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Staten Island,NY. Facing the Braves from the southern division the Preds showed why they are one of th epremier teams in the RAFL. From the first drive after a 42yard field Goal by Geoff Wolyliec to a 4TD 300 yard plus game performance by QB Lou Scala TD passes were hauled in by both WR's Harrison Tindall and Bruce Dudley, to a 27 yard TD run by Tim Kelson and finally and 31 Yard Fumble Return by DE Joe Romero. The Preds jumped on the Braves from the start and didn't let them breath. Coach Aeillo stated "From start to finish this was our best game overall, we took it to them and didn't let them cath their breath." Next up for the Predators is round two against the Brooklyn Jazz. The Preds and the Jazz have met two times this season with the Predators coming out on top.  Preds pictured after they receive North Division Trophy from President Charles McGill
Thursday, April 24 Preds Clinch Division with 29-20 Win
NY Steam Rolls LI for 13th Consecutive Victory
Staten Island, NY- The New York Predators assured themselves of a playoff berth with a 29-20 victory over the Long Island Pit Bulls in RAFL action. With the win, the Preds have clinched the North Division and the number one seed in the conference and have now won 13 straight games dating back to last season.
The Pit Bulls fared better than most of New York’s other victims in 2007 by scoring 20 points against an incredible defense that had only surrendered 79 total points heading into the contest. The Predators’ defense had not been scored on in five of their 10 wins on the season (8-0 division).
Long Island drew first blood with a 35-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and a two-point conversion for an early 8-0 lead. New York fullback Nicky Vitagliano was stripped on the second play from scrimmage by Kasim Oliver and the loose ball was scooped up by Tyrone Sanford, who took it down the sideline all the way.
Later in the quarter, Predators’ cornerback Benny Rodrigues made the first of his two interceptions to give the offense back the ball. Taking advantage of the opportunity, New York drove the ball down the field with runs of 14 and 8 yards by running back Chi Chi Mansaray (22 for 162, 232 total yards) and a 14-yard strike from quarterback Lou Scala to wideout Harrison Tindall. The Preds trailed 8-6 after the two-point conversion failed.
Special teams came into play in the second quarter when New York linebacker Keith Oquendo blocked a punt, setting up a 43-yard field goal by Geoff Wolyliec for a 9-8 lead. After holding the Pit Bulls and forcing them to punt the ball away with only 20 seconds left in the half, the Preds went to a gadget play that was the turning point in the game.
Scala pitched back to WR Bruce Dudley, who heaved a Hail Mary pass that was tipped and grabbed by Tindall (3 catches for 123 yards, 3 touchdowns, 200 all-purpose yards) for an 80-yard score to give New York a 16-8 lead at the break.
On the opening kick off the second half, Steve King was able to break free and take it 85-yards for the score and make it a 16-14 game. The ensuing two-point conversion failed and the Preds held onto their slim lead. A 35-yard kickoff return by Tindall put the Predators back in position to score and after grinding it out on the ground; FB Keith Welch plunged into the endzone from two-yards out. After making the PAT, the Preds’ lead grew to 23-14.
The resilient Pit Bulls came right back when quarterback Danny Reyes found Rodney Myrick open near the sideline, which he was able to take 75 yards for the touchdown, making it a three-point game with less than five minutes remaining. After returning the ensuing kickoff 24 yards, Mansaray was able to eat up much of the clock keeping the ball on the ground. Faced with fourth down on the Long Island 30-yard line, the Predators decided to go and Scala found Tindall for a 29-yard touchdown, sealing the game.
“Win, lose or draw, I was proud to be a part of this game,” said Long Island head coach Khalid following the game. “Both teams played hard.”
In the next to last regular season game, the Predators will face the Hudson Valley Cowboys on the road on Sunday, September 30. The first round of the RAFL playoffs begins on October 13.
NOTES:
*The Predators are currently ranked 13th in the nation by Minor League Football News.
*By clinching the number one seed in the Northern Conference, the Predators will face the number four seed, which will not be a division winner.
*The team’s record over the last 20 games is 18 and 2. Thursday, April 24 Preds take out Blue Devils for the second time this year, 26 - 8 final Brooklyn, NY. Predators defense held down the fort early as the offense until offense went into cruise control.
The Preds suffered a few early set backs causing the Defensive to be in some tuff field position but they held strong as SS Luis Valmon picked 2 passes and the line led by Joe Romero put the clamps on the Blue Devils offensive game plan. On the offensive side of the ball QB Lou Scala threw for 168 yards and Harrison Tindall continued his fine play with another 100 yard receiving day.
Saturday, May 19
Saturday, May 19 NAFL Allstars NAFL Allstars
The nafl makes selections based on team stats, opposing teams inputs and the team they play for's imput. These are the NAFL allstars for 2006. Team allstars will be selected after the Predators complete the season. Team All Stars to be announced after completion of season Friday, May 18 Preds take MetroBowl Title away from DC Explosion 22- 20 in the final minute of play  Staten Island, NY, The NY Predators took out one of the premier teams in the area this weekend as they outlasted the 13 - 4 D.C. eXplosion. The Preds came out fired up stopping the run early in the first quarter and forcing a quick turnover. FS Michael Dom Carim picked off the first of his two on the day. The Preds marched down the field quickly as they QB Lou Scala hooked up with WR Bruce Dudley for a 29 yard gain, RB ChiChi Mansaray had runs of 8 and 14 yards and Timmy Kelson caught a 23 yard screen pass. Scala hooked up with Dudley on a 6 TD yard pass to give the Preds the lead. Scala then hit Harrison Tindall for the 2 point converson to make the score 8 zip. Both defenses held the offenses at bay for a while and in the 2nd quarter just as the DC started to get some momentum Godfrey Zulueta picked off a pass to end the drive at the Pred 20 yard line. The Preds marched right down the field with another long completion from Scala to Dudley of 45 yards but Pred qb turned the ball over in the end zone as DC's CB/RB Andre Letren intercepted the pass. DC put together a nice drive and on 4th and two decided to run a fake punt which netted some big yardage onto the Preds 30 yard line. From there the DC QB hooked up with #81 for the 30 yard score. #1 Aaron Yarbough hauled in the 2 point play to knot the score at 8.
Friday, May 18 Face South Jersey Lynx in next round NY, N.Y. - The New York Predators continued their hot streak with a 26-12 win over the Hudson Valley Cowboys in Riverbank Park in NYC on Saturday, October 7th. Quarterback Lou Scala threw for three touchdowns, two to wide receiver Harrison Tindall, to lead his team into the second round of the NAFL playoffs. After a scoreless first quarter, the Predators moved down the field with runs of 17, 20 and 7 yards by running back Tim Kelson. RB Daquan Williams had a 9-yard run and a catch, and Tindall had two receptions to set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Kelson. The Preds led 6-0 following a failed two-point conversion. HudsonValley went into a two-minute offense and scored on a 20-yard pass. Defensive end Alex Vygon blocked the PAT attempt, keeping the score tied. With only a few seconds remaining in the half, Tindall (5 catches for 84 yards, 2 touchdowns, 221 all-purpose yards) returned the ensuing Cowboy kick-off 72 yards, but was stopped at the Hudson Valley 10-yard line as time expired. The Predators received the second half kick-off and took advantage with a 60-yard scoring drive. Kelson (8 rushes for 68 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 rec for 26 yards, 1 touchdown, 137 all-purpose yards) finished it off with a 26-yard strike from Scala, increasing the lead to12-6 (two-point pass failed). After a quick defensive series the Predators struck again with passes of 28 yards from Scala to WR Bruce Dudley and a 46 Yard strike to WR Harrison Tindal to put the Predators up 18 - 6 Tindall had another long return, this time 45-yards, to set up the next drive. Runs of 18 and 22 yards by Williams (7 runs for 76 yards) and a 10-yard run by RB Nicky Vitagliano put the ball inside the Hudson Valley 10-yard line. Scala (7 for 13, 138 yards, 3 touchdowns, and one 2-point conversion pass) then looked to Tindall for an 8-yard scoring pass. The Preds converted the two-point pass for a 26-12 lead. Vygon (5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defended) sealed the game with a sack and a blocked pass in the final possession for the Cowboys. Outside line backer Jayson Ducrep also had 8 tackles for the victorious Predators. The Predators will travel to the South Jersey to face the Lynx in their next post-season game in the North-Atlantic region on Saturday, October 14th. Easily winning the New Jersey Division with a 10-0 record, the Lynx were dominant in the regular season with 275 points scored and only 37 points allowed. The Lynx eliminated the New Jersey Terminators in the first round. For more information, please visit www.nypredators.net and www.nafl.org . Joe Pietaro - New YorkPredators Staff Writer Friday, May 18 BK BlueDevils vs Preds 2007
The Blue Devils drew first blood with a 12-play drive to open the game. Gadget plays caught the Preds defense off balance, and the Blue Devils used a flea flicker, reverse and misdirection runs to score the opening touchdown. New York went out in front on their first possession by driving the ball right down the field in three plays. Scala (10 for 15, 159 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 8 yards rushing) hooked up with WR Bruce Dudley on two passes, a 32 and 17-yarder for a touchdown. In between, there was an 11-yard run by Daquan Williams (7 rushes for 73 yards). Predators led by a score of 8-6 after Williams ran it in for a two-point conversion. The Predators recovered a fumbled snap and took advantage of the turnover. An eight-play drive was highlighted by runs of 16, 6, and 14 yards by Williams. A screen pass to RB Tim Kelson went for 30 yards, which set up a six-yard scoring pass from Scala to Dudley (6 catches for 78 yards, 2 touchdowns). Kelson then added two more points by running in the conversion for a 16-6 lead, which was the score at halftime. The Preds picked up where they left off in the second half. Receiving the third quarter kick-off, Kelson put them in good position with a 35-yard return. A 13-yard run by Williams put the ball at the Brooklyn one-yard line. A quick pass from Scala to WR Brian Burrell (failed conversion) widened the Predatorsâ lead to 22-6. The Blue Devils caught a break when the Predators were penalized for roughing the kicker following a three-and-out series and a punt. Taking advantage, Brooklyn scored on the next play with a 25-yard touchdown pass. The score read 22-12 after a failed run on a conversion attempt. In the fourth quarter, the Preds went on a long scoring drive after being back up inside their own ten-yard line. After mixing up the run and pass, WR Harrison Tindall caught a 29-yard pass from Scala, which put the ball in the red zone. On the next play, Scala looked to Tindall once again, who made a diving catch in the end zone. Kelson then ran the ball in for a two-point conversion, making the score 30-12. The Predators shut down the Blue Devils for the remainder of the contest with a tough defense. FS Godfrey Zuleuta (5 tackles, 2 passes defended, 1 interception), DT Antwan Hill (7 tackles, 1 fumble recovered), and MLB Sharif Wiltshire (9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defended) all were paramount in the win. The Predators have a bye week prior to suiting up for the first round of the playoffs.
Friday, May 18
Brooklyn, NY- In NAFL action on Saturday September 16th, the New York Predators doubled up on the first-place NYC Falcons at Linden Field, 26-13. It was the third win in a row for the resurgent Predators, who improved their record to 5-4. The Falcons fell to 6-2 and split the two games with the Predators. The Falcons opened the scoring after recovering a Predator fumble. They moved the ball on offense and went up 7-0 after a touchdown pass and an extra point. The Preds next drive stalled and punter Bruce Dudley pinned the Falcons inside their 15-yard line. DT Anthony forced a fumble, which was recovered by Alex Vygon at the 10. RB Daquan Williams (8 rushes for 85 yards, 3 touchdowns) scored the first of his three touchdowns, which was followed up by a two-point conversion pass from QB Lou Scala (15 of 23 for 178 yards, 1 touchdown) to WR Billy Simo. The remainder of the first half remained scoreless and the Predators headed into the break up 8-7. Receiving the second-half kickoff, the Predators went on a 14-play drive that was culminated with a 5-yard scoring run by Williams. Highlights from the drive were 17 and 10-yard runs by FB Nick Vitagliano (9 rushes for 52 yards). The Preds led 14-7 after missing the extra point. Williams lit it up again in the third quarter with a 50-yard touchdown run. After missing the extra point, the Predators led 20-7. In the fourth quarter, a 46-yard punt return by RB Timmie Kelson was nullified by a penalty, which backed the Preds up inside their own 10-yard line. Scala led the team right down the field with five, six and nine-yard passes to WR Bruce Dudley and a 44-yard completion to WR Harrison Tindall. Scala then found Dudley open for a 28-yard touchdown pass. The extra point failed. The Falcons cut the lead to 26-13 with four minutes left in the game and regained possession after the Predators were unable to run out the clock. DL Antwain Hill finished the game with his second sack to put the exclamation point on the victory. The Predators finish up their regular season schedule on the road at Tilden High School on Saturday, September 24th at 2 p.m. against the 2-6 Brooklyn Blue Devils.
Friday, May 18 Friday, May 18
CB Assante keys 52-24 pounding of Empire State on Staten Island Staten Island , NY- CB Keith Assante had a field day on Saturday, August 26th. The first year member of the New York Predators had a 104-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter to go along with two fumble recoveries and four tackles to propel a home 52-24 victory over the Empire State Wolfpack in front of 200 fans at Monsignor Farrell High School . With the win, the Predators improved their record to 3-4, maintaining second place in the Metro South Division of the NAFL. The theme of the contest was set when Assante recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff. He recovered his second fumble of the game when the Wolfpack turned the ball over again on a fumbled punt, which Assante recovered at the Empire State 1-yard line. Fullback Nick Vitagliano (5 runs for 41 yards, 1 touchdown) punched it in for the score, which was followed up by a two-point conversion pass from quarterback Lou Scala (5 for 15, 111 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 4 two-point conversion passes, 2 runs for 26 yards) to wide receiver Harrison Tindall to give New York an 8-0 lead. Another turnover set up the Predators for their next score. Sharif Wiltshire (10 tackles, 1 forced fumble) stripped the ball, which was recovered by Jayson Ducrepin. Bruce Dudley corralled in a 40-yard pass from Scala to give the Predators a 14-0 lead (2-point conversion failed). The second quarter stayed in the home squadâs favor when Assante picked off a pass in the end zone and took it to the house for a 104-yard touchdown return. The 2-point conversion was made when Scala found Tindall open once again, opening the lead to 22-0. The Wolfpack finally got on the board with a 12-yard touchdown pass and a 2-point conversion. The âPack tacked on another score before halftime when they returned a fumble during a punt 45 yards followed by a 2-point run, to cut the deficit to 22-16 heading into the locker room. The Predators put the ball on the ground at mid-field on their opening drive of the second half, which the Wolfpack were able to convert into a drive to take a 24-22 lead. Heading into the final stanza, the Predators needed to regroup after having 24 consecutive points scored against them. Scala brought his team down the field and finished off a scoring drive by finding Dudley (3 receptions for 61 yards, 2 touchdowns) for a 15-yard pass. The Preds then went up 30-24 when Scala passed to Bill Simo for the 2-point conversion. Turnovers kept stopping the Wolfpack when Dom Carim intercepted an Empire State pass and ran it back to the 15-yard line. Timmy Kelson (8 for 76 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 reception for 8 yards) then ran it in from there for the touchdown, which was followed by a converted 2-point run by Daquan Williams (9 for 48 yards, 2-point conversion), which gave the Preds a 38-24 advantage. Scala kept the offense hot with a 32-yard TD pass to Tindall, which gave them a 44-24 lead (2-point conversion failed). The final score of the game came appropriately enough on another turnover, when Benny Rodriguez returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown. After converting a 2-point pass, the Preds blew the game open with a 52-24 lead. Assante was named as one of the Players of the Week in Minor League Football News for his effort in the win. The Predators look to even their record when they face the Long Island Eagles at Monsignor Farrell High School at 8:45 pm on Friday night, September 8th. -Joe Pietaro New York Predators Staff Writer Monday, April 30 Falcons swarm on weakening Predators Staten Island, NY - The Predators came out swinging as Lou Scala hooked up with Brian Burrell for 65 yards and Tim Kelson ran it for the score. Later in the second quarteri Scala hooked up with Virgil Williams for a 12 yard TD to put the Preds up by 12. As the Preds started fooling around, dancing, and beating there chests the Falcons held strong to there plan. After a great kick by Travis Gonick somehow the Preds allowed a return of over 50 yards. With nothing to lose the Falcons made quick work of the seemingly bewildered defensive unit. After the quick score the Falcons kicked off with under two minutes left the Preds went into the hurry up offense only to have the ball stripped by one of the Falcon defenders. The Falcons played pitch nd catch right down the field for the score which tied the game at the half. Dazed and confused the Preds came out soft at the start of the second half and the Falcons smelled the fear. The swarming Falcon defense made quick work of the Pred Offense and if that was not enough the long snapper forgot his punter was not a 10 foot giant as he air shipped the ball over the punter who then decided to punt the ball through the end zone. Now with the lead secured the flying Falcons made swiss cheese of the Pred defense yet again as they scored after the kickoff. The Preds tried a comeback but the paultry year long offensive woes (8 points per game) continued and they turned the ball over with fumbles interceptions and on downs. Falcons capped off the scoring late in the fourth to seal the game. Next up for the preds are the hungry wolfpack looking to bounce back after a 33 - 0 loss. The Wolfpack have been playing tuff and should provide a very tough opponent or the Predators. Monday, April 30 Preds feast on Eagles Central Islip, Long Island - It was a nice breezy day in LI and in the first half it seemed the Preds just came out to enjoy the sites. The Preds scored first on a terrific 40 yard powerful run by the Dtrain Daquan Williams. The Eagles came back and took the lead near the end of the 2nd quarter with the help from several penalties and some outstanding runs by the QB. "Everytime it was 3rd or 4th and long we got a penalty or that made a great play" said one Predator player. Clearly the Predators took the Eagles lightly and it was not until the 4th quarter that the running game began taking it's toll on the Eagle players. First Ben Rodriguez picked off another ball to add onto his team lead for interceptions. Finally the preds marched in from the 3 as the Bus Nick Vitagliano plaowed his way in for the score. Adding a two point conversion the Preds took the lead 14 to 8. The Eagles came out throwing but Preds defense LB Dashawn Mitchell came up with the INT and rumbled down to the 5 yards line. The mini-bus quickly added another TD with a five yard run off tackle. The preds tacked on another two as Harrison Tindall caught a Lou Scala pass. Other stars of the game included Antwan Hill who added two sacks to his team leading total. Offensive line played outstanding creating holes and giving the QB time all day. Next up for the Predators will be a contest against the first place Brooklyn Falcons at Monsignor Farrell Sunday August 20th. Kickoff 4pm. Monday, April 30 Preds Lose a close one to the mighty Saints Staten Island, NY- The Saints rolled in to town boasting Minor Leagues football #2 all time rusher in Donnie Bey Jackson an NAFL MVP All Star WR a solid passing game and solid special teams and defense. The Preds came in well just still trying to figure out what type of team they really were. In the short season the Preds have not played up to expectations but in the loss the Preds finally showed something about themselves. They showed that the team itself might be on the road to recovery. The defense played very well again as they gave up one score in the first drive of the game. Shariff W., Anthony Polizzi, Antwan Hill, Ben Rodiguez, Kieth Assante, Dom Carim and TJ Hill all excelled on the defensive side of the ball. Next up for the Predators are the much improved LI Eagles on Saturday 4pm in Long Island, NY. Monday, July 23 Preds get a victory Bronx, NY-After a 2 hour wait the home finally decided to play and give the Predators a game. The Preds were lethargic for most of the game and it showed on the field fumbling the ball five times. At times they seemed to be sleep walking on the field. The Bengals got on the board first 6 - 0 after recovering one of those 5 fumbles and promptly put together a long drive for the score. The Preds answered back later in the 2nd quarter with a 20 yard TD run by Daquan Williams. Opening the 3rd quarter the Predators Alex Vygon recovered a fumble and ran it for the score. The predators tacked on a two point conversion to make to score 14 - 6. The final score came on a 12 yard pass from Lou Scala to Harrison Tindall. The final was 20 - 6 in a very lackluster performance. The defense picked up 4 turnovers Alex Vygon and Anthony Polizzi both picked up fumbles while Chris White and Ben Rodriguez picked off two passes. Antwan Hill and Anthony Polizzi also combined for a few sacks. Sunday, July 23 Lynx dominate toothless Predators Staten Island NY-The Lynx and Predators went through a late start, long injury timeout and over 30 minute rain delay to finally put end the misery of a long day for the home team. For the second week in a row a bumbling passing offense and missed blocking assignments haunted the Preds all day. The defensive effort while good for the first quarter in a half of the game regressed back to its sloppy tackling and light hitting ways for the rest of the game. Sunday, June 18 Junior Predators ready for Debut Kids watch out because this fall a new traveling team playing out of Staten Island will be cracking helmets on the football field. The New York Predators are proud to announce the formation of the Junior Predators for ages 11 - 13. The Junior team will make it's debut in the fall and will compete against local teams in Pop Warner. "This is a great time for the Predator organization, the goal of the staff is to get them ready for H.S. and show them how important it is to get to college." "We want these kids to not only be smart football players but to be smart in life and that starts with making sure they know how important a college education is." Said Team President Bill Simo "Maybe after they finish up college ball they will come back to the senior team" laughed Simo. While the website is not nearly completed you can start to get some quick info on the junior team by going to www.eteamz.active.com/jrpredators Sunday, April 9 Predator Team Allstars Congrats to all of the 2005 Predator Team Allstars Steve Andriola Robert Aronold Rich Bellina Jeremy Campbell Jo Dema Travis Gonick Joe Isa Ron Jenerette Vernon Manuel Chi Chi Momah Anthony Polizzi Phil Rossomando Orion Spykes Eugene Vick The only other special award for the 2005 season will be the MVP. The 2005 Team MVP was Eugene Vick Sunday, April 9 Congrats to Phil Rossomando on representing the Predators down in Disney with an All Star MVP Award  Tuesday, 11/15/2005 7:26PM Congratulations to the Players of the Game for the Nationals, Americans, East, West, North, and South teams.
GAME #1 Game Players for Nationals: #5 Deron Bostic RB H.S.Eagles, #33 Ben Aschoff LB Norfolk birds, #44 Deron Adams FB H.S. Eagles, # 47 Derek Wheeler LB HS Eagle, and #62 Brad Kerkhoff Norfolk Birds. Game Players for Nationals: #1 Aaron Yarbough WR DC Explosion, #21 Shawn Boone RB VA Hurricanes, #53 Ziggy Wisniewski OL-PA Coal Crackers, #57 Camille Halliday DE VA Hurricanes, and Russell Green DB Hudson Valley Saints. GAME #2 Game Players for East: #5 Eric Lee FS-VA Crimson Cards, #19 Walt Heilig WR-VA Crimson Cards, #55 Phil Rossomando DL-NY Predators, #70 Nate Gibson C-CCP, and #81 John Chestnut WR-NY Panthers. Game Players for East: #3 Richard Morris WR-Dallas Diesel, #12 Ronald Graves QB-KC Jazz, #13 Don Allen WR-KC Jazz, #Sean Riley K-Dallas Diesel, Raul Zamarripa DL-S. Texas Mutiny GAME #3 Game Players for North: #6 Rob Elswick WR-Det. Downriver, #54 Stephen Peterson DE-Mich. Admirals Game Players for South: #8 Archie Smith FS-Cetral Alb. Renegades, #27 Cortez Olivier RB-Asheville Grizzles, #82 deandre Green WR-Alb Lighting, #99 Quinten Malone OL-Kenner City Power Star is Rising Ron, Leroy Brooks, Jeremy Campbell, Phil Rossomando, and Chi-Chi Momah all played well defensively.
Ron, Chi-Chi, and Jeremy were all impressive at the combine.
Vernon Manuel looked good on offense and Travis Gonick got to punt and held for FGs. Polizzi Named to 1st team MLFN for the third straight year Anthony Polizzi was named again to Minor League Football News first team. Polizzi who was injured for about a third of the season still managed to rack up almost 10 sacks and made several outstanding plays during the season. Anthony becomes the first Predator player to receive the honor three straight years. Friday, December 22 Preds Announce New Staff The Predators are proud to announce the 2006 staff. The coaching staff is the largest staff ever assembled for the Predators. The staff has extensive experience at all levels of football and will help the Predators become a dominant force for years to come. Eteamz Spotlight Site Winner for February 2006
Not surprisingly, the Terminators - one of the state's four semiprofessional football teams - usually gets by with less, and sometimes with nothing at all. There are two small grandstands between the two fields at Veterans Park, and one faces an adjoining field used mostly for soccer. Family and friends park lawn chairs at the corners of the field to watch the Terminators. Touchdowns receive sparse cheers.  Jim Cummins for The New York Times
Anthony Jennings, a 36-year-old offensive guard with the New Jersey Terminators, is a sheet-metal worker during the week. Twinkling lights from the bridges to Staten Island and from the Port of Elizabeth frame the field. Every now and then, a jet plane taking off from nearby Newark Liberty International Airport thunders overhead, and a tugboat whisks past on the Arthur Kill. As dusk gathered on a recent Saturday and the field's lights pierced the murky night, it seemed as if the rest of the world had more important things to do. Giants Stadium, 20 miles to the northeast, might as well have been light-years away. But most of the Terminators, many in their 20's and 30's, are not playing for the acclaim or even for the money because semipro players, contrary to the term, are not paid - as is usually the case in this corner of the football world. Still, they continue to play because they love football. The true weekend warriors are right here. "My wife doesn't like it when I play, but she gets over it," said Ray Giacobbe, a 26-year-old linebacker from Rahway who builds homes for a living. New Jersey, home to two professional football teams, is a hotbed of the semipro game. The Terminators are one of four teams from the state in the 114-team North American Football League, the top tier of semipro ball. The Trenton Raiders, Camden Lynx and New Jersey Longhorns are the others. The Irvington Knights and Mid-State Marauders play in the 15-team United Football League. And the New Jersey Wolves and Jersey Cynder are in the 12-team Garden State Football League, which is actually based in Staten Island. Although the Terminators are in their first season in the N.A.F.L., the team is 7-1. They probably will make the league's 64-team playoffs, and could even end up playing for the league title in Orlando, Fla., in November. The N.A.F.L. aspires to be a feeder system, though only a few Terminators play because they think can play professionally. The National Football League is a long shot, but the Arena League or Canadian Football League are better possibilities. These days, the best player on the Terminators is probably Windale Bates, a 29-year-old lineman from Plainfield who by day is a production manager for Wrigley's Gum - and who still is the all-time leader in quarterback sacks at Kean University in Union. "I need a shot," said Bates, who said he had brief tryouts with the Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. "I need an agent, and I need a shot. I'm keeping sharp. That's why I'm doing this." Most just like to play ball. Anthony Jennings is a 36-year-old offensive guard who wears No. 77 for the Terminators. He lives in Elizabeth, is married with two children, and has been a sheet-metal worker since he graduated from Elizabeth High School. Knowing When to Quit Jennings has been a Terminator for four years and plans to play until either his 40th birthday or until he thinks he is not helping his team. This season Jennings has shoved aside enough defensive tackles to know he is still productive. And so he plays on. "I went years without knowing about semipro football until my buddy told me about it," he said as he stood on the sideline. "I wish I would have known sooner." The Terminators would seem to be typical of most semipro teams: they were formed by three longtime friends from the scraps of other defunct semipro teams. In 2000, Ed Gladney, who is in sales for Verizon; Ronnie Paige, a corrections officer at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center; and Kenneth LaDuna, a football coach at Rahway High School, met and came away with the sense that they could put together a competitive team. First, they had to find people who wanted to play football badly enough to pay to play. A ticket to a game is $5, but most of the team's costs - including uniforms, travel expenses and game officials - are covered by a $180 fee for each player (the annual cost is waived for players who sell 10 season tickets at $20 each). Gladney said that the Terminators are looking for companies to help defray the costs of running the team. When the three men first got together, the idea was to go slowly, but to find enough talented and hungry players. They signed up 55 the first season. "When we first started out, we didn't want to get into a league that was too competitive," said Paige, the team's general manager. In 2002, the Terminators joined the Northeast Football Association and won the championship. Then in 2003 they joined the Millennium League - a rung higher on the ladder - and won another championship. They moved to the U.F.L. - the next step - in 2004 and advanced to the semifinals. "Anybody who knows us knows we don't back away from any team," said LaDuna, a former offensive lineman known as Ox who these days is the team's head coach.
The N.A.F.L. soon beckoned. Rob Licopoli, the league president and a former wide receiver at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, started the N.A.F.L. in 1999, envisioning a league that could be the equivalent of the minor leagues in baseball and hockey. "Any of these guys could be a poster child for success," Licopoli said of the three men who run the Terminators. "If any one of them would get into running a business, they'd be bringing in $1 million or $2 million a year." For now, that is not the case. "Believe me," Gladney said with a laugh, "I'm not making any money out of this." A Winning Tradition Still, the three men have built an organization that they believe has a foundation and has established something of a tradition. In four seasons, the Terminators have lost only a handful of games, and players flock to teams that win. If nothing else, it makes playing for no pay easier. Giacobbe, a linebacker, said that a year ago he was going to give up the game, but he returned this year -even as his wife is expecting their second child. He played at Rahway High, and many of his teammates are longtime friends. "It is getting harder and harder to wake up for work Monday mornings, even though we play on Saturday nights," Giacobbe said. A few minutes later, after he had helped the Terminators force the New York Predators to punt, Giacobbe returned to the sideline, rubbing his temples. He asked a fan, "You don't have any Tylenols?" The game has an odd cacophony. To try to create more noise, the Terminators pipe rap music over two speakers for the entire game. Sometimes, an ice cream truck passes by, softening the hard rap with the merry tinkle of children's music. The action in a semipro game lacks many of the frills found in the highly lucrative N.F.L. Semipro ball is blunter and simpler. Most of the yardage is hammered out on the ground, usually in the pits of soft, mocha-colored dirt in the middle of the field. "It's like a college football game with a little bit of an N.F.L. game thrown in, and it's a cheap seat if you can't go to an N.F.L. game," said Charles McGill, 47, a Newark resident who is the commissioner of the N.A.F.L.'s 33-team Eastern Conference. Yet it is love of the game - not a multimillion-dollar salary or a scholarship - that draws players to the hardscrabble world of semipro football. The Terminators star running back is Darrell Glover, 27, who lives in Elizabeth and works for a security company. He achieved some acclaim at Elizabeth High School but did not pursue a college career because he became a father first. These days Glover has four children, and he considers football a hobby. He has played organized football since he was 7, and, even though he injured his knee last season, he continues working out twice a week and is unlikely to give up football soon. "It's the best sport, to me," he said. "I play basketball, too, but this is my first love, right here. Football." Semipro football is also robust and punishing; it becomes clear that these grown men are still in good shape. Occasionally, a player delicately limps off the field after a big hit. Players curse at opponents who they think threw a block too close to their knees. There is trash-talking and showmanship. Bates shimmied in the Predators' backfield after sacking their quarterback on a crucial third-down play. Before another key play, Bates hollered, "Now we've got 'em!" loud enough for the Predators to hear. It's Rough Out There Because the Terminators dress in black, have a fearsome nickname and have established themselves as a competitive team, their opponents tend to hit them hard, and the Terminators tend to hit back. Punches are thrown, and punchers are suspended. McGill, who works as an engineer for Amtrak, said: "Once you get into semipro football, it's all about business. We don't tolerate violence or anything." Giacobbe remembers an opposing team that wanted to fight the Terminators after losing a game to them a few years ago. "We just got into our cars and left," he said. They sorely need the manpower. The Terminators have 37 players on their roster, LaDuna said, but because of weekend obligations and nagging injuries, they usually only have 27 or 28 players for a game, which is nearly three hours long. Substitutions are frequent. Because there is literally no bench, players perch on a large orange Gatorade jug on the sidelines, or lie on the ground late in the game. Some players bide time by chatting with spectators or checking cellphones.
Paige said the Terminators have brought on four or five players who have just graduated from high school and are looking for a chance to play at a local college. Scouts are said to show up at games, but the next level - either college or pro - seems far away. "I try to be honest with guys and tell them it's going to be real hard to make it from this level," Paige said. Licopoli says the N.A.F.L. is capable of expanding to as many as 240 teams, including as many as seven in New Jersey. But semipro teams come and go, and keeping players is hard. Raising money is harder. A semipro team named the Newark Jets played for the United Football League championship for three straight years, from 2001 to 2003. Last year the team compiled a 5-6 record and then vanished. McGill, who played for the Brooklyn Mariners before retiring at 43, put together a team nicknamed the Buccaneers that did not last long. "I couldn't keep it going because I didn't have the funding," he said. What there is, what there will always seem to be, are football players who have never stopped loving the game. Jennings smiled when he pointed out that he is almost as old as LaDuna, the coach. But he plans to keep playing. He likes the exercise. "Oh, I'm still out of shape," Jennings said. "I'm the old man here." Then it was time to pull on his black helmet and return to the tattered field. After the Terminators had won, the two teams lined up to shake hands. Then they walked back to their cars, pulled off their cleats and pads, and drove into the humid night NAFL Mentioned along with Central Penn in Wall Street Journal Semipro football is enjoying a comeback. But nobody is going to confuse it with the pros. By AMY MERRICK Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL August 29, 2005; Page R9 The Central Penn Piranha, of Harrisburg, Pa., is one of the best football teams most fans have never heard of. A tally on the team's Web site counts toward the Piranha's anticipated 100th straight home victory at the last regular-season game this year, in September. Overall, the team won 142 games in the 10 years prior to this season, against just nine losses. But some of the players are a lot closer to 40 years old than they like to think about. For years, some have been driving for hours just to get to practices and games. And during the week, they hold down day jobs -- from marketing to construction to juvenile-probation officer -- because no one is getting a salary to produce this winning record. The Piranha is one of the most successful of the estimated 500 to 600 "semipro" football teams playing in the U.S. for little or no pay. Semipro football has a long tradition of intense and colorful rivalries, reaching back to the late 1800s. But in the 1970s the semipro game faded in the shadow of the professional version, as the National Football League began its surge to unprecedented popularity. Now, amateur football is enjoying a resurgence. Larger, better-organized leagues have formed in recent years, in part because the Internet has made it easier for team owners to communicate with players and with each other, and to market their teams, says Rob Licopoli, founder of the North American Football League. The NAFL, which started with 18 teams in 1999, has grown into the largest amateur league, with 114 teams this year vying for a national championship. Better organization, though, hasn't changed the essence of semipro football. Team owners often still double as players and coaches. Teams still frequently disband after a couple of seasons because the owners can't afford to keep them going. And while some players dream of being spotted by a professional team, many others gave up that hope after playing football in college or high school and simply want to play an organized, highly competitive version of the sport. "The reason I come this far is for the love of the game and the love of teammates," says Roman Morris, a 35-year-old player who lives in the Washington area and carpools to Piranha practices and games with teammates. "This is my second family." For fans, semipro ball is especially popular in smaller markets, where a trip to an NFL game means a long drive and a major expense for a family. From Harrisburg, the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles are a 100-mile drive and the Pittsburgh Steelers are 200 miles away. For tickets, the professional teams charge an average of more than $50 a seat. Piranha tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for children. Learning on the Job The Piranha's current head coach, Jim Rovito, is also its owner. He joined the Piranha in 2000 as defensive coordinator and bought the team at the end of that season -- he won't say for how much -- when the previous owner tired of the time involved in running it. Mr. Licopoli says a typical NAFL team might sell for about $15,000. But the Piranha is hardly typical, given its great success on the field. When he took over the team, Mr. Rovito knew football. He was a defensive lineman at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and signed as a free agent with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. Although he never played professionally, he did attend the team's training camp. But he didn't know how to run a team as a business. "The first year didn't go real well financially," he says. He had to learn to develop relationships with corporate sponsors and local media. Now the team has sponsors such as a local printing company and M&T Bank, where Mr. Rovito, 42 years old, works full time as a branch manager. The Piranha is "somewhat profitable," he says, working from an annual budget of $50,000 to $60,000. "We're able to keep afloat from year to year. I don't do this to make money." FOR LOVE, NOT MONEY Scouting the Central Penn Piranha CITY: Harrisburg, Pa. FOUNDED: 1995 OWNER/HEAD COACH: Jim Rovito HOME FIELD: Harrisburg City Island, a.k.a. the "Fish Tank" ROSTER: 60 players COLORS: Black and silver OVERALL RECORD: 151-9* HOME RECORD: 96-0* *Through Aug. 20 Source: The team About 85 players, some of whom have professional experience or ambitions, vie each April for a spot on the Piranha's 60-man roster. One former player competed professionally in Europe for several years, and another player joined the team this year after completing a season with a professional arena-football team on the West Coast. Some semipro players look to role models like Darnell Dinkins, now 28, who was passed over by the NFL after he was injured his senior year at the University of Pittsburgh. He started counseling troubled kids and began playing quarterback for the semipro Pittsburgh Colts. He wanted recent game footage in case a scout became interested, and he liked the camaraderie. But the experience was full of indignities. The players weren't paid, and they had to find their own way to games. One day, they had to change into their uniforms under a tree next to the high-school field where they were playing. "Those were dark times, getting changed under that tree, wondering if it was even worth it," Mr. Dinkins says. Eventually, a scout from the NFL's New York Giants asked to see his semipro tapes, and the team signed Mr. Dinkins. He now plays tight end for the Baltimore Ravens. But the main purpose of the Piranha isn't to get players to the pros, Mr. Rovito says, adding: "I don't promise anything." Many are drawn to the Piranha simply because it plays at a higher level than other amateur teams on the East Coast. Mr. Morris, a cornerback, joined eight years ago because he thought the Piranha was more competitive than any team closer to his home in the Washington area. While the football is better -- Mr. Morris has been on four championship teams -- the schedule became a lot tougher. On Wednesdays, when the Piranha have evening practices, Mr. Morris works from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as a juvenile-probation officer. After work, he meets some other players in Maryland, where they carpool to practice, fighting traffic to arrive around 8 p.m. They finish practice at 10:30, stop for dinner on the way home, and get back around 12:30 or 1 a.m. "Thursday is the worst day of the week for me -- I am so tired," he says. As he's gotten older, he's also spent more time staying in shape, lifting weights and running sprints with his 14-year-old son, who is preparing to play high-school football. Family Atmosphere Players certainly don't find much in the way of glory in semipro ball, even with a team as successful as the Piranha. The Harrisburg Patriot-News gives Piranha games only short write-ups, devoting more space to college football at Penn State and professional sports in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. At a Piranha home game this season against the Cumberland Valley Cardinals, a number of the fans in the bleachers said they first heard about the team accidentally. Christine Dye, a 36-year-old accountant, was at her first Piranha game with her husband, Patrick, a parish administrator, and daughter Ellen, 8 years old. The Dyes, of Dover, Pa., are fans of the City Islanders, a professional soccer team that uses the same field as the Piranha. They heard about the football game at a soccer match a week earlier. The three are Baltimore Ravens fans, but "coming to see [football] live is more affordable here," Ms. Dye said. "The NFL is going to charge you an arm and a leg." The fans were close enough to hear the smash of hard hits, but the atmosphere off the field was more like a church picnic. Before kickoff, players waved to people they knew among the 734 fans in the stands. Everyone applauded the announcement of the birth of a son to Piranha kicker Andar Rhem. Another Piranha player, sitting on the bench, got into a mostly friendly exchange with a fan sitting on the home side and screaming for the Cardinals. The concession stand sold $2 hamburgers, and once darkness settled over the field and the lights turned on, fans took turns brushing a sudden swarm of mayflies off each other's backs. Nature sometimes imposes itself in more disruptive ways. A Piranha game against the Pennsylvania Coal Crackers earlier this season was called off when a thunderstorm left a pond on the infield dirt of the softball diamond that takes up part of the field. Because the Piranha don't own the facility, the team would have had to pay the city for destroying the grass in the rain. And the players, who have to cover injuries with their own health insurance, couldn't afford the risk of a bad fall on the slippery ground. The Injury Factor Serious injuries aren't common, but the thought of them is nerve-wracking enough to make players knock on wood when they talk about them. Dan McMunn, a 37-year-old defensive end, has had two serious knee injuries in his 10 years with the Piranha, one a season-ending blow that took five months to rehabilitate. Luckily, he says, he's worked his way up to foreman on his construction crew, so his boss lets him sit in the truck if he's hurt. Mr. McMunn plays down the dangers of the game. "When you're doing construction on the highway, cars are flying by at 70 miles an hour," he says. "I come here to feel safe." He also wants his daughters, who are 10 and 12 years old, to remember seeing him play football. Mr. McMunn, a team captain who gets a lot of playing time, stands out on the sidelines as one of the older-looking players. During the game against the Cardinals, as he pulled off his helmet after a big play, someone in the stands said to a companion, in reference to Mr. McMunn: "Do you see number 99? He looks older than your dad." Mr. Licopoli, the NAFL founder, organized the league with the help of the Internet, using email to contact high-caliber teams that might be interested in joining a new league and to ask for referrals to others. Tired of watching semipro teams bust their budgets to feed players' egos, Mr. Licopoli insists that NAFL players not be paid. To try to ensure stability, the NAFL recommends that owners have $50,000 to $95,000 in funds to enter the league, not including whatever they may choose to pay coaches or other staff. (No one in the Piranha organization is paid.) That's the league's estimate of what a team will need each year to cover expenses including the use of facilities for hosting games, referee payments, and travel and equipment costs. Each team also must pay the league a $5,000 deposit and about $500 a year in dues. For every team he accepts, Mr. Licopoli says, he rejects about five others. There are roughly 50 other similar but much smaller semipro leagues around the country, the largest with about 22 teams. Most leagues cover a small geographic area, and there's a lot of overlap. The Pacific Northwest, for instance, has at least three separate leagues, each with eight to 10 teams. Mr. Licopoli's short-term goal is to create a paid playoff travel system, to ensure that teams with smaller budgets can afford long trips. In six years of league playoffs, he says, one team decided not to participate because of travel costs. Ultimately, Mr. Licopoli hopes to charge teams $50,000 to enter the league. For now, though, the NAFL is as unencumbered by riches as its players -- "a for-profit that makes zero money," he says.
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