1957 Week 11

Louisville Thunder - 20, Long Island Raiders - 17 - University Stadium - September 7, 1957 - 1 PM ET
1st
0-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
7-3 LOU - TD RB Lucas Bush
2nd
3rd
7-10 LI - TD RB Conner Riley
4th
14-10 LOU - TD WR Truman Harry
20-10 LOU - TD RB Stavros Black
20-17 LI - TD WR Robert Lang 

Excitement took over Louisville with rookie QB Leonidas Dumont starting his first career game.
Dumont would throw a touchdown and only 1 interception leading the Thunder to their 3rd win of the season. The injuries on the Raiders end showed their impact with the team falling behind in the 4th, where the Thunder came back and took the lead.
S Johnny Berger also got the majority of snaps for the first time this season and came down with a pick. 

Providence Gold Stars - 17, Montreal Rouge - 13 - New Providence Stadium - September 7, 1957 - 4 PM ET
1st
0-3 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
2nd
7-3 PRO - TD RB Élisée Marchal
3rd
7-6 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
10-6 PRO - FG K Theodore Provost
4th
10-13 MTL - TD RB Scott Mallard White
17-13 PRO - TD WR Willard Brooks 

Providence was able to get one step closer to clinching the division with a win over the Rouge.
DB Quentin Xavier had another pick to bring his total up to 7 on the season.
DB Lee Wolfe had another pick for his second since his return.

Worcester Athletics - 15, Ottawa Royals - 28 - Worcester Athletics - September 7, 1957 - 7 PM ET
1st
3-0 WOR - FG Tevoris Francis
3-7 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
2nd
3-14 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
9-14 WOR - TD RB Marcus Devonshire
3rd
12-14 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
12-21 OTT - TD WR Ben Roland
4th
12-28 OTT - TD RB Alexei Volkov
15-28 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis 

The Royals smacked the Athletics in a brutal battle to stay in the battle for the Division title heading into the final week of the season.
Both teams had injuries throughout with WR Chester Bennett and WR Toni Radovanovic both leaving for Ottawa and DB Alexander Bradley and OL Cliff Strautzenberger leaving for Worcester. 
The good news is all 4 should be back for next week for both teams.
With the injury to Bradley, QB Jean Matieau was able to capitalize on a huge play to rookie WR Ben Roland to give the 12-21 lead in the 3rd.  

Buffalo Blue Wings - 31, Indiana Victors - 13 - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 8, 1957 - 2 PM ET
1st
7-0 BUF - TD WR LeRoy Krueger
14-0 BUF - TD QB Angelo Medina
2nd
14-3 IND - FG K Albert Carney
21-3 BUF - TD RB Arthur Conner
3rd
21-10 IND - TD WR Samuel Floyd
4th
24-10 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer
31-10 BUF - TD RB Pierre LeStrange 

Despite having locked up the West Division with Long Island’s loss, the Blue Wings went ahead with their game plan and smacked the Indian Victors in their home finale.
They would rest some players in the final quarter which allowed former Hawks/Rouge RB Pierre LeStrange to score his first TD of his career after being drafted 6th overall in 1953.
S Frazier Brooks had a huge interception late in the game and almost took it to the house only to be stopped by WR Samuel Floyd.
Unfortunately, DL Craig Newman who Buffalo recently acquired would suffer a season-ending injury in practice earlier in the week.  

Ontario Tigers - 27, Boston Independents - 16 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - September 8, 1957 - 5 PM ET
1st
0-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd
7-3 ON - RB Clifford Russell
10-3 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
3rd
17-3 ON - TD WR Marqués Gardner
17-6 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
20-6 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
4th
20-13 BOS - TD RB Joel Bonner
20-16 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
27-16 ON - TD RB Clifford Russell 

The Tigers came through with their first win since week 4 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
LB Aengus Lynch would have a huge game with a pick and a forced fumble to give the Tigers a fighting chance.
​Boston had a late comeback with QB Bart Swayze leading the way, but they would fall short with DB Amos King bringing in a pick to set up the final touchdown for Ontario.
The two teams will be the last two who can make the playoffs heading into the final week of the season.

Injury Report
DL Craig Newman BUF - Season
LB Mickaël Beaumont IND - 2 Weeks
S Johan Eckhart LOU - Day-to-Day
DB Marshall Allen LOU - 1 Week
WR Chester Bennett OTT - Day-to-Day
WR Toni Radovanovic OTT - Day-to-Day
OL Cliff Strautzenberger WOR - Day-to-Day
DB Alexander Bradley WOR - Day-to-Day
DB Timothy Key WOR - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week 

OFF: QB Angelo Medina BUF - 1 Passing Touchdown, 1 Rushing Touchdown, 156 Passing Yards, 57 Rushing Yards 

DEF: LB Aengus Lynch ON - 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Interception, 9 Tackles 

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 9-2 -y
Long Island 6-4-1 -x
Ontario 4-7
Louisville 3-8
Indiana 3-8 

EAST
Providence 8-3 -x
Ottawa 7-3-1 -x
Worcester 6-5 -x
Boston 5-6
Montreal 2-7-2 

Power Rankings
1 - Buffalo -
2 - Providence -
3 - Ottawa +1
4 - Long Island -1
5 - Worcester +1
6 - Boston -1
7 - Ontario +1
8 - Louisville +2
9 - Montreal -2
10 - Indiana -1

Week 12 Games
WOR (6-5) @ LOU (3-8) - SEP 14 - 1 PM ET
BUF (9-2) @ LI (6-4-1) - SEP 14 - 4 PM ET
OTT (7-3-1) @ BOS (5-6) - SEP 14 - 7 PM ET
*BOS clinches playoff with Win or ON Loss
*OTT clinches East Division with Win + PRO Loss or Tie or Tie + PRO Loss
PRO (8-3) @ MTL (2-7-2) - SEP 15 - 2 PM ET
*PRO clinches East Divisino with Win or OTT Loss
IND (3-8) @ ON (4-7) - SEP 15 - 5 PM ET
*ON clinches playoff spot with Win + BOS Loss

Wow, Dumont showed off big time! Way to upset the Raiders, Thunder!

1957 Week 12 

Louisville Thunder - 9, Worcester Athletics - 17 - University Stadium - September 14, 1957 - 1 PM ET
1st
0-7 WOR - TD RB Leo Ravelli
2nd
0-10 WOR - FG K Tevoris Francis
3rd
3-10 LOU - FG K Thomas McFadden
6-10 LOU - FG K Thomas McFadden
4th
6-17 WOR - TD WR Christian Venegas
9-17 LOU - FG K Thomas McFadden 

The backup Athletics came through with a win to close out their season against the Thunder.
Venegas returned to the lineup and was able to score off of a pass from QB Andrew Glover. 

Long Island Raiders - 18, Buffalo Blue Wings - 24 - Long Island Stadium - September 14, 1957 - 4 PM ET 
1st
7-0 LI - TD QB Rigobert St-Hilaire
7-7 BUF TD RB Pierre LeStrange
2nd
10-7 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
10-14 BUF - TD WR Daniel Irons
3rd
10-21 BUF - TD RB Pierre LeStrange
4th
16-21 LI - TD RB Armando Amaro
18-21 LI - 2PT QB Rigobert St-Hilaire
18-24 BUF - FG K Donald Brewer 

QB Maurice Norris got the start for the Blue Wings in what could be his final career start with his likely retirement coming after the season.
Norris would play well throwing a TD to WR Daniel Irons which was his first career TD.
The Raiders also played around with RB Armando Amaro and QB Rigobert St-Hilaire with a play where Amaro, a former QB, threw a TD pass to St-Hilaire in the first quarter. 

Boston Independents - 21, Ottawa Royals - 21 - Richardson Stadium - September 14, 1957 - 7 PM ET
1st
3-0 BOS - K Johnnie Berg
3-7 OTT - WR Mackenzie Jones
2nd
6-7 BOS - K Johnnie Berg
3rd
6-14 OTT - TD TE Jervonte Howell
12-14 BOS - TD TE Richard Stewart
14-14 BOS - 2PT RB Eddie Thompson
4th
14-21 OTT - TD WR Chester Bennett
21-21 BOS - TD WR Ellis Lindholm 

QB Bart Swayze saves the Independents season on a touchdown to WR Ellis Lindholm clinching the team’s first playoff appearance since 1954.
LB Brent Harper was a huge help with a forced fumble to give Boston one more shot at the touchdown in the 4th. 

Montreal Rouge - 10, Providence Gold Stars - 34 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 15, 1957 - 2 PM ET
1st
3-0 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
3-7 PRO - TD RB Élisée Marchal
2nd
10-7 MTL - TD RB Scott Mallard-White
10-14 PRO - TD WR Sammy Moss
10-21 PRO - TD WR Peter Brooks
3rd
10-27 PRO - TD WR Sammy Moss
4th
10-34 PRO - TD RB Johnnie Stafford 

The Gold Stars finish the season with a bold statement over the Rouge. 
With QB Connor O’Rourke throwing 3 touchdowns, the Gold Stars won their second division title in NAAF history.
Unfortunately, DL Calias McDonough would leave the game with a season-ending injury that occurred on a pretty harmless play.
Marchal made his return to Montreal and scored a TD and would properly thank the Montreal crowd for his time there, meeting with fans following the game.  

Ontario Tigers - 19, Indiana Victors - 23 - Kitchener-Waterloo City Field - September 15, 1957 - 5 PM ET
1st
3-0 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
2nd
3-7 IND - TD RB Laurent Brazeau
6-7 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
6-10 IND - FG K Albert Carney
3rd
13-10 ON - TD RB Clifford Russell
13-16 IND - TD WR Joseph Barry
16-16 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
4th
19-16 ON - FG K Nathaniel King
19-23 IND - TD RB Laurent Brazeau 

With the Tigers already out of the hunt for the playoffs with Boston’s tie, the Tigers just played for Kitchener in the final game in the city.
Rookie DB Jackson Miles, Kitchener native, got to start for the game and came away with a pair of tackles.
QB Duane Logan and RB Laurent Brazeau made their returns to Ontario and both put on a show. 
Logan had a TD pass and Brazeau ran in a pair of TDs including the game-winner.
Much like Marchal Brazeau was all for meeting with fans at the game’s end along with the current Tigers. 

Injury Report
RB Joel Bonner BOS - Day-to-Day
OL Luther Green BOS - 1 Week
LB Jim Daniels LOU - Day-to-Day
OL Richard Mays LOU - Day-to-Day
DL Calias McDonough PRO - Season
OL Randolph Bender WOR - 2 Weeks 

Players of the Week 

OFF: RB Laurent Brazeau IND - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 124 Rushing Yards 

DEF: LB Brent Harper BOS - 1 Forced Fumble, 9 Tackles 

Power Rankings
1 - Buffalo -
2 - Providence -
3 - Ottawa -
4 - Long Island - 
5 - Worcester -
6 - Boston -
7 - Indiana +3
8 - Ontario -1
9 - Louisville -1
10 - Montreal -1


Playoff Preview
East Division Semi-Final
Ottawa Royals VS. Worcester Athletics - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 21, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W1: OTT 10-23 WOR, W11: WOR 15-28 OTT
A rematch of the 1956 McCallister Cup will kick off this year’s expanded playoffs. The Ottawa Royals are coming in 4-1-1 over their last 6 and are looking like favourites over the injury-riddled Athletics. QB Jean Matieau has kept the Royals at the top for offensive scoring this season, and their defence has been strong considering the losses they had this offseason. For the Athletics, QB Andrew Glover will be making his 4th career playoff start as Riley Kiernan is still out with an injury. There will be several returning pieces like WR Christian Venagas and DB Alexander Bradley who should help the team heading in. RB Marcus Devonshire will likely take on a heavy load on an offence that has thrown the least amount of touchdowns this season. 
My Pick: Royals 

West Division Semi-Final
Long Island Raiders VS. Boston Independents - Long Island Stadium - September 22, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W8: LI 27-13 BOS
Both the Raiders and Independents make their return to the playoffs after both missed out last season. The Raiders were among the championship favourites this season, but have had lots of issues on defence, as well as injuries throughout the season. Luckily, LB Rusty McVee will be back in the lineup and will be hungry for playoff action. QB Lyle Painter has been pretty solid this season, but he hasn’t lit up the field. Fortunately, WRs Darryl Duke and Robert Lang will be back in the lineup to provide him with some weapons. Boston is a bit of a wildcard. QB Bart Swayze has been pretty good in Boston’s push for the playoffs, however, he still tends to have some issues that Boston will have to minimize. The good news is their defence has some strong pieces in LB Brent Harper, LB Konrad Aust, and DB Clayton Malone to keep their team in the fight. It will be a close duel in Long Island, but the Raiders are just a better team. 
My Pick: Raiders 

Who's winning this round?

Last edited by Wallflower (9/18/2020 8:42 am)

I’m taking Ottawa over Worcester simply because I’m not sure the WOR offense can keep up with OTT considering Kiernan is still out. Then I’m taking LI just because they have the more proven talent and experience over Boston.

1957 Division Semi-Finals 

East Division Semi-Final
Ottawa Royals VS. Worcester Athletics - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 21, 1957 - 6 PM ET 
1st Q
The cool September air started to set in as the Royals and Athletics got ready for the first playoff game of the season. Out of the gate, both teams gained a first down on their opening drive only to be stopped on the next set. The Royals would begin their second drive with a 7-yard run from RB Alexei Volkov and then a 6-yard pass to WR Mackenzie Jones. On the fresh set of downs, QB Jean Matieau would take the snap and would feel pressure from DL Vinny Brown. He would escape and toss the ball to rookie WR Ben Roland. Roland would reach to catch it but it bounced off his hands and up. DB Alexander Bradley saw his opportunity and came down with it giving Worcester prime field position. Not long later RB Marcus Devonshire found himself in the endzone for the early 0-7 lead. Ottawa would get a field goal back to cut into the lead, but Worcester’s defence was keeping them at bay
3-7 WOR

2nd Q
Matieau would get the offence rolling on a long meticulous drive. Matieau slowly picked apart the Athletics' defence. They finally reached the redzone on their 10th play. It only took a couple more plays for Matieau to connect with WR Mackenzie Jones for a 7-yard TD to take the lead. Worcester would eventually knot the game up with a 23-yard field goal from K Tevoris Francis, but Matieau would get the Royals back in front with a field goal just before the half. 
13-10 OTT

3rd Q
QB Andrew Glover was starting to go to the air more with Devonshire starting to be contained by the Royals D-line. Eventually, he would find WR Clyde McIntosh who would get free for a 24-yard gain that helped put the Royals back into more pass coverage. It opened the door a bit more for Devonshire who would eventually breakthrough for his second TD of the game. Unfortunately, K Tevoris Francis would miss the extra point, but the Athletics would continue their plan with more passing and it seemed to be working. That was until Glover got antsy and tossed it right into the path of DB Mingan Oliver who would snag an interception. Ottawa would take over and Matieau would not take long to find Mackenzie Jones for his second TD of the game. 
20-16 OTT

4th Q
The 4th was not much different as Glover and the Athletics stuck to their game plan and would get close enough to add yet another field goal to pull within 1. However, their defence was still struggling with Matieau and his passing ability. DB Alexander Bradley was doing a great job shutting down WR Chester Bennett, but the rest of the secondary was not able to contain the other weapons. The Royals would even switch it up with runs and passes to Volkov that opened things up even more. As time winded down, RB Alexei Volkov would score a late touchdown to extend the Royals lead. They would tag on a 2-point convert with WR Mackenzie Jones to make it a 2-score game. The Athletics could not get to the endzone as Glover was picked off again on their next drive, this time by DB Uzzia Hayes. The Royals held on to win their 7th straight playoff game and will get ready for Providence next week. 

West Division Semi-Final
[b]Long Island Raiders VS. Boston Independents - Long Island Stadium - September 22, 1957 - 6 PM ET [/b]
1st Q
The questions about QB Lyle Painter and the ability of the Raiders offence were answers quickly. On the opening drive, Painter was able to lead the Raiders down the entire field to score the first points of the game. He would hit WR Robert Lang on the sidelines before he would take it into the endzone to make it 7-0 Raiders. Boston would get their first opportunity on offence 3 minutes into the game. QB Bart Swayze was looking to shift momentum back in their favour, but he would run into a fierce LB Rusty McVee. After RB Joel Bonner ran for 2 yards on first down, Swayze would drop to pass on second down where McVee would fly through the O-line and would rock the QB. Swayze had a rough time recovering from that one and the offence went 2 and out on every other drive in the quarter.
7-0 LI

2nd Q
The Raiders would continue to control the game in the second quarter. RB Conner Riley would score a touchdown early on to extend the Raiders’ lead to 14-0. Not long after, DB Slay Mitchell would come away with a pick from Swayze. The turnover would turn into a K Henderson Schumacher field goal to make it 17-0. The Independents were not able to get anything going in the first half and would be completely shutout. Swayze would throw another 2 picks as time was winding down to DB Amyre Rouleau and LB Rusty McVee.
17-0 LI

3rd Q
Boston needed to make a change in the second half, so they turned back to QB Caldwell Higgins III. Higgins was able to get the offence moving a bit more. Despite his lack of playoff experience, Higgins was playing more calm and not trying to force passes. On their third drive of the half, Higgins would see an opening and would find WR Ellis Lindholm. Lindholm would turn a 15-yard toss into a touchdown, weaving his way through the Raiders’ defence to score. Boston was back in the fight. However, Long Island was able to grab a second field goal to make it 20-7 heading into the final quarter.
20-7 LI

4th Q
The Long Island defence had finally shown up in this game. Their only mistake so far had been the long Lindholm TD. The final quarter would be another strong showing. They would snag their fifth turnover of the game with DB Slay Mitchell’s second pick. The offence kept running down the clock with RB Conner Riley. They also were preventing injuring more WR’s with Darryl Duke having to leave the game earlier in the quarter. Fortunately for Boston, they would get a break with LB Brent Harper knocking the ball free from Conner Riley. It gave Boston a chance, but their offence sputtered. DL Vernon Spears would sack Higgins and Boston would have to go for it on 3rd and 16. Higgins was unable to get the first after tossing it to TE Richard Stewart who was stopped short. Boston lost any hope at that point and the Raiders would run out the clock to win the game.  

Injury Report
WR Darryl Duke LI - 1 Week
OL Nazario Baldassare WOR - Day-to-Day 

Players of the Week

OFF: WR Mackenzie Jones OTT - 2 Receiving Touchdowns, 107 Receiving Yards, 1 2-Point Convert 

DEF: LB Rusty McVee LI - 1 Interception, 2 Sacks, 10 Tackles Division Final Previews
Division Final Previews
East Division Final
Providence Gold Stars VS. Ottawa Royals - New Providence Stadium - September 28, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W4: PRO 23-20 OTT, W7: OTT 34-24 PRO
The Gold Stars have had a strong season, and have been great in late-game situations. 6 of their 9 wins were within 1 score and many of them have come from strong performances in the final quarter. The defence has been strong this season with the addition of DL Zakary Turbide, who will have to carry a bigger weight with DL Calias McDonough out for the season. At the end of the day, QB Connor O’Rourke will be the most important factor in the game and will need to make a huge impact to get the team back to the McCallister Cup. Ottawa looks hot at the moment coming off a strong win over Worcester at home. They also were able to top the Gold Stars with a 10-point win in week 7 and will hope to replicate that game. WR Mackenzie Jones showed how much of a threat he was in the sem-final and will hopefully open up the field for Chester Bennett to be more involved as well. It will be a close one where either team could come out on top.
My Pick: Royals

West Semi-Final
Buffalo Blue Wings VS. Long Island Raiders - Buffalo Civic Stadium - September 29, 1957 - 6 PM ET
Head-to-Head: W4: BUF 25-14 LI, W12: LI 18-24 BUF
The West Final is a tough battle to gage with the only true matchup between the teams that happened way back in week 4 where the Blue Wings smacking the Raiders. Since then, both teams have changed a lot and the week 12 game was a battle of backups. Buffalo is the hot hand in this game, with a 9-game win streak behind them. QB Angelo Medina has recaptured some of the magic he has had in the 1952 championship season and will be a main factor for the Blue Wings. Of course, RB Arthur Conner and DL Sean Bowen will also be looked at to lead the Blue Wings forward. However, you cannot count out Long Island whose defence finally came together in a dominant win over Boston. LB Rusty McVee and DL Vernon Spears gave both Boston QBs a hell of a time and will hope to do the same to Medina. QB Lyle Painter looked solid too and will have to make some plays to get the Raiders into a good position. However, the Blue Wings are hot and will be a very tough team to slow down, especially in front of their home crowd.
My Pick: Blue Wings