It was supposed to be the toughest test so far this season for the Riverview Molson Mustangs.

What was expected to be a hard-fought battle didn't even amount to a minor skirmish. They dominated in every aspect of the game en route to a surprisingly easy 41-0 victory over the Halifax Shockers in Maritime Football League action yesterday at Dobson Field.

Good thing the league has a rule that calls for the fourth quarter to automatically be played in straight time when there's a 30-point spread. That's the only thing that prevented this game from being an even more embarrassing blowout.

``We didn't expect it to be that lopsided against them,'' said Riverview slotback A.J. Gallant. ``I don't know if they didn't bring their `A' game. We try to make it a habit to bring our `A' game every time out.

``We actually want some team to take a big shot at us. Halifax was jacked up to stop the run, but when they bring everybody in the box that opens up possibilities for our passing game and you saw what happened today. We've got speed across the board and we made a lot of big plays both through the air and along the ground.''

There's no question that Riverview, 5-0, and the Saint John Wanderers, 4-0, are in a class by themselves atop the MFL. Halifax, 3-2, and the Saint John Longhorns, 3-1, are tied for third place.

Upon completion of the eight-game regular season, the top four clubs will advance to the upper bracket in the playoffs and compete for the Maritime Bowl. The next four finishers will make the playoffs and battle for a consolation championship trophy.

The Moncton Doc Dylan's Marshals, 0-5, and UNBSJ Wolves of Saint John, 0-4, are at the bottom of the nine-team league looking for the eighth and final playoff berth. Moncton will host the Dartmouth Knights on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

Riverview has a bye in the schedule next weekend.

Riverview has outscored opponents 218-14 in five games and that includes a mind-boggling 138-0 in the past three outings. Yesterday's game was close for one quarter and a half, but then the Mustangs turned it on and made life miserable for their Nova Scotia visitors.

Riverview running back Steve Cormier had 114 yards rushing on 11 carries and he scored two touchdowns. Gallant had 93 yards rushing and 154 yards receiving before taking over as quarterback in the second half.

Starting quarterback Paul Guimond hooked up with Gallant on a 74-yard passing play early in the second quarter to bring the ball to the one-yard line. Cormier ran it into the endzone from there to make it 7-0.

Francis Best had a one-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter to make it 14-0. Guimond's 79-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Boucher in the dying seconds of the first half made it 21-0 entering the intermission.

``In the first quarter, it was more a case of us playing bad than anything they were doing,'' said Gallant. ``We just weren't into it early. But once we got things rolling things went downhill pretty quick for them.''

Riverview upped the count to 27-0 early in the third quarter on Cormier's three-yard touchdown run. The two-point convert was missed.

Gallant hit Josh Dickenson with a 73-yard touchdown pass to make it 34-0 after the third quarter. Justin Savoie completed the assault with a three-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

``Of course, we expected it to be a little closer,'' said Cormier. ``Halifax came out and they were hitting hard and it was a close game for quite awhile. We didn't go ahead 14-0 until midway through the second quarter.

``Everybody knows that we have a strong team. We just wanted to show that even against the tougher teams in the league we're still able to put up points and our defence obviously played another great game. Halifax is a tough offence to shut down, but our defence did the job.''

Riverview is the top offensive team in the league, scoring an average of 43.6 points per game. It's also the best defensive club, allowing just 14 points against in five games.

``We've been playing strong defensively all season,'' said Riverview defensive back Matt Kenny, whose club has posted three consecutive shutouts. ``Halifax is a strong team, but we came out and proved again today that our defence is not to be messed with.

``We had a good defence last year and we're even better this year. We've got great coverage and everybody's just flying around the ball. We bent a couple of times today, but we didn't break when Halifax was on our half of the field.''

The Capital Area DQ Gladiators improved their Maritime Football League record to 2-3 with a 17-14 win over the Moncton Marshals on Saturday at Oromocto High School's MacKenzie Field.

The Marshals opted for a short kick off into a stiff wind to start the game and caught the Glads by surprise recovering the ball on Capital Area's 45-yard line. From there Moncton QB Craig Fougere went to work and directed a five minute drive that lead to a 15 yard touchdown run by Randy LeBlanc. Scott LeBlanc added the convert and Moncton was up 7-0.

Once more the Marshals tried the short kick into the swirling wind and once more they recovered the ball. However two plays later Glads DB Bobby McIntyre picked off a Fougere pass to finally give Capital Area an offensive possession almost eight minutes into the first quarter.

The Gladiators offence answered the call by putting together a 75 yard drive mostly on the tough running of Derek Madsen who finished things off with a five yard touchdown run. Jory Smith added the convert to knot the score at seven at the end of one quarter.

The teams traded possessions in the second quarter to go into the half tied at seven.

In the third quarter, Capital Area broke the game open. A long drive stalled deep in Moncton territory and the Gladiators had to settle for a 15 yard Smith field goal. Later in the quarter Capital Area QB Shane Long found Andrew Hubbard in behind the Marshals secondary for a 60 yard TD pass. Smith added the convert to make it 17-7 after three quarters.

In the fourth, starting on the Gladiator 45 after a shanked punt, Moncton finally mounted a drive. Fougere found Shawn Wallace for 15 yard TD pass with less than two minutes remaining. LeBlanc added the convert to make it 17-14.

Moncton tried the short kick off again but this time Glads linebacker Martin Rioux recovered it. The Glads were able to put together a couple of first downs and run out the clock and preserve the win.

The Marshals drop to 0-5 with the loss. The Gladiators will try to climb to the .500 level when they take on the UNBSJ Wolves Sunday at the Canada Games Stadium in Saint John. Next home game is July 22 against Saint John Longhorns. The Capital Area Curves Lady Gladiators, sitting 2-1, had the bye weekend in the Maritime Senior Women's League. They host Moncton Vipers Sunday at MacKenzie Field.

Dan Fougere is growing frustrated.

The first-year head coach and general manager of the Moncton Doc Dylan's Marshals held nothing back after his club's 17-14 loss to the Capital Area Gladiators in Maritime Football League action on Saturday in Fredericton.

``We only had 20 guys out to practice last week,'' he said. ``We introduced some new plays, but it's tough to have everybody learn the system and get on the same page when only half the team is showing up for practice.

``The guys have to decide whether they want to make a commitment to play for this team. If they don't want to show up for practice, we need to decide whether to keep the Moncton Marshals program going next year. We need to sit down and re-evaluate things after this season.''

The Marshals have a 37-man roster, but only 23 players showed up for Saturday's game. That meant several players suiting up both on offence and defence which had a draining effect in the heat as the contest wore on.

``The bottom line is guys need to decide whether they want to play,'' said Fougere. ``If there's a Marshals team next year, player attitudes will have to change. We can't operate having only 20 guys come out to practice.

``The most disappointing thing for me is I thought we had a commitment from the players going into the season. I'm disappointed in guys not showing up and not even calling ahead to tell us they won't be there. Myself and the rest of the coaching staff, we have better things to do than spend our time working for this team if the players aren't committed.''

Moncton, 0-5, and the UNBSJ Wolves of Saint John, 0-4, are at the bottom of the nine-team league. The top eight clubs make the playoffs upon completion of the eight-game regular season.

Moncton will return to action when it hosts the Dartmouth Knights on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

``Everybody dreams about being like the Riverview Mustangs and Saint John Wanderers, but it takes a lot of commitment and work from everybody to reach that level,'' said Fougere. ``The Mustangs and Wanderers didn't reach that level by having only 20 guys show up for practice.

``We have three games left and we're still hoping to get things turned around. I think if we can get a win that will help rejuvenate our enthusiasm. We're still looking to make the playoffs and once you do that you never know what can happen.''

In other weekend action, the Saint John Longhorns defeated the Prince Edward Island Privateers 29-22 and the Saint John Wanderers downed the UNBSJ Wolves 44-0.

Riverview and the Wanderers, both 4-0, sit atop the league. The Longhorns and Halifax Shockers, both 3-1, are next. The top four clubs advance to the upper bracket in the playoffs and compete for the Maritime Bowl.

The fifth- through eighth-place finishers advance to the playoffs and battle for a consolation championship trophy.

Riverview hosts Halifax today at 4 p.m. at Dobson Field. The Mustangs have outscored opponents 177-14 in four games and they've posted shutouts in their past two outings.

There's no admission fee, but donations will be collected with all proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society. Riverview head coach Woody Hayes is battling cancer.

In an all-Port City battle, it was the Saint John Wanderers over the University of New Brunswick at Saint John Wolves 43-0 in Maritime Football League action on Sunday.

Running back Jon Haines led the way for the Wanderers with three touchdown runs, each one more impressive than the last. His first two came on runs of 19 and two yards, but his third was the longest. Haines took a handoff from quarterback Dave Grandy and ran 70-yards for the score.

Grandy was in on two touchdowns himself. He ran the ball in from one-yard out for the Wanderers first score of the game and then hooked up with wide receiver Tommy Gallagher on a two-yard pass for another.

John Roscoe had the Wanderers other touchdown on a 40-yard punt return. With the win the Wanderers improve to 4-0 while the Wolves fall to 0-4.

On Saturday, the Saint John Longhorns downed the Prince Edward Island Privateers 29-22 in PEI. Gary Brown and Peter Shea had a pair of TD's each in the win. The win pushes the Longhorns to 3-1 and the Privateers are 2-2.

Other action saw the Capital Area Gladiators drop the Moncton Marshals 17-14.

The Wanderers and Longhorns will meet in Friday at Simonds field for a 7 p.m. start.

The Saint John Wanderers are rolling once again in the Maritime Football League.

Now, there is another carrot dangling in front of the potent championship lineup.

Earlier this month, officials with the MFL and a senior football loop in Quebec confirmed details for the inaugural Eastern Canadian Bowl between the league's respective champions in Quebec City on Aug. 18.

And given the Wanderers current three-season, 21-game winning streak, they have to rank as a favourite to represent the league in that contest.

"We are shooting for Quebec," said Wanderers head coach Mark Gallagher, whose squad has won each game by an average of 21 points during the run of excellence.

"That is the way our players have embraced the whole thing. They want to go and they are willing to lay it out on the line to do that."

To accomplish that goal, Saint John will have to win the New Brunswick Football Conference and Maritime titles, something they've done the past two seasons.

The Quebec league consists of six teams that started their season in late May and will continue through July until mid August, when it crowns its 2007 champion.

The Wanderers have been active in trying to advance their calendar in the past. They have looked at bringing teams from Quebec and Maine to the city for exhibition contests but a variety of factors, including finances and travel, curtailed those discussions.

The Eastern Canadian Bowl concept first arose during the off-season but died off somewhat as both leagues focused their organizational efforts on getting off the ground for the 2007 campaign. However, two weeks ago a deal was reached, with the New Brunswick champions making the trek to Quebec City for the first game.

"To me it is a huge deal. It is good for the league and it is great for the guys," said Gallagher. "It will help drag some more people into the league and some other football players.''

More importantly, it will help enhance the credibility of the Maritime league, he feels.

"There are a lot of people who feel we have a beer drinking league but if you come to a game, talk to the players and officials, this is far from a beer drinking league," he explained.

The Wanderers, 3-0, are back in action Sunday when they meet the University of Saint John Wolves at 4 p.m. at Canada Games Stadium.

Saint John blanked Moncton 42-0, downed the Capital Area Gladiators 35-6 and moved to 3-0 with a 47-13 decision over Halifax last weekend.

The Wolves fell 22-6 to the Prince Edward Island Privateers, 28-0 to the Saint John Longhorns and 22-13 to Dartmouth.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns (2-1) are in Charlottetown today for a date with the Privateers (2-1) while the Gladiators (1-3) entertain Moncton (0-4).

The Longhorns and Wanderers will meet July 6 in a key date in Saint John but both teams have to take care of business this weekend.

The Longhorns opened with a loss to Halifax, rebounded with a victory over UNBSJ and then held off Dartmouth 28-27 in their last game June 16.

Monday, Halifax (3-1) travels to Riverview for a key matchup with the league-leading Mustangs (4-0) at Dobson Field at 4 p.m.

All the proceeds from that game will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society on behalf of Riverview head coach Woody Hayes, who was diagnosed with and is currently battling cancer.

The Moncton Doc Dylan's Marshals have nowhere to go but up.

They're sitting in the Maritime Football League basement and looking for signs of daylight. That's the scenario entering their road game against the Capital Area Gladiators of Fredericton today.

``It's been a tough first half of the schedule, but the back half may be a little bit easier,'' said Moncton head coach Dan Fougere. ``None of the games are going to be easy, but we think that we can be more competitive over the remainder of the regular season.''

Moncton, 0-4, and the UNBSJ Wolves of Saint John, 0-3, are at the bottom of the nine-team league and the top eight finishers qualify for the playoffs. All clubs play an eight-game schedule in the regular season.

The top four clubs in the league will advance to an upper bracket in the playoffs and compete for the Maritime Bowl. The next four finishers will battle for a consolation championship trophy in the playoffs.

Moncton has scored just 27 points and allowed 160 points against in four games. The club has been blanked in two of the past three games and it's coming off a 51-0 loss to the Riverview Molson Mustangs.

``We've got to regroup and find a way to start moving the ball,'' said Fougere. ``Our offence has really struggled and on the defensive side I find the second effort doesn't seem to be there sometimes. We have letdowns on some plays that really hurt us.

``We've just got to go back to the drawing board to try to figure things out. Most teams in this league have been together for four years. We're starting brand new because we have so many young guys who are new to the league. We obviously have to re-adjust our goals and now we're focused on finishing somewhere between fifth and eighth place.''

Riverview sits atop the league at 4-0, followed by the Saint John Wanderers at 3-0 and Halifax Shockers at 3-1. The Saint John Longhorns and

Prince Edward Island Privateers, both 2-1, are tied for the fourth and final spot in the upper bracket for playoffs.

Riverview will host Halifax on Monday at 4 p.m. at Dobson Field to close out the Canada Day long weekend. There's no admission charge, but donations will be taken with all proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Mustangs head coach Woody Hayes is battling cancer. The club will also be donating the 50-50 draw at the game to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Riverview has outscored opponents 177-14 in four games and it has posted shutouts in the past two outings. The club's closest game was a 31-7 victory over the Dartmouth Knights.

``We're playing some tougher teams in the next few weeks,'' said Mustangs defensive lineman Dwayne Ells, whose club outscored opponents 97-0 in the past two games. ``We're looking forward to some tougher competition.

``Halifax has a good team and we think we have a good team. Monday will be our toughest game so far this season and we're looking forward to it.''

GUNNING FOR TWO STRAIGHT: Jory Smith and Bobby McIntyre of the Capital Area DQ Gladiators combine to take down Wade White of the Dartmouth Knights during action in the Maritime Football League last weekend. Gladiators won the game 24-22 and will be looking for their second straight victory when they host winless Moncton Marshals Saturday in Oromocto.