EFL PRESS RELEASE: (October 27, 2005)

Media - contact Dave Burch at (877) 624-4485 
(e-mail) empirefoot@aol.com 
website: www.empire-football-league.com

The Empire Football League is proud to announce the Albany Metro Mallers as its 2005 EFL Champions. Albany won their Empire Football League title Saturday with a 33-0 victory over the Orange County Bulldogs capping a undefeated EFL season. The Metro Mallers are now ranked #1 in the AFA’s Power Ratings.

This Championship Game between the Orange County Bulldogs and the Albany Metro Mallers was broadcast via the internet. Bill Callahan, Empire League Historian and AFA Hall of Fame Broadcaster, handled the announcing chores working with Teamline from Ohio. This game has been archived at http://mediamorphis.com/minorpro.ram

The EFL announced the following 2005 EFL Award recipients at its season ending league meeting on October 23^rd:
- Sharon Barbagallo, Karol Cronin, Williams Family - Gary Shaver Team Administrator Award
- Mike Acquino & Fritz Brownell - Bill Higgins Officials Award

10/21/2005 9:29 PM
By: Capital News 9 web staff

Albany's semi-pro football team, now known as the Metro Mallers, hasn't won an Empire Football League championship in 17 years. The Mallers will try to change that Saturday night at Bleeker Stadium when they host Orange County for the EFL Championship.

Head Coach Norman Mann and the Mallers are in the title game for the second straight season. They lost last year's big game after going 10-1 during the regular season. But the Mallers enter this year's championship undefeated, a perfect 11-0.

In the 1970s and 80s, Albany's semi-pro team was considered one of the best in the country. It certainly looks like the Mallers are back.

Quarterback Scott Lawson said, "I think this is the first time in this league that anybody has had the opportunity to finish undefeated. In two years we have gotten to this point and I don't think we could be more pumped."

Copyright 2005. Watertown Daily Times, Inc., Watertown, NY. All rights reserved.

10/09/2005

Stars eliminated

ALBANY -- The Lake City Stars saw their season come to a close at the hands of the top-seeded Albany Metro Mallers, 23-0, in Saturday's Empire Football League playoffs.

Lake City had trouble sustaining any flow on offense against an Albany team that improved to 11-0.

"We just didn't have enough for them offensively," said Lake City head coach Ed McCallister. "We had to run the ball mainly, and when you don't possess the threat of a passing game, they have athletes they can pack it down and it makes things tough.

"I know coaches use a lot of sports cliches, but if wins were awarded on heart, we would have had the win. We were short with some injuries and the guys were overmatched but there was no quit in them."

Lake City trailed 10-0 at halftime before Albany put the game out of reach with touchdowns at the end of the third and another in the fourth.

The Stars finish the 2005 campaign three games above .500 at 8-5.

"And two of those losses are to Albany," noted McCallister. "We're anxious to get to work during the offseason. We know what we have to do. The guys are bummed out right now, but we're not going to give up on this thing. We'll find our weaknesses and work during the offseason but by no means are we throwing in the towel. We've worked too hard this year,

"This team doesn't know how to quit."

Metro Mallers: The Albany Metro Mallers take on the Lake City Stars of Plattsburgh in an Empire Football League semifinal at 7:45 tonight at Frank Bailey Field at Union College.

The No. 4-seeded Stars defeated the Broome County Dragons 28-26 in the quarterfinals.

The top-seeded Metro Mallers received a bye in the preliminaries because of their perfect (10-0, 12-0) record in 2005.

If the Metro Mallers win, the Empire Football League championship game would be at Albany's Bleecker Stadium next weekend.

When Rodney Harrison blew out his knee last weekend, the New England Patriots' chances to win a record third straight Super Bowl were dealt a major blow.

When Kyle Roshia suffered a broken left hand during the Watertown Red and Black's Empire Football League game against the Albany Metro Mallers on July 30, he didn't just hurt the team. He put his ability to make a living in jeopardy.

While Harrison undoubtedly faces a long road of rehabilitation and hard work to return to NFL play, his paycheck surely is sufficient enough to get his family through his time off the field.

But in the world of semipro football, the game is "professional" only in name. Semipro players don't receive any type of financial compensation. They are rewarded only in that, if they're lucky, they make it to play another game. Or, more importantly, they are able to return to work on Monday in one piece.

Several current members of the Red and Black have suffered serious injuries during their football careers. With every snap, they are risking much more than just the possibility of missing a game or a season.

Calling in hurt

Jon Fisher feels fortunate that his employer is so understanding. Fisher, who has been in the military for 16 years, broke his left fibula and tibia in the Red and Black's game against Broome County in August.

Surgery followed and a metal rod the length of Fisher's lower leg was inserted to stabilize it. For Fisher, going to work wasn't an option right away and he was placed on 30-day leave.

"I'm lucky that I work with some good people," Fisher said. "I can't complain. They are working with me."

Al Countryman was in a similar situation in 2000. When the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments in his knee were torn, he was forced out of work for four months.

Countryman, who works for the New York State Department of Corrections, was able to subsidize the time he needed to heal by trading shifts with his colleagues. His fellow Correctional Officers were willing to help, but that help came with a price.

"Luckily I was able to swap shifts. If I wouldn't have been able to swap, I would have been in a bind," Countryman said. "I ended up with a lot of time off but eventually it had to be paid back."

Time is a valuable commodity. Many employers allow for accumulated sick or vacation time to be used if needed. But who wants to spend their vacation with a cast on?

Roshia, a manager in the lumber department at Lowe's, wasn't able to work for a month. The 160 hours of sick time he had saved up virtually evaporated when his hand was broken. Even when he returned to Lowe's, he wasn't at full capacity.

"I went back on light duty. It's pretty crappy because you really can't do what you want," he said.

It turns out Roshia's honesty prevented his injury from causing him more than just physical pain. "I guess it's good I only called in sick one time in three years," Roshia said.

Give it up already?

Lynn Patrick said relatives have asked him, "Are you stupid?" when he says he's going to play football another year. Patrick, who suffered fractures to his left leg in 1989 and '98, doesn't feel stupid for playing a game he loves. He thinks "stubborn" fits better.

"I didn't want to quit because of injury. I want to go out on my own terms," he said.

Players have different reasons for staying with the Red and Black, but only a true passion for football can drive a man to risk his body and get nothing tangible in return.

Roshia said that he wants to get the most out of his youth, while he still has it, no matter what family and friends tell him.

Usually, the fact that they get no money is first on the list of criticisms.

"People ask, 'what do you get out of it? You don't get paid,'" Roshia said.

Patrick's answer to such a question: "Hey, I get the satisfaction out of it. There's not a lot of guys who play professional football until they're 42."

Patrick has indicated 2005 will most likely be his last season with the Red and Black.

But when does the risk become too much? When is enough, enough? Eventually, the time comes when the risk far outweighs the reward. After undergoing knee surgery just a couple of years ago, suffering a major shoulder injury last season that had him sidelined for several months, and the busted leg, that time appears to be now for Fisher. His love and concern for his wife and children trumps even the feelings he has for the game of football, which he has played since he was 8 years old.

"My wife and mainly my family would be the biggest factor if I was able to come back," Fisher said. "To be honest, I'd come back in a heartbeat if it looked like I could."

Said Countryman, "family is forever, football is not."

Head coach George Ashcraft lived the experience of being forced off the field by an injury when he suffered a broken leg as a Red and Black player in 1975. The sudden loss, he said, is difficult for a player to handle.

"It sets you back when you know you can't play but want to," Ashcraft said. "It makes you really appreciate being able to play the game when you could."

As head coach for 15 seasons, Ashcraft has known plenty of injured players. If a guy is ready to work to get back on the field, he has the coach's support. Ashcraft understands the bond a player can feel with the game of football and the Watertown organization.

"If a guy wants to play, I let him," Ashcraft said. "If he can't play, I tell him to be around (the game), come support it."

Players know their bodies will someday pay for the pounding they endure every summer and fall. For an injured player, the helplessness of knowing there is nothing he can do to help is unbearable.

"You are still part of the team and want to help any way you can," Countryman said. "It was frustrating for me because I am not a big rah, rah type guy. But that was about all that was left for me to do."

Countryman said his knee is completely healed now and he no longer even wears a brace on it while playing.

The knowledge that each play could be a player's last is definitely understood. But it is seldom acknowledged.

"The thought is always there, and you think 'Is this worth it? Do I want to risk my career?'" he said. "But if you go into a season thinking you will get hurt, maybe you should have hung it up a long time ago."

By Matt Cordova

Times Sportswriter

Sunday, October 02, 2005

It's not like the defense of the Watertown Red and Black hadn't carried its own weight as the team put together a series of six consecutive victories.

While the offense scored 30 or more points five times during the winning streak, quarterback Doug Black and Co. gathered up all the attention.

During the opening round of the Empire Football League playoffs on Saturday, though, it was time for the Watertown defense to bask in the spotlight of a big win. The Red and Black blanked the visiting St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers 28-0 at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds to advance to next round of the EFL playoffs. Watertown will travel to Monroe to face the Orange County Bulldogs next Saturday night.

As early as the first play from scrimmage, it looked as if it was going to be a long night for the Trailblazers, who accepted an invitation to the playoffs after Montreal, Ottawa and Scranton declined it.

After his team accepted the opening kickoff, St. Lawrence Valley quarterback David Currier discovered that Watertown planned to blitz early and often. Watertown's Ben Pritchard crushed Currier as he let a pass fly that ended up the hands of the wrong guy -- Red and Black safety Lamont Lane.

The interception set up the offense at its own 37-yard line, but Black only needed four plays to post a score. Brian Beltz took the ball on a reverse, followed a thunderous block by Black, and weaved his way to a 43-yard touchdown run.

The Trailblazers went three and out on their next possession and were forced to punt. But the Trailblazers defense held strong and forced a fumble by Beltz on the St. Lawrence Valley 3. The momentum was short-lived for the Trailblazers as two plays later, Watertown's Wayne Dupree stopped James Compeau in the end zone for a safety and an 8-0 lead. It became clear then, that St. Lawrence Valley wouldn't have an answer for Watertown's defensive game plan.

"It's great to come right out and apply some pressure," Red and Black linebacker Mike Dumaw said, "it sets the momentum, gets everybody enthused and sets up the offense. "

Trailblazers head coach Mike Britton said that the Red and Black rush disrupted his team's strategy and that it was tough to recover from the big plays Watertown made in the first half. At times, it looked as if Watertown's defenders were simply unblockable.

"It built their momentum," Britton said. "We hurt ourselves when we had a chance to do something. That's hurt us sometimes this season."

Earnest Wash caught two more touchdowns for the Red and Black in the first half, giving his team a 22-0 lead before St. Lawrence Valley made its initial first down of the game. Pinned on their own three late in the second quarter, the Trailblazers did avoid another safety as Currier hooked up with Dan Staton on passes of 17 and six yards.

Head coach George Ashcraft said he wasn't surprised by his team's dominant performance. "I know how good the team is that I have," he said.

The teams traded turnovers late in the game and Watertown could have easily ended up with much more than the three interceptions it did produce.

"One thing that did shock me is the interceptions we could have had," Ashcraft said. "The defense still got that goose egg, though."

Anthony Noel ended the scoring for Watertown in the third quarter on a 33-yard scoring run.

The Trailblazers were facing an uphill battle even before Saturday's kickoff. Britton had to assemble his players, coaches an staff in whirlwind-fashion last week when he found out they might have another game. Even though they practiced Tuesday and Thursday, the Trailblazers' offseason had begun last weekend. To get the team back into game mode was a challenge for Britton.

"Some guys didn't find out until last night we were playing," Britton said. "I called all the players and they whole-heartedly agreed they wanted to play this game. We're grateful for the chance."

Said Dumaw, "it says a lot about their character to come down here and play us, no matter what."

NOTES: Brian Williams and Dumaw also notched interceptions. ... Wash caught six passes for 95 yards. ... John Check led Watertown with six tackles. ... Cheyenne Dashnaw recorded a game-high 14 tackles for the Trailblazers while Ricky Delaney contributed 13. ... Justin Martel recovered for fumbles for SLV. ... Joe Hutchison made five receptions for 53 yards.

From staff reports

PLATTSBURGH -- The Broome County Dragons had their second-half comeback fall short with an interception in the final minutes of a 28-26 loss to the Lake City Stars on Saturday night in the opening round of the Empire Football League playoofs.

After leading the Dragons (6-5) to a pair of scoring drives after halftime to pull within two points, Ty Fish's final pass of the night was intercepted in the end zone as he was looking for Brian Mister. The interception came on first down from the Lake City 42 just after the two-minute warning.

Fish connected with Rob Stokstad for a 12-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter but his pass to tight end Jonathan Bechey for the potential game-tying two-point conversion was broken up.

The Dragons fell behind 28-6 in the second quarter but cut the deficit to 14 with a 2-yard TD run by Fish and a two-point pass to Bechey. Fish finished with two rushing touchdowns and two more passing and the one interception.

STARS 28, DRAGONS 26

B.C. Dragons	6	8	6	6	--	26
Lake City Stars	14	14	0	0	--	28

D -Rob Stokstad 35 pass from Ty Fish (kick failed)

D -Fish 2 run (Jonathan Bechey pass from Fish)

D -Fish 2 run (pass failed)

D -Stokstad 12 pass from Fish (pass failed)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Dragons rushing: Jamal Johnson 16-167.

Dragons passing: Fish 18-for-31, 225 yards, 2 TD, INT.

Dragons receiving: Jonathan Bechey 5-91, Rob Stokstad 3-52.

(Lake City stats unavailable)

By Keith Kane, Staff Writer

PLATTSBURGH -- The Lake City Stars weren't exactly ready for their season to end on Saturday.

Heath Geiser, Matt St. Clair and a strong defensive line made sure that it didn't as the Stars defeated Broome County 28-26 at Melissa L. Penfield Park in the first round of the Empire Football League playoffs.

Heath Geiser (21) of Lake City sheds off Broome County tackler Pasquale Iacono (50) on his way in for the touchdown. The Stars knocked off the Dragons, 28-26. (Staff Photo/ROB FOUNTAIN)

With the victory Lake City will travel to play No. 1 seed Albany at Union College on Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

The Stars held a 7-6 lead with five minutes gone in the second quarter when they used a bit of trickery to open the game up. Coach Ed McCallister had quarterback Kellen Nolan line up the team and yelled onto the field that they were not in the right formation. Nolan was walking down the line when center Joe Bushey snapped the ball directly to fullback Kyle Nolan who threw a strike to Matt St. Clair down the right sideline for an 87-yard touchdown. The touchdown was the only reception Lake City had for the game.

"They were packing the middle pretty good," McCallister said. "With the lead we didn't want to fling the ball all over the place; we wanted to run some time off of the clock."

Heath Geiser gave the Stars a 14-point lead when he ran it in from four yards out, his second four-yard touchdown run of the game.

Broome County's Ty Fish led his team down the field, however, and scored on a one-yard touchdown sneak up the middle with just 25 seconds left in the half. A key to the score was a 15-yard personal foul penalty on a late hit of the quarterback.

St. Clair hauled in the second-half kick off at the 24 yard line and shed multiple Dragon tacklers as he returned the kick off 66 yards down to the 10 yard line. Two plays later, Geiser scored his third touchdown of the contest on a four-yard run, giving Lake City a 28-14 lead.

Broome County didn't give up, however, as Fish led them on two consecutive scoring drives; the first in which he finished off with a one-yard touchdown run. The second touchdown, a nine-yard pass to Robert Stokstad, was helped along by another personal foul call against the Stars, their third of the game.

"The personal fouls ended up costing us three touchdowns," McCallister said. "They were bang-bang plays though and the referees have to protect the quarterback. The defense was just trying to make plays.

"Fish is a very good quarterback. We thought we scouted him well, but he was still able to hook up with on a lot of good pass plays. They were just able to make some big plays."

The Dragons, trailing by two, had one last drive for the win, but Fish was intercepted by Earl Parks with 1:30 left in the game and the Stars were able to run out the clock for the win.

Geiser finished with 81 yards rushing to go with his three touchdowns. Brandon Kelleher added another 49 on seven carries. St. Clair finished with one catch for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Kyle Nolan was the leading passer with the 87 yards.

Fish, who completed his first nine passes of the game, finished with 251 yards through the air and two touchdowns. Jon Bechy hauled in seven passes for 113 yards with Stokstad grabbing three balls for 61 and a pair of touchdowns. Jemall Johnson carried the load on the ground with 15 carries and 117 yards.

"Regardless of how nerve racking the game ended up, the defensive line was able to get to the quarterback and out on some pressure," McCallister said. "That rattled him a little bit and Earl just made a big play."

Don Staley led the defensive attack with a pair of sacks. The Stars also received sacks from Jeff Way and Craig Lamoy.

"Bottom line is we accomplished what we wanted to do tonight," McCallister said. "Our objective was to win our home playoff game and we did that. Now we have to go to Albany next week.

"We will play the best we can play and as long as we do that it will be fin with me. Our season could have ended here tonight, but it didn't and I am proud of them for that."

Brian Williams had his reasons for not joining the Watertown Red and Black until this summer. He finally ran out of them.

Williams, a graduate of Watertown High School, became a member of the Red and Black just prior to a game against the Montreal Titans on Aug. 13.

He left the area and lived in Connecticut for several years and when he returned to the north country, Williams wanted to wait until he was in good enough physical shape to play competitive football again. He hadn't played since 1996, when he made the varsity team as a freshman at Cortland State.

Also, he hadn't heard the best things about the Empire Football League. As far as he knew, the there were too many dirty players in the EFL and what he had been told about the Red and Black wasn't terribly positive, either. Fortunately for the Red and Black, Williams decided to check things out for himself.

"It's not dirty and this organization really cares about team," Williams said following Thursday's practice.

As an integral part of a revamped Red and Black secondary, the former Cyclones standout's has proven invaluable. Williams has intercepted a pass in all three home games since he joined the team, which is set to play today in a first-round playoff game against St. Lawrence Valley at the Duffy Fairgrounds. During last week's victory over the Scranton Eagles, Williams returned a pick 47 yards to set up a key touchdown.

While following the team via media reports, Williams quickly became aware that Watertown's pass defense was in desperate need of rescue. He approached head coach George Ashcraft and inquired about a tryout. Ashcraft obliged and his team hasn't lost since Williams was issued equipment and a jersey.

"I knew secondary was a big factor. I didn't expect to help out so much, but I was hopeful," said Williams, who has three interceptions in five games played.

Sure, Williams isn't the only reason the Red and Black was able to complete the EFL schedule with an 8-2 record. He has emerged, however, as one of the main reasons Watertown has enjoyed a six-game win streak.

"Brian's doing a great job," Ashcraft said.

With newcomer Truth Napier, veteran Lamont Lane and Williams patrolling the secondary, Watertown now boasts one of the most athletic groups of defenders in the EFL. The Red and Black has forced 11 interceptions during the current win streak. Defensive backs get a notch in the statistics, but the forced turnovers can be credited to the whole defensive unit.

"We're applying pressure to the quarterbacks, they don't have time and we're forcing bad throws," Lane said.

After losing Jon Fisher to a broken leg, the emergence of Williams, Napier and the rest of the new defensive backs has proven vital.

"They came and filled in nicely. We know if we get hurt the new guys can do the job," Lane said. "All these guys make an impact. You can never have enough DBs."