LAKE CHARLES LA – The quest for a fourth championship in the history of the Louisiana Swashbucklers is underway. The Bucs travel to Richmond to take on the Raiders. This semi-final game is scheduled for Monday, June 25th, at 6 p.m. local time. Venue is the Richmond Coliseum. Louisiana finished the season at 6-6, while Richmond ended it at 10-2. Live coverage will be on the Internet at www.kezmonline.com, and www.labucs.com, with John Goodman calling the play-by-play. Louisiana is the third seed in the PIFL playoffs, while Richmond is the second seed. The other semi-final game will feature the Albany Panthers vs. Columbus Lions on Saturday, June 23rd, in Albany. The Panthers entered the postseason as the first seed, while the Lions got the fourth seed.
Richmond head coach James Fuller is in his second year with the team. To date his record is 16-8. Coach Fuller has an impressive football background. He has either played or coached in other indoor football programs, along with some playing time in the NFL. He was a former player with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fuller is very familiar with the Swashbucklers’ history when it comes to playoff games. “When it’s the postseason we know these guys come ready to play,” he said. “Their record shows it. They have a lot of experience when it comes to games like this one. I have a lot of respect for Coach (Darnell) Lee and his team. They are hungry for a championship. But so are we. This will be one of the most physical games we will participate in for this season.”
During the regular season, the two teams met twice. In the first encounter, on April 21st, Louisiana won 47-45 in Lake Charles. The second time, it was Richmond who came away with the victory on May 5th. The Raiders defeated the Bucs 50-43 in Richmond.
Coach Lee is in his sixth year with the Swashbucklers. During that time, he has a record of 52-13 and three championship titles. He also won three division titles as well.
The Raiders gained their 10-2 record due to players such as quarterback Antwon Young. For the year, he has 201 completions out of 389 attempts. Having been intercepted only five times, Young has 2,636 passing yards and 55 touchdowns. His counterpart for the Swashbucklers will be Chris Mayabb. In just a short time, his season total is 20 out of 31 for 326 yards and nine scores.
Coach Fuller also knows preparedness is a key to this semi-final match. “For the regular season I felt we made some great accomplishments,” he said. “This team really did well on the field. But the postseason is different. When you are in a playoff game there is no next week. Our game plan is to win. We have to prepare for anything the Swashbucklers may throw at us. You have to play your best football to win championships. The Swashbucklers know this and that’s why this promises to be a very competitive game.”
The winner of these two PIFL semi-final games will face each other in the inaugural league championship. The location, date, and time will be determined later.
