star of the show was undoubtedly the charismatic Yaron, who became just the third player in IFL history to record a four-touchdown game. After the Rebels opened the scoring on their first drive – a perfectly orchestrated march down the field culminating in a 6-yard TD strike to Chris McKinny – Yaron went off on a tear that would almost single-handedly result in 24 unanswered Big Blue points.

He first dove head-first into the endzone after a long half-field bomb from Ashkenazi to equalize, then repeated the effort with a 25-yard scoring reception when he outran the coverage to find himself open deep. In the second half, Yaron would find the house on a pair of double reverse calls out of Hanan Stern’s circus playbook that gave the Lions a cushion that they would ultimately need. Creative endzone celebrations aside, Yaron’s one-man-show, particularly in his first ever IFL game, more than warranted him taking home Mike’s Place Player of the Game honors.

Other notables from opening night, aside from the signal callers, included McKinney, who finished with a game-high 10 catches for 85 yards and two TDs in a losing cause. Big Blue running back Matan Lavi led the Jerusalem ground game with 11 carries for close to 50 yards, however his fumble in the fourth quarter was the only turnover of the night and gave the Rebels a fighting shot till the end.

Ilya Pittel stood out as a kick returner for the Lions and veteran Yonah Mishaan as a short-yardage go-to receiver, while Rebels’ team sponsor Peretz Rickett led the defense with eight tackles. Both teams provided solid protection for their passers throughout, with only two sacks combined being recorded for the game, although Marticius was definitely pressed into being his usual scrambling self as the game reached the later stages.

The IFL continues its opening weekend doubleheader on Saturday night in Modi’in, with the host defending champion Dancing Camel Pioneers hosting the expansion Beersheva Black Swarm at the Modi’in-Macabim Reut Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m.