Last Night's Game: Lions 36 - Rebels 35

The game at Be'er Sheva and the one against the Troopers.

The team finished the season with 10 wins and no, no lossess with an average of 54 points per game, the highest in the league. And they kept the opposing teams to an average of 21 points per game, fourth lowest in the league.

Pics from previous games -

Gani tackling:

Ned almost the only one in the stands:

P.S.

Details:

Despite both teams’ playoff seeding already set, and a severely depleted Lions’ receiving corps, there was no hiding the fact that both teams really wanted to come away triumphant. The Rebels had their sights set on spoiling Big Blue’s perfect record and even their season series, while on the other side, as much as they were understating the notion, the thought of the league’s first-ever unblemished mark definitely was rattling around somewhere in the Jerusalem players’ heads.


The game began a little sloppily, with Lions’ defensive demon Sean Carano pouncing on an early Joe Martisius fumble and taking it to the house for a quick 6-0 Big Blue lead.

However the defending champs would find their rhythm, capitalizing on a Uri Mangisto pick of Chaim Schiff for their first score and went ahead 8-6 on an ultra-odd but correctly called blocked-XP kick but caught mid-air [although it is claimed he had a kneee on the ground] and run in for two points.

Scoring strikes to Elias Metuko and Jaymes Kine saw the Judeans take what seemed like a commanding 21-6 advantage, but Schiff led his troops back, tossing long TDs to Ori Refaleowitz and Matan Lavi to bring the Lions to within a point.

Things were just beginning to get interesting, however.

Lewis Duker recovered a fumble just before the half and Martisius quickly drove his team downfield before hitting Tani Kramer from three yards out on the last play of the half to put the momentum squarely on the side of the Orangemen.

A tightly waged third quarter saw the Rebels once again take a seemingly insurmountable two-score lead, 35-20, on a short TD catch by Zev Aron, but as anyone with any Lions-Rebels experience knows 15 points is well within range, even with time winding down.

Danny Brill energized the Lions attack, surging forward in big chunks of yards and plowing into the endzone just before the start of the fourth, with Tim Cohen’s second two-point convert making it just a seven-point defecit heading into what was a dazzling final frame.

Ultimately, the fourth quarter was marked by three or four specific Rebels’ mistakes that gave away the game.

The first, a bad snap that Carano recovered in the endzone for his second defensive TD of the night, still had Talpion ahead by one upon the failed conversion.

Martisius then took his team into the Lions’ redzone, and had a first-and-goal opportunity that he squandered by throwing an awfully-timed pick straight into the long arms of Rafi Graben. Still, a strong defensive push led by Duker (10 tackles, fumble recovery, interception and break-up), Uria Loberbaum (9 tackles, a sack and a pass deflected) and Avner Blumoff (7 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries and a sack) kept Big Blue at bay and gave the Rebels the ball back with less than two minutes left.

Forced to punt from deep in their own zone, and with Liran Zamir being spelled by Aron, the fateful snap went just over the punter’s head [I thought it actually went under his legs] and rolling out back of the endzone for the crucial two needed points and the night’s final score. The Rebels still had a sliver of a chance even after a botched onside kick, however a fourth-down incompletion roughing-the-passer infraction on Blumoff with under a minute left gave the Lions a new set of downs and the ability to harmlessly kneel out the game and escape with the number in their loss column still perfectly round.

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Jerusalem Lions 54; Tel Aviv Pioneers 28

We (my son's team) won, 54-28, against the Tel Aviv Pioneers.

My son is #31, in white.

The clip:



And pictures:

and that's me in the stands:

the team:

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Post-Super Bowl Expectations for Israel

You've been following the exploits of the Israel Football League here, and the game my son plays at defense (even when he wasn't at defense last week, the Jerusalem Lions won its last game 62 - 0 against the Troopers of Petah Tikva at the Kraft Stadium and pics here

).

Well, this is good news:

It turns out DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, has a soft spot for Israel and “would love to bring 15 of our players out there to help boost the growth of football in the Holy Land.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell concurred.

“That would be a special trip that I’d love to take part in,” he remarked, likely without realizing that he was going to be held to this “promise.”

That comes from the report from Indiannappolis by the IFL Commissioner who also informed us that

I have to get to sleep. I have to make it on time for minyan with the Krafts – Robert has to say Kaddish – at 9 a.m....Mr. Kraft somehow never fails to impress. (“It’s not that I’m such a religious or observant person, and I am not so strict on saying Kaddish for my sweetheart every day, but I want to demonstrate to my children and my grandchildren that even on day as big as this, the things that are important in life take priority.”)

A previous report here.
Who says Jews aren't good at sports?

And playing football in Israel has advantages:

A Toms River native was scoring big abroad, twice named the all-Israel Football League defensive end for his stint with the Tel Aviv Pioneers, a football team in Israel.

Jason Gosnell garnered these impressive football accolades, but his work in Israel was primarily to study and practice law...According to the Rutgers Focus, who published a featured story on Gosnell, he is driven by intellectual pursuits. This path led him back to Rutgers after his six years in Israel. He's now pursuing a Master's degree in the new Department of Jewish Studies program offered on the New Brunswick campus.

And a quiz - what sport and where does Israel Folau play?

Answer.


P.S.

Remember this (via Carl)?

Thanks to the unending generosity of Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his wife Myra, American Football has turned into one of the fastest growing sports in the country. [I want to stop there and add something. Whenever the Krafts come to Israel, they sponsor a get-together for all the Bostonians who are here on youth programs. That's what the kids tell me. I envy them. No one did that for us when I was in yeshiva here. CiJ] Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem is home to over 1,000 football players in four leagues.

Youth programs are now operating all over the country and even a new tackle football league has gotten off the ground.

Kraft Family Stadium was constructed in 1999. The Krafts gave another donation in 2005 to re-dedicate the facility with state of the art Fieldturf. Robert Kraft spoke at the re-dedication in Hebrew, and told the audience that "before building the field in Jerusalem, the Patriots had never won a Super Bowl. Since building the field we have three championships."

He then looked toward the heavens and said, "This could not have been by chance."

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Super Bowel Modesty Issues

Thanks to LK:

I know this doesnt need to be said but I cant resist. THE TV MUST BE TURNED OFF DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW!  I heard there was a mysa a few years back where one of the woman involved in the show had a "wardrobe malfunction."  Well not in my house. Ahh but you might say that Madonna is a real masmid of Kabullah and she is on such a madreiga that the moment wont get to her.  I hear the vort, but "safek d'orysa l'chumra" so I insist on that the half time show is not to be watched in my home.

You want the whole piece?

Hi,

I live in KGH, mamesh 4 minute walk from Lander College.  I will be watching the game by my inlaws who arent so frum so i will not be home all day on sunday.  I have a 42 in tv in my bedroom.  I dont have it in my living room because I dont want my children to know we have a tv in the house, chas v'shalom even see me watching it.  I only watch sports anyways. I have no problem  with a few guys renting my apartment to watch the game.  There are just a few conditions I need to make %100  sure will be kept.

1) Any food brought into my house must be Cholov Yisroel (even thought no shtark bocher is going to be eating dairy during the big game). Most importantly, every thing must be Yashan.  I take it very seriously.  Some Yidden are of the opinion that that Yashan is just a chumra.  Thats fine, those are the same people that dont wear hats and jackets while they are davening.  Its pashut to me that Yashan is not a chumra, but im not going to get into the details right now.

2) If my wife is still in Niddah, then you can probrally fit about 5 to 6 folding chairs between our beds.  Ill make sure to move the night table that separtes our beds into the living room.  If she baruch hashem is not in Nidda anymore, then you can probrally fit 3 to 4 chairs between out beds.  Oh, and please dont eat in my bedroom.

3)  I know this doesnt need to be said but I cant resist. THE TV MUST BE TURNED OFF DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW!  I heard there was a mysa a few years back where one of the woman involved in the show had a "wardrobe malfunction."  Well not in my house. Ahh but you might say that Madonna is a real masmid of Kabullah and she is on such a madreiga that the moment wont get to her.  I hear the vort, but "safek d'orysa l'chumra" so I insist on that the half time show is not to be watched in my home.

4) Hats and jackets MUST be worn to and from my apartment.  Once you get inside you can dress however you want.  You can even wear a brooks brothers light blue shirt for all I care.  I cant have my neighbors see people coming in and out of my apartment that dont look like b'nei toyrah.

5) Absolutely no gambling on the game in my house.  Gambling is for modern orthodox people who think its "ok" as long as im not sitting at a card table with another jew.  Wrong!  Not in my house.  I dont need the pictures of my Rabbeim on the wall to see bochrim gambeling in my apartment. I am charging $36.00 dollars a head, two times chai, per person who comes to watch by me. If there is serious interest, please email me back soon so I can figure out an excuse to tell my wife why we have to sleep by her parents house sunday night.

I will tell you my exact address and the place i will leave the keys
at a later time.

Tizku L'mitsvos and LETS GO GIANTS!

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Superbowl at The Gov

Monday, February 6, 2012

So this is it lades and gentleman.
Superbowl 46 is here and the Gov is also here to offer you the best Superbowl experiences you can get in Israel!

At 1:30AM the New England Patriots and the New York Giant will clash in one of the most exciting Superbowl rematches of all time...and you sure don't want to miss this battle!

Seats are very limited so in order for you to reserve one (or two...) You may send an email to - thelionsdenbar@gmail.com or a private message to Facebook user - Bar HaGov.

*ENTRANCE TO THE GOV IS 21 AND UP!!!!

Once again there are very limited sets available so be sure to message us ASAP!

Thanks,

The Gov crew.

Location - just past the new HaMashbir store on Yoel Salomon Street in downtown Jerusalem (mentioned in the NYTimes, twice! here and also here):

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More Football in Israel

After the previous clip on an earlier game, here's last week's game of Lions 56 - Kings 36:



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Football in Israel

From third week in December:

Football / IFL / Jerusalem Lions pounce on Petah Tikva Troopers to go 3-0

The Jerusalem Lions walloped the Petah Tikva Troopers 60-12 on Saturday to move to a perfect 3-0 and sit comfortably in first place in the IFL's South Division.

Running back Danny Brill accounted for most of the Lions' first-half scoring as they roared to a 38-6 lead. He completed touchdown runs of three, five and seven yards, the last two during the final 3:14 of the half. He finished the game with 57 yards on eight attempts. Gani Medad added a score with a 28-yard touchdown return off an interception.

Quarterback Binyamin Schultz tossed two touchdowns in the third quarter, the second one a 29-yard pass to Jesse Talmud.

Clip of the following game on Dec. 29:

Lions 54 Sabres 22



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Jerusalem Lions 54; Tel Aviv Sabres 22

My son's team won again.


Here's my wife's blog on it and her pciture of me and my friend who is the father of another outstanding player, Ben Schultz, on the team:

Football here is catching on.

Daniel Kraft, son of New England Patriots' owner, Robert Kraft, was in for Chanukah:

Just days before the New England Patriots took on the Miami Dolphins this week ... Robert Kraft's son was focused on another big football game ... in Israel.

...Daniel Kraft flew into Jerusalem a few days ago to check in on the Israel Football League ... a 10-team semi-pro organization largely supported by the Kraft family. The family is so involved with the league -- the field was named Kraft Stadium.

On Thursday, Daniel and his son were honored at the annual Hanukkah Bowl -- with his son lighting the menorah on night #3. After Daniel greeted the crowd in Hebrew, the Judean Rebels beat the living kreplach out of the Jerusalem Kings ... 66 to 20.

Pigskin -- finally kosher in Israel.

And I found an old story, here, which includes my wife's short clip, as described:

For example, during the Operation Lead Cast, I felt as safe here as I did in New Jersey/New York when the US invaded Iraq. The war really didn't "touch us." Thank G-d. While we had a few guys that were put on notice that they might get called up for active duty, that was about it. In regards to the IFL, that week we played the Jerusalem Lions and before the game we stood together in front of the crowd a said Pslam 121 for the IDF:

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Football Clip

Jerusalem Lions won 64-28.

Here:



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Football Victory Thanks to Crowd

Win or lose, the Jerusalem Lions thanks the crowd of supporters who come out to cheer:

This one was a win.

Number 31 is my son.

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Football Results

Last night, my son's IFL team, the Jerusalem Lions, won.

Jerusalem Lions 64
Judean Rebels 38

One Rebel badly injured.

General item here.

____________________

Update from Judean Rebels Facebook:

Rebels took a beating by the Lions. Well played, everyone. Our prayers are with David Arshavsky, #83, who broke his leg being tackled after a catch. If anyone cares to pray for David he is in surgery now and his Hebrew name is David ben Zlota.

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Football Game Tomorrow

Thu, Oct 27, 07:00 PM \ Hammers @ Lions \  in the Israel Football League pre-season opener.
 
And the Regular Season games of the Lions' schedule, my son's team in Jerusalem is as follows:


November

Thurs. 17 – vs Pioneers – 9:45 p.m.

December

Thurs. 8 – vs Kings – 8 p.m.

Thurs. 29 – vs Sabres – 8 p.m.

January

Thurs. 8 – vs Kings – 8 p.m.


February

Thurs. 2 – vs Petah Tikva – 9:45 p.m.

March

Thurs. 1 – vs Rebels – 7 p.m.


See you at Kraft Stadium.


Let's go Lions!
 
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Cheer The Cheeleaders

Number 31, at 2:33

is my son.

The clip:

Soon tobegin, American Tackle Football in Israel.

Didn't the girls team come in second in a European championship?

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You Won't See This At the Super Bowl

See what this player is wearing:-

Yes. Tzitzit.

Only at your Israel Football League games.

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More On That Football Game.

This game.

Here's the Yedioth Ahronot story that appeared on Thursday in the Hewbrew newspaper edition, starting on the front page:

IDF chief's son battles Judean Rebels


Itay Ashkenazi says tried to avoid 'massive' Palestinian defenders who play for settler football team. Rival captain: This is about more than just sports


The settler [???] football team Judean Rebels, which lead the Israeli Football League after seven games, faced the league's second best team - the Jerusalem Lions - on Thursday, in what was dubbed as the "game of the season."

The star players who lined up on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage certainly added another dimension to the game. On the one side - Itay Ashkenazi, the son of outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. On the other - three Palestinians from Ramallah who will try to sack the Lions' star quarterback whenever they get the chance.

"I separate football from everything else," Ashkenazi, 31, told the Yedioth Ahronoth daily before the game. "On the field it doesn’t help me that my father is the army chief, and it's not a big deal to me, just like I don’t care if the players on the opposing team are Christian, Muslim or Druze. I see them only as football players who are playing against me.

"Naturally, they’ll be looking for my head - to hurt the quarterback - because that's how the game is played, but it is only about sports – and may the best team win," he said.

The brothers Ayoub, Muhammad and Mussa Alian are the star defensive players for the Rebels. After moving from California to the West Bank city of Ramallah about three years ago, the brothers joined the Rebels, a team of settlers which is supported by Breslov hasidim.

The brothers leave Ramallah several hours before each game in case they are delayed at IDF checkpoints along the way. "I really don’t mind playing for a settler team, as long as it helps me realize my dream of playing for a good college team in the US next year," Ayoub said.

"Ashkenazi's son? That doesn't really concern us. We're not into politics," he said.

The three Palestinians practiced with the Lions before joining the Rebels. "We welcomed them with open arms," Ashkenazi said. "They are massive players, and it would be wise of me to try and avoid them during the game."

"Now it's time to prove that we are the better team," Rebels captain Shlomo Shechter said. "This isn’t just about control of the league; it's about control of Jerusalem. This is about more than just sports."

Ashkenazi likened the football league to the IDF: "It's a social melting pot. Just like in the army, the physical challenges bring the people together. The league has Filipinos, Muslims, Jews and Circassians. This is how real coexistence looks like."

The Lions trounced the Rebels 40-16.

The score is always the most important item.

P.S.

From the IFL site:

Big Blue played almost error-free ball, coming in with an air-tight gameplan and executing it to perfection to jump into sole possession of first place in the division with a much more convincing conquest of the Rebels than the season-opening two-point squeaker.

“They’ve been the best team in the league all season,” said Lions’ coach Yonah Mishaan. “We knew we had to come in ultra prepared to have a chance to beat them. I’m really glad with the way things turned out this time, but I have a feeling this great rivalry isn’t done.”

For now, at least, Big Blue continued its dominance of the Rebels, improving to 4-0 in their lifetime head-to-head, and remaining the only team in the league that has shown the ability to disrupt the Gush Texas offense.

With a mixture of outside blitzes, physical cornerback play, and plain brute strength, the Lions forced the Rebels into three critical fumbles, while not turning over the ball themselves. QB Itay Ashkenazi continued his sparkling run of late, missing on just six of his 21 pass attempts and throwing for 191 yards and five touchdowns, three to Idan Yaron and a pair to Binyamin Schultz.

On defense, the Lions (7-1) were just as dazzling, racking up six sacks for 38 yards and holding a vaunted Rebels offense to almost 27 points less than its average coming in. Yoni Cooper (10 tackles, 3 sacks) and Scott Eisenberg (20 tackles) led the way, but there was plenty of help all around, including a key Kasey Stewart touchdown on a fumble recovery in the endzone when the game was still tight.

For the Rebels (6-2), who have only been beaten by Big Blue this season, they hope it was just a much-needed wake-up call to jolt some fear into the team heading into the playoffs.

Both Alex Swieca (4-11, 62 yards) and Joe Martisius (2 crucial fumbles, although he did have a TD and 14 tackles) put up rare bad games as the offense sputtered badly for most of the night. Zack Miller (60 yards rushing) and Jon Millar (149 total yards, TD) were among the only bright spots for the Orangemen, playing with heart and poise, although Millar had to leave in the third quarter with a back injury that was later diagnosed as (thankfully) a bad bruise.

All in all, a game to forget and move on from the Rebels stand-point and one to build upon and be proud of for the surging Lions.

Stats.

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Football Trumps Politics

Take a close look at who came to last night's football game at Kraft Stadium in Jerusalem's Sacher Park:

In the center, kaffiyeh-headed, is Haj Ibrahim Ahmad Abu El-Hawa of the Jerusalem Peace Makers an "Interfaith group for Understanding, Reconciliation, and Peace".  We spoke afterwards, in Arabic (okay, mine is still basic) and English and he gave me his card.  Who knows, maybe more gridiron and less grit and iron?

After all, three Arab residents, brothers, from Beit Hanina play for the Judean Rebels.

Haaretz yesterday had this:

This week in the IFL sees a Thursday doubleheader in the capital at Kraft Stadium. The Gush Texas Judean Rebels and Big Blue Jerusalem Lions both hold 6-1 records and the result of their bout could determine which of the teams ends up with a first-round bye in the playoffs.

But they lost to my son's team, the Jerusalem Lions, 40-16.

Almost two decades ago, I tried convincing interested-in-peace diplomats that going the indirect route to achieve coexistence understanding was the best path to peace. They listened politely but though they knew better.

Oh well.


Here's a pre-game Channel Two TV report, in Hebrew.

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Thursday Night's Game

Our side won.
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In The NY Times: Israeli Tackle Football

Kippah tip: RH:

The story is here.

Excerpt:

But with more access to the Internet, interest in the American sport gained ground — so much that the enthusiasm to start a tackle league came not from Americans in Israel but from native Israelis. In 2005, a group of them went to the head of American Football in Israel, Steve Leibowitz. “They said, ‘We’ve been playing tackle football on our own, but without equipment,’” Leibowitz said. “I said, basically, ‘You guys are a bunch of morons.’ ”

Leibowitz helped organize teams, gather regulation equipment and find volunteers to help run the I.F.L. In 2007, the league began with four teams. Since then, four more have been added. Israeli enthusiasm took the league only so far. Long before the I.F.L. started, Robert K. Kraft, the owner of the N.F.L.’s New England Patriots and a practicing Jew, donated money to build the first and only football stadium in Israel to house the flag football league. Kraft Stadium, situated in central Jerusalem, has lights, stands and artificial turf. In the center of the field is a Patriots logo.

“It definitely helps that a lot of the guys here are 21-, 22-year-olds that just came out of the elite combat units,” said Yonah Mishaan, who coaches the Jerusalem Lions.

Mishaan was born in Los Angeles and moved with his family to Israel when he was 13. A brawny 38-year-old of Syrian descent, Mishaan owns one of the few American sports bars in Jerusalem, appropriately named the Lion’s Den [that's my son's bar!]. With a seven-hour time difference from New York, the bar regularly stays open past sunrise on Monday mornings so fans can watch Sunday night N.F.L. games.

“Football is such a cult here,” Mishaan said. “People just stay up all night, and then at 7:30, they’re out to work.”

Nice work.

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A Football Fan

See the YouTube clip of the game.

Number 31 Defense for the Jerusalem Lions

.

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