Pack beat champs, win sixth straight
The red-hot Pack claimed sole ownership of second place after a pair of convincing wins, including a 24 -1 thumping of the league champion Mustangs.
Quarterback Jeff Tessier beat the Mustangs' defence for four touchdown passes, including a pair to speedster Jeff Snook. The Pack's first touchdown came on an impressive clock-eating drive against a strong wind in the first quarter. Despite the gusting wind, Tessier passed smoothly throughout the game and also hit Pat Kennedy and Mark Dawson for scores.
The Mustangs were once again missing star quarterback Harry "Tackleberry" Patterson and were unable to mount a significant offensive threat. It was the champ's second straight loss, following last week's 21 - 18 defeat at the hands of the Harbour Gulls.
For the surging Pack, this was their sixth straight win. The Pack also defeated a short-handed Hurricanes' team 28 - 8 in weekend play.
In the women's league, the Republic and Hickman Motors continued their winning ways. Hickman's dominated the league champion Heat for a 33 - 0 win. Michelle Healey had three touchdown passes and five interceptions for the winners. Sharon Gregory continues to pass the Republic to victory. Gregory threw five touchdown passes in a 31 - 0 win over the Renegades.
News and Notes:
A dish served cold. Neil Smith and the Harbour Gulls parted ways in the off-season but the Hurricanes' newest safety had the last laugh in the Hurriances 12 - 0 defeat of the Gulls. Smith had three interceptions against his old team and knocked down a fourth quarter pass in the end zone to preserve the shut out.
Tessier didn't throw him that many balls. Pack safety Pat Kennedy is known as a cagey defensive veteran and all of that guile was on display in his team's 28 - 8 win over the Hurricanes. Kennedy has five interceptions to help lead his team to victory. Hurricanes' QB Todd Pardy swears that Kennedy was open the whole game.
A baker's dozen. Hickman Motors did a good job of snagging balls in their 33 - 0 win over the Heat. Not only did Hickman's move the ball on offence, their ball hawking defence had an impressive 13 interceptions. Michelle Healey led the way with five picks. Sue Hickman had four interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
League leaders in nicknames. The Gulls have a new fan in eight-year-old Pamela Budden. The Janeway Children's Telethon star watched league action this weekend and used the time to nickname several Gulls. Budden dubbed Teddy Whelan "Teddy Graham" while Jason Kelly earned the moniker "Clown Head." Scroll down to learn Shayne Menecola's nickname.
They're angry and happy. For a team called the Rage, this collection of football rookies is a pretty happy bunch. As a team, The Rage has been suffering the typical first-year bumps and bruises but they earned a moral victory this weekend by scoring in back-to-back games. The Rage scored a pair of touchdowns against the Gulls and added another against Tol's Thunder.
Well worth the wait. The M5 Rockets finally got on the scoreboard in a 34 - 7 loss to the Renegades. Maria Churchill weaved through the Renegades defence on a long run to score the Rockets first touchdown of the season. Churchill also showed tremendous hustle in chasing down two Renegades for touchdown saving tags on a pair of long interception returns.
Men's leaders. With 78 points, Dave "The G is silent" Rouagh is the league's top scorer and the only Outlaw to lead the league in any statistical category. Jason Kelly of the Gulls has surged to the interception lead with 13 picks. Paul Smith of the Edge leads the league with 14 sacks.
Women's leaders. Connie Flemming of the Republic leads the women with 37 points scored. Pam White of the Renegades is the top defender with 14 interceptions. Two players share the sack lead. The Republic's Karen O'Neill and the Heat's Krista Matthews are tied at 17.
Arms race. A strong weekend performance has left The Pack's Jeff Tessier as the league's top passer. Tessier has thrown 33 touchdown passes, one more than Greg Woolgar of the Outlaws. Sharon Gregory of the Republic continues to lead the way in the women's league. Gregory has thrown for 31 touchdowns. Michelle Healey of Hickman's is second with 18 touchdown passes.
Obligatory Shayne Menecola update. Pamela Budden, the Gulls newest fan, nicknamed Menecola "Chatterbox" less than an hour after meeting the Gulls' captain. Menecola obviously made a quick impression on the precocious eight-year-old.
