Cardiff Crush

IFFL -The Cardiff Crusaders opened the 2016 season by crushing their UK rival the Scottish Claymores, 254-161 in the IFFL.  It was a performance good enough to capture the league’s high score of the week and tie for 9th best on the league’s all-time single game score record.   Behind 40+ point performances by Roethlisberger and Spencer Ware, along with a 38 point outing by wide receiver A.J. Green, the Crusader’s dismantling of Scotland in this year’s season opener was never even close.  Cardiff now leads the all time series by 3 games to 2 and will face an explosive match-up in Week 2 vs the defending champion Venice Killer Whales.

Venice starts the season 0-1 after the expansion Chicago Red Stars put up just a single point less than the Crusaders in Week 1 in their 253-225 upset over the Whales.  Chicago was led by the incredible 4 TD, 73 point performance by their quarterback Andrew Luck with another 36 by their second QB, Rodgers.  The champs put on an electrifying comeback attempt on Monday night, their running back DeAngelo Williams posting 56 points in the failed bid, but a turnaround wasn’t to be as Chicago held on for their first win in the league.   The two other league expansion squads, the Cape Town Broncos and New Zealand Saints posted much more pedestrian numbers in their debut.  The Broncos squeaked by Mexico City with a 194-188 win while New Zealand lost a close one of their own, 185-193 against the Perth Panthers.  Those two winning squads, Cape Town and Perth now sit atop the South Division at 1-0 an separated by just 1 point; they will face each other in Week 2 for control of the division.

The VooDoo also open the season at 1-0 after beating Charleston, 159-140 and will get the Saints in Week 2, while Charleston will play the Claymores where one of those teams will come away with their first win.