USAFL ready to crown national champions at Premier Sports Campus

For nearly two decades, the United States Australian Football League has tried to create a presence for the massive international sport in the United States. With more than 37 clubs around the country, the niche sport continues to grow with teams scattered beyond any centralized location.

In the past five years, national champions have been crowned from New York, Denver and Austin, Texas. Teams from Canada, the Midwest and the West Coast have hoisted the trophy as well.

A new national champion will be crowned this weekend at the Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch, when the USAFL brings its premier event to Bradenton and Sarasota.

The competition runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The women’s final will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, with the Division 2 men’s final following at 4:30 p.m.

The Denver Bulldogs will be on the short list of favorites for both men and women. The Bulldogs have won a record eight men’s titles and a record six women’s titles.

The Austin Crows have won two of the last three men’s championships, while Denver has won six straight women’s titles.

Mustangs trample Wildcats

The Manatee Mustangs hosted the Manatee Wildcats in Pop Warner Little Scholars football action Saturday and pulled out an undefeated weekend at Mustang Field. After the mighty mites fought to a scoreless draw, the junior pee wee Mustangs shut out the Wildcats, 33-0, the pee wee Mustangs notched a 37-7 win and the junior varsity Mustangs finished the day with a 30-0 shutout.

The Mustangs ended up the only Manatee County association with a winning weekend as the Palmetto Trojans, North Manatee Storm and East Manatee Bulldogs all went winless.

The Trojans welcomed St. Petersburg’s Silver Raiders to Palmetto Youth Center, opening Saturday with a 20-7 loss in mighty mites. After a narrow, 26-18 loss in junior pee wee, the Trojans stumbled to a 39-0 pee wee loss in Palmetto.

The Storm’s closest effort against the Valrico Rams at Valrico Park was a 7-6 loss in mighty mites. North Manatee’s junior pee wee team fell 31-0, its pee wee team lost by forfeit and the junior varsity squad lost 33-13 in Valrico.

Three of the Bulldogs’ teams had bye weeks, but East Manatee’s junior pee wee team traveled to Antioch Youth Football in Plant City to face Wesley Chapel Cowboys Silver. The Bulldogs failed to score, falling to the Cowboys, 31-0.

Half Marathon

The Bradenton Area Half Marathon: Run the River will traverse downtown Bradenton and Palmetto on Saturday with the help of the Hernando De Soto Historical Society. The 13.1-mile race begins in Palmetto, just across the Manatee River from Bradenton. Runners will start by crossing the Green Bridge, then take a path through Bradenton neighborhoods nearest the river. Racers will loop back at 71st Street and finish back in Palmetto.

The half marathon starts at 6:30 a.m. with water stops placed every mile and a half. At 7:45 a.m., the Conquistador One-Mile Fun Run begins on the Riverwalk between the Green Bridge and downtown.

All competitors in the half marathon will receive a finisher’s medal, T-shirt and access to a beer garden. Additional awards are handed out to the top three finishers in each of the 15 age groups, ranging from 10-13 to 80-and-older, plus the top three finishers overall.

Registration is still available at bradentonhalfmarathon.com. The price is currently $75 and will jump to $90 for the half marathon Wednesday until race day. Fun run registration is $15 with the price spiking to $20 on Wednesday, as well.

This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 6:56 PM with the headline "USAFL ready to crown national champions at Premier Sports Campus."