2009 Hike It & Spike It Preview
465 Teams Do Battle in this Elite Tournament

5/18/09
Barry Parker

The 14th annual Roswell Gridiron Hike It and Spike It 4-on-4 Flag Football Tournament will take place next weekend. A record 465 teams will participate this year, with thirty teams from across the country doing battle in the "Show Me the Money" division. Here's how we see it shaking out:

Tournament Favorites:

MOB (Miami, FL)
The defending Roswell Gridiron Champions MOB is the favorite to win it all. With Rick O'Bara at QB, Manny, Rubert, & Eric from last year's squad and the addition of Albert and Jaime from Goose Crew this team is going to be almost impossible to beat. This man's prediction is another National Title.

Sidewayz (SoCal)
Led by QB Chuck Lozano and Swarm Veterans Gregg Valesco & Jamie Criss, Sidewayz is the Skin Industries team of old. This team or some version of it has finished in the money three years in a row. The defense will be legit, led by Jamie, Nate, and Nugent and the offense will be led by two of strongest flag football minds in the game in G-Wiz and Chuck.

FlagfootballX.Com (Dallas, TX)
Dennis Freels tries to help Franchise veterans Jacar Bray and Jason Choate return to the money after Franchises 0-2 debacle last season. The offense should be potent but the key will be how well will this defense meshes together.

Shhh Freaking Blessed (Dallas, TX)
Patrick Alley of the Dallas Freaks joins forces with Lynn Clark of Blessed. This team has a lot of flag football veterans and should be considered a threat to make a deep run in this year's tournament. If Jeff Cavanaugh can return to full health before the tournament and the combined forces of the Freaks and Blessed can come together this will be a fun team to watch.

In It To Win It:

The State (San Jose, CA)
The State makes its return trip back to Roswell to try and improve on their finish in 2007 where the finished just outside of the money. Led by Mario Chairez, who is a broken ankle (for the opponent) waiting to happen, The State should make another run in Roswell.

Stay Ready (Los Angeles, CA)
Stay Ready looks to be a threat in this year's national tournament. Watch out for Tim Riley's no look passes and leadership to help this team make a run at the title. Amman Abby, Chris Nicoletti, and Gene Barshtak are all veterans to the flag football game and our excellent playmakers. This team, when clicking on all cylinders is very hard to stop.

Dallas Rage (Dallas, TX)
Rage made a nice run in last year's championship with their only two loses coming to eventual tournament runner-up Goose Crew. This year, quarterback Ty Hamlin, leads Rage with the help of Chad Stephens, TJ Culberson and Jimmy Boyd. Also, look out for one of the tournaments most sure handed receivers, Adam Cooper, to make some noise in this tournament.

Stigers (Phoenix, AZ)
Keith Poole, Ray Stoops, and Derek Muldrow of NX Level join forces with Toby Bourget and Sean Roebuck to help see if the Stigers can improve on there 2-2 record last year. This team has a bunch of crafty veterans and will be a tough out for anyone in the tournament.

Blackout (Dallas, TX)
Derrick "Black" Wilson leads a solid Blackout team that should contend for this year's title. The defense should be lock down with Skip McCoy and Micah Allen on the corners and the offense should have a few tricks up its sleeve with Black playing QB and team captain George Thompson under center.

Don't Forget Us:

Vodoo (Amarillo, TX)
Vodoo is considered by most to be the best tournament team from Amarillo. They play very hard and always leave everything on the field. They have a bunch of guys who have been doing this for years and understand the game of flag football. Look for team captain JW Miller to get this team ready for this year's tournament.

818 Ballers (Hollywood, CA)
With an average age of 22 years the NoHo Ballers come to Roswell seeking their first national tournament experience. This team is very athletic and has become one of the premier 4 on 4 teams on the west coast. Led by Dashawn Smith at QB and Franco pulling down clutch passes, this team will be a team to reckon with in the near future. The only problem is will they actually show up this year (Literally).

Average Joe's (All Over the USA)
Isn't so Average. Led by there QB Sonny Cumbie (Former Texas Tech Red Raider) this team has an assortment of arena league talent. Some of the players include Eddie Canonico, Kevin Ingram, Tony Locke, John Dibetta, and lets not forget Chicago Bears safety Mike Brown (assuming these rosters are legit).

Glory to the Sun (Lubbock, TX)
Has some very good talent on its roster. Texas Tech Alum Daniel Charbonnet joins forces with his brother Taylor and Nathan Stone to take a shot at the Money this year. Look for this team to take a couple of bumps along the way but could end up in good shape if they can adjust to the flag football game.

Knights (Amarillo, TX)
The Saints of last year return as the Knights in 2009. Led by Matt Grieve, John Wiseman, Joe Arellano, and Joe McLaughlin this team now has some experience in Roswell. They got there first Roswell win last year and played tough against Goose Crew the eventual runner up. Now let's see if they can build on it!

Kryptonite (Youngstown, Ohio)
Is coming off a first place finish in a recent Maryland tournament according to there YFFA.Com website. Look for this team to bring a physical style to this tournament (as you would expect from any Ohio team) and also a unique style of play on offense that could give some teams a tough time.

El Paso Comes to Roswell
In the past couple of years the city of El Paso, TX has been a no show in Roswell unless you count Da' Bullies. This year there are three teams trying to make a run at Roswell Gridiron Championship. El Paso flag football has some very good teams in 8 on 8 and does a good job of pitching the ball which could play nicely into the Roswell Style. Keep an eye out for the Cobras, Young Gunz, and the Stars (who are pretty much Da' Bullies) in this year's tournament.

House (Denver, CO)
House is looking to improve on its 2-2 record last year losing to 2 good teams in the Dallas Freaks and Skin. Will this be the year they take a step towards being considered with the elite?

DNA (Dallas, TX)
Mike Newhard leads DNA to its first Roswell Gridiron Championship. Mike played last year with FlagfootballX.com and helped them finish in the top 4. This team will look for Mike's leadership in order to make a run at the title this year.

One Time (Colorado Springs, CO)
After a year off last year, these tournament veterans return for another shot at championship money. The tournament rules take some getting used to, and an experienced One Time team has a chance to make some noise.

Could Compete:

Homegrown (Roswell, NM)
Dallas Extreme (Dallas, TX)
Quick Hitters (Olney, TX)
Unitas (Farmington, NM)
Rockers (Denver, CO)
Outcast (Phoenix, AZ)
Bad News (Albuquerque, NM)


The Way I See It:

I see MOB, Freakin Blessed, Sideways, and FlagfootballX being the final four in the winners bracket. I see Blackout battling back into the money at 4th place with Sideways finishing third, Freakin Blessed finishing 2nd and MOB holding up the title once again. I see good showings from Stay Ready, Flagfootballx.com, Dallas Rage and The State. Best of luck to all the participants in this year's 2009 Roswell Gridiron National Championship.