Around the Grounds: Chicago Sweeps, EAFL Teams Split

DES MOINES 80/35 TOURNAMENT – WEST DES MOINES, IA
MEN: 1st Chicago Swans (4-0), 2nd Minnesota Freeze (3-1), 3rd Denver Bulldogs (2-2), 4th Des Moines Roosters (1-3), Wisconsin/Minnesota-B (0-4).
WOMEN: Minnesota Lady Freeze 6.15.51 def All-Comers 1.4.10

The Chicago Swans took home the chocolates from the annual tens tournament in Iowa, finishing off a four-for-four performance with a 28-point win over a combined Minnesota-B and Wisconsin Wombats outfit.  The Freeze “Blue” team came in second, their only loss to the Swans.  Denver and Des Moines fought gamely but came in third and fourth.  The Swans, including their opening win over Nashville to start the season, are now 5-0, their best start in recent memory.

The Lady Freeze, led by Freedom forward Cathy Hoha, turned aside a team made up of players from Chicago, Des Moines, Wisconsin, and North Star by forty-one points, to take home the women’s title.  They will most likely have a rematch next month when the teams reconvene in Nashville for the Central Regionals.

EAFL ROUND 2: PHILADELPHIA & NEW YORK AT NORTH CAROLINA – RALEIGH, NC
North Carolina Tigers 4.6.30 def by New York Magpies 5.8.38
Philadelphia Hawks 7.12.54 def New York Magpies 4.3.27
North Carolina Tigers 3.7.25 def Philadelphia Hawks 1.3.9
(game halted by lightning at halftime)

So far, the winner for the new EAFL competition has been the weather.  After rain washed out the first Round 1 in DC, stormy skies dominated Round 2 in Carolina.  The Magpies, on the strength of goals off of five different boots, turned aside the game Tigers in the opener.  They would fall to their foes from down the turnpike in the second game, as the Hawks shrugged off two early goals to defeat New York for just the second time in their twenty year history, and their first since 2011.  The Tigers would earn a split for the weekend with a weather-shortened, sixteen point win in the nightcap, as Thor and his friends ended the round early.

Below is the ladder for the EAFL competition at the end of two rounds.  Per the rules agreed to by the EAFL clubs, the three Round 1 matchups are listed as No Result (“NR”), and the teams split the four points allotted for each game.  Therefore, it’s Carolina on top of the table with eight points and two games left to play for them, then a four team log-jam at four points each.  Conference play resumes on July 14 in Baltimore, when the Dockers welcome in New York and Columbus.

NASHVILLE KANGAROOS v BALTIMORE DOCKERS – NASHVILLE, TN
Nashville 3.13.31 def by Baltimore 6.5.41

It took three tries, but the Dockers (1-2) finally notched their first USAFL win, taking advantage of wayward kicking by the Kangaroos (0-2) to triumph by ten points on the road.  Baltimore will host I-95 foes Philadelphia and DC Eagles this weekend, while Nashville heads to Cincinnati on the 23rd, still looking to break their maiden.

NEW ENGLAND AFL, ROUND 2 – BOSTON, MA
Boston Demons 22.23.155 def Maine Cats 7.9.51

For the second game in a row, the veteran Boston side (2-0) tamed their northern neighbors, but it was an improved effort by Maine (0-2) in just their second hit out.  The Demons men and women go to Montreal next weekend before heading to Regionals on the 23rd, then finish their three game series with the Catters on July 7.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AFL, ROUND 4 – LOS ANGELES, CA
Riverside Eagles 5.3.33 def by Orange County 22.12.144
South Bay Outlaws (LA) 16.9.105 def Beachside Sharks (LA) 7.7.49

Orange County’s 111-point win over Riverside brought them tied with idle San Diego at the top of the SCAFL ladder at 2-0.  The Outlaws kept pace with a 56-point victory over the Sharks, as they sit a half game behind the Bombers and Lions at 2-1.  (Report)

BRITISH COLUMBIA AFL, ROUND 4 – VANCOUVER, BC
WOMEN: Seattle Grizzlies 6.3.39 def Vancouver Vixens 1.2.8
MEN: Seattle Grizzlies 5.3.33 def Burnaby Eagles 15.10.100

Seattle’s women stayed undefeated with a convincing win over Vancouver, their fourth in a row.  Amanda Boe bagged another three majors to bring her total up to fifteen for the year.  The Grizzlies men were game opponents against the Eagles, but fell by 67 points to drop to 1-3 on the season.