Manibusan sports stickiest fingers

In just a couple of days from now, the organizers of the Commonwealth Football League will once again pack their bags and board the ferry for Tinian as the Typhoon will host the Shell Lightning for only the second regular season contest in the league’s five-year history.

While the hometown fans gear up for the final game at Tinian Municipal Field in 2005, they can expect to see another solid performance from Keith Nabors and company when John Blanco and the undefeated Lightning storm into port this Saturday.

Despite facing off against the top offense in the league, the Typhoon collectively have to feel pretty good about their chances at pulling off an upset with the league’s third stingiest defense. After the final whistle, only a touchdown separated the teams the last time they met in the second week of the season, but both have come a long way in the past month.

The Typhoon have given up a total of 96 points through five games this season while the Lightning have held opposing offenses to 36 points, but the Tinian squad came up with a third of that in one game.

Turnovers played a key part in their last meeting, which bodes well for the home team as the Typhoon have 30 of the stickiest fingers in the CFL. Cornerback Blake Manibusan is unrivaled with five interceptions, and he could have very well added to that total had he shown up to the giveaway game against the Express Electronics Eagles in which neither team seemed to want to hold onto the ball. Aside from snatching the passes, Manibusan showed off his playmaking abilities by running three of them back the other way for touchdowns. He even contributed on special teams by running back a punt return for a score as well.

Teammate Ian Ikehara was more than willing to step up in Manibusan’s absence by picking off three passes to move ahead of a crowd of players with a pair of interceptions.

Nabors is one of the Typhoon turnover makers, as he grabbed a pair of passes out of the air and rumbled downfield over a slew of tacklers. When the Eagles paid a visit to Tinian, Nabors rumbled down field into the end zone for a would-be score, but the play was called back on a penalty away from the ball. The trio should make an impact on the defensive side, and while the stats don’t show it, the Lightning defensive unit has made its presence know in every backfield.

Jason Gay is the lone Lightning player to break into the top turnover team with four, as the mini-motor accounted for a pair of interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Gay roamed the sidelines instead of the gridiron due to a shoulder injury, and it remains to be seen if he’ll suit up this weekend.

Injuries are not as pressing for the Eagles as they can rest their weary bodies for another week as their final contest of the regular season against the Barbarians gets underway in the morning of Saturday, Nov. 19, at the CPA Airport Field.

When they take the gridiron against the Black and Gold, the Eagles will have three of the top interceptors in the game led by Junior Ray (4), Eric Atalig (2), and Sidney Shiro (2), but their flair for fingertip grabs will be bolstered by two of the CFL’s top sackers.

Though spotters have come at a premium this year, league statistician Chris Belanger has Luka Tapua’ialupe at the top of the list with three quarterback takedowns on the season, and teammate Brian Somol is right behind him in the second spot with a pair.

If the duo can knock the ball free when they pay a visit to Plas Tagabuel or Alvin Atalig, the Green Machine can take comfort in their ability to scoop up the loose pigskin as Ed Veamatahau leads the league with three fumble recovers while Ben Guerrero has two.

As a team, the Eagles have allowed just 71 points against while scoring 104, and they’ll look to take advantage of their competition’s weakness as the under manned and over worked Barbarians have given up 124 points.

The Barbarians aren’t without skill players of their own, as ironman Kelvin Fitial has moved from offense to defense to pick up one and a half sacks—good enough for third place. When he pops a passer, Alvin Takai will likely be close by as he has scooped up a pair of loose balls to climb into the fourth spot in the CFL.