By Anvil Welch
Globe Sports Writer
—
The Joplin Crusaders have hiked their record to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the non-pro Central Football League by logging a forfeit victory.
The Stillwater (Okla.) Outlaws aren’t coming to Joplin for today’s game.
“They canceled on us,” Joplin coach Dave Pitts said of the Outlaws on Saturday. “I’m not sure why. They just called us and said they would forfeit. We found out about 6 p.m. on Friday.”
The Crusaders weren’t scheduled next weekend, Pitts noted, and the CFL was idle on the Easter weekend.
Joplin, in its last game, defeated the Oklahoma Chiefs 49-6 on March 31 at Walters High School. The win snapped a three-game losing streak.
Now, of course, the Crusaders need a game.
“Sam Sturgis (a member of the front office as well as player) is working hard to find an opponent for next week (Saturday night),” Pitts said. “We’ll be practicing next week if we don’t find a game for Saturday.”
The Stillwater decision seemed unusual in that the Outlaws were 2-2, 1-2 entering the game.
The Kansas Cougars, two-time defending CFL champion, entered the weekend 5-1, 3-0. The Enid Enforcers were 5-0, 2-0.
The Arkansas Warriors (0-4, 0-1) and Oklahoma Chiefs (0-3) were at the bottom of the CFL entering the weekend.
Enid had outscored its opponents 183-41. The Cougars’ advantage was 109-57.
The Oklahoma City Diamondbacks of the Oklahoma Metro Football League — they’ve made life miserable for CFL teams in exhibitions this season — opened 6-0 this season with a scoring advantage of 359-95.
