Capital Area Team Sports president Robert Alford (L) and former Raleigh Red Devils manager Jesse Visconti help Jay Story and the Apex Stingrays celebrate their 30-28 victory in Grand Bowl XV at a championship celebration held on June 13.

RAY PARRISH UNANIMOUS CHOICE FOR MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Ray Parrish scored a total of four touchdowns (three on pass receptions from Frankie Evers and a fourth via interception return) to propel the Apex Stingrays to a dramatic upset of the three-time champion Dragons in Grand Bowl XV, 30-28. Parrish's interception, with :16 remaining in the first half, gave the 'Rays an 18-14 lead which they would expand to 24-14 after the first offensive drive of the second half.

Ryan Shands rushed for three touchdowns in the losing effort and threw for a fourth to Marcell Allmond, but as is often the case, a team's failure to convert extra points would prove decisive as the team's 2-for-4 conversion rate would prove to provide the Stingrays with just enough breathing room to redeem their loss to the Dragons in Grand Bowl XII, back in the Fall 2007 season.

SCORING SUMMARY
Dragons	Marcell Almond pass from Ryan Shands	XP Good
Stingrays	Ray Parrish pass from Frankie Evers	XP Failed
Dragons	Ryan Shands, 7-point run	XP Failed
Stingrays	Ray Parrish pass from Frankie Evers	XP Failed
Stingrays	Ray Parrish interception return	XP Failed
Stingrays	Ray Parrish pass from Frankie Evers	XP Failed
Dragons	Ryan Shands run	XP Good
Stingrays	Frankie Evers run	XP Failed
Dragons	Ryan Shands, 7-point run	2XP Good

As you can see at left, the countdown to the Fall 2009 season of our Independent Flag Football League is already underway, and Commissioner Mark Sacchetti is already making plans for the league to resume its preseason "Kickoff Classic" tournament.

The event, which is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of August 22-23, will offer its highest prize pool to date, with over $ 1,000 in prizes to be split among the double-elimination event's top finishers.

Teams that have registered for the IFFL's Fall 2009 season by August 15th will be eligible to enter the tournament for an entry fee of just $ 175, while teams that miss the deadline will have a $ 250 entry fee.

Keep visiting IFFLFootball.com during our off-season to learn more as we make preparations for a Fall 2009 edition of the Kickoff Classic!

MAY 30 -- The fifteenth season of Capital Area Team Sports' Independent Flag Football League came to a surprising conclusion, as three playoff upsets in succession resulted in a surprising victor ending their day by hoisting the Grand Bowl championship cup.

The day began at 10 a.m. with the Stingrays defeating the Gunslingers in the first of two Divisional Playoff games, 36-34. Frankie Evers and Jonah Turner connected on three touchdown passes, part of a 6 TD game by Evers, who also would find Jay Story twice. For the second consecutive season, the Gunslingers Grand Bowl hopes were dashed in a playoff game's final minute, as the Stingrays successfully recovered an onside kick, drove downfield for what would be the final score of the game, then picked off a John Robertson pass (interception by Ray Parrish, who later in the day would earn Grand Bowl XV MVP honors) as time expired, giving them an upset victory.

The second playoff game of the day would prove equally dramatic, with the Dragons rebounding from a 14-6 deficit, capped by a Ryan Shands touchdown run with :08 remaining to upset the two-time defending Grand Bowl champion Rocky Mount Raiders, 36-35. Shands would throw for three touchdowns in the game (including strikes to D'Angelo McKinnon and Bakari Lodge) and rushed for two others, including the game winner which propelled the Dragons to their fifth Grand Bowl appearance in eight seasons.

In the Spring 2009 Oak City Bowl, R.J. Majewski caught three of Ryan Borowitz's six touchdown passes to earn Most Valuable Player honors as the Rolesville Thunder defeated the Cary Redhawks, 47-26. Borowitz added an interception from the defensive side of the ball, snaring a Casey Hinman pass with 12:40 remaining in the game to help seal the victory.