Hello Wisconsin! - Pregaming the Central Regional Tournanment

Middle America has been the hotbed of Australian Football in this country since the very beginning.  Its teams and players, much like the land itself, have grown and expanded over the years, with new clubs sprouting up and older ones continuing to thrive.

And though a few of those clubs from the yonder days of USAFL days footy past have faded into the horizon, the Central Region of the league is still very strong, and continue to boast skillful teams, excellent players, and the next generation of football pioneers.

So it goes that these teams and players gather in Racine, Wisconsin – a thin slice of heaven on the western shore of Lake Michigan – for the final installment of the 2015 USAFL Regionals Series.

The SCORe complex will play host to twelve men’s teams, divided into two divisions, and a three team womens’ pool, this Saturday for the Central Regional Tournament.  While the #1 team took part in the Western Regionals two weeks ago, this carnival will feature teams two, three, and four, who look to ascend to the role of favorites ahead of Nationals. 

There are also several teams sitting on the Division 1 “bubble” for the October classic, and several clubs trying to assert themselves as the next wave of top teams.  Three of the fastest growing womens’ sides in the country will also take to the park, among them a large representation of the players who will take on Canada in the Parallel Cup at the end of the month.

The men’s divisions will each feature two pools of three teams.  The top team in each pool will advance to the Grand Final in their division.  The women’s match will feature Minnesota taking on a combined side from New York and Columbus in a full 4x20 match.

Joining the gaggle of teams from the Midwest are an eastern invader, one whose clubs are looking for a bit of redemption in their own rights, and put a very important feather in their caps at this crucial juncture of the season.

DIVISION ONE

The Minnesota Freeze and Houston Lonestars come into this weekend with a lot to gain from winning this group.  The Freeze are still recovering from an upset loss to Chicago at the end of May, while the ‘Stars have put up strong efforts against local foes Dallas and Austin.

After a season that saw them surprise many observers with their play in D1 at last year’s Nationals, Minnesota is now trying to stay to keep their incumbent spot in the top tier, and welcome the challenge that awaits them in Racine.  Led by two experienced Revo members, Brent Fischer and Andrew Werner, the Freeze are expecting the gauntlet to be thrown.

“[We] are very excited about the opportunity to play teams from across the country in a format that mimics and will prepare us well for Nationals,” Fischer said.  “We expect lots of tough, skillful footy from some of the best clubs in the nation. It's not very often that the Freeze are able to play top, Division I level competition in the regular season. We hope to seize the opportunity and have a good showing in the tournament.”

Perham Dixon and the Houston Lonestars, meanwhile, have been playing increasingly strong football and have turned heads in Texas, showing they can handle Division 1 play and dish out some good performances, even in defeat.  They went 0-2 in the Texas Cup two weeks ago, but came up just two points short of knocking off Austin.

“'After starting the season in promising fashion, the Houston Lonestars are looking to really test themselves at the Central Tournament," said president Dave Bryant.  "Despite missing several high quality players, the team containing multiple new faces will continue building on the style of footy that has helped the team be very competitive against the strong Texas competition so far this year.  This tournament is a stepping stone towards a strong push towards a successful campaign at this year’s Nationals in Austin”

Rounding out Group A is the only non-regional team in the competition, the New York Magpies.   In the intervening months since hoisting the John Harrell Cup as National Champions in Ohio, the Magpies have flown closer to the ground than the clouds.  Their coach, Glenn Orsmby, stepped down, and the club experienced a bit of turnover in the off season that depleted some of their core group; only three players from the premiership side will play in Racine.  Since losing to Ft. Lauderdale in the Eastern Regionals, the Pies have won two in a row, narrowly defeating Dallas at home and getting a healthy win over Boston.

Despite the changes to his team’s lineup, forward Jordan McIntyre is optimistic about the weekend in Racine.  “It’s a new and exciting group that are looking forward to playing against some of the USAFL’s top teams,” he said.  “Our season is starting to gain some momentum after a large player turnover in the off season, and looking to this tournament as a great measuring stick of where we’re at.”

Over in Pool B, a pool rematch from Dublin last year sees Austin and Denver together with D2 Chicago.  The Crows are 5-0 to open the year, and had to fight hard to take both games of the Texas Cup at home a fortnight ago.  Led by American Christian Merritt, Austin is being tipped by a few of the league experts as their pick to win it all when the host Nationals.  They won’t be at full strength, but coach Simon Boyce likes his squad’s chances.

“We are traveling with good numbers despite missing a few key players,” Boyce said.  “[We’ve] been working hard on the track and are keen to test ourselves against some of the best teams in the country and find out where we are at.”

Denver, who beat Austin 35-9 in Ohio during pool play at Nationals, will see the Crows twice this year, the other meeting coming in August at home.  Americans Andy Vanica and Peter Taylor lead the Doggies’ charge, an athletic team who is also looking to stay unbeaten when this weekend is over.

The outsider of the group are the Chicago Swans.  Division III champions in 2012, the Swannies have played well over the last two regular seasons only to stumble at Nationals.  Once again, Chicago is playing very good ball this year, a trend they look to keep up through their games in Austin at Nats.  Captain and Revo player Jason Wilhelm is expecting a different style of play from the Dogs and Crows, one he hopes the Bloods will match up well against.

"The Swannies are ready to bring a strong side to the Central Tournament this upcoming weekend. After a convincing win against the Freeze and tough loss against the MMA style of footy Nashville notoriously brings, we are ready to face two highly respected, quality football clubs."

DIVISION TWO

Entering the tournament as the #7 team in the country, the Dallas Magpies have been affixed firmly to the Division I bubble since the season started.  They’re sliding off of it slowly, and on the right side, or so it seems.  A big win over Tulsa to start the season, then that four-point loss in New York marked that the team can still play at a high quality.  The ‘Pies will be confident after earning a split in Austin, and Brenn Miller, Jack O’Dell and the rest of the black-and-white are on the right track to take a couple of wins away from the weekend.

“[We’ve] had a good first half of the season and want to keep building on that momentum,” said O’Dell. “Excited to end the first half of our season with big tournament against a really strong field. “

Their opponents in Pool A will be the Ohio Valley River Rats and Des Moines Roosters.  The Roosters are hanging onto that #20 spot in the Top 20 poll with their large talons, and they have fought hard to do so.  Despite their 1-3 record on the season, they too have played good footy, and put quite a scare into Denver when they hosted the Central 10s tournament in May.  National teamers Ben Judge and Hamilton May will look to have good days out ahead of the Parallel Cup.

Combining the forces of the Louisville Kings and Cincinnati Dockers, Ohio Valley scored an early season win against Nashville in the John Harrell Cup, and picked up their second win over Indianapolis two weeks ago.  Eric “Sleepy” Floyd and Kyle Strenski headman a team that teams will not want to face down the stretch.

Group B is led off by the Columbus Jackaroos, last year’s Division II Finalists and 2013’s premiers at that level.  The Jacks are 4-1, their only blemish a home loss to Nashville in May.  A largely American outfit, Columbus has four players representing the US in Fort Lauderdale on August 1st: Clyde Simpson, Mark McClure, Rob Adams, and Dan Hamilton.

“Making the past three finals in Division 2 and 3 [at Nationals], the Jackaroos are looking to get back to the top,” said captain Hamilton.  “They are made up of a few key veterans from those past years but also have many first year players with tons of potential. Led by Coach Clyde Simpson they are looking forward to the experience and opportunity to compete against all the top clubs that will be in Racine this weekend.”

Columbus’s toughest challenge in group play will come from the Tulsa Buffaloes, much like their mascot, have charged hard into the league during their first years, and are rapidly growing into a club with tremendous depth.  Like the Jackaroos, Tulsa boasts a mostly American roster, and three of their ranks will take part in the 49PC: Stephen Rasbold, Andrew Sneed, and Andrew Rose.  They have one win in five games, a home victory over Kansas City, but good games against Denver’s A and B side in the thin air of the Rockies have made the club optimistic.

“First off we are excited to play some new teams, we can all get in the rut of playing the same 4 or 5 teams all year,” said Tulsa’s Shane Hood.  “This tournament is about getting our bearings. We are going to get a good reading on where we are as a team and what we need to focus on between now and nationals. We have a lot of new guys this year, people in new positions and an increased awareness of the game and look forward to rolling out an 18 side team that is extremely competitive within our division. As always we are looking to compete, bond and have fun.”

Lastly, the Indianapolis Giants will combine with the Bombers from nearby Milwaukee to complete the field.  Both will most likely be Divvy 4 sides come October, and Indy will be travelling lighter than normal on this trip.  All of that said, this will be a tough group to go up against, led by Shane Branscom, the first member of the Giants to ever be named to a US National Team squad.

WOMENS GAME:

The Minnesota Lady Freeze, New York Magpies, and Columbus Jillaroos have each experienced a surge in player numbers in the last several seasons, and it’s slowly continuing to bear fruit for all three teams.  On Saturday, the Jills and Lady Magpies will join forces go up against the Lady Freeze in a four quarter match.

Sporting enough players to fill one and a half teams at Nationals over the past three seasons, Minnesota has the largest women’s program in the nation.  Their first hitout of the year was two “lightning matches” against Columbus.  The series, held in Chicago, was split, but the Jill’s lineup on that day in May was augmented with help from the Freeze.

Though their growth has yet to produce any hardware on the Nationals stage, a chance to take home the regional crown will be a sterling one for Dale Williams’s charges.  Nine women in all will represent the Freedom and Liberty in the Parallel Cup, including Catherine Georgiadis, Catherine Hoha, Lauren Shelton, and Brianne Thiessen.  Playing a very balanced style of footy, the Freeze are counting on their experience to help them to the win.

Experience is something that will be somewhat lacking on the opposite side of the line, but there is talent on the combined team, and bit of a fire in the belly.  The Jillaroos are still coming together nicely, with most of their side having picked up the game a season ago.  Still, Ariel Balske, Amy Bryniarski, and veteran Stephanie McKitrick will be part of a cohesive contingent coming to Racine.

That contingent come together with a Magpies team that is off to a bit of a dream start to their 2015 campaign.  They opened the season by winning the AFL Quebec women’s tournament, turning back three very strong Canadian clubs in the process, and are coming off a triple-digit thrashing of the Boston Lady Demons in Boston two weeks ago.  Six National teamers will come from this team, led by defender Drea Casillas, athletic Kim Hemenway, and the elusive Heather Serpico.  Australians Renee Coff and Julie Lee add to the experienced of the team.

The combined side will be in good hands with coach Christina Licata.  “The Pies are thrilled to play Minnesota outside of Nationals this year at the Central Region Tournament,” she said.  “Combining with Columbus and a lone player from Tulsa for the hit out, the challenge for our mostly veteran side will be to bring the team cohesion we've showed all season to the field with a combined side.

“It's all about growing the game, and the Central Region Tournament is a great place to do it!”

The teams will also play in a 2x20 minute mixed squad game later in the day.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE (Subject to change)
All times CDT (1 hr behind New York, 15 hrs behind Melbourne)

The Central Regionals are being held with the assistance of Real Racine, the city’s visitor’s bureau.  Real Racine will be hosting the after party and awards ceremony starting at 7:30pm at Route 20 Outhouse, 14001 Washington Avenue, Sturtevant, WI, 53177.

I'll be in Racine, just as I was in Sacramento, so if you're going I'll see you there.  If not, follow along here, on facebook.com/usafl, and our Twitter site: @USAFL1997.