Obic Seagulls head coach Naoki Kosho had never experienced a game in which his team got eight turnovers. It happened in a favorable moment when the X League's knockout round started on Saturday. The Seagulls scored 20 points off five first-half turnovers and their defense ...
X League QB Gardner confident on field, comfortable living in Japan
For a man from the Mitten State, practicing in hot, sticky humid weather in the middle of August in central Japan might be a little daunting. Nonetheless, former University of Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner is in high spirits as he prepares for his second year ...
BigBlue, Seagulls advance to Pearl Bowl final
IBM quarterback Yuki Masamoto outperformed former Michigan passer Devin Gardner to lead the BigBlue to a 27-19 victory over the Nojima Sagamihara Rise on Sunday at Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki in the semifinals of the Pearl Bowl Tournament. The defending champion BigBlue will take on the ...
Conference attempts to address key problems in Japanese football
Many individuals in Japanese football circles have long known there are key issues that need to be addressed, but didn't have a place where they could have open dialogue about the problems. They have one now. Last Saturday, the first-ever "football conference" was held, bringing together ...
Ex-Wolverines Gardner, Gallon give Michigan football fans enjoyment in Japan
It's become a trend in recent years for X League clubs to acquire American players, including many who played for prominent U.S. college programs. This influx of talent helps give the football-stadium crowds here a little more international flavor. Recently, the Nojima Sagamihara Rise signed ...
Gardner shines in debut but fails to lead Rise to win
Devin Gardner's X League debut turned out to be a bittersweet experience. The former Michigan quarterback threw a touchdown pass to Jeremy Gallon, another ex-Wolverine, and scored another, but failed to lead his Nojima Sagamihara Rise to a victory over the Obic Seagulls, who came ...
Anderson having instant impact for Rise in X League
Young quarterback Benjamin Anderson tried to make it to the NFL as a free agent this past spring, but it just didn't work out. A few months later, he is under center taking snaps in the cozy city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. Anderson, a 23-year-old ...
Seagulls stage comeback, defeat Rise in Pearl Bowl Tournament semifinals
Shun Sugawara hit Ryoma Hagiyama with two touchdown passes as the Obic Seagulls came from behind to beat the Nojima Sagamihara Rise 21-10 in the Pearl Bowl Tournament semifinals on Saturday at Kawasaki Fujimi Stadium. The Seagulls advanced to the Pearl Bowl Final for the ...
Dominant Miyako leads Rise past Lions
Nojima and Japan running back Takashi Miyako rushed for 166 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Nojima Sagamihara Rise to a 62-21 victory over the All Mitsubishi Lions in the Pearl Bowl Tournament at Kawasaki Stadium on Sunday. The Rise finished the preliminary round ...
Hawaiian XLeague player Alo finds much that's familiar in his adopted land
For most people around the world, football means just what the word suggests: a sport played primarily with the feet in which the ball is rarely touched with the hands. But there is, of course, another version of football — actually derived from rugby — ...
Frontiers down Rise in X League regular-season finale
Yusuke Shinshi rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Fujitsu Frontiers to a 45-24 victory over the Nojima Sagamihara Rise on Sunday at Yokohama Stadium as the X League's regular season concluded. The Frontiers stayed undefeated with a 7-0 record while the ...
Seagulls beat Rise to maintain perfect record
Takuto Hara rushed for 10 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:51 remaining in the third quarter as the Obic Seagulls defeated the Nojima Sagamihara Rise 12-3 at Yokohama Stadium in the X League Central Division showdown on Sunday. Both teams entered the game with ...
