The undefeated Des Moines Blaze are the number one seed this year in World Bowl IV.  They will face the Oklahoma Thunder who have won 39 straight games and are looking to win their 3rd World Bowl in a row.  ”It will be an exciting game that matches two very explosive offenses said WFL Commissioner Sonny Ashford. ”  The Des Moines Blaze earned the number one spot by knocking off the infamous St. Louis Bulldogs one of the nations premier team.

Make sure you show up early to get a good seat. Ticket prices are $10 for Adults, $8.00 for kids and children under 6 are Free.  Also, as a bonus there will be 3 WYFL games played starting at 3:00pm.  Ages 9/10, and 13/14 will be playing for their Youth World Bowl Title. If you want to see the future greats, come watch these kids in action.  They are the best in their area and will be ready to represent!

1st team                                                          

QB- Rico Watkins Thunder                               

RB-Jerrod Gaskill Blaze                                     

RB- Deon Morris SBulldogs                               

WR- Marcus Pugh Thunder                              

WR- Michael Swalley Thunder                        

WR- Randy Blackford Blaze                            

TE- Clayton Froese Thunder                           

Ol- Jeremy Gray Thunder                              

      Richard Hawkins Crush                                      

      Jess Mickel  Blaze                                              

      Deyon Smith SBulldogs                                     

      Anthony Blessington Kaos

DE- Jared Bell Rampage                                     

        C.B. Boyd Thunder                                              

DT- Brian Miller Rampage                                 

        Aaron Littell Thunder                                          

LB- Joey Crawford Thunder                            

       John Elkington Rampage                                    

       Chuck Smiley Kaos                                            

      Jeremy Nethon Thunder                                   

DB- Quito Lightbourne Thunder                        

        Zach Smith Blaze                                                   

        Andy Sowle Rampage                                          

        Rod Whitter SBulldogs                                         

K- Clinton Haynes Crush                                       

SP- Eli Kennard Thunder                                   

2nd team

QB- Jared Jenson Blaze

RB- Dan Schae Rampage

RB- Jake ThomaRampage

WR- Quinton Mckinney Marauders

WR- Wendall Mosely SBulldogs

WR- Josh Heathcote Blaze

TE- N/A

OL- Josh Toops Thunder

        Corey Curtis Thunder

        Caleb Schweiger Rampage

        Travis Schutt Rampage

        Anthony Blessington Kaos

DE- Jamar Seard SBulldogs

        Shane Spooner Blaze

DT- Calvin Wychoff Thunder

         Shane Hagan Crush

LB- Chris Collins Kaos

       Jamar Crayton SBulldogs

       Joe Williams Kaos

      Matt Meek Blaze

DB- Dirk Timm Rampage

        D.J. Wolfe Wolverines

       Ben Bell Blaze

       Kurtis Dawson Thunder

K- Brandon Hawley Thunder

SP-David Rojas Blaze

The WFL set it’s championship meeting Saturday with two playoff blowouts. The Oklahoma Thunder conducted business as usual by blistering the Eagle Mountain Marauders 63-0. That wasn’t a big suprise considering the Thunder had blown out the Marauders twice during the regular season. The big shock came as the Des Moines Blaze dusted the St. LouisBuldogs 50-21. The Bulldogs came over from the NAFL where they had been a perrennial contender every year. The Bulldogs were expected to challege the Thunder for WFL dominance but the #1 seed Blaze showed the WFL universe they are here to stay. Join us in Tulsa, Ok Satuday July 31 for World Bowl IV. Th game will be held at the East Tulsa Sports Complex, 7pm kickoff.

7/22 Tulsa, Ok

The WFL this week has started the process of taking legal action against it’s excusive uniform and apparel supplier. Gametime Athletics Inc. of Memphis, TN, owned by Checliss Rice, was contracted this off season to be the exclusive uniform and apparel supplier for WFL. It seemed like a ground breaking deal that would propl th league forward in it’s effort to separate itself from other leagues in the country. Alas, it was too good to be true. With roughly half of the league ordering from game time before the season, only one team to date has received their uniforms. With only two weeks left before World Bowl IV there is little hope the rest of the teams will receive their uniforms and apparel.

    ”We have dissoled our partnership. They basically took our money and ran. we haven’t even been able to communicate with Checliss in over two months” said Bruce Madden, WFL director of team operations. ” He basically promised us a delivery date and when it didn’t happen (delivery) he had an excuse to push it back a week. That went on for about a month the he just stopped taking calls or answering emails. That was 10 weeks ago.” Madden goes on ” We were promised uniforms in 6 weeks and now we are almost 16  weeks into this thing and he has disappeared. We have talked with other teams they have been dealing with and they tell a similar story.”

     Madden has a warning for other teams and leagues that are pitched by Gametime ” Run. They will take your money and disappear. There are a lot more reputable companies out there. They may be little more expensive but in this case you get what you pay for.” Madden says the league is not taking this issue lightly “We are gathering information as we speak. We are exploring the option of criminal charges but we will definately be filing a civl suit.”

The teams that made the playoff were:

Blaze Shuts Down Rampage 48-0

WEBSTER CITY, IA – Des Moines finally got their first shutout of the season Saturday evening while visiting the Midwest Rampage despite holding the competition to 13 points or less in all but one of their previous six contests.

                Rampage quarterback Dan Schaa and tailback Jake Thoma’s tough running kept the chains moving most of the game, however couldn’t penetrate the Blaze red zone. Linebacker Heath Hill led a swarming defense, finishing the game with seven tackles to go with his one and a half sacks.

The three deepest Rampage drives were turned away by a Cale Carlson interception, an Alex Brodus fumble recovery, and a four down goal line stand. Defensive back Zach Smith turned in the defenses big play of the day, blocking a third quarter punt, scooping it up at the Rampage 20-yard line and returning it for six points.  

The Offense also came out clicking, scoring on all five first half possessions. Quarterback DeMareo Darrah Threw for the first three scores, a 15-yarder to tight end Shawn Lents, then twice to receiver Randy Blackford (34, 47). He ran the fourth touchdown in himself from 11 yards out and finished the first half eight for nine with 165 yards, three touchdowns, and a rushing score.

Back Jerrod Gaskill added a season long 82-yard TD off a late option pitch from Darrah, putting the Blaze comfortably up 35-0 at half. Gaskill would add a second touchdown in the third quarter and finish with his third 100-yard game of the season. Blackford finished with 122 yards and two touchdowns on five catches.

“This was a good win,” Said Head Coach Tyrone Tyler. “It gives us some confidence as we come down the stretch and into the playoffs. We accomplished just about everything we wanted to on both sides of the ball and in special teams. It’s about momentum at this point in the season.”

The Blaze have a bye week before heading to Dubuque to face the Bruisers on the 26^th. They return home to Valley Stadium July 10^th for their regular season finale against the Nebraska Wildcats

Ralston High School, Ralston NE:

By Blaze Staff

OMAHA, NE – The Des Moines Blaze improved their record to 4-1 at the midseason point with a decisive 31-9 victory over the Nebraska Wildcats Saturday Night.  Defense was the story of the game as the swarming Des Moines D held the opposition scoreless well into the fourth quarter for the second straight week.

                Player of the game Ben Bell intercepted two Bobby Peters passes in the first half to halt Wildcat drives. Linebacker Heath Hill and defensive end Robert Best each amassed 6 tackles to lead the team. Cornerback Zach Smith got into the action just before the half, collecting his third interception of the season and Larry Justice put the game away early in the fourth quarter with a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown, his first of the year.

                The lone defensive slip up came in the fourth quarter when poor tackling on an intermediate pass from George Oliver to Justen Moon resulted in a 73-yard touchdown scamper.  

                Offensively, the story of the game was squandered opportunities due to penalties. The Blaze lost 135 yards due to 12 different infractions, negating one touchdown.

Jared Jensen and Randy Blackford managed to keep the offense moving most of the evening, connecting nine times for 142 yards.  Jensen completed 18 of 35 passes for 271 yards. A.G. Neal sparked the running game with 105 yards on just six carries, including touchdowns of 30 and 41 yards. Fullback Shane Spooner capped the scoring with a one yard touchdown plunge.

“It was a sloppy game on our part,” said Head Coach Tyrone Tyler. “We were hampered by injuries and guys being unable to travel. We had some good calls and some bad calls go against us. We’ll just continue to learn and improve each week.”

The Blaze return home to Valley Stadium this Saturday afternoon to host the Capital City Crush for  their Kid’s Day charity event, helping to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer patients. The event begins at noon with the game kicking off at 1 PM.

By Blaze Staff
 
LINCOLN, NE – The Des Moines Blaze made a statement on the road Saturday evening dominating the Capital City Crush 59-7 in a game of WFL Heartland Division co-leaders.
            Des Moines jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on the back of Jerrod Gaskill, who’s two first quarter rushing scores began the route. From there the aerial assault and defense took over.
            The quarterback tandem of Demareo Darrah and Jerrod Jensen combined for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Darrah’s 8 for 11 for 146 yards and one passing score paired with 51 yards and a touchdown on the ground earned him player of the game honors.
On the receiving end, Randy Blackford continued his early season tear, scoring multiple receiving touchdowns for the third time in four weeks, a 20-yarder from Darrah in the first half and a 17-yard connection with Jensen in the second. J. Heathcote became the second Blaze receiver this season to surpass the century mark, collecting 111 yards on five catches. Tight End Shawn Lents hauled in his first score of the season as well.
The defense held the Crush to just 136 yards of total offense and one fourth quarter score. They intercepted Capital City quarterback Chris Chmelka three times, including an 89-yard return for a touchdown by cornerback Ben Bell, his second TD in as many weeks. Fellow corner Zach Smith collected the other two interceptions. Linebacker Dylan White and safety David Rojas led the team with seven tackles each.
“We came out tonight and played well in all phases,” said Head Coach Tyrone Tyler. “I’m proud of this team. We had a statement to make after a disappointing game last week, and I think we did that.”
The Blaze (3-1) are on the road again this week, visiting the Nebraska Wildcats (2-1) in Omaha, NE. They return home to Valley Stadium June 5th at for their Kids Day charity game. Kickoff is at 1 PM.

May 22, 2010

The St. Louis Bulldogs have made quite a splash through four weeks of the 2010 WFL schedule. Fresh off a throttling of nationally ranked contender St. Charles Cyclones the Bulldogs crushed WFL mainstays the Kansas Kaos Saturday night 44-12.  The victory was the most impressive of the season for the Bulldogs this year and announces their presence as a contender in the WFL.