Sunday, March 18, 2018

Week 9 Roundup

Look who's in first place in the Atlantic Division. And it's not Pittsburgh.

Hector Morris, Baltimore Stars
The Baltimore Stars scored the last 23 points of the game to outscore the Boston Breakers, 39-20. Baltimore's five-game winning streak put the Stars at 7-2, a half-game ahead of the Maulers (6-2-1). Pittsburgh, seeking its fourth consecutive division title, fought the Michigan Panthers to a 10-10 tie.

Hector Morris caught five passes for 186 yards and three TDs for Baltimore. Les Lynch recorded his league-high 14th sack of the season.

Pittsburgh fumbled the ball away with 19 seconds left in regulation time, but Michigan wasn't able to move into field goal position. Neither team threatened to score in overtime.

In other Week 9 games:
  • New York Stars WR Allen Howard caught 11 passes for 370 yards, third-highest in league history, and three TDs in a 36-3 win over the Bell in Philadelphia.
  • Orlando's 35-13 win over the Georgia Force and Shreveport's 30-24 victory over Birmingham resulted in a three-way tie in the South Division at 5-4.
  • Tampa Bay WR Edward Conner accumulated 277 yards on eight receptions, five for TDs, as the Bandits stunned the Portland Storm, 70-33. Tampa Bay had 746 net yards, averaging 14 yards per play.
  • Anthony Schaefer's 27-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Arizona Wranglers to a 22-20 victory over the Honolulu Hawaiians. Arizona got the ball back on its 24 with 5:15 to play and drove all the way to the Hawaiians' 8 before Schaefer kicked the game-winner.
  • Doug Fluty's 20-yard pass to Damon Rosato with 1:53 to play gave the New Jersey Generals a 20-16 win over the San Jose SaberCats.
  • The Charlotte Hornets defense held Washington to 204 total yards in a 31-6 decision over the Federals. MLB Eduardo Sorensen intercepted a pass for Charlotte.
  • The Oklahoma Outlaws were without injured star QB Dale Brown, but Shawn Whitmire and Robert Brockett split the duties and performed well (358 yards passing, two TDs) during a 44-13 stomping of the Memphis Showboats. Just when it appeared the Southwest Division race was going to get interesting, the Outlaws are 6-3 and everyone else is 3-6.
  • The New Orleans VooDoo picked up their first win of the season, edging the Houston Gamblers, 30-23, on James Nantz's 3-yard TD run with just over a minute to play.

Week 10 Preview

The Portland Storm (6-3) host the Orlando Renegades (5-4) in a game likely to have postseason implications for both. The San Antonio Gunslingers (3-6) face a must-win situation at Oklahoma (6-3). The Cleveland Thunderbolts (6-3) will try to hand division foe Detroit (9-0) its first loss.

Record Book

Allen Howard's 370-yard receiving game against Philadelphia in Week 9 was only the third-highest single-game receiving total in league history. Oklahoma's Dusty Heckman had 394 yards on just eight receptions (49.25 per catch) against the Chicago Blitz earlier this season. Thomas Canale of the New Orleans VooDoo had 384 vs. Orlando in 1974, which stood as the record until this season.

Coach's Profile

Mcarovil, Tampa Bay
Mcarovil, Tampa Bay Bandits
Playing MFN Since:2016
Hometown (town, state): Marlboro, NJ
Current residence (town, state): Boca Raton, FL but moving to Ottawa, CA, in 3 months
Day job: DEA agent
Favorite teams (all sports): Browns, Cavs, NY Rangers
A real-life sports experience: My mom got hit on by David Concepion, SS for the Cincinnati Reds, during a NY Mets game. I wanted an autograph. He gave his number to my mom, ha ha.
A fantasy sports experience: King of Fantasy Football
Coach's Corner: (tip for a new MFN coach): Speed is a great attribute. Rules that incorporate man and zone defenses enough to offset overuse penalties are key against veteran owners looking to get an advantage with 3 WR sets. :
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