Kings hop a ride on the Rubin Express

Papagaio powers past Pioneers behind spectacular performance from IFL’s latest phenom

It’s a herd, it’s a train, it’s...Super-back Jon Rubin!

The Kraft Family IFL was treated to yet another game-for-the-ages on Thursday night in the capital, when the Papagaio Jerusalem Kings rode an awe-inspiring running display of unequalled explosiveness – combined with a couple of perfectly-timed turnovers – to a 40-28 victory over the Dancing Camel Modi’in Pioneers in a spirited contest that was up for grabs until the final two minutes.

Rubin continued his vicious assault on the IFL record books in just his fifth game in the league, racking up equally preposterous totals of 233 yards and five touchdowns on the ground while personally accounting for enough points (32) to send the helpless Pioneers to a fourth straight loss after a season-opening victory that now seems a full era ago.

Even after going separate ways with their coach earlier in the week, the Kings managed to stay disciplined and stick to their game plan (and with a talent like Rubin, the plays almost call themselves!) to overcome the defending champs in a clash of the early-season second-tier of the seven-team league. With the victory, the Kings improved to 2-3 on the season while making an emphatic statement that they can’t be counted out of any game with their big-play ability and experienced leadership on defense.

Matthew Markman’s second interception of the night for the Kings to douse a late Pioneers’ rally was the icing on the cake, but the unit was also inspired by Marshall Mullinax’s 17 tackles and Shmuel Weisfelds’ relentless pressure to collapse the pocket and notch the only sack of the night. With a full cast of supporting characters right out an after-school special (Shumi, Pin-Pin, Modo, Phatty, just to name a few), Papagaio is hoping to pick up some mid-season steam and go on a run to catch the IFL big-boys.

Modi’in, on the other hand, seems to be mired in a classic post-title-winning hangover (see: Pittsburgh Steelers ’06, ’09) that is threatening to completely derail their season. The club’s only triumph came against the winless Beersheva Black Swarm, and perhaps even more alarming is the fact that it is difficult to pinpoint what has caused the dramatic and abrupt drop. While the absences of key players such as Jason Gosnel (injury) or Asaf Katz (army) clearly play a role, even when they have been in the lineup, the team as a whole has lacked that certain intangible of confidence backed up by execution that is necessary on all winning sidelines.

Thursday’s matchup got off to a see-saw start, with each club trying to wrest the early momentum in front of a decidedly pro-Kings crowd at Kraft Stadium. Rubin had TD runs of 7, 8, 23, 34, and 45 yards, the first of which opened the scoring on the game’s first drive.  On the ensuing kickoff, Dancing Camel’s Shmuel O’Neil got the visitors right back in it with a weaving 53-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and it looked as if we would be in for another high-scoring affair, especially after the sides traded additional touchdowns before the quarter was out.

The Pioneers tried to throw the odds back in their favor with a surprise onside kick, but when Yitzchak Katzburg jumped on the ball, he staked his team to great field position, which would be almost immediately capitalized on

Kings’ QB David Jesselson, starting in place of the injured Ronen Danino, was the only purple jersey not-named Rubin to score on the night, and his eight-yard keeper gave hosts a 20-16 lead early in the second stanza. The game took a marked turn from there on out, with the defenses on both teams find some sort of groove and settling in for a…dare I say it, battle for field position.

Each of the three Modi’in passers threw an interception in this one, with Uri Sciff’s errant heave gobbled up by Markman to gift the Kings a freebie possession with time winding down in the half. Seven plays later, Rubin’s third TD of the half gave Jerusalem a 12-point advantage heading into the interval.

The hosts would run only four plays in the third frame, compared to six times as many for Dancing Camel, partially due to one of the Kings’ two turnovers in the game on a ill-advised Rubin pass attempt that ended up in the hands of Modi’in’s Tal Brown. A touchdown by Schiff and a second for O’Neil brought the Pioneers all the way back to tie the game at 26.

Unfortunately for them, there was no kryptonite handy to slow down the newly-dubbed Poundin’ Papagaian, and Rubin broke a 34-yarder for his fourth score on Jerusalem’s only real drive of the quarter to give his team a lead that would not be relinquished. In earning his third Mike’s Place Player of the Game award, the 24-year-old workhorse from San Diego left a whole new batch of jaws gaping. The exciting poetry of his on-field destruction (more than half of his yards come after initial contact) and the electrifying manner in which he  can take over a game is truly a joy to watch. Barring health concerns, Rubin also has the type of bruising body that can handle the punishment of being an every-down back, and if the Kings are smart, they’ll run him until his wheels fall off. He now has 767 yards and 16 TDs in under five games of action and is showing no signs of slowing down one bit, something that should strike fear in the hearts of all future adversaries.

The final period on Thursday was all the Kings’ D, which held Modi’in to two straight three-and-outs as Shumi and Mullinax refused to be beaten by a ball-carrier and the Brown-Schiff-Yoni Mayzel QB combo failed to create anything in the passing game. Even so, when Dancing Camel coach Dan Brunwasser – who suited up for the encounter – recovered a Leib Bolel fumble, it looked like the visitors (still down only six points) may stage a comeback and pull out the type of victory they became known for last year.

However, after scrambling for two first downs to set up an opportunity in the Jerusalem red zone, Brown would put an end to the Pioneer’s faint chances when he airmailed a pass into the outstretched arms of Markman, who cradled the ball and slid to the ground before he could make a mistake.

Rubin’s 45-yard exclamation point of a touchdown on the next play was just gravy, but definitely served as a fitting (and bookending) finishing touch on a victory that was already clearly stamped as his from the very first score to the last.

This week’s action in the Kraft Family IFL kicks off on Thursday night in Jerusalem, with a doozy of a contest between the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres (4-1) and Judean Rebels (3-2).  The highly-anticipated rematch of an emotionally-charged 66-42 Sabres’ triumph in Tel Aviv last month will surely bring out the best in the since made-over Orangemen, who will have head coach Ty Rogers back prowling the sidelines after his two-game league-imposed break. The Sabres, as well, have an opportunity to regain sole possession of first place and are anxious for the opportunity to knock the bitter memory of their tough loss last week out of their heads.

It’s lining up to be a great one. A real can’t-miss for anyone in the mood for a breathtaking winter night of pulsating pigskin action.