Sioux City Journal, July 25, 2005, Jerry Giese (Jul. 25, 2005)
Jose Jefferson finally knows who the Sioux City Bandits will face in the first round of the United Indoor Football playoffs.

The Ohio Valley Greyhounds, a team with a rich playoff tradition, will take a 6-9 record into a 7:05 p.m. game this Saturday at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

Ohio Valley limped into the playoffs with four consecutive losses, three by 12 points or less. Included in the stretch were 44-34 and 41-31 Midwest Division losses to the Fort Wayne Freedom, UIF's top-seeded team with a 14-2 record.


Ohio Valley got the seventh seed and Tennessee Valley (6-9) is seeded eighth. Peoria (6-9), a 49-31 winner over Ohio Valley on Saturday, concluded its season by winning three of its last four games, but needed to beat Ohio Valley by 26 points to make the playoffs.

"We're just happy to be hosting a (playoff) game," said Jefferson, whose 13-2 Bandits are seeded second and enter with a seven-game winning streak which started with a 52-33 win over the Greyhounds May 28 at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

"(Ohio Valley) played everyone tough. Their schedule has to be in the top five of the league in terms of toughness. They played Fort Wayne three times and came within 10 points of them two times. So you know they played with (Fort Wayne)."

Based in Wheeling, W. Va., Ohio Valley has made the playoffs for six consecutive years in three different leagues.

Originally founded as the Steel Valley Smash, the Smash made the Indoor Football League (IFL) playoffs in 2000, then changed their name to the Ohio Valley Greyhounds one year later when they joined the NIFL.

Ohio Valley made the NIFL playoffs in each of its four years and won Indoor Bowl championships in 2002 and 2003. Those two teams combined for a 32-1 record.

The Bandits are in the playoffs for the second consecutive year. They also made the IFL playoffs in 2000 when known as the Sioux City Attack.

Fred Jackson has established himself as the Bandits' offensive leader in each of the last two seasons, combining for 2,121 rushing yards and 58 rushing touchdowns. This season, he has had five rushing games of 100 or more yards.

The former Coe College standout also leads the league in rushing (1,388 yards), all-purpose yards (3,004) and touchdowns (48).

Quarterback Jarrod DeGeorgia has passed for 1,936 yards and 45 touchdowns. Wide receiver Johnnie Ostermeyer has caught 57 passes for 808 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Strong safety Buddy Williams paces the defense with 79 tackles. Cornerback Deron Rush and free safety Derek Smith, Jr. each have five interceptions. Defensive end Jesse Wavrunek has a team-high eight quarterback sacks while defensive end Art Maulupe paces the Bandits with 15.5 tackles for loss.

"My feelings about the guys hasn't changed," said Jefferson. "We're a team that has had a bunch of character wins. Our character puts us where we need to win. We feel blessed and we feel we have a good opportunity to do things in the playoffs."

Ohio Valley quarterback Zac Bruney has passed for 1,078 yards and 19 touchdowns. Wide receiver Willie Austin ranks second in the league with 66 catches for 868 yards and eight touchdowns.

"All I know is what they showed us when they played us," said Jefferson. "They were physical and they were fast. They're going to be more ready to hit than we were because we had a week off. We have to prepare for anything because anything can happen in the playoffs."

Fort Wayne will host Tennesee Valley while third-seeded Lexington (11-4), last year's NIFL champion, will host sixth-seeded Evansville (7-8). Fourth-seeded Omaha (9-6) will host fifth-seeded Sioux Falls (8-8). Each of these games will be played Saturday night.

Back to List