Lost in Yonkers: Previewing the Eastern Regional

“In New York; Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, There's nothing you can't do / Now you're in New York; These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you.” – Jay-Z, Empire State of Mind.

New Yorkers will tell you that their city is the center of the universe.  With 9,000,000 people, a culture, language and life of its own, they’re probably right.  New York is proud, modern, bustling, unforgiving, and beneath all of its grit and noise and brusque beats a passionate heart.

New York is home to a football club that embodies all of these things and more.  And on two occasions, their club has been the center of the American footballing universe.  Since 2009, they have been the epicenter of the East Coast when it comes to footy, and it’s a mantle they have gripped onto tighter than Lady Liberty holds onto her flame.

This weekend it will provide a mecca for the clubs of the East Coast, as six teams come to Yonkers, home to harness racing, the closest White Castle to my house, and Tibbetts Brook Park.  It is in that last locale, a cozy green fuzz nestled in suburbia, that three champions will be crowned in part two of the USAFL Regional Championship Series.

2016 USAFL Eastern Regional Tournament
Tibbetts Brook Park, Yonkers, New York
Saturday, June 25th, 10am-5pm
Broadcast Coverage: Stateside Footy and USAFL YouTube (both on delay)

Match Schedule: (All times EDT)

10am Men's D2: Philadelphia vs Baltimore-Washington
11am Men's D1: New York vs Boston
12pm Women's 18-a-side: New York vs BOS/BWE/CLB/MTL
1pm Men's D2: North Carolina vs Philadelphia
2pm Men's D1: Columbus vs Boston
3pm Men's D2: North Carolina vs Baltimore
4pm Men's D1: New York vs Columbus
 


DIVISION 1: #1 New York Magpies, #9 Columbus Jackaroos, #13 Boston Demons

One undisputable fact of footy on the American East Coast is that, since the beginning of the decade, the New York Magpies have dominated the field.  Their losses against EAFL opposition have been minimal, and the team has done well to maintain their roster year after year.  New coach Sean Holmesby has his team on track after a wobbly season in 2015, and after a transition year are early Division 1 favorites.

Holmesby’s team will play their fourth straight weekend of footy, but will be happy to be doing so at home in Tibbetts Brook after heading to Baltimore, Raleigh, and Philadelphia in successive weeks and claiming victory over the respective home sides.  Matt Lovell, their veteran forward, kicked thirteen goals in the first two games of the string, and the Metropolitans will have services of Revo midfielder Mike Murphy and another veteran American workhorse, Mike “Jersey” Frietta.

The two clubs that will provide the opposition for New York on Saturday are not afraid of the Magpies, and they are both intriguing packages to this triumvirate.

Columbus comes to New York just two weeks after a gutsy showing in the Central Regionals in Indianapolis, one that belies their 0-3 record on the day.  After bowing humbly to Austin, they came within one point of toppling Dallas and played Denver very closely in the teams’ first ever meeting.  Chet Ridenour also got a deserved nod as Best on Ground, and continues to put in strong efforts for the team he helped found nearly a decade ago.

The Jacks can beat you a number of ways, and have a number of players who are strong at the club and national level.  Clyde Simpson is the talisman of the team, but the team around him that includes the angular Mark McClure, dashing Dan Hamilton and the fleet feet of Steven “Raimo” Raimo can poke holes in attacks.  Columbus will have its hands full with New York, but it their encounter should be a fun one to observe.

Rounding out the D1 field is the Boston Demons, who are back in action after going into Montreal and picking off the Quebec Saints on their terre neuf (sic).  The Dees are quite acquainted with both clubs they’ll face, as the Jacks are Nationals Division 2 familiars, and their battles with the Magpies go back to the birth of the league.

Boston has the high flying duo of Rusty and Rory Smith (just like Babs and Buster Bunny – no relation) as well as a band of veterans that stuck to the ball like glue.  Mike Sheppard, Ari Joniec, and PJ Devine are among the long time Demon players who are both tough an opportunistic on the counter, which may be the difference for a possible upset.

DIVISION 2: #19 Philadelphia Hawks, Baltmore/Washington Eagles, North Carolina Tigers.

Oddly enough, the three division two sparring partners that will meet in Yonkers are the three clubs that lost at home to New York during the month of June.  That said, all three games in this group will be full of intrigue, as all three teams are just about evenly matched.

Philadelphia coach Jon Loring will have mixed emotions about his team’s loss to New York last weekend.  On one hand, they stood up to the Magpies challenges on offense and kept them in check for a good chunk of the contest.  Negating all of that was the fact that they let up six goals in the second quarter, and connected on just three of eleven scoring shots.  That will need to change if they want their first hardware since 2002.

Most of the Hawks roster has been around a long, long time.  Loring, defender Pat Miller, and midfielder Jack Henderson have been around the club more than a decade, and all of them still have the licks to punish teams.  The key will be the forward line, as Jon Ginsburg, Tim Koen, and Jimmy “Father Time” Madigan will need to be accurate when they have the ball, and clear space for Ryan McGettigan and the speedsters to do their thing.

Just about 2-to-3 hours down I-95 are the Baltimore-Washington Eagles, a team that is slowly finding its feet – and a good team to build around it – in season 2016.  Former Collingwood player Danny Seow has molded the clay he’s been handed into a resurgent side, one that began this year with a 20-point road win at North Carolina before bowing by 96 points to New York on June 4th.

Former Revo and longtime Eagle stalwart Jay Levesque is a midfield danger, as is Gold Coaster Dean Vigus.  Tracy Williams is having a solid year in his own right, notching a goal earlier in the year and putting his rugby skills and crunching tackles to good use.  The side also features the youngest player in the USAFL, C.J. Adams, who is a graduate of the Eagles’ Saturday Morning Footy program, founded by his dad, Chris Adams.

The North Carolina Tigers round out the field, and they will come to Yonkers certainly looking for revenge on the Eagles, and trying to give the Hawks a taste of doom before hosting them in August.  The Tigers have always been a team of good skills and tremendous heart, and have settled into being a competitive Division 3 side that plays a good clean game of footy.

Like the Hawks, the Tigers have a plethora of vets on the team, including Nick Camilleri, Scott Bradley, Wes McAllister and Justin Plumley.  Peter Capozziello, who won Best and Fairest during the Tiges’ 2014 Division 4 Championship Run at Nationals, will be the key man for the Yellow and Black.

WOMEN’S DIVISION: New York Magpies vs Boston/Baltimore-Washington/Columbus/Montreal

This weekend is an important one for the Eastern women’s program.  In addition to the 18-a-side game and the smaller side round-robin matches, Sunday will see the USA Freedom women’s camp take place as National Team hopefuls make their statement to try and be on coach Leigh Barnes’ roster for next year’s International Cup in Melbourne.

The main competition will see the New York Magpies take on a team made of players from the Baltimore-Washington Lady Eagles, Boston Lady Demons, Columbus Jillaroos, and Montreal Angels.

New York’s season began with a disappointing 1-2 showing at the Montreal tournament, but the ‘Pies rebounded with a 41 point win over Baltimore-Washington on June 4th in Baltimore.  With a number of players from last year’s National runners-up team leaving, it looked to be a rebuilding year for coach Christina Licata’s team.  However, the Magpies’ recruiting efforts brought in a dozen new American players, all of whom have adapted to the game just about seamlessly and are clicking alongside their veteran counterparts.

Of the newcomers, Natalie Wolff is among the most impressive, as she has settled into the ruck role nicely and racked up a great number of hitouts in the early season to go with her booming kicks.  KJ Russell and Joanne Remillard have also been bright spots in the midfield, providing quickness and good connections moving forward.  The defense is a sturdy one, keystoned by defenders Taylor Davidson, Grace Kaplow, Ashley Singer and Drea Casillas.  Up front, Lauren Skonieczny, Janet Beyersdorf, and Renee Coff provide effective targets, and of course there’s the omnipotent Kim Hemenway always lurking to kick highlight reel goals and wreak havoc.

Normally, combined sides have trouble meshing because of unfamiliarity.  In this case, the teams are all pretty familiar with each other – how well that will translate on Saturday is anyone’s guess, but Boston, Baltimore-Washington, and Columbus have played together several times over the last couple of seasons.

Boston’s Amanda King will most likely face Wolff in the ruck, and she is improving steadily as her footy career goes on.  Another Lady demon, Alyssa Green, is one of the speediest players on the East Coast and will try and dodge the gauntlet on the wings.  Lady Eagle Emily Riehl returns after a stint with Melbourne University’s team, and has a wind that can literally cut through steel (or at least wind).  Columbus will bring a solid contingent with them too, including rising rookie Katrina Scherer, mindful midfielder Amy Bryniarski, and veteran fullback Stephanie McKitrick.  Montreal’s Valerie Moreau is scheduled to play as well, and all she did last year is win Best and Fairest in the 49th Parallel Cup for Canada and then again in Division 2 at last year’s Nationals.

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