Tackle Football: And then there were two…

Battle between the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs to be a survival of the fittest.

By URIEL STURM
It's probably fitting that the Fieldturf IFL Israel Bowl I will be immediately followed by Shabbat. After all, the battle between the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs for IFL supremacy figures to be a survival of the fittest that will leave all those involved gasping for air, and in need of a well-deserved rest. Friday's action at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem features a mouth-watering season-ending doubleheader. The Dancing Camel HaSharon Pioneers take on the Mike's Place Tel Aviv Sabres at 10:00 am in a clash for 3rd place, a game which will be followed by the main event, the inaugural Israel Bowl, scheduled to kick off at 1:00 pm. The highly anticipated championship match pits the top two teams in all respects against each other. The Lions and Underdogs boast the league's #1 and #2 offenses and defenses respectively, as determined by points scored and allowed, and both teams have had a couple of weeks to prepare for this contest after coasting through their last few games in dominating fashion. There are a myriad of intriguing storylines to watch out for, from the ability of the defensive units to handle the multi-faceted running approach employed by both teams to the comparatively different styles of the starting quarterbacks, Jerusalem's Aryeh Bauman and Haifa's Ori Shterenbach, who finished 1-2 in the IFL in yards thrown. In the end, though, anticipate an old-fashioned shoot-out that will showcase the immense offensive talent that both teams have displayed throughout the season. Real Housing has erupted for 91 points in its past two games and has outscored opponents 236-103 on a current 6-1 tear, which includes a victory over Big Blue. They are playing fantastic team football, are brimming with confidence and, perhaps most importantly, believe that they can and will beat the top-ranked Lions for the title. Jerusalem, on the other hand, comes into this game as the decided favorites, having won the season series over Haifa 2-1 and come away triumphant in the teams' most recent meeting by a convincing 38-22 score on February 7. Putting points on the board has not been an issue for the Lions this year, having been held under 30 just once all season, and that shouldn't change on Friday when they have had ample time to practice with a healthy roster and incorporate a couple of new wrinkles to their already aggressive play calling. While the Underdogs are the underdogs, to be sure, they cannot be dismissed by anyone who has observed what they've accomplished over the past few weeks. If Haifa can manage to spread the field at the outset and proceed through the air, even on short tosses, to take advantage of their new-found offensive balance, it will help counter Jerusalem's all-out pressure attack on both sides of the ball and make for a wide open juggernaut of a game. After all is said and done, one can sit and discuss past numbers and stats from today until tomorrow. All of that is over now, however, and it's time to play the game!