September 25, 2006

HOUSTON ENFORCERS TAKE WORLD COMBAT LEAGUE
WESTERN CONFERENCE CROWN AT ERWIN CENTER

Team Will Return to Erwin Center January 20 to Face Eastern
Conference Winner

AUSTIN, Texas – Enthusiastic fans, many of them new to the team sport of Combat Martial Arts created by martial arts legend Chuck Norris, crowded the Frank Erwin Center on Friday, September 22 for the World Combat League (WCL) Western Conference Playoffs. Those present witnessed an unbelievable evening of knockouts, star-making performances, and the League’s first ever sudden death elimination round, as the Houston Enforcers won in overtime against the Oklahoma Destroyers to win the Western Conference, while the Los Angeles Stars finished a close second with a victory against the Texas Dragons. Both teams now advance to the North American Championship round, Friday, January 20, 2007 at the Erwin Center.

The WCL North American Championship will follow the East Coast Playoffs, to be held at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida on Friday, November 10, 2006 as the New York Clash takes on the Philadelphia Fire and the Miami Force squares off against the New England Strikers. The East Coast team that prevails with the highest season point total will meet in the west to determine “America’s Toughest City” on January 20 at the Frank Erwin Center, Austin’s premiere sports arena. The second place team will take on the Los Angeles Stars to determine the runner up.

Whichever team emerges victorious in the East will have their work cut out for them.

The Houston Enforcers entered its match against the Oklahoma Destroyers with a distinct disadvantage in experience, but the team more than made up for it with determination, aggression and formidable hitting power. A prelude of things to come came with the first round match up between Oklahoma’s Thomas “Thunderkick” Longacre and Houston’s Tim “Irish Pride” Connors.

Longacre, high among the list of gifted young stars to emerge during the World Combat League’s development season was ranked among the League’s leading scorers entering the playoffs. Connors, known for his ferocious attacking style, was not impressed. He forced the action most of the fight and a right hook to the chin sent Longacre to the mat halfway through the round. Longacre spent the rest of the round in survival mode and held on to avoid a knockout. As a precaution, Longacre was held out of the second round. This proved the difference as Connors held off talented replacement fighter Nick Gonzalez for two rounds to provide the winning points advantage for the Enforcers. Also punctuating the victory was Houston’s Kevin “The Hitman” Engel who took on the class of his weight division, Oklahoma’s Ryan “The Lion” Madigan, in a match that was up for grabs until Engle caught Madigan with a straight right hand knockout blow and a 15-0 point advantage in a match that experts did not expect to go the distance

The next stop for the WCL is Miami’s James L. Knight Center on Friday, November 10,

                         


Media Contact: Codey Allen @ 512-471-3678
codey.allen@athletics.utexas.edu

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