River Monsters Set Sail for Port Huron

The Northern Kentucky River Monsters (3-3, 3-2 CIFL South) travel to face the Port Huron Patriots (1-4, 1-4 CIFL North) Saturday night.

The River Monsters look to push for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) playoffs. The River Monsters fell to the Dayton Sharks, 65-45, in their last game. The offense caught fire in the second half behind quarterback Kyle James. He led the River Monsters to five second-half touchdowns; 3 through the air and 2 on the ground.

River Monsters defense is anchored by week seven's CIFL Defensive Player of the Week, Dekota Marshall. In that week he hauled in his first two interceptions of the season and recorded three tackles.

Port Huron has not won a game since the first week of the season. They have lost four straight games, most recently to the Erie Explosion.

"Port Huron has faced probably the toughest schedule of anybody in the CIFL this year, so I believe their record is a little deceiving." River Monsters head coach, Mike Goodpaster, said.

Port Huron is led by duel quarterbacks, James Stallons and Michael Akrawi, who have thrown a total of 16 touchdown passes this season. Running back, Art Jimmerson, leads the Patriots running attack with five touchdowns this season.

"From here on out, every game is a playoff game for us," Mike Goodpaster said about the upcoming battle. "It is always a tough game when you are six hours from home, but I believe we will rise to the occasion".

The River Monsters return home April 5 to battle the Kentucky Xtreme for super hero night.

River Monsters Marshall and Zink Receive CIFL Player of the Week Honors

River Monsters' Dekota Marshall and Dustin Zink earned Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) Players of the Week honors for week seven.

Marshall won Defensive Player of the Week in the 65-45 loss to the Dayton Sharks. Marshall reeled in two interceptions and three tackles. He recorded his first two interceptions of the season and has eight tackles on the year.

Zink won Special Teams Player of the Week and was a perfect six for six on extra points. On the season he is 14 of 15 on PATs. Zink is fourth in River Monsters scoring with 17 points on the season.

River Monsters Battle Dayton for the Number Two Spot

The River Monsters (2-2, 2-1 South) host the Dayton Sharks (3-1, 2-1 South) tomorrow for the number two sport atop the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) South division.

The Sharks only loss of the season came at the hands of the Marion Blue Racers, 50-41 at Dayton. The Sharks are coming off a 51-21 thrashing of the Kentucky Extreme last week.

Tommy Jones leads the Sharks attack with 692 yards, 20 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions through the air. The Sharks have the second best scoring offense in the league, averaging 45 points a game.

The River Monsters are still trying to find their rhythm under new head coach Mike Goodpaster. In Goodpaster's debut two weeks ago, they fell to the CIFL South leading Marion Blue Racers 27-20.

The River Monsters have the third best defense in the CIFL, allowing only 28 points a game.

Kyle James, River Monsters duel threat quarterback, leads the team with 296 total yards; 189 through the air and 107 on the ground. James also leads the team in touchdowns with seven; four passing and three rushing.

For Military Appreciation Day, all active duty and veteran military get in free with a military ID. The first 120 children receive a GI Joe action figure and the first 500 adults receive a deck of sport characters playing cards.

Kickoff is at 7:30 tomorrow inside The Bank of Kentucky Center.

River Monsters Salute the Military

The River Monsters will celebrate Military Appreciation Night on Saturday when they host the Dayton Sharks. Various activities will go on prior to kick off at 7:30 pm to give back to the soldiers who protect our freedom.

All active duty and veteran military personnel will be admitted free by showing a military ID. The first 120 kids receive a GI Joe action figure thanks to Big Bad Toys. The first 500 adults receive a deck of sport characters playing cards.

Army Specialist, Brett Bondurant, will be the honorary captain for the River Monsters during the coin flip. Bondurant was injured five months into his first deployment to Southwest Kandahar in September 2011. He stepped on an IED that caused him to lose his right leg above the knee and his left leg below the knee.

Tailgate for Saturday's game starts at 6:00 pm inside The Bank of Kentucky Center with face painting, a live band, sponsors and more. Kick off is at 7:30 when the River Monsters host the Dayton Sharks.

Bye Week Take Two

The second bye week of the season could not come at a better time for the River Monsters. They are trying to find their rhythm under new head coach Mike Goodpaster.

The River Monsters fell to the Marion Blue Racers, 27-20, last week in Goodpaster's debut. The defense, raked first in the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL), gave up the second most points of the season against the Blue Racers. The Erie Explosion scored 42 points in the River Monsters return to the Bank of Kentucky Center (BOKC) on February 9.

The offense for the River Monsters has struggled to put points on the board since Jared Lorrenzen broke his tibia in the second quarter against the Explosion. In Lorenzen's only full game of the season, the River Monsters scored 36 points. They have not scored more than 32 points since.

The River Monsters need James Kyle to step up in the last six games of the season. In three games
James has thrown for 189 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. James has not had success through the air but leads the River Monsters in rushing with 107 yards and three touchdowns.

The River Monsters return to BOKC on Satruday, March 15 to host the Dayton Sharks. The Sharks lead the River Monsters by a half game for second place in the CIFL South division.

Stats from last week's game against the Blue Racers:

NKY	TEAM	MAR
(VISITOR)		(HOME)
8	First Downs	14
3	- -Rushing	5
4	- -Passing	6
1	- -Penalty	3
18	Rushing Attempts	36
54	Yards Gained Rushing	214
14	Yards Lost Rushing	9
40	Net Yards Rushing	205
66	Net Yards Passing	49
14	- Passes Attempted	14
5	- -Passes Completed	6
2	- -Had Intercepted	0
34	Total Offensive Plays	52
106	Total Net Yards	254
3.1	- -Average Gain Per Play	4.9
0 / 0	Fumbles: Numbers / Lost	1 / 1
8 / 50	Penalties: Numbers / Yards	6 / 49
1 / 0	MFG Returns: Numbers / Yards	1 / 0
4 / 163	Number of Kickoffs / Yards	5 / 206
40.8	- -Average Per Kick	41.2
2	- -Touchbacks	0
3 / 84	Kickoff Returns: Number / Yards	2 / 17
0 / 0	Interception Returns: Number / Yards	2 / 0
1 / 50	Fumble Returns: Number / Yards	0 / 0
33:54	Possession Time	31:22
2 of 6	Third Down Conversions	6 of 13
0 of 2	Fourth Down Conversions	1 of 3
2 / 4	Sacks By: Number / Yards	2 / 13