Northern Heat
- Updated: August 8, 2015
Young teams like the Northeast Natives and Rhode Island Wardogs make the North Division deeper than it has been in years.
In the first quarter of the season there is one thing that we know for sure. The AAA Northern Division is arguably more competitive than its’ been in quite a few years.
“Teams have clearly used the offseason to get better” said Southern Maine Raging Bulls head coach Ron Bates, “you could see that Week One”. Bates experienced the level of parity himself in the season opener watching his 2014 Division Champion Bulls lose to the North Shore Generals 32-27. The game saw the Generals Kelvin Amparo throw two touchdown passes while running in three scores to break the Bulls double-digit regular season winning streak. Amparo’s heroics has made him one of the most exciting players in the league to watch.
Also in Week One we saw the upstart Rhode Island Wardogs surprise the Boston Bandits 26-15. Last years’ AA champ used a well-tuned offense headlined by quarterback Kevin Sims to defeat the Bandits. Lowell Nor’easter was nearly the third favored team in the division to drop their opener as they held off an aggressive Northeast Natives 16-14.
“We have been working towards this point for a few years” said North Shore General Manager Kevin Donahue, “bringing in a quality player here and there to team with our veterans has given us a real shot this year.”
Over the past two seasons the Northern Division had produced two undefeated teams that stormed through their division and while earning home field advantage in the playoffs and Championship game (Maine Sabers in 2013 and Raging Bulls in 2014). Currently the North boasts four teams with winning records with every team suffering at least one lost. “Knowing that each week you have to be ready to play will only make teams better in the playoffs” said Bates, “whomever comes out of the North will clearly have earned it.”
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