Now the team must rebound against the Odessa Roughnecks (3-4) after getting a bitter taste of their own medicine.

The struggling San Angelo Stampede Express managed to score with just 4 seconds left last Saturday to give the Ruff Riders their second loss of the season 64-58. Katy heads to Odessa this week to cap off a three-game road trip and face another team that has visions of an upset.

The Roughnecks (3-4) finished the '06 season as the IFL champ after defeating the Corpus Christi Hammerheads 97-56 in a rematch of last season's Intense Bowl.

For Odessa general manager Tommy Benizio, that championship was highly cherished. Still, it elicited conflicting emotions due to his close relationship with Hammerheads GM/IFL President Chad Dittman. The men have forged a strong bond through the years and collaborated in 2003 on the birth of the Intense Football League. They are working diligently to avoid a fate similar to the one suffered after the 2005 season.

"This league is all part of Chad's tremendous vision and keen leadership abilities," Benizio said. "We have been more strategic in our approach after successfully rebounding in 2006 and are extremely confident in the capable leadership that is consistent from team to team in this league."

At 33, the New York native has a lengthy and diversified sports resumé. He has owned and managed professional hockey teams in Roanoke, Va.; Dayton, Ohio; Baton Rouge, La.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and El Paso. He even had a short stint as a professional hockey player in the East Coast Hockey League.

Benizio places his spirituality above everything else and truly believes that leading his Roughnecks franchise and running the IFL is a mission that was solely meant for him to do.

"I feel extremely blessed about all of the great things that have happened in my life, especially my association with the IFL." Benizio said. "Never once has a team in our league not been able to play a game, not pay a player or not complete a season in this league. These are things that I'm very proud of."

Benizio's team returns just three players from the '06 championship campaign but has a roster stacked with an abundance of talent.

The Roughnecks consider this season somewhat of a rebuilding year and entering Saturday's game with a 3-4 mark. However, they did lose two very close games to IFL power Corpus Christi and possess great size and speed on both sides of the ball. The team boasts eight players tipping the scales at 300 pounds or more, most in the IFL.

Former AFL QB Walter Washington, has taken the helm behind center but has been pedestrian at best, completing 54 percent of his passes while throwing for over 1,200 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was replaced briefly in last week's loss at Frisco by backup Maurice Avery.

The offense is centered around one of the IFL's most prolific receivers in Torrey Day. The Alabama A&M product has caught 50 passes and scored 18 touchdowns on the season.

Other notables are Courtney Abbott and Ahmad Childress, who both average 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds and play both ways on the offensive and defensive lines.

The Roughnecks were beaten soundly last week in Frisco (68-47) and enter this week's game badly needing a win if they expect to make a run at the playoffs.

"Both teams will have a lot riding on this game and we expect nothing less than an excellent effort from coach Hollas and his fine staff," Benizio said. "It has been very impressive how they have constructed such a fine program in such a short time. Katy has generated quite a buzz around the league this season."

The Ruff Riders' next home game is Saturday June 16 against the 8-0 Louisiana Swashbucklers.