Jacksonville Sports News*

WFA: Blues fall in women's conference title game

Western Michigan (10-0) will meet the St. Louis Slam (9-0) for the league title. The Slam defeated the Jacksonville Dixie Blues (9-1), 40-32, in the American Conference championship in Oakville, St. Louis, on Saturday.

The Philadelphia Liberty Belles - of the Women's Football Alliance semipro tackle league - squandered a fourth-quarter lead and fell to the Western Michigan Mayhem, 28-21, in the National Conference championship game in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Saturday.
Western Michigan's Lisa Ludtke intercepted a pass on the Liberty Belles' 44-yard line to set up the game-winning drive early in the final quarter.

Marirose Roach, the Belles' leading rusher, scored her team's first two touchdowns on a 13-yard run and 60-yard reception. Jeannette Hibbs motored for 70 yards for the Belles' go-ahead score in the third quarter. A win on Saturday would have given the Belles (9-1) a trip to New Orleans for the WFA National Championship game on Aug. 15.

WFA: Dixie Blues continue to prepare for St. Louis

By JOSE ALONSO
www.jaxsportsnews.com

Coming off their dominating victory over the Austin Outlaws, the Jacksonville Dixe Blues travel to St. Louis to play the St. Louis Slam on Saturday, July 25th in the semi-final playoff game of the Women's Football Alliance.

The winner of that game will compete for the National Championship on August 15, 2009 in New Orleans.

This will be the first meeting ever between the Jacksonville Dixie Blues and the St. Louis Slam. The players believe that coach Donnie Braddock will have the team reviewing game film throughout the week as part of their preparation for the upcoming matchup.

Jacksonville quarterback Brantley Mack, following a strong performance in the regionals, has some concerns about the team's lack of experience against some of the more veteran teams in the league such as St. Louis.

However, an electrifying offense combined with the team's speedy and hard hitting defense make them a formidable opponent for any team.

FOOTBALL: Dixie Blues advance in WFA playoffs

By JOSE ALONSO
www.sportsnewsjax.com

The Jacksonville Dixie Blues overpowered the Austin Outlaws by a final score of 55-14 at Bolles Stadium Saturday night in a regional championship playoff game.

Rocky Brown ran for a touchdown within the first minute of play and the Dixie Blues never looked back. They led 48-0 at the end of the third quarter. The defense, led by hard hitting Mercedes Smith, held Austin scoreless until the final minutes of the game.

The victory culminated a perfect season at home for the Jacksonville Dixie Blues who now travel to meet the winner of the match up between St. Louis and Las Vegas as the Dixie Blues continue to strive for another national championship.

FOOTBALL: Dixie Blues headed to playoffs on Saturday

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The Dixie Blues advanced to the first round of the Women's Football Alliance playoffs with a convincing 37-14 victory over Pensacola-Gulf Coast Riptide.

Jacksonville will have home field advantage on Saturday, July 11 at 7 p.m. at the Bolles School when they take on the Austin Outlaws.

Needing a road win Saturday night, the Riptide couldn't contain tailback Issie Lay, who scored four touchdowns to power Jacksonville in a game deciding the WFA's Southeast division championship.

The Riptide (6-2-0) won only two games last season as the Pensacola Power. This year, both of the team's losses were against Jacksonville (8-0).

In Saturday's game, the Riptide hurt themselves with four turnovers, missed tackles, busted plays and numerous dropped passes.

"(Jacksonville) can put up points, and the way to beat them is to stay with them on the scoreboard," said Riptide head coach Mike Thomas. "But football is about execution and preparation — and how you practice. And against a good team, you cannot win with turnovers."

But Thomas saw enough from his team this season to be encouraged about the future.

"We are physical on defense and have one of the best running backs in the league," Thomas said. "This is something to build on for next year because we had a great season."

The game showcased two of the top-rated quarterbacks in the league: Ella Williams of Pensacola and Brantley Mack of the Dixie Blues. Each passer proved her worth and produced several big plays.

But Jacksonville's Lay was the star of the game.

She opened the scoring on the first play from scrimmage with a 51-yard scamper for the Dixie Blues (8-0-0) and a quick 7-0 lead. She then started the second half with a 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

The Riptide kept the game competitive, however, the entire first half.

Following the Dixie Blues' first touchdown, Williams capped off a 10-play drive to score on a 6-yard run behind a block by Dee Dee Knight. Williams then ran for the two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead.

"That was the first time all season we were behind in a game," said Jacksonville head coach Donnie Braddock. "(Pensacola) just pounded it out down the field with their physical style."

Riptide running back Lakeisha Johnson, ranked fourth in the WFA, finished the game with 164 yards on 42 carries and 1,187 yards for the season.

Thanks to Barry Schuck, News Journal correspondent, for contributing to this report.

FOOTBALL: Dixie Blues host New Orleans Saturday night

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The New Orleans Blaze meet the undefeated Dixie Blues in Jacksonville this weekend.

The Cresent City sends there women's team here to take on the WFA Region III leaders at Bolles School at 7 p.m.on Saturday, June 13.

In their last game Jacksonville improved to 4-0 with a 49-36 win over Gulf Coast Riptide in Pensacola.

The June 6 game versus the Emerald Coast Barracudas will be rescheduled for a future date. Any tickets purchased prior to the game will be honored at any home game, including next weekend's home game against the New Orleans.