Watch BULLS on TV LIVE Tonight !!!

[E.T.]

AIFA CHAMPIONSHIP: LAKELAND VS. READING (PA.)

Different Styles Clash Tonight in Title Game

ThunderBolts would love to speed things up; Express differs from name.

By Rick Brown

The Ledger

 

AIFA CHAMPIONSHIP

Lakeland ThunderBolts vs. Reading, Pa. Express

WHEN: Tonight, 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Florence, S.C.

TV: Catch 47

RADIO: WLKF 1430-AM

If Lakeland ThunderBolts head coach Teddy Keaton has his way, the scoreboard at the Florence (S.C.) Civic Center will explode from all the points scored during tonight's American Indoor Football Association Championship. Meanwhile Lakeland's opponent in the title game, the Reading (Pa.) Express wouldn't mind if the scoreboard doesn't get any work at all.

Whichever team gets its way will likely be crowned AIFA champions.

The ThunderBolts take on the Express tonight at 7:30 p.m. for the AIFA title. The game is scheduled to be carried live on Brighthouse Network Catch 47 and on WLKF 1430-AM.

Lakeland advanced to the title game with an 84-62 victory over Mississippi, while Reading defeated Canton, 66-51.

The 84 points scored is just the type of game Lakeland wants.

"We want that high-tempo, run-the-floor-type game," Keaton said Friday. "Speed kills. On the flip side, we can deke and dunk the ball down the field if we have to.

"Reading is dangerous because they don't make mistakes," he said. "They're a very poised, disciplined football team. They beat a lot of teams capitalizing on the mistakes of others. Most of their games are really close. They slow down the game and make you play at their level."

Reading has been atop the league all season and enters the game with a 15-2 record. Lakeland is the second-best team in the league with a 13-2 record. The ThunderBolts have had a championship goal all season, Keaton said.

A chartered bus-full of Lakeland fans will be in Florence tonight.

"We're excited to be representing Polk County," Keaton said. "Lakeland had gotten behind us. The guys are very focused. They want it really bad."

Terrance Royal

Roster:

http://www.lakelandthunderbolts.com/players.asp

[Triple B]

Just tuned in to check it out and it's the first time I've ever seen an Astroturf field that needed water ....

[E.T.]

I missed that Trip ?

ThunderBolts Win AIFA Championship

By SHAWN SINGLETON

The Morning News (Florence)

FLORENCE, S.C.  The Lakeland ThunderBolts promised to party like rock stars when they won the American Indoor Football Association championship.

The ThunderBolts made good on their promise by spraying champagne all over the field turf Saturday night at the Florence Civic Center.

Octavius Day scored twice and set up three more touchdowns with big catches en route to MVP honors as Lakeland beat Reading, 54-49, for the AIFA title.

"We worked hard at it all week," ThunderBolts head coach Teddy Keaton said. "The motto, coming into this championship game and all through the playoffs, was that we found a way to win."

After Lakeland opened up an 11-3 lead on a Jermaine Blakely touchdown run and a Steve Kratz field goal, Reading went to work.

With the ball on the Express 21-yard line, Reading quarterback Tom Stetzer fired a pass over the hands of one Lakeland defender, through the hands of another and into the hands of Ian Cooper in stride. Cooper easily outran the defenders into the end zone to cut Lakeland's advantage to 11-10.

Reading used its ball-control attack to wrestle the lead away from the ThunderBolts in the first half.

The second half featured the ThunderBolts' offense flourish against the Express' top-ranked defense. Aso Pogi completed another long pass to Day to set up first and goal, then handed the ball off to Blakely, who scored from 3 yards out to give Lakeland a commanding 40-20 lead with 12:48 left in the third quarter.

After Reading cut the lead to 47-42, Lakeland drove a dagger into the heart of the Express' comeback hopes with 2:04 remaining. Day pulled in another touchdown pass from Pogi to give the Thunderbolts a 54-42 lead.

Stetzer's 4-yard scoring run on the quarterback draw cut the deficit to 54-49. But the comeback officially died when Terrence Rhodes recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

Keaton said about 75 to 100 Lakeland fans traveled to the game to watch the game.

"The fans traveled a long way to support us," he said. "We had a nice crowd here."

[flipflop4900]

A. Searcy on the team also

[E.T.]

And the third BULL is Houston.

[Triple B]

I missed that Trip ?

Maybe it was just my tv but when I turned the game on, the field was a brownish, dead grass type of color ..... like mine looks in a drought.