Ups and Downs - Day 1 at the USAFL Nationals

Dublin, OH (Oct 11) -- A champion on the ropes.  An old Division II rivalry renewed.  A chance at redemption.  And a coronation of the greatest team of all time in the offing.

Those are the storylines following one full day of footy at the Darree Fields Park in Dublin, Ohio.  What started out as a blustery day full of dew on the ground ended up with Austin needing some help to make it back to the Div 1 Grand Final, Los Angeles with a chance at their third straight Div 2 Final, Columbus and Houston looking for another final spot, Philadelphia looking to make amends and back to a Grand Final for the first time in eight years, and the Denver Lady Bulldogs move towards their record fifth title.

Division I:

Pool A was supposed to be dominated by the 2013 premier Austin Crows.  Trouble is, no one told the Orange County Bombers.  After spending 39 minutes or so kicking the ball all over the place and not the big sticks, OC’s Seb Aguiari booted home a set shot from 35 meters out to give his team a 23-18 win over the mighty Denver Bulldogs.  The County would then take on the Crows, and with the ease of a school club, the Bomber would dust off the champs 54-24 to go to 2-0 on the weekend.  With Austin and Minnesota both 1-1, OC is into the Grand Final with a win over the Freeze, while a loss will make the whole thing come down to percentage.  Austin’s only hope is an OC loss and a big win over the Bulldogs.

On the other side of the hedge, Calgary and New York both took their opening games, defeating both the Dallas Magpies and Golden Gate Roos.  In a rematch of the scrubbed 2012 Final, the Gothamites took out a little bit of frustration on the Texans, with Glenn Ormsby’s side coming out with a 31-10 win.  The Kangas, meanwhile, allowed just 11 points in their two victories, setting up the virtual prelim final at 11am.  New York is looking to make it back to the Granny and repeat their 2010 victory, while Calgary is looking to get back for the third time in three years, and become the first Canadian team since 2008 to take home the Harrell Cup.

Women’s:

One may think that Denver’s ladies may be slipping.  They allowed a total of eight points in two games, showing that they were, in fact, human.  But wins over the Boston/Columbus/Minnesota combo and a squeaky win over the new-look Calgary Kookaburas have them at 2-0 after Saturday.  The best Women’s game of the weekend may very well have been that Dogs-Kookas match, with Denver getting two goals en route to a 12-8 victory, their 19th straight at Nationals.

In Pool B, It will be Terri Tupper, Marie Lavictoire and the Minnesota Freeze Blue squad taking on the West Coast conglomerate of San Francisco/Portland/Arizona, featuring Nicole Fasula and Jessica Estrada.  Minnesota had an easy morning win over New York/Toronto and another one over Sacramento in the nightcap, while the Westerners shut out both clubs to set up the big Sunday clash.

Division II:

The LA Dragons have made a lot of waves in Divvy 2 since coming into the league in 2011.  They appear to be headed to their third straight final in that division after knocking off Quebec and Baltimore/Washington.  The potent Dragon offense tallied 97 points and kicked fifteen majors to go to 2-0.  The Saints and Eagles are 1-1, and their only hope is an upset by 0-2 Nashville on Sunday morning and lot of help from the percent sign.

Pool B will feature the defending premier Columbus Jackaroos, and the upstart Houston Lonestars, playing in a virtual prelim on Sunday.  Both were winners over the Chicago Swans and Boston Demons, with the latter two clubs scoring just 25 points combined in defeat.  The Jacks are looking for their third straight Grand Final, after losing the Div 3 decider to Chicago and winning DII last year against LA.  Houston, meanwhile, is looking to stay in contention for their second straight flag after winning DIII in Austin.

Division III:

 The sun may shine bright on My Old Kentucky Home, but the Sactown Suns shone brightly on Saturday in Dublin.  Matt Bishop’s charges had an easy win over Ohio Valley, but had to hold on for dear life against a talented group of reserves from New York to get to 2-0.  They’ll face Des Moines tomorrow; the Roosters and River Rats sit at 1-1, and both can possibly sneak into Sunday’s final with big wins and, you guessed it, math.

The last time the Hawks won a Grand Final, they were the Crows, and George W Bush was president.  The last time they were in one, well, Bush was still in office and Twitter wasn’t a thing yet.  After convincing wins over Calgary’s B-side and a strong Portland Steelheads outfit, the only thing that stands between them and the Grand Final is a win over the Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids.  The Squids, ranked the top seed in the pool, fell to both the Kangas and Portland on Saturday.  If Alex Lyden dominates the rucks like he did in the opening matches, Jon Loring and company will be through.

Division IV:

The Tulsa Buffaloes will tangle with Denver B for Pool A honors, and the North Carolina Tigers are in the catbird seat for after 2-0 performances on Saturday.  Dustin Brasel and the Buffs turned back Minnesota/Seattle and the Houston Reserves, while Wes McAllister’s Tigs were victorious over Atlanta and the Milwaukee/Indy/Cleveland Combo.