The 2014 Continental Indoor Football League season was the Continental Indoor Football League's ninth overall season. The regular season started on Monday February 3, with the Northern Kentucky River Monsters visiting the Bluegrass Warhorses at the Alltech Arena, and ended with the 2014 CIFL Championship Game, the league's championship game held on May 18.
| 2014 CIFL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Continental Indoor Football League |
| Sport | Indoor Football |
| Duration | February 3, 2014 – May 5, 2014 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Saginaw Sting |
| Season MVP | Thomas McKenzie (MAR) |
| Postseason | |
| North Division champions | Erie Explosion |
| North Division runners-up | Saginaw Sting |
| South Division champions | Marion Blue Racers |
| South Division runners-up | Northern Kentucky River Monsters |
| 2014 CIFL Championship Game | |
| Champions | Erie Explosion |
| Runners-up | Marion Blue Racers |
The Erie Explosion successfully defended their championship from the previous year with a win over the Marion Blue Racers in the championship.
Teams
editThe Kane County Dawgs, Kentucky Drillers and Owensboro Rage folded either during or after the 2013 season. The addition of the Bluegrass Warhorses, Chicago Slaughter, Kentucky Xtreme and the Northern Kentucky River Monsters prompted the league to make North and South Divisions for the 2014 season. The Slaughter folded in January, so the Chicago Blitz franchise was formed to take their place in 2014.
The Detroit Thunder, Kentucky Xtreme, Bluegrass Warhorses and Port Huron Patriots all ceased operations during the 2014 season.
Schedule
editFor the 2013 season there was a 10-game, 14-week regular season running from February to May. Each team hosted 5 games, and had five away games.[1]
Regular season standings
edit| Team | Overall | Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | W | L | T | PCT | ||||
| North Division | |||||||||||
| y-Saginaw Sting | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | |||
| x-Erie Explosion | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | |||
| Chicago Blitz | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | |||
| z-Port Huron Patriots | 1 | 8 | 0 | .111 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | |||
| z-Detroit Thunder | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | |||
| South Division | |||||||||||
| y-Marion Blue Racers | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |||
| x-Northern Kentucky River Monsters | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | |||
| Dayton Sharks | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | |||
| z-Bluegrass Warhorses | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | |||
| z-Kentucky Xtreme | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | |||
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
- z - ceased operations during season
Playoffs
edit| Division Championships | CIFL Championship Game | ||||||||
| 1 | Saginaw | 15 | |||||||
| 2 | Erie | 46 | |||||||
| N2 | Erie | 38 | |||||||
| S1 | Marion | 26 | |||||||
| 1 | Marion | 56 | |||||||
| 2 | Northern Kentucky | 40 | |||||||
Coaching changes
editPre-season
edit| Team | 2014 Coach | 2013 Coach(es) | Reason for leaving | Story/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Xtreme | LaKunta Farmer | Roy McMillen | Resigned | In August, 2013, the Xtreme named, Defensive Coordinator LaKunta Farmer, the team's second head coach after Roy McMillen announced his resignation.[2] |
Midseason
edit| Team | Interim coach | Original coach | Reason for leaving | Story/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Huron Patriots | None | Demar Crawford | Mutual decision | Crawford left the Patriots under disputed circumstances. Crawford claims he resigned from the team because the ownership was not paying its employees; most of the team's players resigned with him, forcing the team to play its next game with replacement players. Owner Jude Carter claimed Crawford had conducted in conduct detrimental to the team.[3] After one game without a head coach, the Patriots prematurely ended their season.[4] |
| Northern Kentucky River Monsters | Mike Goodpaster | Brian Schmidt | Fired | Schmidt left the River Monsters after three games and joined the staff of the Erie Explosion.[5] Goodpaster was previously the team's defensive coordinator.[6] |
| Saginaw Sting | James Perry II | Fred Townsend | Mutual decision | Just one day before the Sting's playoff game, head coach Fred Townsead announced his resignation.[7] Line Coach James Perry II was named the teams interim head coach. |
Awards
editRegular season awards
edit| Award | Winner | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIFL MVP | Thomas McKenzie | Defensive end | Marion Blue Racers |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Aaron Smetanka | Quarterback | Erie Explosion |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Spencer Smith | Linebacker | Saginaw Sting |
| Special Teams Player of the Year | Julie Harshbarger | Kicker | Chicago Blitz |
1st Team All-CIFL
edit| Offense | |
|---|---|
| Quarterback | A. J. McKenna, Saginaw Juice Williams, Chicago |
| Running back | DeShawn Hayes, Saginaw Richard Stokes, Erie |
| Wide receiver | David Brown, Chicago Daryl Gooden, Saginaw Ricardo Lenhart, Northern Kentucky Mike Tatum, Marion |
| Offensive lineman | Eric Brim, Saginaw Dave McQuiston, Erie Robert Price, Marion Frank Straub, Northern Kentucky |
| Defense | |
|---|---|
| Defensive lineman | Tim Green, Erie Stephen Johnson, Erie Desmond Kenner, Saginaw Thomas McKenzie, Marion DeAndre Mosely, Chicago |
| Linebacker | David James, Northern Kentucky Spencer Smith, Saginaw |
| Defensive back | Tommy Harris, Northern Kentucky Viterio Jones, Dayton Ricardo Kemp, Erie |
| Special teams | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kicker | Julie Harshbarger, Chicago | ||||
2nd Team All-CIFL
edit| Offense | |
|---|---|
| Quarterback | Tommy Jones, Dayton Aaron Smetanka, Erie |
| Running back | A. J. Jimmerson, Port Huron Bryant Pascascio, Chicago |
| Wide receiver | Eugene Cooper, Dayton Bryceson Lawrence, Marion Kent McDonald, Chicago, Derrick Sherer |
| Offensive lineman | Anthony Bullock, Chicago Josh Ellison, Dayton William Haase, Marion |
| Defense | |
|---|---|
| Defensive end | Shonn Bell, Chicago Luke Scarbough, Northern Kentucky James Spikes, Marion |
| Linebacker | Justin Barnes, Saginaw Jon D'Angelo, Erie Sam Fornelli, Chicago |
| Defensive back | Donte Johnson, Dayton Ahoma Maxwell, Northern Kentucky LaTreze Mushatt, Saginaw Steve Witherspoon, Marion |
| Special teams | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kicker | Dustin Zink, Northern Kentucky | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Weekly Schedule". www.ciflfootball.com. Continental Indoor Football League. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
- ^ Jonathan Lintner (August 17, 2013). "Doss' LaKunta Farmer tabbed as Kentucky Xtreme arena football team's coach". www.courier-journal.com. Gannett. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
- ^ Joseph Hayes (April 13, 2014). "Port Huron Patriots lose, 114-0, without coach and regulars". www.thetimeshearld.com. The Time Herald. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ Patriots season ends two games left Herald Sun [dead link]
- ^ "Brian Schmidt- Assistant Coach : Erie Explosion". Archived from the original on April 30, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
- ^ Mike Perleberg (February 27, 2014). "Goodpaster Is River Monsters' New Head Coach". www.eaglecountryonline. Wagon Wheel Broadcasting. Archived from the original on April 30, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- ^ Cory Butzin (May 7, 2014). "Saginaw Sting head coach resigns on the eve of playoff opener against defending champion Erie". www.mlive.com. Michigan Live LLC. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- ^ "CIFL Announces All-League Teams for 2014". www.ciflfootball.com. Continental Indoor Football League. May 27, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
External links
edit- CIFL website Archived 2013-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
| 2014 Continental Indoor Football League team seasons | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegrass | Chicago | Dayton | Detroit | Erie | Kentucky | Marion | Northern Kentucky | Port Huron | Saginaw |