Stingrays Go Down! Code Blue Ends Rays' Undefeated Season
It was history in the making for the XFF as Code Blue turned in a David vs. Goliath performance and shocked the previously unbeaten sea creatures 25-12. Code Blue has been playing in the massive Stingray shadow season after season and this time they were able to savor the sweet taste of victory. Code Blue QB Casey Furtado was 19 of 29 passing for 230 yards and 4 touchdowns and did an excellent job of spreading the ball around to 5 different receivers. The majority of his passes were completed to the "Soup" brothers, who both pulled down 6 Furtado passes. Tony Souvanaphong totaled 89 yards and two touchdowns, while Phill went for 52 yards and a score. Stingrays' QB Mike Stange was off his "A" game on the night, completing only 13 of 26 passing for a season low 180 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

"This definitely wasn't our night," Stange said. "They came out hungry and had something to prove. I don't know what I was thinking, but I made some terrible throws that put us behind the eight ball early. They did a good job of closing the door."

The play of the night may have been turned in by the Code Blue center, Rashad Scott. Midway through the second half, up 6 points and threatening to score, Furtado had a pass intercepted by the Stingrays' Kevin Martin for what looked to be a sure return for a tying touchdown. But Scott wasn't about to let it happen. He took a smart angle and cut off Martin's path to the end zone and kept the speedy DB from scoring. The Stingrays failed on all three attempts to tie the game and Code Blue never looked back.

"You know it's a bad day, when Kmart gets caught by a center," Martin said.

"(Scott) has deceptive speed," Code Blue captain Harold Jones said. "We were like, 'Oh, no' and then Rashad came out of nowhere and caught him. It was a great play."

Jones led his team on defense, pulling down 2 interceptions to help secure his team's victory.

One bright spot for the Stingrays was XFF-leading receiver Deymon "D.O." Owens, breaking the 1,000-yard receiving mark on his 5 catches for 98 yards and both of the Rays TDS.

"I've been trying to get to 1,000 yards for five years," Owens said. "I finally stayed healthy enough to play in all 10 games and I made it. Finally!"

Pride Flatlines Code Blue 36-29
Pride ended their regular season Sunday night on a high note parading past the #2-seeded Code Blue, 36-29. Pride secured the #3 seed and set up a rematch with Code Blue in next week's Balboa playoffs. Pride QB Pat Danyo's lungs were full of fresh air as he breezed to 22 of 33 passing for 277 yards and 5 touchdowns. Danyo's primary receivers are team brothers Chris North, Jr. and Josh Denton. North had 6 receptions for 82 yards, one touchdown and the team's only interception while Denton had 8 catches for 112 yards and 3 TDs. For Code Blue, it was the "Tony Souvanaphong Show." The diminutive receiver hauled in 7 passes from QB Casey Furtado for 75 yards and 3 of his team's 4 touchdowns.

Rampart Twists Hurricanes 41-37
Team Rampart came in to this game hungry to play and was licking their chops at the opportunity of redeeming themselves since losing to the Canes back in Week Four. Rampart QB Sheldon King was well rested after coming off of a bye week, going 25 of 36 passing for 344 yards and 6 touchdowns. Two of King's receivers were over 100 yards on the day as WR James "Who?" Watts grabbed 10 King passes for 112 yards and a TD and WR Marlon "Emerald Slippers" Dorn added eight catches to his stellar receiving résumé for 107 yards and a score. Even with the great performances by all three Rampart players, our game ball goes to WR / DB Gerald Burnett who was the team's leading point maker, scoring TDs on all 4 of his catches totaling 97 yards. Burnett also pulled down 3 interceptions on defense. The Canes did put up a fight, however, as QB Albert Bersley's 16 of 26 passing for 294 yards and 5 touchdowns would indicate. WR Freddy Arcaina caught 4 passes for 120 yards and 2 TDs while Azuma Franklin made some key contributions with 5 receptions for 93 yards, one touchdown and an interception on defense.

Black Tide Takes Down Mercenaries 32-27
The much improved Black Tide team ended their season strong and improved their record to .500. The win put them at the top of the D2 playoff pool and will play a rematch against the upstart Mercenaries in the first round of the playoffs. Black Tide QB Huy "Wee Man" Nguyen was 18 of 28 passing for 225 yards and 5 touchdowns. His main weapon was WR Robert Tran, who pulled down 6 catches for 84 yards and two TDs. The Mercs' QB John Pistone was 17 of 26 passing for 175 yards and 4 touchdowns. Playmaker Dell Barley led his team with 10 receptions for 114 yards and 2 TDs while Tino "the flag football machine-o" Dominguez added three receptions for 48 yards and the other two TDs. The Mercenaries still have a shot at redemption as they will play Black Tide next week in the first round of the playoffs. The winner will move on the inaugural XFF Balboa D2 Championship Game.

Crusaders Advance Past Royal High 33-31
It was a fight to the finish for these two teams who both played with only four players. In another preview of next week's playoffs, Crusader QB Neill Little returned to his team after suffering a shoulder injury the previous week. Little connected on 18 of 27 passes for 285 yards and 5 touchdowns. WR Johnny "Shaka Laka" Saraka was the team's playmaker with 8 catches for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns. Royal High split most of the passing yardage between Mark Littrel (8 of 20 for 123 yards and 3 TDs) and "Starvin" Marvin Ramirez (5 of 7 for 121 yards and 2 TDs). When Littrel and Ramirez weren't sharing the snaps, they were carrying the brunt of the receiving load. Littrel made some big catches en route to 6 receptions for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns while Ramirez had 6 receptions for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. Next week's Division 2 semifinal rematch should be exciting as these closely matched teams will square off for a chance at the title.

Rampart Bombards Mercenaries 49-27
Rampart locked up a D1 playoff spot with their second win of the night. QB Sheldon King was 16 of 27 passing for 240 yards and five touchdowns. Rampart's "Hats Off" players of the game were receivers James Watts with six receptions for 123 yards and two TDs and Marlon Dorn with four receptions for 55 yards and three touchdowns. The Mercs' Dell Barley was sensational for his limited player squad with seven receptions for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns.