The Memphis Showboats/Infinity on Trial are going for back to back Championships against first time World Bowl participant Washington. The Federals have been one of the better regular season teams the last 4-5 seasons but it hasn't translated into post season success until this year. So, how did these teams advance?
Showboats 47 Gamblers 22
These two division foes played two tight games in the regular season, with Memphis winning by 5 and by 2, so most fans felt another nail biter was coming. Houston had some problems with slow starts to games in 1987, and today was no exception. The Gamblers punted on their first 3 drives while Memphis kicked a FG on their first drive for an early 3-0 lead. The Showboats second drive ended with a 5 yard TD by former Gambler Mark Lambert. Brian Kuss ran in the 2 point conversion for the 11-0 Memphis lead. The third Memphis drive ended like the second, with a Mark Lambert TD run and a Brian Kuss 2 point run for a 19-0 lead. Houston would finally dent the scoreboard inside the 2 minute warning as Tony Dean found Bruce Edwards for a 4 yard TD to make the halftime score 19-7 Showboats.
The second half started with a bang for Memphis as David Allen sandwiched a Houston FG with 2 long TD passes. The first one covered 52 yards to David Austin, while the second one went for 80 yards to Mr. Big Play Willie Howland. That flurry made the score 33-10 Memphis. Houston would add a FG for a 33-13 score, then the defenses chipped in. Memphis QB David Allen was sacked in the end zone by an unnamed Houston player for a safety, cutting the lead to 33-15. With 4:21 left, and Houston desperately trying to mount a comeback for the ages, Tony Dean threw a pick six. Donald Guo returned that errant pass 21 yards to put the game out of reach, 40-15. The scoring closed with one more TD for each team.
Despite the 4 degree temperature, the offenses were on fire. Memphis had 489 yards and Houston had 470. The Gamblers did most of their damage through the air, while Memphis ran all over Houston. The Gamblers Tony Dean threw for 444 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT. Gamblers WR Gabriel Ahrens caught 6 for 171 and a TD while fellow WR Bruce Edwards caught 10 for 105 and a TD. As a team, Memphis ran for 255 yards and passed for 234. WR Willie Howland caught 6 for 117 yards and a TD, while the ground game produced 2, 100 yard runners. Donut Mogul Tim Horton ran 15 times for 115 yards while former Houston RB Mark Lambert burned his old team for 127 yards and 2 TD's on 15 carries.
Federals 23 Stallions 20
No matter what happened in either game, one of these teams was going to get a shot at their first Championship against a 3 time Champion. Birmingham made it all the way to World Bowl XII before falling in OT to the Houston Gamblers while Washington was seeking their first ever World Bowl berth.
Washington got the ball first and punted, then the Federals defense turned in the game's first big play. Birmingham QB David Schmitt was intercepted by Washington FS Francis Vanhoose and the Federals turned that into 3 points. The Stallions would bounce right back, driving 75 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a Schmitt to Christopher Henderson 5 yard TD pass. Birmingham would add a FG for a 10-3 lead before Washington tied it inside the 2 minute warning. Scott Bieber hit Luther Ellis for the 30 yard TD.
The second half began with a BANG for Birmingham as Richard Sutton fielded the kickoff 9 yards deep, broke 3 or 4 tackles and went 109 yards for the TD. That gave the Stallions a 17-10 lead and from there, both teams would add a FG for a 20-13 Birmingham lead after three quarters.
Washington would add another John Bazile FG to cut it to 20-16 with 8:37 left. Birmingham went three and out, electing to punt away with over 6 minutes left. The defense couldn't get off the field however, as Washington drove 68 yards in 9 plays for what turned out to be the game winning TD. QB Scott Bieber threw a frozen rope 22 yards to Allan Boyer, just over the outstretched hand of CB Steven Minton. Birmingham would have 1:51 to work with, but they turned it over on downs and the Federals joyously kneeled down.
