(Evansville, IN) -  The Evansville Rage (5-3) locked up the number three seed in the Continental Indoor Football League Playoffs with a 28-7 victory over the Port Huron Patriots (3-6) on Saturday night on the Clarion Inn Field at Swonder Ice Arena.

The first three offensive drives of the game for the Rage began in Patriot territory as running back Joe Casey led the team down the field into the end zone for touchdowns on two of those drives.

Casey carried the ball four straight times on the opening drive, capping it off with a one-yard touchdown run to put the Rage up 7-0 early in the first quarter. 

(Courtesy Anthony Moore)

SAGINAW, MI – The Saginaw Sting were the heroes on Local Heroes Night at Draper Auto Field on Friday Night. On the night dedicated to the people from the local area that have given their all in the name of freedom, the Sting gave their all against the Chicago Pythons in the name of victory. After two hard fought wins in a row, the Sting seemed to be on cruise control throughout the game, resulting in another triumphant score of 61-16.

This week felt like an easy one for the Sting as they scored at will against the Pythons and wreaked havoc on defense. The first half was smooth sailing for the Sting offense as they put up 26 points. QB Tommy Jones was 10 for 11 with 168 as he played catch with his receivers, tossing 3 balls into the end zone for scores while the running game did the rest with 3 scores of their own. With 55 seconds remaining in the half, RB Anwar Jackson punched in a score to give the Sting a halftime lead of 34-3. The second half was no different offensively. QB Dave Abberger finally made his mark on the team and the Sting season, with not only his first completion, but 2 strikes for scores to WR Andrew Beaver.

The Sting defense steamrolled over the Pythons offense with textbook tackling and forced a few turnovers, which kept the momentum on the side of the home team. LB John Jacobs recoded 9 unassisted tackles, 1 sack, and an interception in the game. Lineman Robert Cross also recovered a fumble on the 1 yard line in the 2nd quarter, while Charles Tarver reeled in an interception in the 3rd quarter. With just over a minute remaining, Cross added insult to injury with a sack, pushing the Pythons back even further into their own territory.

Special teams for the Sting mixed it up as well; blocking a field goal, kicking a field goal, and giving the Sting offense excellent field position all game long. WR Charles Tarver contributed to the Sting’s success with a 3rd quarter kick return for a touchdown.

“Business as usual” sums it up for the Saginaw Sting and their win this week over the Chicago Pythons and the Saginaw Sting would like to thank everyone that came out to support our local heroes in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Remember Sting fans, Travis Mills Night is Saturday, May 5th, 2012 at Draper Auto Field as the Saginaw Sting collide with the Indianapolis Enforcers. This specially added home game will support and raise funds for Travis Mills and the Travis Mills Foundation. Come out to support your Sting and another local hero!  To stay up to date on Travis' status visit www.travismills.org.

All tickets for the game are $10 and seats are first-come, first-served.  Doors will open at 6:30PM for a 7:30PM kickoff.  To purchase tickets in advance visit The Dow Box Office between the hours of 10AM - 5PM Monday - Friday or beginning at 4:30PM on Saturday.  For more information visit www.saginawsting.com.