Typhoon, Eagles dominate leaders

The awarding of the 2005 Commonwealth Football League championship trophy wasn’t the only piece of hardware handed out at the CPA Airport Field on Saturday as league organizers doled out recognition to the individuals who excelled at their positions and inspired their teams.

Though the Shell Lightning were honored with the biggest trophy as the 2005 CFL champions, they were shut out of the special awards as were the Barbarians. When all was said and done, the Express Electronics Eagles and the Tinian Typhoon boasted the top positional players as recognized by the CFL board of directors and the team representatives.

For providing the spark that lead to his team’s turn in attitude and rise in the standings, Typhoon all-purpose game-breaker Blake Manibusan was named as the league’s most valuable player.

Manibusan also received the award for picking off the most interceptions (six), but what set him apart from the competition was his ability to turn the game around with timely plays. Manibusan returned three of those interceptions the other way for touchdowns and also returned two punts for scores as well.

The key corner used his speed and play-making skills to lift his team and hometown fans emotionally in their 33-6 win over the Lightning at Tinian Municipal Field—the first-ever on their home turf.

Manibusan wasn’t the only Typhoon defender to win the respect of his peers as menacing linebacker Keith Nabors became first two-time winner of the CFL’s Hard Rock Award as the defensive player of the year.

To anyone who spent anytime watching the league this season it was easy to see that Nabors was the walking, talking, and breathing heartbeat of the Tinian squad, and his efforts on the field and from the sidelines were lauded by members of all teams.

“It’s good man. A lot of other guys deserve it just like me, but like I said, it was hard work for me. Blake could have won the season MVP and the Hard Rock [Award] because I voted for him for both of them—me and coach [Andre] Winston. He could have scooped all of them but I guess some of the other guys voted for me,” said Nabors.

On the offensive side of the ball, Typhoon wide receiver Ringo Reyes reeled in the most catches for the most yards to win the CFL’s top receiver trophy. The CFL rookie caught 17 passes for 447 yards and six touchdowns and said that he was happy to win the award.

Reyes’ closest competitor was Eagles wide out Mark Wallace who finished the season with 13 catches for 289 yards and a touchdown.

After their mammoth line opened up holes big enough to drive a truck through, the Eagles placed three running backs in the top for rushers of the league led by Stanley Iakopo.

Stan “The Man” carried the ball 42 times for an unmatched 363 yards and four touchdowns for an average of 8.6 yards per carry despite playing injured for the latter half of the season.

Iakopo’s closest competitor was his teammate Soni Pomee who finished the season with 283 yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries. After blowing away the competition, Iakopo made a bold prediction about his future as the CFL’s top rusher.

“You know I will be the best for the next, I don’t know five years. As long as I’m around, I’ve been playing injured all the way—ribs and everything, but I will be around for the next 10 years. I don’t think anybody is going to take it away from me,” said Iakopo.

Quarterback Dane Lizama was a little more modest as he thanked his line for giving him the protection he needed to become the league’s top passer, as the Eagles’ arm completed 33-of-95 passes for 604 yards, six touchdowns, and 10 interceptions through the six-game season.

Lizama was the only passer to complete all six games which was a testament to his durability and the effectiveness of his offensive line.