05/20/03 RiverHawks Press Release

The Tennessee RiverHawks (3-4) and Lake Charles Land Sharks (6-2) will bring hard-hitting, indoor football action to the border this Saturday as the two teams rumble at the Rio Grande.  The RiverHawks and Landsharks will play the first ever National Indoor Football League (NIFL) game in Laredo, Texas.  The game will be held in the Laredo Entertainment Center and kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. 

The RiverHawks and Landsharks are coming into the match up with two drastically different seasons.  The RiverHawks (3-4) lost their first two games, but rebounded to win three out of their next four including a dramatic win over the Fort Wayne Freedom and a blow out over the Oklahoma Crude.  The RiverHawks, however, ran into trouble when they traveled last week to Wheeling, WV.  The RiverHawks lost in a blow out game to the undefeated Ohio Valley Greyhounds 63-12. The Landsharks in a radically different start won their first five games.  After the 5-0 start, the Land Sharks lost their next two games, but came back to crush the Oklahoma Crude 68-18.  The RiverHawks need a win this Saturday to stay in playoff contention and move into third place in the Atlantic East division behind Ohio Valley and the Lexington Horsemen.  The Land Sharks are looking for a win to keep them on top of the Atlantic South division and one game ahead of the Houma Bayou Bucks.

The match up on the running game will be the most intriguing thing to watch this Saturday.  The RiverHawks lead the NIFL in rushing averaging 127 yards per game.  The RiverHawks hope to continue their dominance on the ground against the Landsharks with running backs Birdie Dockery and Brandon Walker.  This will be a difficult task because the Landsharks rank third in league on defending the run.  The RiverHawks defense will also have to step up to the challenge of stopping the Landsharks offense which ranks 5^th in the league in scoring offense.  The RiverHawks look to keep turnovers and mistakes to a minimum because the Landsharks are second in the league in scoring defense; easily converting turnovers into points.

The Land Sharks hope that new Quarterback Freddie Harrison can carry over his debut success against the Crude to the game against the RiverHawks, while RiverHawks Quarterback Steve Christie looks to bounce back from a poor performance against the Greyhounds.  

                For more information on the Tennessee RiverHawks, Lake Charles Land Sharks, and the National Indoor Football League visit nationalindoorfootballleague.net.