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Schmitz moves back into Front Office
BLOOMINGTON (Ill.) – Bloomington Extreme General Manager Beau Bradle announced today that Ted Schmitz will return to the role of Player Personnel Director for the Bloomington Extreme. This is the position Schmitz held prior to taking over as Head Coach eight games into the 2010 season.
As Head Coach of the Extreme, Schmitz helped lead the team to 6 consecutive wins to finish the regular season, prior to suffering a season ending loss to the Wichita Wild in the first round of the IFL Playoffs on June 26. Ted Schmitz was the Bloomington Extreme’s Head Coach during their inaugural seasons in 2006 and 2007. Schmitz has over 40 years of coaching experience which includes 10 years as a Defensive Coordinator and Head Coach in the Canadian Football League. Schmitz guided the Extreme to the 2007 Eastern Conference Championship game and stepped in as the Defensive Coordinator during the Extreme’s 2008 run to the United Bowl.
“Ted did a fantastic job this season as Head Coach of the Extreme. He is a remarkable man with great football knowledge, and we are fortunate to have him associated with our organization,” said Bradle. “Ted has recruited the majority of the players over the past several seasons and will continue to work in that role moving forward.”
A replacement for the Extreme Head Coaching vacancy left by Schmitz’s has not yet been determined.
Extreme Falls to Wichita in First Round of Playoffs
PARK CITY, (Kan.)— Big hits were delivered in a match resembling a heavy-weight championship bout, as the Bloomington Extreme (9-6) fell in the first round of the IFL play-offs to the Wichita Wild (10-5) Saturday night. Electricity filled Hartman Arena as the excitement kept Extreme and Wild fans alike on the edge of their seats.
Rocky Hinds started at quarterback for the Extreme, but after only completing 3-of-8 passing for 22 yards and a single touchdown, Luke Drone took over command. Drone saw more success by passing 18-of-26 for 196 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. The rushing game never got going for the Extreme. Drone led the ground game by putting up a meager 14 yards on eight carries and one touchdown. John Cooper topped the wide receiver core with 10 catches for 110 yards and three touchdowns.
Dixie Wooten started at quarterback for the Wild, completing 15-of-22 for 191 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Darius Fudge controlled the ground game with 86 yards and three touchdowns on 18 touches. Clinton Solomon was the standout wide receiver with four catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns.
Bloomington struck first blood with a quick, 6-yard score from Hinds to Johnny Gray, 7-0. Wichita had an impressive runback by Randy Kelly that went all the way to the end zone, but a block in the back call nullified those seven points.
A fumble by Bloomington set off a scuffle at mid-field, but Bloomington retained possession. Hinds drove the ball down to the 15-yard line, before the Wichita defense held. Pete Christofilakos then drilled the first field goal of the game, 10-0.
Wichita responded quickly with a deep strike from their 15-yard line to Hurtiss Chinn that landed the Wild close to the goal line. Dixie Wooten scored first for the touchdown for Wichita on a three-yard quarterback keeper, 10-7.
Bloomington does little with their next possession and turned the ball over. A few long passes by Wooten brought the Wild down within the goal line. A blown coverage allowed Wooten to literally walk into the end zone and give Wichita the lead, but a blocked extra-point keeps Wooten’s score to just six points, 13-10.
A deep pass to John Cooper put Bloomington on the Wichita 11-yard line, but the Extreme settled for another Christofilakos field goal, knotting things up at 13-13 with 7:56 remaining in the second quarter.
Time was not wasted as Wooten completed a 30-yard pass to Clinton Solomon that gave Wichita the lead once more, 20-13.
An explosive return by Bernard Payton puts the Extreme in Wichita territory, but Christofilakos was called upon once more to put the ball through the uprights, 20-16.
Darius Fudge was the next Wild player that extended the Wichita lead with a 19-yard run, 27-16.
With minutes remaining in the second half, Luke Drone threw up a 30-yard prayer to Cooper, and God smiled upon them, as he pulled down the pass in the end zone, 27-22.
After holding Wichita in their territory, The Extreme were given a chance to take the lead before halftime. Drone took advantage of great field position and barreled into the end zone, putting the Extreme up 29-27 to finish the half.
On the opening drive of the second half, Wichita took the ball the length of the field with Fudge running the ball into the end zone from three yards out, giving the lead back to Wichita, 34-29.
Bloomington answered right back when Drone connected with Cooper for a 21-yard score in the back of the end zone to give the lead back to Bloomington, 36-34.
The third quarter fireworks keep flaring as a long pass by Wooten was caught by Solomon put Wichita within the Bloomington five-yard line. Wooten finished the drive with a run into the end zone, 41-36.
In a crucial moment, Bloomington turned over the ball on a fumble, opening the door for Wichita to increase their lead. That is exactly what happened when Wooten found Solomon in the end zone for another score, 48-36.
A blocked Bloomington field goal gave Wichita a chance to seal the game. Wooten got the job done, getting into the end zone for his fourth rushing touchdown of the night, 54-36.
An exciting break for the Extreme, as John Cooper breaks free on a crossing pattern and nearly took the ball all the way to the end zone. Cooper got the call again and scored in the back of the end zone, but the two-point conversion attempt fails, 54-42.
Fortune favors the Extreme with three minutes remaining in the game, as they recover a fumbled ball along the wall. Bloomington wasted no time marching down the field. A Drone pass to Cooper in the end zone brought Bloomington within one possession of the Wichita, 54-48 with only :50 seconds remaining in contest.
An onside kick was Bloomington’s only option, but they are unable to recover the ball, giving the Wild possession at the Bloomington five-yard line. Fudge scored another touchdown in the closing seconds, sealing Bloomington’s fate, 61-48.
Extreme at Wichita Wild Playoff Game
The Extreme Opening Round Playoff Game versus the Wichita Wild will be broadcast live from Wichita this Saturday, June 26 at 7 pm at Hooter's in Bloomington on Hershey Road. Prizes will be given away throughout the night as Extreme fans will be able to interact and root on their hometown team!
This Saturday will mark the 4th consecutive playoff appearance by the Bloomington Extreme during their 5 year franchise history. In 2007, the Bloomington Extreme made it to the UIF's Eastern Conference Championship before falling to the Lexington Horsemen. 2008 saw the Extreme qualify for the 2008 UIF United Bowl as the Eastern Conference Champions, only to fall short to the Sioux Falls Storm by a score of 40-35 in Sioux Falls. The 2009 season ended in a disappointing 40-36 Opening Round defeat to the Wichita Wild at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum.
For more information, please contact the Extreme Office at 309.434.2843.
Extreme pushes win streak to franchise best - 6 straight!
LA CROSSE, Wis. — (Article courtesy of The Pantagraph/Joe Deacon) The Bloomington Extreme will enter the Indoor Football League playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league.
Quarterback Luke Drone ran for two touchdowns and threw for another Saturday as the Extreme closed the regular season with a 35-21 victory over the La Crosse Spartans at La Crosse Center.
Bloomington closed its schedule at 9-5 by extending its winning streak to a franchise-record six games, all since Ted Schmitz replaced Kenton Carr as head coach. Only top-seeded Richmond (13-1) enters the playoffs carrying more consecutive wins with 10.
“There was no way,” said Schmitz when asked if he thought the Extreme could win out when he took over in May. “But that’s the kind of heart these guys have and that’s the kind of heart they showed tonight.”
Bloomington will travel to Wichita for next weekend’s playoff opener. The Wild (9-5) ended the season with a 48-31 loss at Omaha (9-5).
Drone finished the game after replacing starter Rocky Hinds in the second quarter. His second 6-yard TD run of the night gave the Extreme a 32-13 lead with nine minutes left in the game.
“I just thought he was better in the first half, so we decided to stay with him,” said Schmitz. “His running was outstanding.”
Harry Lewis made a fantastic catch in double coverage of Drone’s 29-yard rainbow pass for a touchdown that broke a 7-7 tie. He added another leaping catch amid traffic deep in Spartans territory early in the second half, although the drive stalled.
“Harry Lewis … wow,” said Schmitz. “He’s playing as well as any receiver we have. I’m glad he’s come around.”
Drone’s first TD and a 44-yard field goal by Pete Christofilakos finished an 18-point second quarter and gave Bloomington a 25-7 lead. Bernard Payton scored the Extreme’s first TD on a 1-yard run and Christofilakos iced the win with a 31-yard kick.
Quarterback Buddy Rivera threw for one TD and ran for one to lead the Spartans (3-11). His 13-yard TD pass to Antonio Overstreet tied the game early in the second quarter.
Xzavie Jackson cut Bloomington’s advantage to 25-13 with a 1-yard run in the third.
Summary
AT LA CROSSE, WIS.
Bloomington 7 18 0 10 — 35
Maryland 0 7 7 7 — 21
SCORING SUMMARY
B – Payton 1-yd. run (Christofilakos kick)
L – Overstreet 13-yd. pass from Rivera (Keating kick)
B – H.Lewis 29-yd. pass from Drone (Christofilakos kick)
B – Drone 6-yd. run (Luster pass from Drone)
B – Christofilakos 44-yd. field goal
L – Jackson 1-yd. run (pass failed)
B – Drone 6-yd. run (Christofilakos kick)
L – Rivera 11-yd run (Head pass from Rivera)
B – Christofilakos 31-yd. field goal
Extreme Close Regular Season in Wisconsin, Gear up for Playoffs
BLOOMINGTON, (Ill.)—The end of the IFL regular season is here, and the Bloomington Extreme (8-5) will attempt a season sweep of the La Crosse Spartans (3-10) in Wisconsin this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Bloomington has already secured a spot in the play-offs and look to end on a high-note going into the post-season.
The previous time these two teams met, Bloomington was able to squeak by when La Crosse missed a last-second field goal to send the game into overtime. Rocky Hinds played a solid game, completing 58 percent of his passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns. La Crosse quarterback Buddy Rivera also had a good game, completing an efficient 67 percent of his passes for 209 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. While ending the season with a victory is ideal, Bloomington already has a play-off spot locked up, and a win is not necessary.
Finalists for the 2010 IFL Season Awards were announced and Bloomington is in the running to take home some hardware. Some of the nominations for the team include Franchise of the Year, Best Fan Base, Best Dance Team and Best Team Website. Extreme General Manager Beau Bradle is also amoungst the finalists for the IFL Executive of the Year, while Extreme Defensive Back Vincent Joseph is in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year and Kicker, Peter Christofilakos is also a finalist for Special Teams Player of the Year. WR, John Cooper was nominated for the Adam Pringle Award, an award that shows outstanding service and dedication to the community.
Once the play-offs begin, the most-likely first round opponent for the Extreme will be the Wichita Wild (9-4). Currently, Wichita holds second place in a tough Central West Division of the United Conference.
The last regular season game for the Extreme can be heard on WJBC-FM, 93.7 and can be seen at Hooter’s on Hershey Road in Bloomington. Plenty of fans will be on scene to cheer the Extreme into the play-offs, along with chances to win great Bloomington Extreme prizes.
Other Headlines:
- Harrison named IFL Defensive Player of the Week
- Shemiah LeGrande signs with Hartford of UFL
- Extreme Squeak by Spartans, 40-37
- Extreme Rematch with Spartans on the Road
- Extreme’s Christofilakos Named IFL Week 12 Special Teams Player of the Week
- Christofilakos, Extreme Defeat Slaughter, 33-30
- Extreme Battle for Second Place at Home
- Extreme Dominate at Home in Victory over La Crosse, 54-18
- Ted Schmitz named Extreme Head Coach for Remainder of 2010 Season
- Extreme Trampled by Omaha Beef, 25-66
- Harrison to Make Debut Against Omaha
- Linebacker Justin Harrison Returns to Extreme
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