BY DEVELON ISOM

For some Blitz players and coach Greg Croshaw, three consecutive Saturdays of exciting Rocky Mountain Football League competition concluded in Ogden Saturday afternoon with the South all-stars getting a win over the North all-stars 32-30.

St. George Blitz place kicker Steven Pulver kicked the game-winner with time running out to give the South squad the win. Pulver got two tries for the win, making the second attempt from about 32 yards after missing the first try. The North team was penalized for being offside on the first kick and Pulver made them pay for the mistake.

The former Highland high Ram and SUU Thunderbird was experiencing a seemingly disastrous night from a kicker’s standpoint, but ended up being named the game’s MVP. Pulver had missed two PAT’s and one field goal attempt in the game. Pulver mentioned that successful field goals are achieved because of joint effort.

“I give credit to my teammates for stepping up and making a clean snap, making a good hold and making the blocks when it counted most,” Pulver said. “That’s part of being a kicker. You’re expected to make the kicks, but the misses are the ones that are remembered. It is kinda funny how it works. I definitely got the chance to redeem myself and the one I made will be remembered, not the missed ones.”

The kicking woes were helped by the absence of an underappreciated and specialized type of football player.

“We did not have an actual snapper. It put us in a bad position as the game went on,” said Pulver. “Some missed PAT’s and even some field goals I kicked were shaky. It makes life hard for the kicker. The actual kick is the last part of the process. It is a lot easier when you can count on the snap being there, and then the hold being solid”

Pulver prefers a unique way to handle the pressures of kicking; he likes to play defense for the Blitz when coach Croshaw allows. Pulver said playing cornerback in games is a stress release for him and that it helps him with his normal responsibilities.

“My four years at SUU I just kicked,” said Pulver. “But since I have been on the Blitz, I get the chance to play a little bit at corner. Going out and kicking the ball is a lot easier when I feel like I am more involved in the game, kicking almost becomes secondary.”

Blitz receiver Ricky Dias and Wasatch Revolution quarterback Charlie Peterson hooked up for a big play that preceded the game winning field goal. Peterson said the offense had around a minute left when they started at their own 20-yard line.

“We put the game-winning drive together for Pulver to win it,” said Peterson. “We were faced with a third down and 23 and Ricky made a great catch to get us into field goal range.”

Dias said the team’s emotions went on a roller-coaster ride for a few minutes.

“The game is over and we are all ticked,” Dias said. “Then we see a yellow flag out on the field and the official called an offside penalty on the defense. Pulver put it right through the uprights and we ended up winning.” 

Dias bros. played big in RMFL all-star game- Photo courtesy of Chrome Iguana Productions

Other Blitz players that had an outstanding game were wide receiver Robby Dias making nine catches for 177 yards including a 77-yard touchdown hook-up with Utah Bears quarterback Jeff Wissler. Defensive end Wayne Alofipo intercepting a pass and returning it for a 33-yard touchdown. Pulver also kicked an impressive 43-yard field goal in the second quarter to add to his game winning kick.

St. George coach Greg Croshaw and Blitz player Doug Cook led the RMFL South all-stars team that included eight Blitz players: wide receivers Ricky and Robby Dias, kicker/punter Steven Pulver, defensive linemen Wayne Alofipo and Misi Tupi, tight end Andy Stokes, and offensive linemen Braeden Gates and Matt Dotson.

BY DEVELON ISOM

The St. George Blitz finished a spectacular second season in the Rocky Mountain Football League by winning the RMFL championship Saturday night 7-3 over the Utah Shock (8-4). And with a regular season record of 10-1, they won two preseason games as well, the Blitz completed the fast track to league supremacy. They were victorious over top teams of the RMFL multiple times this year. Couple that with the championship and there is no doubt that the St. George Blitz organization has built something special.

Defense wins championships- Photo courtesy of Chrome Iguana Productions

St. George defeated the 2009 RMFL champions Wasatch Revolution twice and the Utah Shock twice. The Shock appeared in the title game for the second year in a row. The Blitz’s only blemish this season was a 15-11 loss to the Treasure Valley Spartans in early June. The Spartans finished with the league’s best regular season record at 9-0, but ended up losing its semi-final playoff game to the Utah Shock.

Saturday night’s title game ended up being a tough outing for offensive units. The Blitz are regarded as a top defensive team, but the Shock are known for offensive firepower and they ended up playing some strong defense too.

RMFL commissioner Jared Neumeier travelled from league head quarters in Idaho to present the championship trophy and MVP trophy, and said he was happy with the competitive showing.

“The game was like a heavyweight title bout,” said Neumeier. “They kept exchanging counterpunches without landing any knockout blows. At the end of the game, St. George scored the punch to win the game with that touchdown drive.”

The Blitz drove 57 yards after taking a Shock punt for the game’s only touchdown and went up 7-3 with 6.5 minutes left in the game. Then, the Blitz held off two Shock drives that caused some nervous moments.

Shock’s Matt Thornton took the Blitz scoring kick-off 32 yards to the Shock 35 to set up its second-to- last possession. Shock quarterback Jordan Kjar and wide receiver Chris Hooper hooked up for two passes in a row for 17 yards. The Shock moved the ball near red zone territory and then had a fourth and 13 from the Blitz 23-yard line. The Blitz got great pressure and stopped the Shock threat with three minutes left. The Blitz would take over on downs.

The Blitz attempted to run the ball and clock out but the Shock defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out with 1:56 left. The Shock took the Blitz punt at its own 32-yard line with no return. The outcome of the game would come down to this last standoff.

The Blitz defense did not start well. A 15-yard pass interference call was made on a Blitz cornerback. That moved the Shock ball to their 47. After a marginal gain on a short play, the Shock hurt itself with a penalty of its own. A flag was thrown on a Shock offensive lineman for holding Blitz linebacker Brandon Thompson. The Shock went back to its 32. After a couple of plays, the Shock faced a third down and 25. Blitz defensive end Wayne Alofipo sacked Kjar for a seven-yard loss.

On fourth and 32, Kjar threw the ball to one of his receivers for a double pass on the desperation attempt with 1:15 left. Blitz safety Robby Dias picked the ball off to seal the win and the championship.

“Those defensive plays by the Blitz in the last two quarters were the difference,” Neumeier said. “It was a great game and a great way for the league to end its fourteenth season, two excellent teams that competed throughout the whole game.”

Dias said defending against Kjar makes for a coverage challenge and he was appreciative of the defensive line he plays with.

“The hard part about him (Kjar) is its back-yard football,” said Dias. “He’s going to scramble, he’s going to get outside and his receivers will break routs and run all over the place. You have to get on their hip and just ride them.”

Dias said the lineman made some reassuring comments at halftime even though the Blitz were down 0-3.

“Our defensive line made it happen,” Dias said. “The funny thing is; in the locker room they’re (D-line) are all laughing. They come in and say ‘what is everybody so upset about, we are going to dominate in the second half, so don’t even worry about.’”  

The Shock fell short of winning another road play-off game. They are an excellent road team but this time they would fall short. Coach Jared Emerick said he hopes his guys will let the sting of losing the title game pass and then return next year for a run at a third title game appearance in a row.

“They’re pretty down,” said Emerick. “For the second year in a row we know what it feels like to lose the title game. We have to try and talk to everybody and convince them to not make decisions on next year tonight.”

As far as the season went, Emerick said, “We have to look at it as a success. It was a good season but not a great one. We came up four points short of having a great one.”

Emerick said others will have influence on next seasons participation for Shock players as well as himself.

“We’ll see if I can convince my wife to have another year at it,” said Emerick.

Dias said the Shock were impressive and did something that the Blitz didn’t do this season, beat Treasure Valley.

“They went up and knocked off a team that we couldn’t,” Dias said. “They did a good job and the game was a good match-up.”

Blitz offensive lineman Stryder Hurd said the team came out after the half determined to raise the play.

“We had our bumps in the first half,” Hurd said. “We pulled through though and came out in the end with the touchdown drive. At half we (offensive line) were told we better start firing-off quicker. We played much better in the third and fourth, especially on that scoring drive.”

The Blitz defensive line came out firing off the line too. Defensive end Wayne Alofipo said keeping Shock quarterback Kjar from making big plays was the key.

“Fortunately our defense came up with some big stops,” Alofipo said. “That second half, we made some adjustments. We shifted the line down and was able to get better pressure. Once we contained him (Kjar), which is obviously the game plan, we could stop them. In the first half we didn’t contain him and we knew that.”  

Alofipo said the excitement on the field during the game, and for the championship trophy presentations, was enhanced by the number of fans that showed up at Walt Brooks Stadium.

“There was an amazing turnout by spectators,” said Alofipo. “The stands were packed, the sidewalks were full. It was nice. That is great community support. We couldn’t have asked for anything better. My thanks goes out to this community. Hopefully we can continue to build on that and make something special out of this.”

Dias said the win was extra special for some players who have experience playing for head coach Greg Croshaw.  

“Playing for coach Croshaw is why I came to play on the Blitz,” said Dias. “I played for him at Dixie College and we came close to winning a national championship. This feels good to win a championship with him.”

Blitz defenders like to have meetings- Photo courtesy of Chrome Iguana Productions

Check out this link for excellent game photos of the Rocky Mountain Football League championship.

http://chromeiguana.zenfolio.com/p875456697

BY DEVELON ISOM

Rocky Mountain Football League commissioner Jared Neumeier will present the championship trophy to either the Utah Shock or the St. George Blitz Saturday night at Walt Brooks Stadium after the two teams do battle.

Neumeier said the 14-year league’s business operations are doing well and continues to experience growth.

“The state of the league is very healthy right now,” Neumeier said. “We’ll probably continue to expand until we get to 32 teams in four states.”

The semi-pro football league was founded in 1997 in Idaho and started with four organizations, all from Idaho. The league added and subtracted various teams through the first seven years, but in 2004 the league merged with the Utah Football League adding five teams from the Wasatch Front.  The next year eight more teams joined the fold, mostly Utah teams. Each year has netted more organizations and even caused the league to subdivide.

The league has two divisions:  AA and AAA. The AA consists of three regions: North, Central and South. Nineteen teams from Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah make up the regions.

The AAA division has 10 teams from Idaho and Utah: three from Idaho, six from the Wasatch Front and far south representative St. George Blitz.

Neumeier said the quality of play in the RMFL compares with other semi-pro leagues in the United States.

“The AAA division of the RMFL is a top division in the country for semi-pro football,” said Neumeier. “Anybody in the AAA level like the St. George Blitz can compete with the best semi-pro teams in the country. There may be better teams than our champion, but not too many. Our champion would compete well in a national tournament.”

And the players in the RMFL must have great desire to play. There is no paycheck in the RMFL, so regular life activity and football sometimes becomes a counter consideration.

“It’s semi-pro because a player can only be semi into it,” said Neumeier. “They have competing interests besides what their teams need them for. A player’s family, job and other demands win out over football at times.”

Neumeier said St. George has clearly taken a place among the top echelon of the league.

“St. George has done it quick, they have great organization,” said Neumeier. “They got people that know what they are doing. Here they are in only the third season and are competing for the championship.”

Being the informative commissioner that he is, Neumeier provided an analysis of the Blitz and Shock.

“The Blitz are a power team and the Shock are more of a finesse team,” Neumeier said. “The Shock attack you with the pass. Their (Shock) quarterback is extremely athletic; he is one of the best athletes in our league. The Blitz are big and strong and try to overpower its opponents. The teams are different brands of football, but they are the top two teams and that is why they are playing the last game.”

Washington checks his left side before entering paydirt- Photo courtesy of Chrome Iguana Productions

The St. George Blitz began operations in 2008 as part of the Southern Nevada Football League. They went 5-1 in that season and lost in the semi-final round playoffs.

Team owners Josh and Isaac Smith redirected the Blitz to the RMFL in the second season in 2009 and went 5-3. They lost to the eventual RMFL champion Wasatch Revolution in the semi-final round. This season the Blitz went 8-1 and earned the No. 2 seed.

Rocky Mountain Football League AAA 2010 regular season standings

How they got here:

Quarterfinal round:
            No. 4 seed Utah Shock defeated the Utah Valley Desperados 18-8
            No. 2 seed St. George Blitz earned a bye
Semifinal round:
            Utah Shock defeated the Treasure Valley Spartans 27-19
            St. George Blitz defeated the Wasatch Revolution 28-17 
For more information about the Rocky Mountain Football League go to: www.rockymountainfootball.com  

For more information about the St. George Blitz go to: www.stgblitz.com

For more information about the Utah Shock go to: www.utahshock.com

The St. George Blitz 28-17 semifinal playoff victory over the Wasatch Revolution Saturday night was exciting and the play had the good-sized crowd oohhhing and aahhhing throughout the contest. The game was a back and forth battle between two teams that answered each other’s dramatic body shots.

Blitz entered the game without one of its most valuable players. Diarra Fields is the regular starter at quarterback for the Blitz, but the Seattle resident was not available for the game due to family obligations. Fields is one of the most dynamic threats in the Rocky Mountain Football League. He throws laser passes 50-60 yards and can tuck the pigskin and run through or over defenders like one of the best running backs in the league. His absence to the team was no small situation.

The Blitz have a back-up quarterback that is not too shabby though. Josh Smith, who also happens to be co-owner of the team, is a different type of signal-caller. Smith is a pocket passer and although he is a good athlete, he is not mistaken as another running back like Fields.

Wasatch Revolution defensive game plan was simple; stop the rushing attack and make the Blitz beat them in the air. The Revolution probably prepared for Fields dangerous running ability, so when discovery of his absence happened, they may have taken for granted what Smith can do. Heck, even some Blitz fans may not have been aware of Smith’s play ability.

Smith showed the crowd at Walt Brooks Stadium that he could stand in against pressure and toss the ball around quite well. Smith averaged 20 yards per pass completion on 13-25 passing and had three touchdowns. He hooked-up with wide receiver Ricky Dias seven times for 163 yards and two of his three td strikes.

Ricky Dias hauled in this 61-yard td throw from Smith- photo Courtesy of Chrome Iguana Productions

The Revolution effectively put a blanket on the Blitz running game, but the backs played a big part in the win. Verwon Washington and Brandon Thompson among others, had to rush against stonewall defense and only picked up small amounts of yardage. They weren’t going to get any glory plays for themselves. However, what they did do was chip and sometimes blast pass-rushers off their path in protecting their qb. They worked great with the offensive line. The unit played awesome and Smith was complementary after the game about the protection he received from his teammates.

“They (offensive line) made adjustments after the first and second series,” said Smith. “I got hit a few times at first,  then our pass blocking took over.  They did a great job.”

Feula scored 48-yard td to pace the Blitz 7-0 in 1st qtr- photo Courtesy of Chrome Iguana Productions

As usual, the Blitz defense put some points on the scoreboard too. The first points of the game were scored by 300-pound defensive tackle Vince Feula. Feula scooped up the ball on a fumble by Revolution quarterback Charlie Peterson. Peterson had to deal with a high snap over his head and could not gain possession. Big Feula timed his down-reach perfect and secured the ball off of a bounce. He raced 48 yards for the touchdown and gave the Blitz the 7-0 lead. Feula looked like Warren Sapp in his prime.

The rest of the game was a series of touchdown passes by Revolution qb Peterson and Blitz’s Smith.

The game was exceptional in excitement and had about 10 car wrecks (big hits). There was a price to pay out there if a player was slack in attention. The quality of play was good and the action was intense.

If you have never attended a Blitz game, you should not miss the Rocky Mountain Football League championship game on July 10 at Dixie High School.

The Utah Shock will travel down from south Salt Lake to play the Blitz for the RMFL title. The Shock lost in last year’s title game. The Blitz are making their first championship appearance and will try to take advantage of playing at their home field.

Develon