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PATRIOTS ADVANCE (AGAIN)
Monday - October 15, 2007
Things continue to go crazy in the Great Lakes Region as the Patriots advance to the Great Lakes Regional
Championship game in the NAFL 1 Secondary Playoffs. Facing them will be another surprising face as the
Rochester (New York) Renegades will once again make the trip to Genesee County.
Both the Patriots and Renegades were on the outside looking in when it came around to playoff time. As luck
would have it, two NAFL 1 Playoff Wild Card teams declined the NAFL 1 Secondary Playoff invitation after
loosing in the first round. The result was the next two highest rated Great Lakes Region teams receiving an
invitation to fill out the playoff brackets. Two rounds later the each team finds themselves in the Great Lakes
Regional Championship team after the Renegades get by the Invaders and the Patriots advance past the
Silverbacks.
Earlier this season, the Renegades became the first ever New York based NAFL franchise to make their way to
Michigan for a regular season game. They faced off against the Patriots, eventually loosing the contest 34-6.
PLAYOFF CHANGES
Thursday - October 11, 2007
Playoff changes bring familiar faces for the Patriots as they are set to meet the Silverbacks this Saturday in
London. The Silverbacks entered the playoffs with a 7-2 record and were a NAFL 1 Playoff Qualifier. They met
Detroit in the first round, falling 16-14 and thus dropped to the Secondaries. Division Champion Detroit's lone
loss came at the hands of London September 22nd. NAFL 1 Primary Playoff Wild Card teams are allowed to
drop to the NAFL Secondary Playoffs with a loss in the first round.
As the top seeded none Wild Card team, the Patriots originally anticipated a home game in the first round of the
Secondaries. Then, with a record number of Wild Card teams accepting the invitation to the Secondaries,
Genesee County was slatted to face the Invaders in Ohio. Things became even crazier as the Renegades were
added to the bracket and the Patriots somehow found their fate in the hands of the Northwestern Region with a
BYE and a walk into the Regional Championship Game. As fate would have it, the merry go round didn't end
there and top seeded New Castle Thunder declined the invitation throwing the Patriots back into the Great
Lakes Region with a match versus the now top seeded London Silverbacks.
Though London is heavily favored in this match up. The Patriots (4-5 NAFL, 5-7 over all) battled them tough in a
contest in Flint, eventually falling 18-6. Neither Division battle featured the Patriots starting quarterback Robert
Callahan. Now, Genesee County looks to see if Standford and Appalachian State are not the only teams who
can pull of big upsets this year.
PATRIOTS INVADE PLAYOFFS
Tuesday - October 8, 2007
The Patriots are set to invade the NAFL 1 Secondary Playoffs. The Ohio Invaders are tentatively bracketed to
face the Patriots in Ohio, with the seeding to be finalized Wednesday at noon. As it stands, the Ohio Invaders
host the Genesee County Patriots while the London Silverbacks travel to the New Castle Thunder with the
winners advancing to the Great Lakes Regional Championship game of the NAFL 1 Secondary Playoffs.
The Invaders, Silverbacks, and Thunder were Wild Card teams in the NAFL 1 playoffs, each loosing in the
opening round and thus dropped to the Secondary or Consolation bracket. The Patriots, as the 9th seeded
team (determined by playoff points) in the Great Lakes Region, are awarded the birth to the Consolation
bracket. The top 8 seeds in each region qualified for the NAFL 1 Playoffs.
Final Great Lakes Regional Point Standings:
1 Red Bulls 20
2 Colts 20
3 Diesels 17.5
4 Raiders 17
5 Thunder 15.5
6 London 15
7 Invaders 12.5
8 Eagles 11.5
9 Patriots 11
10 Warriors 9
11 Renegades 8.5
12 Bulldogs 8
13 Titans 5.5
14 Marauders 5
15 Tigers 4.5
16 Vikings 4
17 Cardinals 2.5
* The Ohio Wolfpack (.5) and the Hoosier Hurricanes (4) seasons were suspended. The Admirals (14.5) were
removed from the playoffs due to a NAFL ruling.
TITANS ROUTED
Monday - October 1, 2007
On a record setting day, the Patriots ended the regular season with a 48-20 victory over the visiting Tri City
Titans. The Patriots scored a NAFL record tying 35 first quarter points then coasted to a Division win. The
victory puts the Patriots at 5-7 for the year, 4-6 in NAFL action, while the Titans fall to 1-8 in the NAFL. With the
win, the Patriots qualify for the NAFL 1 Secondary Playoffs.
Six players scored touchdowns on the way to the Patriots second highest scoring performance in the team's
history. Robert Callahan threw for two touchdowns to Tight End Brian Dinnan and Wide Receiver Terry Weston
while also running in two 2-point conversions. Running Backs Nate Eller and Jarail Griffin both rushed for a
touchdown.
The defense lit up the scoreboard as well. Defensive End Dewayne Washington scooped up a fumble and
returned it for a score while Linebacker Sidney Hoyle picked off an interception also went for a touchdown. Both
performances were overshadowed by a monstrous day for Defensive End Roberto Bakos. Bakos had 10
tackles, 4 for loss, with three sacks and a blocked extra point. Brad Lyon and Steve Clark also collected sacks
on the day.
Even the special teams chipped in a score as Jarail Griffin returned a punt for 6 points.
The NAFL plans to announce the official playoff brackets later this week.
OHIO FOLDS, PATRIOTS WIN
Saturday - September 22, 2007
New ownership and a new name did not save the Ohio Wolfpack from extinction. Listed on the schedule as the
North Ohio Pirates, Ohio attempted to retool their organization to make a go of it in 2007. But in the end Ohio
was forced to fold, having played just 2 games.
The North Ohio Pirates of Columbus changed their name to the Ohio Wolfpack before the start of the 2007
season. With new ownership, new staff, and a new name Ohio entered 2007 hoping for good results. But after
an 0-2 start, including a 0-27 loss to the Rochester (NY) Renegades in July things looked bleak. A three week
layoff before their contest with the Cleveland Cardinals was not enough to get things back on track and Ohio
failed to meet their hosting and traveling obligations for the rest of the season.
With the forfeit, the Patriots move to 3-6 in NAFL play and 4-7 over all. The Tri-City Titans (1-7 NAFL) round out
the season September 29 in Flint at Historic Atwood Stadium. Though both the Patriots and Titans are out of the
NAFL 1 Playoff race this game does still have significance. A Patriot win opens the door for a possible NAFL 1
Secondary Playoff Invite. Similar in fashion to NCAA Basketball's National Invitation Tournament, the NAFL 1
Secondary Playoffs is an invitation based tournament comprised of teams who just miss the NAFL 1 playoffs.
The top 64 teams (out of 104 NAFL 1 teams) qualify for the NAFL 1 Playoffs while the NAFL 1 Secondary
Playoffs feature 32 teams comprised of near qualifiers and NAFL 1 Playoff Wild Card teams who loose in the
first round.
ANOTHER CLASSIC HEARTBREAK
Wednesday - September 19, 2007
Undefeated and Division Champion Detroit came into town for an easy win, instead they got another classic
contest as they narrowly pulled out a 14-19 victory at Atwood Stadium. Quarterback Robert Callahan returned
to the lineup in strong fashion, passing for two touchdowns with no interceptions after being inactive for five
weeks. Wide Receiver Jerry Weston caught his fifth and sixth touchdowns in the game after a mid season
drought. Weston had four touchdowns in the first five games but had not scored since.
Andre Thomas broke up 5 passes to help lead a defense that limited Detroit to their lowest scoring output of the
NAFL season.
Detroit opened up the scoring in the 2nd quarter to take a 7-0 lead. The Patriots responded with a Callahan to
Weston touchdown grab that has become a trademark of the 2007 offense and then went for a two point
conversion. Leading 8-7 shortly before the half, the Royal and Scarlet gave up a touchdown after 45 yards of
penalties to Detroit but blocked the extra point to end the half at 13-8.
The second Callahan to Weston connection led to the Patriots once again taking the lead 14-13 in the 3rd. The
fourth quarter was a back to back battle with Detroit scoring on a 27 yard touchdown reception from Rob Elswick
to Steve Messam. Down 19-14, the Patriot offense went on a 60 yard march to the Detroit 12 yard line.
However, a penalty on what would have been a first down run pushed them back to a 1st and 20. TE Brian
Dinnan brought in a grab on 2nd down that put the Patriots in range but two back to back solid plays by Detroit's
defensive backfield prevented a late touchdown.
The win solidifies the Diesels second Division Championship in three years and puts them at 9-0-1 with a
regular season finale against London. Meanwhile, the Patriots fall to 2-6 in NAFL play and 3-7 over all with two
contests left versus the North Ohio Pirates in Columbus and their last home game September 19th versus the
Tri City Titans (1-7 NAFL).
CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Sunday - September 2, 2007
September starts off with a calm by week before the last three games of the regular season. This includes a
Sunday, September 16 match up with the undefeated Detroit Diesels in Flint. The Detroit game is followed by a
trip to Columbus and then the regular season climaxes with the Titans at home on September 29.
The bye week comes just in time for the Patriots to recover from the aftermath of a terrible storm in the Genesee
County area. On Friday September 22, Genesee County was hit by a number of tornadoes and severe thunder
storms. Thousands of people were left without power and many areas suffered significant damage. The damage
was felt by the Patriots on the road to, as the storm was a major contributing factor in several athletes being
unavailable for the trip to London. This included seven starters and Head Coach Andre Weathers and Offensive
Assistant Coach Fred Jackson.
The bye week's arrival will help the Patriots reload for the end of the season. Reactivated quarterback Robert
Callahan will return and is expected to compete with Ryan Sargent and Jerry Popour to be behind center again
when the game kicks off. Also possibly returning will be Kendrick Willingham, a wide receiver that showed great
potential in practice but suffered an injury early on in his first game this season. Running back Isac Roberts,
who missed the London game, is expected to be in the lineup against Detroit as well. Detroit was the first game
Callahan missed and the team hopes he will provide a spark against the 6-0-1 Diesels whom the Patriots lost in
a close 16-6 battle earlier this year. Other athletes expected to return who were missing for the London game
include DE Dewayne Washington, DT Steven Clark, LB Sidney Hoyle, WR Devin Leavell, and the entire starting
defensive backfield.
OFFENSE COMES UP EMPTY
Admirals 34 - Patriots 0
Wednesday - August 22, 2007
The team was held scoreless for the first time this season and lost by the same amount of points they scored
last week in a 34-0 whipping by the Admirals. Originally an away game, the Patriots were asked to host the
game on short notice due to the Admirals no longer having a home stadium for 2007.
The Admirals scored 20 points in the first half and accumulated 420 yards of offense for the game while the
Patriots were limited to 54 on a rain soaked Sunday afternoon. While backups Elijah Marshal (QB) and Akellis
Liggins (RB) were not able to spark the offense, the defense also had its worst showing in two seasons in terms
of yards allowed. The Patriots fall to 2-4 NAFL and 3-5 Over All while the Admirals climb to 4-1-1 NAFL and
4-2-1 Over All. Next up for the Patriots is a trip to London to face the Silverbacks (4-2-0 NAFL) this Saturday.
BACK ON TRACK
Patriots 34 - Renegades 6
Sunday - August 12, 2007
After two back to back 6 point efforts, the offense awoke to score 34 points and New York was limited to 6 in an
NAFL Cross Division game. Leading the way for this offensive outburst were two running backs that combined
for 355 yards rushing. Isac Roberts, a 2006 All Star, saw his first action as a starter after being resigned in week
four. Roberts carried the ball 20 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Akellis Liggins, a
linebacker, saw time at running back and piled up 153 yards on only 10 caries with two touchdowns of his own.
Rochester opened up the game with the opening touchdown but Genesee County responded with 34
unanswered points. (Patriots 2-3 NAFL, 3-4 Over All).
Next up for the Patriots is a meeting with defending Division Champion and first place Division Foe Michigan
Admirals. However, due to stadium issues the Admirals are facing, the game location is yet to be determined.
PUNTED AWAY
Detroit 16 - Patriots 6
Monday - August 6, 2007
The offense punted away late opportunities and the Patriots failed to get back on track, loosing 16-6 to Detroit.
The rematch is September 16 at 4:000 PM hosted at Atwood Stadium. (further breakdown forthcoming)
OPPORTUNITY DENIED
Silverbacks 18 - Patriots 6
Monday - July 30, 2007
For the first time in Patriot history, the team had the chance to take over the Eastern Division lead with a win
over London. However, the Silverbacks were not ready to turn over first place and defeated the Patriots 18 to 6.
Four trips to the red zone delivered zero points for the Patriots who fall to 2-3.
Wide Receiver Jerry Weston caught his fourth touchdown in five games from Quarterback Robert Callahan but it
was not enough to lift the Patriots past London. The four possessions stalled out in the red zone, twice at or
within the London five yard line, resulting in zero points.
The Royal and Scarlet look to even their record at 3 and 3 with a trip to Detroit August 4. The Diesels and
Patriot games have made for exciting competition over the last few seasons, including 31-27, 16-20, and 9-6
contests all in favor of Detroit. If the Patriots break that trend, they will be 2-2 in Division play and 3-3 over all.
PATRIOTS MARCH ON, REACH .500
Patriots 30 - London 16
Sunday - July 22, 2007
The Patriots even their record to 2-2 and 1-1 in Division and League play with a 30-16 victory over the Titans.
Leading 21-0 at halftime, the team coasted to a Division victory. RB Nate Eller had 99 yards on 29 carries and
QB Robert Callahan was 8-18 for 90 yards but threw two touchdowns with only one interception.
A SHORT LEAD LOST
Admirals 42 - Patriots 12
Sunday - July 24, 2007
Trevor Montroy rushed for over 50 yards in the first quarter and the Patriots took an early 6-0 lead but
eventually fell to the Admirals. Montroy was injured early in the first half and the offense never managed
to recover in a 42-12 loss. Montroy opened up the scoring with a 3 yard dive to pay dirt on the Patriots first drive
of the game. Quarterback Robert Callahan threw a 57 yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Jerry Weston, who
had caught two touchdowns during the preseason, to round out the scoring.
A 21 to 6 halftime lead turned into a 28-12 game before the Admirals went on to close out the scoring.
Linebacker Jeff Toddy was the player of the game for the Patriots, collecting two of the team's turn overs with an
interception and a fumble recovery. Defensive End Roberto Bakos led the way for the defensive line with two
sacks.
The Patriots now look to Canada where they will meet the Tri-City Titans Saturday July 21. The Titans lost their
first contest in franchise history 15-12 to the London Silverbacks this week.
2007 PRESEASON ENDS
A CRUSADE THWARTED
Patriots 51 - Crusaders 14
Sunday - June 24, 2007
The Patriots kick off 2007 with a record setting win while traveling to the Lenawee County Crusaders. The Patriots accounted for
their most points scored (game), biggest win margin, most offensive points scored (game).
The team's big victory had even more significance as this was new Head Coach Andre Weathers' first victory as a Head Coach.
His debut coincided with Quarterback Robert Callahan's first game, in which he threw for two touchdowns and ran in a third. On
the receiving end of those two touchdown passes was rookie wide receiver Jerry Weston.
Running Back Trevor Montroy rushed for two touchdowns and veteran Nate Eller scored a third.
The defense nearly captured a shut out victory, letting only a late fourth quarter touchdown smear the moment. The other score for
the Crusaders came on Callahan's lone interception. The defense more than made up for the one score by adding two
touchdowns of their own; one by linebacker Sidney Hoyle (fumble) and a second by linebacker Tom Cole (interception return).
The only bright spot for the Crusaders was on Special Teams, where they managed to block two of the eight extra point attempts.
Place Kicker Brian Dinnan added the three extra points.
The Patriots next face the Southern Michigan Timberwolves July 7 (7:00 PM) at Flint's Historic Atwood Stadium to finish the
preseason. The regular season begins with the Patriots hosting the Michigan Admirals Sunday, July 15.
A NEW COMMERCIAL IS RELEASED
Monday - May 20, 2007
A new Patriot Commercial featuring the renovations to Flint's Historic Atwood Stadium was shot May 19 and is being broadcast on
ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports Detroit, Comedy Central, MTV, Cartoon Network, and more. The commercials will air through out June
and July leading up to the July 7 contest with the Timberwolves.
LYON TO REPRESENT THE PATRIOTS AT THE CHAMPION CAGE FIGHTERS EVENT
Friday - April 6, 2007
Brad Lyon is set to compete in the Champion Cage Fighters Mixed Martial Arts Competition on April 13 at the Birch Run Expo
Center. Lyon will face off against a special guest opponent in a promotional match that will help highlight the evenings event. Also
in attendance will be members of the Lady Patriots Spirit Team as special guest ring girls.
Lyon is the Patriots' Director of Operations as well as a past Minor League Football All Star and All American. However, he was
also a College and International Wrestler, winning a World Folk Style Bronze Medal in 2002 and placing at the Iron Man World
Championships. The Champion Cage Fighters competition is a Mixed Martial Arts event that features contestants with varied
fighting backgrounds including wrestling, boxing, judo, kick boxing, and other such styles.
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