AFTER WEEK ONE, QB MICHAEL KARLS BURSTS TO ‘TOP GUN’ STATUS WITH TENTH CONSECUTIVE 300-YARD GAME

(PALM SPRINGS) — It was, in fact, wide receiver Billy Eichman’s birthday last Saturday, when the APFL flagship franchise SoCal Coyotes took the field against the California Sharks in the first-ever paid professional football game in Palm Springs.

Eichman did, in fact, haul in seven ‘gift-wrapped’ catches for a whopping 138 yards and two touchdowns, including a long of 56 yards.

But the California Sharks – who valiantly battled to the game’s final minute – left the field shaking their heads at the resolve and resourcefulness of Coyotes quarterback and escape artist Michael Karls.

Karls scrambled for critical first downs. He moved in and out of the pocket. He stepped up in the teeth of a ferocious Sharks pass rush. He threw darts for first downs. He improvised and capitalized, and in the end, left the Sharks – who still sacked him three times and chased him all afternoon – utterly exhausted and frustrated.

That’s how Karls earned the SoCal Coyotes ‘Player of the Game’ honors, completing 20 of 38 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns. It was Karls ninth consecutive 300-yard game, dating back to his second start as a Coyote last season on October 4, 2014.

Karls’ third TD was to receiver Rashad ‘The Franchise’ Roberts, which gave the veteran star 95 career Coyote touchdowns, and marking the sixth consecutive season he’s scored in the Coyotes home opener.

Karls was the only APFL quarterback to top 300 yards – and now sits atop the league’s best gunners, with three weeks left in the showcase spring season.

THE AAA PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE is the nation’s fastest-growing developmental franchise football opportunity, founded on America’s #1 developmental program. A lifeline to stranded developmental players, the APFL pays modest stipends and offers insurance, while developing players who seek NFL, CFL or AFL discovery.

The APFL ‘Builds Champions by Building Men’ through employment and leadership opportunities, challenging its players to ‘Be Paid, Be Insured, Be Discovered – and Be a Man.’

For more information on the APFL, visit www.aaapfl.com

–Brandon O’Neill, VP Program Development