2009 Round One Playoff Recap

The LFFL Playoffs began in earnest this week, as the regular season came down to the wire. In week 14 both Youngstown and Indiana lost, meaning Youngstown won the Stram Division and second seed by way of points tiebreaker as both teams finished at .500 at 7-7. In the Landry Division, Laurel beat Allentown to both win the division and the number one seed. Pottsville beat a demoralized Prospect team to move to 8-6, where they took the three seed due to points tie breaker over Allentown, who finished with the forth seed.

This lead to a playoff rematch between #1 Laurel and #4 Allentown. Having beaten Allentown in week one by 11.63 points and again in week 14 by 30.92, Laurel was the heavy playoff favourite, not just to beat the Iron Men, but to win it all, as they had the best regular season record in the league and outscored the field by nearly 150 points. However, three time LFFL champion Allentown would not go quietly into that good night. The Iron Men refused to bow down to the Skullets, getting a big performances from running back Marion Barber (who had been very quiet up until the playoffs) and last minute free agent Houston defense. As Skullet quarterback Drew Brees struggled to gain more than six points, it became too much for Laurel to overcome. All-pro Adrian Peterson's SNF performance sealed the deal and slayed the giant, as Allentown defeated Laurel 82.72 - 66.26

Meanwhile, #2 Youngstown met #3 Pottsville. In week seven, Youngstown lost to Pottsville 107.28 - 74.37. The difference between the regular season and the playoff meeting between these two teams was one man: Maurice Jones-Drew. In week seven, Jones-Drew had a bye for the Zoes. In the playoff opener, Jones-Drew strapped it on, and toted the rock for 20.25 points. It would be the deciding factor in this match up (though Dallas Clark's 18 points didn't hurt either), as Youngstown left little doubt about their right to be the Stram Division's lone representative in the playoffs. Pottsville was clearly hurt by the in game injury of DeAngelo Williams, who only gained a point before he left the contest. The final was known by Sunday night, as Youngstown won 90.56 - 74.54.

This all sets up Leight Bowl VII, where three time champion Allentown Iron Men will face second year franchise Youngstown Zoes. A championship preview will follow later this week.

P.S. In the consolation bracket, fifth seed Indiana beat eighth seed Beechview, and seventh seed Chewton defeated sixth seeded Akron. This sets up Indiana vs. Chewton in the game for fifth place, and Akron and Beechview will play for seventh place.

Prospect and Ellwood did not qualify for any postseason play, as they were just plain terrible and embarrassing this year, finishing ninth and tenth respectively.