Tinian Typhoon hits Saipan today

Three months of trench warfare have come down to four quarters of fury as the Tinian Typhoon will cross the channel to challenge the Express Electronics Eagles this morning for the right to face the Shell Lightning in next week’s Commonwealth Football League Championship game at the CPA Airport Field.

The Eagles appear to be the favorites heading into today’s playoff game after finishing the season at 4-2 and after sweeping the Typhoon in Saipan and in Tinian, but the teams are a little closer than the statistics would lead one to believe.

At 3-3, the Typhoon experienced their most successful season to date and have one of the most balanced teams in the CFL.

Though outscored 102-96 through the season, the Typhoon have a knack for scoring at anytime with their offense, defense, or special teams at key points of the game, and that was never more apparent than in their recent 33-6 win over the Lightning at home.

Quarterback Juanis King has spent plenty of time on the practice field with his receivers Ringo Reyes, Leo Pascua, and Chris Pascua, and it has paid off as of late. If the offensive line can provide King with adequate protection the Typhoon could blow the Eagles away. That may be far fetched, but taking the Tinian team for granted would be a mistake. They also posses a talented running back in Steve Mendiola, who can juke and jive with the best of them before exploding down field.

The Typhoon arsenal also has weapons on defense and special teams as game breaker Blake Manibusan turned interceptions kicks returns into touchdowns on several occasions.

The Eagles on the other hand have more of a straight forward approach to their games. They come packed with one of the most potent rushing attacks in the game and have a receiving corps capable of soaring into the end zone on long strikes from quarterback Dane Lizama.

The running game is bolstered by a stable of backs anchored by multipurpose threat Stanley Iakopo. The speedster is capable of breaking a small gain into a huge one with just a sliver of space while Semisi Paongo, Phil Kapileo, and Soni Pomee can pound opposing defenses into submission with smash mouth tactics.

No team scored more points than the Green Machine, as Lizama led them to a CFL-high 152 points while their defense was the second stingiest by allowing 79 points. After blowing out the Typhoon 22-0 in the second week of the season, the Eagles made the most of their match-ups and lost only to the Lightning, but the Tinian squad has grown together since then and came within eight points of downing the birds at Municipal Field.

When the teams lace up the spikes and take the Saipan gridiron this morning at 10am, it’s anybody’s game.