The Stampede recorded their first win in team history by defeating the Chicago Falcons 35-0. The Stampede defense was flawless in their efforts to shut down the Falcon offense. Leading the way for the Stampede on defense was middle linebacker Rich Freel who had 7 tackles on the day. Defensive tackle Harold Frazier contributed 5 tackles and 1 sack. Tracy Sheppard led the Stampede secondary from his cornerback position with 2 interceptions. Cornerback Bryant Morris and safety Terry Tyler each had 1.

Offensively the Stampede where led by quarterback Paul DiGiacomo who completed 12 of 18 passes for 210 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions. Vernel Beckum and Craig Coffman each caught a touchdown for the Stampede. Leading the Stampede on the ground was Corey Martin who had 12 rushes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Fred Osbourne rushed for 45 yards and two scores from his fullback position. Tailback Troy Stokes also contributed by rushing for 40 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Stampede traveled to Shelbyville, Indiana to face the Outlaws. Playing in 90 degree weather, the Stampede pounded the Outlaws 43-6. Defensively the Stampede was again led by middle linebacker Rich Freel who had 6 tackles on the night. Defensive tackle Harold Frazier again stuffed the Outlaw running game and had 4 tackles. Defensive end Tah-shai Jenkins sacked the Outlaw quarterback twice and defensive end Antwon Jones intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards to set up one of the Stampede touchdowns. Strong safety Darcy Hopson also intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards for a Stampede touchdown. The defense again proved that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Offensively the Stampede where led by quarterback Paul DiGiacomo who completed 15 of 25 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Wideout Brian Hendricks caught five of those passes for 120 yards. Wide receiver Scott Patterson caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown and Stevie Harper caught three passes for 45 yards and a score. Corey Martin led the ground attack for the Stampede by rushing for 46 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown. Fullback Chris Granger plowed his way for 35 yards on just 5 carries and a score. It was the first league victory for the Stampede in the newly formed CRFL.

The Miami Valley Panthers traveled to South Bend from Dayton, Ohio to face the 2-0 Stampede. The Panthers proved to be no match for the Stampede as the hard nose defense took advantage of the Panther mistakes. The Panthers committed 5 turnovers which turned into three Stampede scores. Joey Marshall from his outside linebacker position intercepted two passes, one that was returned for a touchdown. Will Caldwell from his outside linebacker spot also intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. Defensive tackle Harold Frazier again was a dominating force up front recording 6 tackles and 1/2 sack. Middle linebacker Rich Freel tackled the Panther running backs 5 times and Defensive end Tah-Shai Jenkins had 3 tackles and 2 quarterback sacks. Cornerback Bryant Morris made 3 tackles and intercepted 1 pass which he returned 65 yards to set up a Steve Zeller field goal just before halftime.

Offensively the Stampede dominated the panther defensive front and racked up 230 yards on the ground. Paving the way for the Stampede was Corey Martin who carried the ball 10 times for 112 yards and one touchdown. Dave Pruitt also rushed for 35 yards on six attempts. The man they call "Bootie" carried the ball 8 times for 76 yards from his fullback position. Quarterback Paul DiGiacomo completed 10 of 20 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown with a pair of INT's. David Langager caught 4 passes for 48 yards and Scott Patterson's one catch for 7 yards gave the Stampede there final score of the day.

The Stampede traveled to Union City, IN to face the Randolph Co. Rage. After battling back and forth for field position the Stampede offense poured it on in the 4th quarter to defeat the Rage 20-9. It was an important victory for the Stampede as it moved them into first place in the CRFL league race.
Defensively the Stampede was led by Bryant Morris with 5 tackles. Linebacker Don Dinger and defensive end Tah-Shai Jenkins each had 4 tackles. Defensive Tackle Kenneth Day and Antwon Jones combined to record a Stampede sack. Cornerback Tracy Sheppard led the Stampede with two interceptions.

Offensively the Stampede was led by quarterback Paul DiGiacomo who completed 10 of 14 passes for 132 yards two touchdowns and no intereceptions. Wide receiver Brian Hendricks caught 2 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Scott Pattersons had 2 catches for 51 yards and receiver Stevie Harper had 3 catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. Corey Martin led the Stampede ground attack with 95 yards including a 61 yard touchdown run to seal the victory.

The Madison Co. Chiefs traveled from Anderson, IN to face the undefeated Stampede. The Chiefs came out passing the ball which proved to be successful and kept them in the game in the first half. The offensive line led by center Chris Hall, guard Sam Beachy, right tackle Willie Collier, guard Curtis Bell, and left tackle Chad Arnett proved to be too dominating for the Chief defense. However the Chiefs kept it close at halftime with the score standing at 14-12. The Stampede offense opened up the second half with an impressive drive which resulted in a 15 yard TD pass to Jason Howard from quarterback Paul DiGiacomo. The Stampede lead was then extended to 21-12. The Chiefs came right back and scored to cut the lead to 21-18. Tracey Sheppard then answered with an spectacular 75 yard kickoff return for a touchdown to make the score 28-18. The Stampede defense finally tightened up and shut the Chief offense down. The Stampede scored their final points on a touchdown by Dave Pruitt. Pruitt finished the day with 78 yards on 12 carries. Tailback Corey Martin nursing an injury carried the ball 4 times for 28 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Corey Johnson finished the night with 8 carries and a touchdown. Quarterback Paul DiGiacomo had a rough day completing only 7 of 17 passes for 82 yards one touchdown and three interceptions. Kicker Steve Zeller was perfect on all PAT's with 5.

Defensively the Stampede was led by linebacker Rich Freel with 6 tackles. Tah-Shai Jenkins recorded 4 tackles and 1 sack. Outside linebacker Joey Marshall had 4 tackles and one interception for the Stampede defense. Cornerback Bryant Morris also had an interception for the Stampede. Defensive tackles Harold Frazier and Antwon Jones where major factors in holding the Chief running backs to just 18 yards on the ground. The Stampede is now 5-0 on the season and 4-0 in the CRFL.

The South Bend Stampede traveled 5 hours to face the Panthers of Miami Valley. The Miami Valley team had a lot more players this time around and they were determined to play tough against the Stampede. After one half of football the Stampede were only winning by the score of 17-13. The Stampede came out strong in the second half and the Panthers just couldn't hang with them. The final score was 37-13.

Leading the Stampede offense was Paul DiGiacomo who completed 14 of 22 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was caught by Scott Patterson who led the receiving core with 3 catches for 103 yards. Dave Brown caught 4 passes for 51 yards and a score. Brian Hendricks caught 3 balls for 36 yards and David Langager caught 2 passes for 42 yards. Leading the ground attack was Dave Pruitt who carried the ball 8 times for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns. Corey Martin carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards and one score. Kicker Steve Zellar was perfect for the night kicking a 37 yard field goal and 4 extra points.

Defensively the Stampede was led by outside linebacker Darcy Hopson who had 7 tackles. Rich Freel capped off the night with 6 tackles and Tah-shai Jenkins had 4 tackles and 2 quarterback sacks. Defensive tackles Antwon Jones and Harold Frazier were both all over the Panther backs. Antwon had 4 tackles and 2 sacks and Harold Frazier sacked the quarterback one time. Cornerback Bryant Morris and Linebacker Donald Dinger each had an interception. Next week the Stampede hosts the Rage on Sept. 14.

The South Bend Stampede hosted the Randolph County Rage in what was a pivotal game in the CRFL championship race. If the Stampede wanted to be in the driver seat for the playoffs they had to come out and prove that they were the powerhouse in the league. The Stampede did just that and defeated the Rage 26-0. The defense was back in rare form not allowing the Rage to do a whole lot on offense. Leading the way for the Stampede was middle linebacker Rich Freel who recorded 9 tackles on the night. Middle linebacker Donald "Ding" Dinger was all over the Rage backs and got himself 8 tackles on the night. Outside linebacker Will Caldwell was also all over the field creating problems. Will finished with 5 tackles. Defensive tackles Kenneth Day had an outstanding day recording 6 tackles including a quarterback sack.

Offensively the Stampede looked very balanced and moved the ball well. Corey Martin rushed the ball 5 times for 48 yards. Dave Pruitt carried the ball 5 times for 23 yards. Chris Granger carried the ball 3 times for 25 yards and Dan Glogouski carried the ball 7 times for 28 yards. Dave Brown carried the ball one time for 5 yards and a touchdown. Paul DiGiacomo completed 11 of 20 passes for 120 yards 1 touchdown and no interceptions. Tight End Jason Howard caught 3 passes for 40 yards. Stevie Harper caught 4 passes for 33 yards and Brian Hendricks caught a 35 yard touchdown pass. Kicker Steve Zellar had another outstanding day kicking a 32 and 35 yard field goals. Cornerback Tracy Sheppard returned an 85 yard punt for a Stampede score. Sheppard finished the day with 126 total return yards for the day. The Stampede is now 7-0 and in first place in the CRFL. The Stampede is off next week. They travel to Anderson, IN to face the Madison County Chiefs on September 26.