2024 Regionals Recap, All Regionals Team

The summer of 2024 is proving to be hotter than in years’ past.

Not just in temperature, though it’s certainly beginning to feel that way in places across the country, something something global warming something something.

But this year’s regional tournament series seemed to have a little bit of something extra to it.  On one hand, you had teams looking to prove themselves on a bigger stage for the first time in the season.  Not only were sides on the cusp of titles looking to make a breakthrough, but up and coming clubs wanted that first taste of glory either ever, or in some time.

Individually, however, there were also players who were, perhaps, trying to play themselves into a spot on Team USA, which will take on five other countries in the upcoming TransAtlantic Cup.  And though Revos coach Kyle Strenski and Freedom coach Andrew Donlen both had their players in mind for who would be on the plane to Toronto, Regionals was one last audition in very competitive circumstances.

For the second year running, the East and Central Regions would meet “in the middle,” returning USAFL tournament play to Dublin, Ohio, for the first time in a decade.  Darree Fields was the site of the 2014 Nationals, and how different the league landscape seemed then.  Austin and Denver were also-rans on the men’s side that year, and there were just eight total women’s teams with the then Lady Bulldogs in the midst of their six-title romp.

Austin, coming into this event as eight-time National champions but runners up a season ago, gave little to no quarter in their three games in Men’s Division 1. There would be no last-siren heroics stealing it away this time around.   It wasn’t a romp by any stretch of the imagination, but solid victories over Minnesota, Baltimore, and Denver returned them to the top of regionals for the sixth time in eight seasons, and Nolan Cox took home yet another individual honor.

The Super Regionals got its first repeat champion.  The DC Eagles, winners alongside Nashville in a combo last year in Kansas, took out Men’s D2 with three members of the North Carolina Tigers in tow.  DC trounced Houston in the Grand Final in 2023, here the Lonestars had more gas in the tank and fell by 13-points, their only loss of the day to finish second, ahead of Columbus and Des Moines.

Division 3 was a tale of split squads, as eight clubs joined forces to make four entries in what was seemingly a wide open field.  Nashville had its own chance for a repeat after they combined with Cleveland to start the day 2-0, while Chicago and Virginia also were straightforward winners in their morning matches.  Both teams accounted for St Louis/Cincinnati and Oklahoma/Kansas City.  It was a sizzling final, one that saw the Swans and Lions get up by 11 points for their first regional victory apiece.

Women’s football has grown exponentially since we were last in Dublin.  Minnesota, which was then on the cusp of the top tier back then, was here in 2024 after falling in the last two National Grand Finals.  Against D.C. and a combined Austin/Denver/North Texas conglomerate, the Freeze stretched their legs after a winter of hard work, and with help from athletes from Houston, Columbus, and Seattle, triumphed in both games for their fifth regionals title.

The Freeze weren’t done by any stretch of the imagination, however.  After winning the 2023 Super Regionals, we had to wait three more months for their rematch with the Golden Gate Iron Maidens.  There was no such interlude here, as the Freeze made their way to Farmington, Utah as part of ten teams to inaugurate carnival Aussie Rules in the Beehive State.

Teams not only had to negotiate the 4,200 foot elevation of the Western Sports Park, but had to play three games on a 95 degree day.  But, as they say, it was a dry heat; low humidity kept the warmth somewhat manageable, but it was still a factor.

Sure enough, the Freeze and Iron Maidens would meet to determine the Women’s champion and, perhaps, a mini-preview of Nationals.  The Freeze got competitive efforts from both Seattle and Sacramento/Portland/Denver in their two games, but held both to single digits in their two wins.  Golden Gate/Orange County, meanwhile, needed goals in the dying minutes to secure victories in their two encounters, and the Freeze, showing that their conditioning in the off-season had paid off, came home 18-4 winners in the finale to do an unprecedented Regionals Double.  

The victory had hometown roots too, as the Wasatch WarGulls’ Jessica Rojas kicked the Freezes’ opening goal over the Maidens, in what turned out to be the winning score, and team president and former Minnesota player Lizzy Sawyer was a rock in the backline for the champions.

History was made for the WarGulls men at home, as they played their first ever home games.  They teamed up with Portland and though they ended up sixth out of the six teams on the men’s side, they put in a supreme effort in all three of their matches and helped boost the future of the sport in Utah.

At the top of it all however were two familiar foes, both to the winners’ table and to each other.  The Finale was an all Bay Area affair.  Golden Gate survived a scare from Seattle before upending San Diego/Arizona to lead Pool A, while Sacramento emerged victorious from Pool B after turning aside Wasatch/Portland and Los Angeles/Orange County.  The final was one of the best games at the Westerns in some time, with the Suns holding an early lead over the Roos before the Gaters came back to claim a 14-9 decision.  The Roos won their sixth regional championship, but the Suns, winners of D2 at Nationals last year, proved they could go toe-to-toe with the league’s best.

And so the summer moves on as we look towards Toronto in August, some big games in September, and then Nationals in October.

Those two magical weekends in June, however, brought us some outstanding individual efforts, which are recognized by the All-Regionals teams.  Each of the athletes below were selected based on the votes received from the umpires, and at least one player from each team (not club, necessarily) was selected.  Editorial liberties by the USAFL Media office were taken in case of ties, and as well as in placing players into positions.  So, if you or a teammate / loved one / etc is not in a position they normally play, we beg your indulgence.  Note that some players may have missed out on the list below due to their team not filling out their scoresheet properly.

Congrats to everyone on a great Regionals Series, and thanks to everyone - players, coaches, umpires, and fans – who traveled to make the 2024 carnivals great ones.

WOMEN’S ALL REGIONALS TEAM:

MEN'S ALL-REGIONALS 1ST TEAM: 

MEN'S ALL-REGIONALS 2ND TEAM: