Published: May 09, 2008 11:51 am            

South Division title up for grabs

Outlawz to host Rebels in big CFL semifinal contest

Stratford — Only two years ago, the Oklahoma Outlawz were considered a liability — both from a financial and competitive standpoint — in the Central Football League, and the franchise was on the verge of being eliminated entirely by the league hierarchy.

Saturday in Stratford, though, the Outlawz can firmly establish themselves among the elite in semi-pro football when they meet the 2006 CFL champion Oklahoma Rebels for the right to advance to next weekend’s league championship game in Tulsa. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Blackburn Field.

The winner of Saturday’s Southern Division championship game will earn the right to meet either Joplin or Arkansas the following Saturday (May 17) at Tulsa East Central High School for the 2008 CFL title.

Beaten by the North Texas Falcons, 38-34, in the CFL semifinals last season, the Outlawz earned the right to host Saturday’s rematch with the Rebels by winning six of their last seven games after starting the season 0-2. Among their victims were those same Rebels, a 28-12 loser at Stratford in Week 5 and the runner-up to the Outlawz in the CFL’s final South Division standings this spring.

“The winner of this game goes to the championship, so I’m sure (the Rebels) will come up here with a full team ready to play,” Outlawz coach Mark Barrett said. “We’re at the same place we were last year. We can take one big step farther with a win this week.”

Last week’s first-round playoff opponent, the River Valley Bucaneers, didn’t come to Stratford with a full team. Only 14 players traveled from the Avengers’ home base in Panama for the game, and, after several players were injured in the first half, the visitors decided not to play after intermission.

“They didn’t travel very well,” Barrett said of the Avengers. “They had a couple of players get hurt in the first half, and they just felt like they couldn’t come out in the second half and really compete.”

Officially, the game went into the books as an abbreviated 24-3 Outlawz victory, but Barrett saw enough from prodigal tailback Keith Jones to be encouraged about his running game for Saturday’s contest. Jones, a former ECU standout who was the team’s quarterback last year, returned to the lineup at tailback last week and rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Barrett said Jones should provide a solid complement to the prolific Outlawz passing game — engineered by former fullback T. R. Kanuch — that carried the Outlawz to the South title this spring.

“Keith did a great job at tailback the other day,” Barrett said of Jones. “It really gives us a different look with him at tailback. We’re able to do some things we haven’t been able to do all season, because we haven’t had a true tailback.

“We’re going to keep (Jones) at tailback for right now,” Barrett said. “This has been T. R.’s team since the third game of the season. He’s led us to six wins in the last seventh games. Just because Keith is back doesn’t mean he automatically go back to quarterback. He’ll play wide receiver and tailback, and we won’t make a change unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Kanuch used his strong right arm only sparingly last week, completing 2-of-6 passes for just 24 yards after throwing for over 200 yards in four of the Outlawz’ previous six games. One of his connections was a 22-yard scoring strike to Daniel Crites, however. Jones scored the other touchdowns on runs of 50 and 15 yards.

“I’m very proud of these guys and proud of what we have accomplished so far this season,” Barrett said. “However, we aren’t finished yet. At this point in the playoffs, you lose, you go home. We had a great crowd last Saturday and would love to have an even bigger crowd (in Stratford) this week to see a great football game and see the Outlawz get a shot at the league championship next week in Tulsa.”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.