Sorting out a season’s worth of memories

There certainly is a lot to digest when one has gorged himself on 3,348 downs of Kraft Family IFL pigskin over the past four months.

Between the 5,231 passing yards to go along with an astoundingly parallel 5,129 yards on the ground (not to mention the 3,084 tackles and at least triple that amount of missed tackles) it’s easy to get caught up in the mind-boggling compilation of numbers. (Quick: How many total touchdowns do you estimate were scored this year? Answer below)

However, the story of the 2009/10 season of Israeli tackle football goes well beyond the array of statistics that I can throw at you. The speed, the power, the intensity, the extreme competition were all ever-present as always, but even more than that was the continued explosion of the sport from one corner of the country to the other as the grassroots momentum continued to build and a swell of new local talent began to emerge.

That, and the collection of wonderfully eclectic personalities throughout the league, are what will remain vivid in my mind well after a most hard-fought 35 games.

The IFL welcomed a pair of new franchises this year, both of which made their presence felt and set the tone for immediate arch-rivalries even before the first kickoff. The Beersheva Black Swarm and Judean Rebels experienced different paths in their inaugural campaign, and the Swarm’s 45-29 preseason victory over the Orangemen really gave no indication of what lay ahead for the respective league newcomers.

As it turned out, the Rebels were able to weather some early storms and develop a good supporting cast to complement star QB Joe Martisius, who led the league in passing yards and passing TDs, while racking up the second highest total of both yards and scores on the ground. His No. 1 receiver, Chris McKinny, topped the charts in receiving yards (edging out Big Blue’s Idan Yaron by a mere two yards) and receiving TDs (with 13) despite missing two contests, and was the perfect target for a jitterbug signal caller like Martisius with his ability to roll with the punches and create yards for himself after the catch.

While defense was certainly not at a premium for Coach Ty Rogers’ bunch (who surrendered a playoff team-high average of over 38 points an outing) they managed to put up enough points (46 per game) to make up for their deficiencies on one side of the ball. Looking at their season as a whole, the Rebels beat the teams that they were “expected” to at the time while not being able to pull a big upset, unless you count the wild 58-52 victory over Haifa in which they took a 40-14 lead into the break before almost choking away the franchise’s first victory. In the end, a pair of losses to both the Lions and Sabres were the only blemishes on the Rebels’ record as they eventually found their team rhythm and won their last three games heading into the playoffs to finish at 6-4.

Beersheva, on the other hand, was unable to pry away much former IFL star-power from existing teams and one of their only transferring players, Idan Maor, was forced to take a leave from the club early on. The Swarm were also forced to sustain a season-ending broken leg to starting QB Sagar Patel at the beginning of just their second game, and it took the first-year bunch a while to recover and patch up their injury-depleted roster.

Led by a dedicated troop of extremely passionate coaches with strong football backgrounds, the Black Swarm were able to regroup after a rough string of blowout losses to put together some impressive outings over their last few games. More importantly, they found some key pieces for what will surely develop into the nucleus of a top-flight team in short order’s time.

Koren Cohen, in just his first year in the sport, remarkably emerged as a top-5 IFL quarterback by all measurable numbers, Yasha Polyakov brought a much-needed burning competitive spirit to the first-year club, while Shahar Villeval (who ranked 6^th in the league with 64 tackles) and Gadi Lahav (4^th with 4 sacks) anchored a defensive unit that got better with each week.

Once they got into some sort of rhythm, they traded punches with the Kings and Pioneers, coming within a couple of some questionable officiating of claiming both of those contests. As well, over the course of the season, the Swarm managed to create a fan base that will only continue to grow as the team progresses. All that with arguably their two best players gone within a game and a half of the season’s start.

If Beersheva wants an example of how quickly things could turn around in the IFL, it has to look no further than its neighbours 100 kilometers north.

The Mike’s Place Tel Aviv-Jaffa Sabres were clearly the toast of the league in 2009/10, although how much that will help them in the playoffs remains to be seen, as front-runner is never an easy role to play. Following a 1-7 season that saw them miss the playoffs, the Sabres made a complete one-year turnaround to take top spot and the No. 1 seed with a 9-1 record.

The coaches did an outstanding job of assembling a talent-filled roster and getting the players to buy into a team-first system. The depth of the Sabres was clearly their number one strength, as well as bringing the complete package of a ball-club into every game. From a stout defense that totaled the second most sacks and turnovers-caused, to the best kicking game in the business and three quarterbacks who each inpidually threw the team on their backs to pull out compelling victories, Tel Aviv-Jaffa really had it all.

A 32-26 home loss to the Lions was all that prevented the red-and-white from being undefeated, although they needed a last minute Adi Hakami kick return for a touchdown to topple the Kings in what was one of the most breath-taking plays of the entire year.

It’s a testament to the balanced approach taken by Mike’s Place that sees not many of its players atop the IFL statistical charts (aside from Asaf Graif edging out Papagaio’s Matthew Markman as the interception master), but that certainly does not mean they didn’t have great seasons. Tamir Elterman and Hammude Kassas were the perfect thunder-lightning running combo, racking up over 1000 yards and 22 TDs on the ground between them. Evan Reshef made his mark on the field as a difference maker even while missing the final few games to nurse a nagging injury in time for the playoffs. Alex Trafton shined under center and was even more dazzling as a booming kicker. It’s unfortunate a broken wrist ended his season early, but the Sabres will most assuredly plug in Hakami or another yet-unknown star and continue their drive towards a first championship.

That path will not be an easy one, and possibly the biggest obstacle sits in the form of the Papagaio Jerusalem Kings, who nudged into second place as the leader of a trio of 6-4 clubs. Perhaps no team had a better second half of the season that the Kings, who after stumbling to a 1-3 start, took 5 of their last 6 to propel themselves into serious contenders, this after separating with their coach midseason.

It’s easy to look at Papagaio and conclude that they were no more than a one-dimension team led by super-back Jon Rubin, who ran roughshod over the competition for a league-leading 1,177 yards and 23 TDs. That would be 100% inaccurate (fine, maybe 90% inaccurate). In the end of the day, there was no shortage of playmakers on both sides of the ball for the Kings, who got game-saving plays at various points from Markman, Marshall Mullinax, Leib Bolel and a whole host of others.

Captains Shmuel Weisfeld, David Jesselson, Big Mike and Bolel kept the spirits of the team up during a tumultuous first month and the late additions of T.J. Williams and Micah Solomon boosted Deep Purple’s rush in the second half as they swept the Lions in their last two games to leapfrog over both Big Blue and the Rebels to earn a first-round bye.

When Big Blue met Papagaio in Jerusalem during Week 21, the teams were on different sides of the cycle: The Kings had already hit their lowest point and were on the way up, while the Lions seemingly peaked early with a 6-1 start before tripping and lurching to a 6-4 finish, requiring them to play an extra game in the wild-card round.

Itai Ashkenazi and Yaron formed the most exciting QB-receiver tandem in the country, hooking up for 11 TD passes, most of them of the deep-bomb variety. In addition, Amichai Bergman developed into a fearsome threat on the other side, compiling 36 catches and 6 TDs in a breakout campaign. The one game that Moshe Horowitz was in the country (one which saw him rack up 4 scores) really hinted to how dominant the Lions could be with all their parts intact, and the upset of the Sabres was certainly a highlight of the season for the entire league.

However, injuries decimated what could have been a very special regular season for the two-time finalists. Ashkenazi was forced out of a pair of games and emotional heart-and-soul Yonah Mishaan missed the entire second half with a shoulder ailment. While Danny Brill and Matan Lavi were decent out of the backfield, the ability of Big Blue’s opponents to recognize their approach and focus on the pass certainly was a thorn in the team’s side in the later games.

Still, defense and special teams were the lifeblood of the Lions this year and those two units spearheaded victories in Modi’in, over the Rebels and over the Sabres that really could have gone either way. Ilya Pittel starred as a kick returner, taking two back for scores, while Scott Eisenberg, Yoni Cooper and Kasey Stewart were the team leaders in tackles, with Eisenberg finishing second to Mullinax in the league totals. Because of the last weekend loss to the Kings, the Lions will have to play in six straight weeks, a gruelling schedule for any football club, let alone one in such turmoil that has already lost the first 3 of that daunting stretch.

Rounding out the final two playoff qualifiers were pair of 4-6 organizations in the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs and the Dancing Camel Modi’in Pioneers, both of whom experienced their fair share of struggles over the course of the season but are hoping for strong playoff runs.

The Underdogs, who made the Israel Bowl in their first year before losing in the semifinals the next, got off to a blistering start with victories over the Kings, Black Swarm, Pioneers and Lions sandwiching a blip on the radar 58-52 loss to the Rebels in a game in which they almost erased a 24-point deficit. The 28-22 conquest of Big Blue was one of the most exhilarating and tensely-fought battles in a long time and it looked as if the ’Dogs were on their way to another sensational season.

However, the loss of their most multi-faceted player in Alex Fries certainly threw the team out of whack. The Englishman had, to that point, been their highest point-getter as well as performing admirably as a punter and kicker. Something was visibly missing from Real Housing’s attack without Fries in the lineup, and although the other team leaders such as Itamar Levin and Shahar Yeshurun tried to compensate, lethargy set in and Haifa dropped their final 5 contests to limp into the postseason with question marks abound. While their final handful opponents were certainly no cup of tea (Pioneers, Kings, Lions, Rebels, Sabres), there was no excuses heard from the Underdogs camp as the team quietly and honorably took responsibility for their inexplicable collapse.

Without a passing game to speak of, Haifa was forced to employ a run-first offense that relied tremendously on disguised handoffs and different backfield formations, however opposing defenses were able to clamp down at the line of scrimmage and hold the Northerners in check for the most part. Some bright spots for the club included the Hochberg brothers, Yuval and Gal, who both seemed to make an impact whenever they were in action, and Taylor Bearman, who ran the ball with purpose and who, together with Levin, formed a bone-crunching tackling duo par excellence. Allan Hearn was also noteworthy for his inability to be brought down by one defender and was the only Underdog to top 100 yards in both receiving and rushing while chipping in on D with 51 tackles.

The defending champions Pioneers had a season that was the mirror image of their 4-6 partners. With reigning league MVP Asaf Katz forced to split his time on the field between the IFL and the IDF (he still managed to be stupefyingly effective in his five games, finishing third overall in tackles with 89), and All-Pro linebacker Jason Gosnel missing a significant chunk of time to injury, Dancing Camel lacked some of the on-field intangibles that propelled their title run last season.

If you thought Haifa couldn’t throw the ball, the Pioneers were, well, pathetic in that category, and on offense in general, completing only 31 passes over the entire 10 games and tallying a full 122 points less than the second-lowest playoff-bound team. Even so, the Pioneers were rarely blown out, boasting the No. 1 defense in the league with just 242 points allowed, as their ability to hold onto the football for clock-eating drives kept opposing offenses off the field and limited their opportunities to score.

Two of Modi’in’s four victories came in six-point decisions over Beersheva to bookend its schedule, however the players also managed to shed some of the early malaise with a thrilling 28-26 road victory over Haifa to set the tone for an inspiring 26-2 smack-down of the Lions in their penultimate outing before the playoffs, giving the team the confidence that it will be able to repeat the feat in the first round.

And that is where we currently stand! With two intriguing postseason matchups set for this weekend at Kraft Stadium in the capital (Underdogs vs Rebels on Thursday at 8 p.m.; Lions vs Pioneers on Friday at noon) the dessert portion of the menu has finally arrived and it looks sinfully good.

The games remain must-see stuff. In fact, our finals will be aired live on TV across the country by Sport5. Of course, the playoffs games take the passion and exhilaration to a whole different level as the individual matchups and storylines that have been percolating over the course of the season have ripened perfectly to bring out their full effect. After witnessing 2,311 points scored and through 301 touchdowns (97 passing, 204 rushing), we enter the playoffs with the drama sure to be ratcheted up to record level. Israel Bowl III is just two short weeks away! Who will be there? Who will be watching from home? This is what it’s all about! Catch the IFL wave as it reaches its crest! It promises to be the ride of a lifetime!