In 2010, the NEFL added five new teams; the Seacoast Vipers, the
Cape Cod Crusaders, the Connecticut Panthers, and the Northeast
Bulldogs and the Fairfield County Ravens who both moved up from
our NEFL2 conference. All five joined the NEFL “A” Maritime
Conference and it was the Connecticut Panthers that rose to the
top by going undefeated to win the NEFL “A” title, defeating the
defending champion, New Hampshire Wolfpack.
Our “AA” North Atlantic Conference saw the Western Mass Warriors
and Connecticut Gamblers both make their first championship game
appearance. The Warriors claimed their first ever NEFL title by
defeating the Connecticut Gamblers in what was the most closely
contested championship game that the league had that day. A
rematch of the 2009 “AAA” title game had the Connecticut Bearcats
going head-to-head once again with the Greater Lowell Nor’easter.
This time, however, it was the Bearcats that defeated Greater
Lowell to capture their first NEFL championship. The Bearcats then
went on to defeat the Empire State Demon Knights of the Five Star
Football League, to win the Harvest Bowl Regional Championship.
Our NEFL2 conference saw the Seacoast Hawks, who were previously
in our “AAA” conference, defeat the Northeast Bulldogs
developmental team 14-0 to win the NEFL2 championship.
The premier season of the Yankee Collegiate Football Conference,
which kicked off in 2010 and featured exclusively club level type
football teams from colleges and universities throughout New
England and New York that previously did not have an official
league to participate in, had a tremendously successful year. The
Southwest Connecticut Grizzlies defeated the University of Vermont
Catamounts in the inaugural Yankee Bowl Championship Game.
In the NEFL’s eighteenth year, the 2011 season, saw our league go
through the largest reorganization, restructuring and realignment
of teams to date. The Middleboro Cobras, the Weymouth Sharks, the
Leominster Razorbacks, the Central Mass Fury, the Bay State
Renegades, the Connecticut Thunder and the Ocean State Vipers did
not return to the league. The NEFL, however, added seven new teams
to its roster in 2011. Our “AAA” Colonial Conference added the
Hartford Whalers who moved up from NEFL2, the North Atlantic “AA”
Conference saw the Gardner Sabercats and the Western Connecticut
Militia both make their debuts, and joining the “A” Maritime
Conference as first year teams were the Southern Rhode Island
Riptide from Westerly; the Woburn Warlords; the Mid Coast Falcons
from Augusta, Maine; and the East Coast Ducks from South Boston.
The Pioneer Valley Indians changed their name to the Knights, the
Tri-County Fightin’ Sprites became the Green Valley Blackhawks,
and the Cape Cod Crusaders moved down to NEFL2 and are now known
as the Seadogs. With a newly expanded 16 team “AAA” Colonial
Conference, the NEFL in 2011 now had one of the most elite levels
of semi-professional, minor league football in the entire country.
The Connecticut Bearcats defeated the Boston Bandits to claim
their second straight “AAA” conference title. The Bearcats then
went on to defeat the Long Island Tribe 19-14 in the Harvest Bowl
Regional Championship Game. The North Atlantic Conference and
Maritime Conference gave us two of the most exciting championship
games in league history. The New Hampshire Wolfpack, moving up
from our “A” conference the previous season, defeated the first
year Western Connecticut Militia to win the “AA” crown; and the
expansion Southern Rhode Island Riptide edged out the Green Valley
Blackhawks and became champions of the Maritime Conference. The
NEFL2 in its third season had co-champions with the Cape Cod
Seadogs and Tri-City Charge developmental team sharing the
championship title for the 2011 season.
In the Yankee Collegiate Football Conference’s second season, the
South West Connecticut State Grizzlies once again faced the
University of Vermont Catamounts in the Yankee Bowl, and for the
second straight year the Grizzlies defeated the Catamounts, this
time by a score of 6-2 and claim their second straight Y.C.F.C.
title. The South West Connecticut State Grizzlies finished the
season ranked as the number one collegiate club football team in
the nation by the Intercollegiate Club Football Federation.
The addition of both NEFL2 and the Yankee Collegiate Conference
has proven to be instrumental in the overall growth of our
organization by providing the NEFL two additional avenues to
increase both its team and player base, and further solidifying
the NEFL as one of the largest and most successful adult amateur
football leagues in the United States.
The NEFL’s nineteenth year, the 2012 season, saw our league again
expand, this time into both the New York and New Jersey areas by
adding the Tri-State Bulldogs from Hillburn, NY and the New Jersey
Spartans from Belleville, NJ. In addition, the NEFL also welcomed
aboard two Massachusetts based teams: the Coastal Chiefs from
Hanover and the Franklin County Greyhounds from Greenfield.
The single “A” championship game had the Gardner Sabercats that
moved down from our “AA” conference after the 2011 season, playing
the Cape Cod Seadogs who were co-champions of the NEFL2 in 2011.
The Seadogs edged out the Sabercats and became the NEFL’s Maritime
Conference champion. In the double “AA” North Atlantic Conference
championship game, the South Shore Outlaws defeated the Middlesex
County Warlords and lay claim to their first NEFL “AA” title. The
NEFL’s 2012 triple “AAA” champion was the Western Mass Warriors
after they defeated the North Shore Generals in the Colonial
Conference championship game. The Warriors then became regional
champions when they beat the Long Island Tribe in the 2012 Harvest
Bowl. Western Mass then travelled to Florida and went on to defeat
the New York City Predators in the U.S.F.A. National Championship
Game, making them National Champions and the #1 semi-pro minor
league football team in the country.
The NEFL2 championship game was played between the Middletown
Connecticut Spartans, who moved down from the triple “AAA”
Colonial Conference to reorganize and restructure after the 2011
season, and the Fairfield County Ravens developmental team. The
Ravens defeated the Spartans and became champions of the NEFL2 for
2012.
The Y.C.F.C. title game had a rematch from the previous season as
the Southwest Connecticut State Grizzlies once again defeated the
University of Vermont Catamounts in the Yankee Bowl. The #1
nationally ranked Grizzlies proceeded on to participate in the
first ever I.C.F.F. national collegiate club football championship
game against the #3 nationally ranked Macon State Georgia Blue
Storm in Canton, OH, where the Blue Storm defeated the Grizzlies
to win the first ever I.C.F.F. national collegiate club football
championship.
The NEFL’s 20th season was one of its best with the addition of
the Woburn Titans, the Mystic River Tigers from Medford,
Massachusetts and the Brass City Brawlers from Waterbury,
Connecticut and the Maine Sabers, all being very successful in
their inaugural season in the NEFL. The Twin Valley Nightmare were
also added to the NEFL2. The Fairfield County Ravens changed their
name to the Bridgeport Connecticut Gators, the Merrimack Valley
Maulers became the Merrimack Valley Pride and the Middletown
Connecticut Spartans moved up from the NEFL2 to join our single
“A” Maritime Conference. The Connecticut Bearcats and Tri-City
Charge both took a leave of absence for the 2013 season, and the
Southern Connecticut Sting moved to the NEFL2.
The “A” Maritime Conference Championship Game had the Central Mass
Sabercats playing in their second championship game in as many
years, defeat the East Coast Ducks for their first NEFL title. The
“AA” North Atlantic Conference Championship Game saw the Pioneer
Valley Knights defeat the Rhode Island Wardogs, and also get their
first NEFL title. The “AAA” Colonial Conference Championship Game
featured the Connecticut Panthers and the Maine Sabers, with the
Connecticut Panthers winning their first ever “AAA” championship
game, to go along with their “A” title won just three years prior.
The Panthers then went on to defeat the Syracuse Shock of the
Empire Football League in the regional final, and then move on to
play the Columbus Fire out of Ohio from the Heartland Football
League in the National Championship Game in Florida. The Panthers
defeated the Fire and captured their first National Championship,
and second for the New England Football League.
The Y.C.F.C. Championship Game was played between the Southwestern Connecticut Grizzlies making their fourth straight appearance in the title game against the Onondaga Ogres, with the Ogres emerging victorious and capture their first Yankee Bowl title. Onondaga then went on to play in the second annual ICFF National Collegiate Club Football Championship Game against the Columbus Cougars in the Canton Bowl in Canton, OH. Onondaga defeated Columbus to take home their first National Championship title.
In the NEFL’s 21st season, three new teams were added to the
league. The Connecticut Chiefs were added to our “AAA” conference,
the Granite State Destroyers from Raymond, New Hampshire, and the
Twin City Riot, based in Hamden, Maine, both joined our “A”
conference as did the Southern Connecticut Sting moving up from
our NEFL2 conference. TheTri-State Bulldogs, New Jersey Spartans,
Bridgeport Gators, South Shore Outlaws left the NEFL and the
Woburn Titans, Cape Cod Seadogs, Maine Sabers and Twin Valley
Nightmare all took a leave of absence in 2014. The NEFL2 also took
a one year hiatus to reorganize and restructure.
In the “A” Maritime Conference championship game, it was the Brass
City Brawlers that defeated the Southern New England Rage and win
their first NEFL title. Our “AA” North Atlantic championship game
saw the Central Mass Sabercats face the Rhode Island Wardogs with
the Wardogs emerging with the victory for their first ever NEFL
championship. In what was one of the best games in NEFL history,
as well as the first ever overtime championship game in NEFL
history, the defending NEFL “AAA” champion Connecticut Panthers,
took on the Southern Maine Raging Bulls playing in their first
ever Colonial Conference title game. It was in overtime and in
dramatic fashion that the Panthers were able to beat the Bulls to
win back to back NEFL championships.
Both the Brawlers and Panthers went on to represent the NEFL in
regional and national championship games. First the Panthers
defeated the Albany Metro Maulers in the semi-finals of the
Harvest Bowl, and then moved on to defeat the Brooklyn Seminoles,
champions of the Five Star Football League, in the regional
Harvest Bowl championship, the Panthers second regional title in
as many years. Both the Panthers and Brawlers then went on to play
in national championship games in Deland, Florida. The Brawlers
defeated the Michigan Lightning of the C.R.F.L in the Orange
Blossom Bowl, and the Panthers beat the Inglewood, CA Blackhawks
of the Labelle Community Football League, in the North American
Bowl for their second straight National Title, and give the league
two National Champions, once again proving that the NEFL is the
elite semi-pro, minor football league in the country.
In the Y.C.F.C., the SW Conn. Prep Grizzlies capped a perfect
season with an incredibly wild shootout win over fellow National
powerhouse University of Vermont 69-33, giving the Grizz the
Yankee Conference Crown and the #1 ranking in the nation! They
were set to battle Coppin State on the stage in December, but the
Coppin team bowed out the week of the game, surrendering the
National Championship to SW Connecticut. The Grizz, UVM and last
year’s National Champs Onondaga have proven that the YCFC is the
nation’s premier conference.
The NEFL’s 22nd season was another great one. The returning Woburn
Titans moved to Somerville, Massachusetts, became the Rampage and
was placed in our “AA” North Atlantic Conference. The Middletown
Connecticut Spartans relocated to Stonington and became the New
London County Sharks. Merrimack Valley Pride have changed their
name to the Northeast Natives. The NEFL2, after being
restructured, will also be returning for the 2015 season. After
winning the North Atlantic Conference championship in 2014, the
Rhode Island Wardogs moved up to the Colonial Conference, giving
the Ocean State its first AAA team since 2010. They made an impact
immediately in the league’s highest level by defeating the Boston
Bandits in Week 1.
On Saturday, October 24, all three conference championship games
were held. The Maritime (A) Conference title was won by the Port
City Vipers, defeating the Northern Berkshire Kings 14-6, and the
North Atlantic (AA) Conference championship was claimed by the
Somerville Rampage when they defeated the Worcester Wildcats
21-13. After a nine year absence the Leo Lombardi Trophy made its
way back to Beantown, as the Boston Bandits defeated the Western
Connecticut Militia in the NEFL AAA championship game. It was also
the first time since 2009 that the trophy was won by a team east
of the Connecticut River.
