Underdogs upset by Pioneers; Sabres shake off Rebels

It was a weekend for visitors in the Kraft Family IFL as a pair of original-four franchises went on the road to claim impressive victories that tightened things up throughout the standings as the season’s second half fully hit stride.

On Thursday in Jerusalem, the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres reclaimed sole possession of first place and became the first team in the league to five wins with a 50-32 conquest of the Judean Rebels, who fell back to .500 with their first defeat in more than a month.

The next morning in Yoqne’am, the Dancing Camel Modi’in Pioneers took advantage of five lost fumbles by the host Real Housing Haifa Underdogs to come away with a thrilling 28-26 triumph that the defending champs hope will propel them in the right direction after a miserable start to the campaign.

The loss drops the Underdogs (4-2) from first to third in the standings as the idle Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (4-1) retained their second-place perch right beneath Tel Aviv. The Rebels (3-3) occupy the swing position in the seven-team league, with the Papagaio Jerusalem Kings (2-3) and the suddenly very-much-alive Pioneers (2-4) rounding out the top six spots ahead of the still-winless Beersheva Black Swarm (0-6) in last.

However, as Friday’s enthralling encounter in the North indicated, the competitive terrain of the IFL just keeps getting flatter and flatter, with almost any team capable of beating any other… just the way we like it!

Dancing Camel came into the affair nursing a four-game skid while Haifa was riding high after a huge, character-building win over Big Blue. However, the teams looked quite evenly-matched from the get-go, trading scores on their opening drives.

In a game that would be decided by the closest of margins – field-goal-kicking unit, anyone?…anyone?! –  every two-point conversion mattered tremendously as the teams tied in touchdowns at four apiece, with the 2-1 edge to Modi’in in successful points-after providing the ultimate difference. That, as well as the 5-0 advantage the Pioneers enjoyed in the all-important turnover column.

Shai Gotlieb took home Mike’s Place Player of the Game honors, with two TDs. His first-quarter over-the-shoulder grab from 10 yards out was a textbook bit of route-running and receiving, while his electrifying 58-yard kickoff return to reverse a 20-14 Haifa lead at the start of the second was right out of the Josh Cribbs special-teams handbook.

What seemed like another high-scoring shootout from the start quickly turned into a defensive standoff in the second half, with the Pioneers getting the only six points of the final two quarters (on a Kobi Nimrod 1-yard score) after going into the break down 26-22.

While it was the fumbles and penalties (10 for 60 yards, including one on a crucial 4th-down whcih allowed the Pioneers to extend their game-winning drive) that killed Real Housing, the Modi’in defense showed up in full force and played with a gang-tackling ferocity that has been rare recently. Reigning MVP Asaf Katz (18 tackles, fumble recovery) and all-of-a-sudden player/coach Dan Brunwasser (15 tackles) led the swell, but it was a true team effort and a combined remarkable mental toughness that enabled Dancing Camel to walk away with what will perhaps prove to be a season-saving victory.

In Thursday’s weekend opener, the Sabres welcomed back starting QB Alex Trafton and all-around playmaker Tamir Elterman, both of whom had missed time with injuries. Trafton was transcendent in his return, contributing in almost every aspect of his teams’ romp, most notably with his four touchdown runs, one scoring pass and, count them… 7 booming touchbacks, to earn him a third Mike’s Place Player of the Game. (Elterman, too, was not too shabby, compiling 97 yards and a pair of TDs, even while being overshadowed by his larger-than-life teammate.)

For the Rebels, Joe Martisius tossed as many interceptions (2) as touchdowns, while only scrambling for 33 yards and one score in addition to his 133 through the air. Matan Goldberg, Stephen Kornbluth and Zack Miller also got into the endzone for the Orangemen, who saw their two game winning-streak snapped by a hungry Tel Aviv squad anxious to put its own tumultuous couple of weeks in the past following a home loss to the Lions.

Daniel Nissman (5 tackles, 2½ sacks) and Even Reshef (5 tackles, INT, forced fumble and recovery, ½ a sack) led the defense as usual, but both units were really boosted by the emergence of Eric Spitzer, who went up to snag an acrobatic TD at the end of the first half to give Mike’s Place a commanding 28-8 lead on offense, plus contributing 8 tackles on the other side.

All in all, it was the type of who’s-up-next dominating performance Sabres Nation had come to expect from Jon Sharon and his boys, who put up a record 462 total net yards and 16 first downs while controlling the clock through almost 30 minutes of possession. While there were a couple of brief moments when Judea stemmed a rally, it was quickly snuffed out by the red-and-white as order was restored atop the table and the three-way knot was neatly untied.

Up next in the IFL is a doubleheader delight in the capital, with four teams taking the Kraft Family field in what will surely be an action-packed Thursday. Big Blue goes up against the Rebels in the evening’s first intriguing matchup at 7 p.m., while the Kings host Haifa in a 9:30 nightcap that looks likely to bring down the house. Saturday night has the Sabres in Modi'in to face the Pioneers.