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Chicago Clinches Last XFL Playoff Spot

XFL Week-Ten Recap

Dateline: April 9, 2001
By: James Alder

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The first XFL regular season came to an end Sunday with a fantastic finish for the final playoff spot. The last slot was not decided until the last game of the weekend, but the playoffs are finally set, and the battle for the "Million Dollar Game" begins next weekend.

Both games Sunday had playoff implications, and the New York/New Jersey Hitmen made sure their playoff hopes stayed alive by shutting out the Birmingham Thunderbolts, 22-0, in the early game. Quarterback Charlie Puleri, who took over for the ineffective Corte McGuffey in the second quarter, threw two touchdown passes to lead the Hitmen.

After an early field goal put the Hitmen on the board, Puleri hit wide receiver Zola Davis for a three-yard touchdown, giving NY/NJ a 9-0 lead. The lead was stretched to 16 in the third quarter, when Puleri hooked up with wide receiver Kirby Dar Dar for a 77-yard touchdown.

The defense capped the scoring for the Hitmen when cornerback Joey Elams picked off a Leigh pass. Elams, as he was being tackled, lateraled the ball to safety Donnie Caldwell, who took it 46 yards for the touchdown. The NY/NJ defense forced five Bolts' turnovers and sacked Birmingham quarterback Graham Leigh four times, and the Thunderbolts ended the season with their seventh-consecutive loss.

New York/New Jersey's playoff hopes didn't hold out long though, as Chicago defeated the Orlando Rage, 23-6, in the final game of the regular season. Quarterback Kevin McDougle led the way for Chicago, scoring on a three-yard run in the second quarter, then connecting with Aaron Bailey for a 29-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, putting the Enforcers ahead, 20-0.

McDougle finished the day 13-of-20 for 182 yards with no interceptions. He also rushed for 34 yards, helping to pick up the slack for John Avery, who was held to just 41 yards on the ground.

The Enforcers, who started the season 0-4, will open the playoffs in Los Angeles this Sunday against the Western Division Champion Los Angeles Xtreme.

On Saturday, the Xtreme tuned up for the playoffs by shutting out the San Francisco Demons, 24-0, behind another strong performance by quarterback Tommy Maddox. Before giving way to backup Scott Milanovich in the fourth quarter, Maddox passed for 164 yards and a touchdown. Rashaan Shehee added 92 yards on 17 rushes, and the Xtreme recorded a season-high 173 yards on the ground.

Having wrapped up a playoff spot last week, the San Francisco Demons will travel to Orlando this weekend to play the Eastern Division Champion Rage.

And finally, in a game that meant nothing to the playoff race, the Memphis Maniax held off the Las Vegas Outlaws, 16-3. The Maniax ran off 16 unanswered points in the first half, and Jim Druckenmiller threw for 152 yards and a touchdown. The Outlaws finished the season losing five of their last six games.