Kingsfan11 wrote:

Damn, Buffalo lost. Oh well, I knew the streak of consecutive playoff wins had to end someday. On the other hand, Buffalo continues their streak of either losing their first playoff game or winning it all (I think, I could be wrong).

Yes, you are correct. Buffalo doesn't like to stick around if they ain't winning it.

1968 Division Finals

East Division Final - Ottawa Royals VS. Halifax Mariners - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 28, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy - 13ºC | 56ºF
1st Q
The Royals’ return to the postseason started off pretty quiet as both their defence and Halifax’s were playing well to start. It would be Ottawa who was able to get into Mariners’ territory first, on a great play from WR Piers Key, who spun off a tackle to pick up 34 yards. K Ira Foster would trot onto the field to give Ottawa their first points of the game. Halifax’s offence followed suit not long after with a strong push into Royals’ territory to get their own field goal. The remainder of the opening quarter would be scoreless.
OTT 3-3 HFX

2nd Q
The defensive battle remained intact in the 2nd quarter. The Mariners would be the first team to start to make a push into the opposing territory. However, as they got closer to the endzone, QB Lyle Painter would take a risky shot down the field to WR Jav Kerrigan and it would come up intercepted in the arms of S Marc Bellecourt. Ottawa’s offence would take the field and look to get out of their own end, however, on their second play of offence DL Wayne Baxton would break around the O-line on a blitz and nail QB Tyrion Gainsborough with a brutal hit. The ball practically flew off of the flailing arm of Gainsborough and the Mariners’ blitz would swarm the ball and would come up with possession. The Mariners’ offence retook the field and would make quick work to score the first major of the day on a pass to WR Shane Steadman. The touchdown would be the lone score of the quarter.
OTT 3-10 HFX

3rd Q
The second half would see the Royals appear to make some adjustments. The offence was being quick and decisive with their plays. It would work well as the team continuously picked up enough yards to keep the drive alive. Unfortunately, their luck would run out when QB Tyrion Gainsborough threw a horrid pass into the ground on 2nd down. K Ira Foster would get his second field goal of the game to pull Ottawa back to within 4. The Mariners hoped to continue moving the ball themselves, but they would run into a sturdy Royals defence who would get a fumble of their own when RB Ronald O’Sullivan was hit by LB Sam Wheeler. The Royals would have good field position, but once again they were unable to get to the endzone and would settle for a field goal. The lead was cut down to 1, but the Mariners did not let that bother them. The offence would put together a strong drive to get their own field goal and regain the 4-point separation heading into the final quarter.
OTT 9-13 HFX

4th Q
Defence remained at the forefront of the game into the final quarter, but the Royals were making progress towards finally getting into the endzone. After RB Corbyn Knight broke off a strong run for 15 yards, the royals would go back to the air, but a Mariner would come down with the Tyrion Gainsborough pass. DB Aquilio Ruiz was in the right place at the right time as Gainsborough’s pass was off the mark. Ruiz’s pick would set the Mariners up at their own 38. They would not score on the ensuing drive, but after they forced the Royals to a 2 and out, they would get the ball back and march down to the 7-yard line. From there, the Mariners would elect to pass, but as QB Lyle Painter turned to throw out to the flat, DL Bernhard Hartmann got his arms out. Painter reacted enough to pull the ball back and shift to the side. Hartmann would get off balance and topple over along with OL Kane Warwick. Painter now had some space and would toss the ball to the check down of RB Ronald O’Sullivan. TE Dylan Chowder would make a great block and O’Sullivan would dive for the endzone and get the ball over the line. The Royals were in a tough spot now needing a pair of scores. They would respond with a strong drive headlined by a 32-yard play from WR Marshall Leonard, but they would not get close enough to the endzone, so K Ira Foster would get the first points in the comeback attempt.  The Royals' defence would stall out the Mariners and get the ball back. Once again the Royals' offence made some strong plays early to get over midfield, but the Mariners would stand them up right there to force a 3rd down. Gainsborough would be trusted to make the throw to keep the drive alive. The Mariners would bring some pressure but focused on pass coverage. Gainsborough had to roll out, but he would eventually find WR Marshall Leonard for a huge first down at the sideline. The Royals lined up for the next play with the crowd praising the excellent play. On first down, Gainsborough would drop back to pass again. He looked for a quick pass and saw Marshall Leonard making his quick slant route. Pressure from DL Wayne Baxton would force Gainsborough to make a rushed pass and it would be slightly behind Leonard. DB Joe Robinson would be right there to make the interception. Robinson would take it back into Royals territory but would be stopped by WR Colby Bancana. From there, the Mariners were able to run down the clock and book their first ticket to the McCallister cup since 1956. 
OTT - 21 WR Marshall Leonard
HFX - 62 DB Joe Robinson

West Division Final - Toronto Steelheads VS. Indiana Victors - Anderson Stadium - September 29, 1968 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy - 10ºC | 51ºF
1st Q
The Steelheads and Victors entered the West Division Final with a ticket to their first McCallister Cup respectively on the line. The Victors were coming into the game on the high of ending the Blue Wings’ run at a 3rd cup and they kept up their strong play by shutting down the Steelheads' offence in the opening quarter. On offence, they were having the same level of success. RB Raymond Green would score the first points of a game on a 12-yard run to put Indy up 0-7 early. The Steelheads would continue to struggle without their star, RB Max Tracy, who was hurt in the final game of the season. RB Lukas Ivarsson had a few good runs, but the absence of their star showed. Indiana’s offence on the other hand continued to look strong as QB Tom Applewhite would lead the team to another score, finding WR Silas Peyton in the endzone for the 0-14 lead.
TOR 0-14 IND

2nd Q
Toronto had to make the adjustment to the air more in the second, which would come back to bite them when DB Cameron Taylor got in front of a QB Todd Baker pass to take the ball for the Victors. Shortly after, the Victors would make it 0-21 when WR Ed Edwards would get separation in the endzone from DB Luke Warren. Toronto managed to gather themselves following the long Victors' drive and started to make genuine progress towards some points. However, the Victors were certainly not letting them get much, making it a very tedious drive. The Steelheads keep going though, even gambling and getting a first down on 3rd and 8 just past midfield. The long drive would eventually run out of time and the Steelheads would just take the field goal just before the break. 
TOR 3-21 IND

3rd Q
The 3rd quarter would be intense, yet uneventful. The Steelheads' offence was still being slowed to a halt by the Victors’ defence, which certainly soured fans, but they were starting to get into it with their defence which was finally managing to put an end to the Victors’ success. They would get a huge break when LB Judge Barrett hammered RB Raymond Green to force a fumble. Unfortunately, Todd Baker was sacked on first down to take them out of Indiana territory and were unable to get anything on second down. Thus, they had to punt the ball away, leaving the 3rd quarter a scoreless one.
TOR 3-21 IND

4th Q
The defence was clicking for the Steelheads, but they were going to need their offence to help them get out of the hole they were in. Luckily, the offence would click, finally breaking through the Victors’ defences early in the quarter. QB Todd Baker would lead a great drive down the field before taking a shot at the endzone for WR Al Allmendinger, who would come down with the catch and pull the Victors to within 11. The score got the crowd at Anderson Stadium back into the game, as they began to believe they had a chance. However, QB Tom Applewhite planned to shut them up. He would start to move the ball which made the excitement in the stands turn to nerves. Then, he would shatter their hearts by taking a shot over the top to WR Ed Edwards who cleanly got past his defender and was in the clear. Edwards would make the catch and would have enough gas to get to the endzone before S Charles Clerk could catch him. The stadium fell silent again. The Steelheads’ offence tried to get back the score, but it was no use, Indiana was playing aggressive and confident and was not making many mistakes. The game would come to a close with Toronto losing their 4th consecutive playoff game, while the Indiana Victors finally have booked a ticket to the McCallister Cup.
TOR - 53 LB Judge Barrett
IND - 89 WR Ed Edwards

Injury Report
LB Mike Francis IND - 1 Week

Players of the Week

EDF: DL Wayne Baxton HFX - 1 Forced Fumble, 2 Sacks, 6 Tackles

WDF: QB Tom Applewhite IND - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 324 Passing Yards

50th McCallister Cup Preview
Halifax Mariners VS. Indiana Victors - Richardson Stadium - Boston, MA
Head-to-Head: W10 IND 20-16 HFX
The 50th McCallister Cup will be the 3rd matchup to feature two non-division-winning teams (the previous two being 1962 and 1960). QB Lyle Painter, starting for the Mariners, will join QB Riley Kiernan as the only QBs to start a McCallister Cup with 2 different teams. The Victors are the last of the first 10 teams in the NAAF to make the McCallister Cup. As for the actual matchup, this game could be a very good one. The Mariners have gotten here with their defensive play only allowing 25 total points in 2 games. While their offence remains potent enough scoring 41 points. As for Indiana, they have been really strong offensively with 7 touchdowns in their 2 games. Their defence has also played well keeping Toronto to just 10 points in the West Final. The Mariners have fared well with their defence, however, they are going up against the best offence they have faced in this postseason so it will be a true test. As for Indiana, this game can’t be too much different than the game against the Blue Wings, as Halifax is about as talented as them. I am expecting a close battle that can go either way, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Victors will finally live up to their name.
My Pick: Victors 

Last edited by Wallflower (7/29/2022 8:39 pm)

pain.

Playoffs plays different

Congrats Halifax. You deserved this one.