1970 Free Agency Part 2

Following the draft, most of the remaining free agents were able to find homes relatively quickly. The remaining 4 players from the top 25 free agents (DB Jayson Klyde, RB Ronald O’Sullivan, WR Doug Piva, and QB David Simmons) all found a home. DB Jayson Klyde would ink a 1-year, $20,000 deal to head west to the Minnesota Serpents. RB Ronald O’Sullivan would head back to Pittsburgh where he finished last season. The Blacksmiths enjoyed having him as an extra receiving option. WR Doug Piva would go to Louisville to compete for WR3, and finally the former 1st Round QB, David Simmons would head to Long Island. Simmons had been someone that the Raiders were interested in when he was entering the draft in 1967, but the team did not have a 1st round pick that season. 

The Serpents continued to be busy after landing Klyde making a pair of trades to move some talent from some crowded positions. 26-year-old, WR Edward Webb was not happy about having a limited role during his first season with the Serpents, so he wanted either to have a larger role or to be traded. In the end, he would be dealt to the Providence Gold Stars along with a 1971 4th Round Pick in exchange for 24-year-old OL Bobby Shields and a 1971 3rd Round Pick. They would then add WR Denis Langlois in free agency to fill in the extra WR spot.

Also, with the signing of Jayson Klyde, the team had a crowded secondary as well so they shipped 25-year-old, DB Ross Conroy to the Raiders for veteran DB Nick Ulbach and a 2nd Round Pick in 1971. Ulbach needed to come over for cap reasons and for Minnesota to maintain some depth.

1970 NAAF Draft

Round 1

Ahead of the draft beginning, Louisville GM, Robbie Wilson appeared to be on the phone with multiple teams that were thinking about trying to move up to the #1 pick to potentially get their hands on a star QB in Red King. Wilson listened to the offers right up until Commissioner, Ryan Jameson announced that the Thunder were on the clock. Once on the clock, Wilson finished up one last phone call. When he hung up the phone, he pointed to one of his assistants who got up and handed the draft slip to the commissioner. Jameson got to the podium and announced:

“Louisville has made their selection. With the 1st Pick in the 1970 NAAF Draft, the Louisville Thunder select, Ricky Wildgoose, Linebacker, Western New York.”

1 - Louisville Thunder | LB Ricky Wildgoose | Western New York - Oil City, PA - Creator: Jayhawk
While trading out of the first pick was tempting, the Thunder knew that they had a stellar talent on their hands with Wildgoose. While the team has made some picks at LB with their first selection in recent years, they haven’t really landed on a true defensive anchor. So with the opportunity to take a guy who could fit that role, they had to take him. With Wildgoose, they are getting a hard-hitting and powerful defensive centrepiece that pretty much carried his team’s defence at Western New York this season. He does have a sporadic style, which is very aggressive in going for the ball. Hopefully, that can take some of the pressure off of Le’Darius Wynn down the middle of the field.

2 - Providence Gold Stars | QB Red King | Central Ohio* - Lexington, KY - Creator: QCS
The Gold Stars’ table held their breath right up until Louisville made their selection. Once, the pick was announced, the table was excited and they quickly made their selection. The Gold Stars had picked RISU QB Edwin Hunt, 15th overall last season, but after a miserable first start and a massive change in the front office, the team no longer had a lot of faith in the hometown hero. Now, they have their guy in Red King. King is easily the QB with the best base to work with. He’s got a solid arm that is accurate. Some would say he’s got the “it” factor that separates him from the rest, with an ability to make key plays when it counts, with great decision-making and poise. King has the highest ceiling for sure, and Providence certainly feels confident they got their guy. 

3 - Toronto Steelheads | WR Cameron Kane | Toronto - Brampton, ON - Creator: idm
The media seemed convinced that the Steelheads should be looking at QB for the future with the 3rd overall selection, as their star QB Todd Baker is now 38 years old. However, they would still elect to pass on a QB, taking Cameron Kane out of Toronto University. Clearly, the Steelheads were hoping they could replace WR Al Allmendinger who fled to Boston earlier in the offseason. Kane brings a physical touch to the Steelheads’ WR core. He’s been known as a tough guy to bring down. He’s got some solid hands to make some great catches, but he still tends to drop passes that he should catch. Overall, Kane is still a stellar talent and can make some waves in the NAAF.  

TRADE ALERT
Following the Steelheads’ pick, Ryan Jameson would announce the first trade of the day. The London Tigers elected to move down from their 4th overall spot. They would send the pick to the Thunder along with pick 46, in exchange for picks 7 and 14 along with a former 5th-round pick in LB Jethro Gibson. 

4 - Louisville Thunder (from London) | OL Robert Pelletier | Majeure Montreal - Laval, QC - Creator: Kingsfan11
With the newly acquired pick the Thunder aimed to bolster their O-line by taking Robert Pelletier. Pelletier’s specialty is in the passing game, being a prolific pass blocker. He’s got a strong stance with good positioning making it tough to get around. Pelletier isn’t very agile, however, so if a guy does get past him, there’s a good chance the QB is in danger. Overall, the move reinforces the Thunder’s desire to be a pass-first offence. 

5 - Long Island Raiders | OL Alan Mitchell | New England - Greenwich, CT - Creator: ZO82
The Raiders would follow suit with the Thunder, taking a much-needed O-lineman with their first pick of the draft. OL Alan Mitchell was looked at as the best OL in the draft but slipped to the Raiders at 5th. Long Island’s typically run-heavy offence is getting a big boost from Mitchell who is a towering and powerful run-blocking lineman. Mitchell plays right to the whistle and sometimes a little after it, something that the Raiders absolutely love in a prospect: fight. 

6 - Montreal Rouge | QB Nathan Houle | Majeure Montreal - Montreal, QC - Creator: Kingsfan11
Montreal’s plan heading into the draft was shaken up by the Tigers’ decision to move down. The Rouge had their eye on the local QB Nathan Houle but had thought the Tigers or even the Steelheads would have taken the QB at 4 and with King off the board. They were ready to pick Jean-Christophe Bain with the pick, but Houle was still on the board, so they gambled on taking the QB. Houle has been on the Rouge’s radar over the last several seasons and they feel that his talent can make him into a solid QB. He’s got a great base with a solid arm and accuracy, but he’s also got some legs under him that allow him to become mobile in the pocket. Unlike Red King, Houle doesn’t have the “it” factor, but he’s got a lot of the building blocks to grow and develop and potentially get to a point like that. Of course, the big side effect of the pick is on Montreal’s current starting QB Gene Bishop. Bishop has been struggling the last couple of seasons which may have led to the decision, as well as he is now 34 and not getting any younger. Montreal’s hope is Houle can develop under Bishop over the final two years of Bishop’s contract and be ready to go by the end of it.

7 - London Tigers (from Halifax via Louisville) | WR Leon Hudson | Central Ohio* - Columbus, OH - Creator: DireBear
Despite the 2nd best QB going off the board, the Tigers didn’t miss a beat in making their selection. Clearly, they had their eyes on someone else, that being WR Leon Hudson. The Tigers have been in need of another top-receiving threat to pair up with Cole Fletcher. Hudson is a great athlete. He’s quick and agile, even known for jumping tackles. Hudson does have some potential injury trouble due to having a fairly slim build, but if he can bulk up a little and work on conditioning, the Tigers may have a terrific weapon for their offence. 

8 - Minnesota Serpents | DB Austin Sherebernikoff | Haynes - Binghamton, NY - Creator: Timothy_1947
The Serpents would be the first team to really reach for a player, taking DB Austin Sherebernikoff. While Byron Knight out of New England was looked at as a better player at the position, the Serpents seem to like the more man-to-man style that Sherebernikoff brings to the table. Sherebernikoff was a lockdown corner at Haynes, and Minnesota is hoping he can develop into that at the next level.

TRADE ALERT
The second trade of the draft would happen as the Serpents were making their selection. The Montreal Rouge, still hoping to get the guy they wanted in LB Jean-Christophe Bain, would move up to pick 9 in a trade with the Indiana Victors. The Victors would get pick 13 and veteran OL Xavier Villeneuve to boost their O-line depth as compensation. 

9 - Montreal Rouge (from Indiana) | LB Jean-Christophe Bain | Majeure Montreal - Montreal, QC - Creator: Wallflower
Montreal was happy to pick their second Majeure Montreal alum of the draft. Bain is a solid Linebacker that should bring a sense of leadership down the middle. Bain has gotten some comparisons to Hall of Fame LB Aengus Lynch, who was exceptionally smart at the position. Bain didn’t wow people until his junior year, but his final two years at college were strong and he has shown a stellar ability to hunt down and contain players in open field. He does have to work on his strength a bit with some stronger RBs and TEs being able to break away from Bain. Montreal does add Bain to their defence with last year’s 4th overall pick LB Willie Stetson to start to form a solid LB core.

10 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths | WR Edward Washington | Rockefeller* - Fargo, ND - Creator: NoE38
The Blacksmiths came up to pick at 10 with a bit of a decision to make. They had a local player in LB Dallas Rush that was very tempting, but the team instead selected a WR in Edward Washington. Washington doesn’t jump off the page in terms of his performance on the field, but his physical attributes are what made him a top prospect. He’s tall and much larger than the average WR. He’s strong, making him a great target that can fight for a catch. He’s got solid route running and fundamentals, but he does lack breakaway speed, so Pittsburgh will hope they can continue to build on an otherwise physically gifted player.

11 - Boston Independents | LB Dallas Rush | Allegheny - Bethlehem, PA - Creator: QCS
With the Blacksmiths passing on Dallas Rush, the Independents were able to jump on Rush and pick up a depth piece in their LB core. Rush seems like a great fit for Boston, who has a pair of already solid and young LBs. Rush is a hard-working player that can be a great support player with good tackling ability and solid IQ. He doesn’t have the raw talent that some of the other players in the class do, but his effort is next to none which makes him a great player for any team to add depth.

12 - Ottawa Royals | OL Dane Hodgeson | Rhode Island State - Block Island, RI - Creator: JamHeronArk
With OL Amos Sewell heading to Minnesota, the Royals looked to fill in the missing spot with a new O-lineman. Hodgeson is a strong pass blocker that aligns with Ottawa looking to protect their young star in QB Drake Young. He’s got pretty much all the fundamentals down, he just may need to work on some adjustments in run blocking, but Ottawa has a solid base to work with.

13 - Indiana Victors (from Buffalo via Montreal) | DB Byron Knight | New England - Boston, MA - Creator: QCS
To close out the opening round of the draft, the Indiana Victors would elect to pick DB Byron Knight out of New England. Knight, who was apparently passed on by the Minnesota Serpents, is a physical corner who can be a disrupter in the secondary. Knight’s style is often about jamming WRs at the line or using his body to get in the way. His style does tend to lead to some penalties, but he certainly gets into the head of his opponents and takes advantage.

2nd Round

The Tigers would start the second round by taking a chance on DL Matt Brown. Brown certainly has the making of a top D-lineman, but his play in the last couple of years at college hasn’t shown that potential. If the Tigers can unlock the underlying skill that Brown has, they have a great player on their hands. 

Providence would look to add to their defence by grabbing LB Nathaniel Lovelady. A bit of a work in progress with sometimes being lost on plays, but if he can be pointed in the right direction Lovelady is a great addition to the Gold Stars’ defence. 

Toronto would follow London’s plan and take a DL as well in Haakon Leichenberg. Leichenberg is looked at as the safer choice, with a great ability to hunt down the ball behind the line, however, Toronto will hope to round out the rest of his game to make him a more complete player. 

The Tigers’ second pick of the 2nd round would be the top tight end in the draft, Pete Mayfield. With the team having a top receiving TE in Tranquille Rousseau, Mayfield is a great addition to having a stronger blocking force for the run game.

The Raiders would pick up some defensive help with LB Tyrone Dye. The hard-hitting LB will certainly bring the physicality that Owner/GM Wayne Tillman loves from his teams. 

Montreal would end up grabbing their 3rd Majeure Montreal prospect of the draft, taking RB Alain Ducharme to hopefully have a new option out of the backfield. Ducharme has a lot of speed under his feet which makes him a threat, but he will need a good O-line to reach his full potential.

Halifax finally got to pick and they would take TE Brandon McPhail. The team was desperate to add a TE this off-season after TE Dylan Chowder left for Providence. McPhail might need to develop a bit before he is anything special, but his overall balance between blocking and catching skills does set him up for success.

Minnesota would once again go for a bit of a reach, however, this time it was a significantly larger jump. They would grab OL Daniel Chou who was projected as a late 3rd rounder. The Serpents appear to like his overall set of skills and abilities. He did struggle against picking up shifting blocking assignments throughout college which scared some scouts away, but he appears to be someone the Serpents like. 

Indiana would continue to add to their secondary, grabbing S Derrick Fayden out of RISU. With S Geno Aranda being the only safety the Victors have at the moment, the pickup of Fayden makes sense to add depth at the position. Fayden was ranked as the best option at safety in the class with great athletic abilities and overall football IQ.

Louisville would take a WR with their 3rd selection of the draft with the aim of adding depth at the position behind WR Casey Coleman and WR Lloyd Lane. Graham is a pure speed WR, who can get away from anyone with speed, but if he has to challenge for the ball he can struggle. 

Boston would continue to pick up the O-line from New England with Terry Pennington to add some youth to the aging core. Pennington is very agile and versatile but does miss some assignments sometimes. 

Ottawa would make a move similar to Boston and Indiana in adding some future pieces at aging positions, taking WR Charles Toothacre. Toothacre wowed scouts with a great ability to get open and know where on the field he needed to be. However, they were scared away by his memory issues due to his ADHD. He has a hard time remembering the plays, but he’s still got a really good sense of the field. In fact, at West Mass State, Toothacre didn’t use the plays just did what he thought was best in the situation and it worked very well as he still understood where he needed to go and the coaches trusted him. Clearly, Ottawa sees some potential there. 

With the last pick of the 2nd round, the Blue Wings would get their first player of the draft and take DL JR Stevens to help shore up their defensive depth. He’s got a lot of great fundamentals and technical skills that make him a great fit for the Blue Wings who can develop him into a great piece on the line. 

2nd Round Picks
14 - LDN (from LOU) | DL Matt Brown | Toronto - Guelph, ON - Dan O’Mac
15 - PRO | LB Nathaniel Lovelady | Toronto - Brampton, ON - idm
16 - TOR | DL Haakon Liechenberg | UHamilton - Hamilton, ON - Darknes
17 - LDN | TE Pete Mayfield | North Indiana* - Madison, IN - Slapshot Kirby
18 - LI | LB Tyrone Dye | Major Ohio* - Detroit, MI - Stickman
19 - MTL | RB Alain Ducharme | Majeure Montreal - Drummondville, QC - DireBear
20 - HFX | TE Brandon McPhail | Indiana Tech - Upland, IN - Jayhawk
21 - MIN | OL Daniel Chou | Haynes - Schenectady, NY - RaysUp
22 - IND | S Derrick Fayden | Rhode Island State - Syracuse, NY - Darknes
23 - LOU (from PIT) | WR Ben Graham | Western New York - Youngstown, OH - TigersFan93
24 - BOS | OL Terry Pennington | New England - Hartford, CT - Edgeworth
25 - OTT | WR Charles Toothacre | West Mass State - Worcester, MA - Scratch
26 - BUF | DL JR Stevens | Toronto - Brockville, ON - RaysUp

3rd Round

As the 3rd round kicked off the Thunder would add a TE in Knobby Silverton, while Providence finally grabbed a piece for their biggest need on the O-line. However, Toronto’s selection of RB Tank Ferguson was a little bit of a head-scratcher at first with RB Max Tracy leading the way, but it seems that the team would like to add a power back to help take some of the pressure off of Tracy.  The Tigers would add a safety with the next pick taking Frank Thorpe. Before Minnesota added a TE themselves with Gabrielius Wiggins. 

Before Montreal would make another pick, they would make another trade, swapping the 32nd pick with picks 39 and 52 from Buffalo. The Blue Wings would jump on the last big LB in Eric Strohecker, who did fall from his projected mid-2nd round spot, which could mean a mega steal from the Blue Wings. 

Halifax would start looking for an Aquilio Ruiz replacement in taking Jack Treadaway out of UHamilton. Then, Minnesota would go local and take RB Allen Navarro out of Minneapolis. A pair of DLs would go next with Indiana taking Terrence Strickland and Pittsburgh grabbing Jeff Lamonte. 

While those picks were happening the Tigers got busy. They would make a trade with the Raiders acquiring pick 44 in exchange for picks 54 and 56, as well as a 4th-rounder next season. Then, shortly after they would make another swap with Boston acquiring the 37th pick by flipping pick 44 along with pick 47. With the selection, the Tigers would grab Victor Vratislav to continue to build their secondary. 

Ottawa would reach a bit for DB Yves Lafrance after Vratislav went off the board, and then Montreal would settle with WR Nathan Hackman after their target in Jeff Lamonte went two picks before.

3rd Round Picks
27 - LOU | TE Knobby Silverton | Allegheny* - Pittsburgh, PA - Stickman
28 - PRO | OL Louie DeBois | Nova Scotia - Halifax, NS - Sevsdast
29 - TOR | RB Tank Ferguson | Maine State - Bangor, ME - Darknes
30 - LDN | S Frank Thorpe | Haynes - New Haven, CT - DireBear
31 - MIN (from LI) | TE Gabrielius Wiggins | Rideau - Ottawa, ON - QCS
32 - BUF (from MTL) | LB Eric Strohecker | Rhode Island State - Hagerstown, MD - RaysUp
33 - HFX | DB Jack Treadaway | UHamilton - Windsor, ON - ZO82
34 - MIN | RB Allen Navarro | Minneapolis* - Eden Prairie, MN - TigersFan93
35 - IND | DL Terrence Strickland | UHamilton - Oakville, ON - Wallflower
36 - PIT | DL Jeff Lamonte | Majeure Montreal - Plattsburgh, NY - Darknes
37 - LDN (from BOS) | DB Victor Vratislav | North Indiana* - Muncie, IN - Jayhawk
38 - OTT | DB Yves Lafrance | St-Laurent - Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC - idm
39 - MTL (from BUF) | WR Nathan Hackman | Major Ohio - Cleveland, OH - Sevsdast

4th Round

The 4th round kicked off with the final trade of the draft that saw the Thunder acquire veteran RB Rashed Smith from the Mariners in exchange for the 40th overall pick. The move for the Mariners relieves them of an expensive contract while adding another pick to a draft where they only had 3 picks going in. As for Louisville, they are hoping Smith can help solidify their backfield next to the younger core of Niel Bradley and Mario Leclair. With the 40th pick, the Mariners would grab RB Wesley Wu who was a bit of a wildcard having not been the starter at King’s but showed flashes of skill in his limited action.

Several O-linemen would go off the board next to Providence, Toronto, and London. Boston would grab S Mason Paquette with the first pick they acquired from the Tigers, then they would get DL Joseph Kerr a couple of picks later. 

The Thunder would take the 3rd QB of the draft in Al Washington as a replacement for backup QB David Simmons who is still out there as a free agent. A few more O-linemen and D-lineman would round out the 3rd round before Providence would grab a WR in Mariano Marino and Montreal got S Gabriel Allerton. 

4th Round Picks
40 - HFX (from LOU) | RB Wesley Wu | King’s* - New York City, NY - TheEnigmaticOne
41 - PRO | OL Marc Clevinger | Western New York - Niagara Falls, ON - Dan O’Mac
42 - TOR | OL Phil Gross | Rhode Island State - Providence, RI - idm
43 - LDN | OL Ethan West | Rockefeller* - Dubuque, IA - Dan O’Mac
44 - BOS (from LI via LDN) | S Mason Paquette | Montreal Provincial - Montreal, QC - Darknes
45 - MTL | DL Miles Mandrycky | Erie - Erie, PA - Dan O’Mac
46 - LOU (from HFX via LDN) | QB Al Washington | Haynes - Hartford, CT - TheEnigmaticOne
47 - BOS (from MIN via LDN) | DL Joseph Kerr | Brooklyn Metropolitan - New York City, NY - idm
48 - LI (from IND) | DL Chris Price | Michigan* - Battle Creek, MI - idm
49 - MIN (from PIT) | OL David Biarski | Michigan* - Port Austin, MI - TigersFan93
50 - TOR (from BOS) | OL Ralph Bush | Dominion - Kingston, ON - DireBear
51 - PRO (from OTT) | WR Mariano Marino | Michigan* - South Haven, MI - Stickman
52 - MTL (from BUF) | S Gabriel Allerton | Nova Scotia - St. Andrews, NB - Stickman

5th Round

The last two QBs would go off the board in the 5th round with the Raiders grabbing QB Darko Hardonk out of Jersey State, while Halifax would take the local talent in UPNB QB Colt Dorsey. The Raiders would use the two picks they grabbed from the Tigers for S Valentine Kitcher and OL Bob Abuoy. The other interesting pick was Ottawa taking RB Jordan Hawkes, who was projected as a 4th round talent, but almost went undrafted, likely due to character issues. Finally, the Blue Wings would take the final player of the draft, DB Samuel McCann. 

5th Round Picks
53 - LOU | LB Elias Ragsdale | Louisville State* - Mt Vernon, IL - ZO82
54 - LI (from PRO via IND via LDN) | S Valentine Kitcher | UHamilton - Hamilton, ON - ZO82
55 - TOR | LB Chase Chalker | Major Ohio* - Warren, OH - Jayhawk
56 - LI (from LDN) | OL Bob Abuoy | Central Pennsylvania* - Hometown, PA - H-Town
57 - LI | QB Darko Hardonk | Jersey State* - Newark, NJ - Stickman
58 - LDN (from MTL via IND) | WR Alphonso Abbott | Rideau - Montreal, QC - NoE38
59 - HFX | QB Colt Dorsey | UPNB - Moncton, NB - Darknes
60 - MIN | WR Montana Strole | Montreal Provincial - Montreal, QC - idm
61 - IND | LB Ridley Robertson | King’s* - Queens, NY - idm
62 - PIT | OL Chet Manley | New England - Mansfield, MA - Kingsfan11
63 - BOS | LB Nick Proehl | Nova Scotia - Moncton, NB - Kingsfan11
64 - OTT | RB Jordan Hawkes | Toronto - Halifax, NS - Darknes
65 - BUF | DB Samuel McCann | Minneapolis* -  Austin, MN - Scratch

Undrafted
RB Scott Grant | Ben Franklin* - Minersville, PA - JamHeronArk
OL Grant Pell | Erie - Andover, OH - idm
S JP Richter | Sudbury Provincial - Sudbury, ON - Darknes
S Shane Derfus | Daniel Boone* - Mount Gay-Shamrock, WV - Dan O’Mac
OL Paul Dix | Jersey State* - Egg Harbor Township, NJ - idm
K Rhys Kupp | Central Pennsylvania - Altoona, PA - idm
 

1970 Draft Preview

Hybrid Conference Results

Canada East Hybrid Conference
WEST
(1) Toronto Dukes
(7) Hamilton Howlers
St. George Maples
London Foresters
Dominion Knights
Sudbury Provincial Miners
Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial Beavers

EAST
(3) Majeure Montreal Insulaires
(8) Nova Scotia Armada
St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere
UPNB Pirates
Rideau Rams
Montreal Provincial Panthers
Mont-Bellevue Geais Bleus

CEHC Playoffs
(1) TORU 28-10 (7) UHAM
(3) MMTL 38-7 (8) UNS

CEHC Championship
(1) TORU 33-28 (3) MMTL

The Canada East conference was dominated by a pair of teams, the Toronto University Dukes and the Majeure Montreal Insulaires. Toronto faced pretty much no competition in the West Division, as UHamilton was weaker than usual, and the other schools were also lacking in talent. Majeure Montreal continued its streak of winning the East Division, as they took it for the 3rd consecutive season, led by their star QB Nathan Houle. Nova Scotia was able to beat out St-Laurent for the 2nd playoff spot, marking their first appearance in the CEHC Playoffs. 

In the playoffs, Toronto dominated UHamilton for the 2nd time in the season, while Majeure Montreal pounded Nova Scotia to set up a rematch of the 1968 CEHC championship. In that game, the two schools battled back and forth, but for the second season in a row, the Dukes would be victorious on the back of star WR Cameron Kane’s game-winning touchdown.

America East Hybrid Conference
(2) Western New York Whitetails
(4) New England Cardinals
(5) Haynes Colonials
(6) Rhode Island State Bulldogs
(9) Maine State Acadians
(10) West Mass State Rangers
Upstate Bluebirds
Erie Sailors
Cambridge of Boston Cubs
Concord-Manchester Fighting Pike
Vermont Republic Mountaineers
WNY-Rochester Eagles

AEHC Playoffs
(2) WNY 20-14 (6) RISU
(4) UNE 21-23 (5) HAY

AEHC Championship
(2) WNY 27-15 (5) HAY

The America East conference was much closer with Western New York, New England and Haynes all having shots at the conference’s #1 seed. Maine State and their run game behind RB Tank Ferguson would make a push to get into the top 4 with the WR Charles Toothacre-led West Mass State Rangers following closely behind. RISU would get the final spot despite a much weaker season from the team. 

The playoffs would see Western New York beat RISU in a defensive showdown. In the other game, Haynes would pull off an upset over New England, with QB Al Washington leading a magical game-winning drive. Unfortunately, Haynes’ luck would run out as they were steamrolled by WNY in the next game.

Hybrid Football Championship
(1) TORU 24-13 (2) WNY

The Hybrid Championship would see the Toronto Dukes finally capture their first title since joining the hybrid football conferences. The team was able to crush the Whitetails’ weak offence while their own offence was able to overcome the WNY defence.

The Prospects 

Despite falling just short of the national title, Western New York still has the best prospect coming into the draft with LB Ricky Wildgoose. The hard-hitting LB was a force in the Whitetails’ defence and many see him as having the physical traits to be a menace at the next level. The hybrid football champs, Toronto Dukes, do have several key players also near the top of the class. The aforementioned WR Cameron Kane leads the way as a playmaking WR who can make some great catches and has great physical traits to boot. Behind him are LB Nathaniel Lovelady and DL Matt Brown. Lovelady broke out this season as the team’s central linebacker, who did have some concerns heading into the year as a player that can get a little lost on plays, but this season seemed to show an improvement in that area. As for Brown, he was tabbed as a potential player to be a #1 talent after his sophomore year, but the last two seasons haven’t been as strong for him. He has the physical traits to suggest he can be great but needs to get better in the technical areas if he wants to succeed at the next level. 

New England still has some talent in the class like OL Alan Mitchell who projects as the best O-lineman in the class, as well as DB Byron Knight, who is a physical disrupter in the secondary. However, the strongest school yet to be talked about was Majeure Montreal, which has 4 guys in the top 15. The top prospect is OL Robert Pelletier, who was a vital part of the offensive success this season. Next to him is star LB Jean-Christophe Bain, who has developed into a leader in the LB core, drawing a lot of comparisons to Hall of Fame LB Aengus Lynch. RB Alain Ducharme was on no one's radar up until his senior year when he led the CEHC in rushing yards, so he certainly flew up the rankings and projects as the best RB in a fairly weak class. 

Finally, the team’s QB Nathan Houle is one of the top QB prospects in this year’s class. Houle has slowly developed over the last 3 years to give Majeure Montreal one of their best runs in school history. Houle has a solid arm and accuracy which makes him a great pocket passer, but he does have a strong ability to scramble if he needs to, which makes him a very well-rounded prospect. However, he does tend to shy away from making throws if it is too risky which has led him to back down in key moments.

However, Houle is not the top QB prospect in the class, that would be QB Red “Strawberry” King. The red-headed machine out of Central Ohio in the Conference of the Midwest has made waves with the school's first conference championship in many years. King was projected to be the best QB headed for the GLFL, but he elected to go the Nathaniel Braddock route and enter the NAAF instead, much to the disappointment of the teams of the GLFL. King has a great arm with good accuracy. His poise and leadership are also strong qualities which separate him from Houle. Many teammates have great relationships with King, both on and off the field. He does lack the scrambling ability that Houle has, but he has been able to take over games, unlike Houle. He is joined by his teammate WR Leon Hudson, who is also a very strong prospect at WR with great athletic ability and speed to make him a serious threat.

Houle and King will certainly be the two most sought-after QBs. Behind them are a few other options, but no one is jumping off the page. QB Al Washington’s performance in the AEHC playoffs did help his case, but some see him as a bit raw despite a strong arm. QB Darko Hardonk comes out of Jersey State, but scouts haven’t seen enough from him to really think he’s a franchise guy since he only started his senior season. Finally, is QB Colt Dorsey out of UPNB. Dorsey hasn’t wowed scouts, but he did lead the small school to its best finish in the hybrid conferences this season, finishing 4th in the East.

The Gains Report - Top 25 Prospects
* = American Football School
1 - LB Ricky Wildgoose - Western New York - Jayhawk
2 - OL Alan Mitchell - New England - ZO82
3 - QB Red King - Central Ohio* - QCS
4 - WR Cameron Kane - Toronto - idm
5 - OL Robert Pelletier - Majeure Montreal - Kingsfan11
6 - LB Jean-Christophe Bain - Majeure Montreal - Wallflower
7 - WR Leon Hudson - Central Ohio* - DireBear
8 - LB Nathaniel Lovelady - Toronto - idm
9 - QB Nathan Houle - Majeure Montreal - Kingsfan11
10 - DB Byron Knight - New England - QCS
11 - WR Edward Washington - Rockefeller* - NoE38
12 - LB Dallas Rush - Allegheny* - QCS
13 - RB Alain Ducharme - Majeure Montreal - DireBear
14 - DB Austin Sherebernikoff - Haynes - Timothy_1947
15 - OL Dane Hodgeson - Rhode Island State - JamHeronArk
16 - DL Matt Brown - Toronto - Dan O’Mac
17 - TE Pete Mayfield - North Indiana* - Slapshot Kirby
18 - LB Eric Strohecker - Rhode Island State - RaysUp
19 - LB Tyrone Dye - Major Ohio* - Stickman
20 - DL Haakon Leichenberg - UHamilton - Darknes
21 - S Derrick Fayden - Rhode Island State - Darknes
22 - TE Brandon McPhail - Indiana Tech* - Jayhawk
23 - RB Tank Ferguson - Maine State - Darknes
24 - S Frank Thorpe - Haynes - DireBear
25 - WR Ben Graham - Western New York - TigersFan93
==========================================
29 - WR Charles Toothacre - West Mass State - Scratch
31 - OL Louie DeBois - Nova Scotia - Sevsdast
32 - OL Terry Pennington - New England - Edgeworth
33 - QB Al Washington - Haynes - TheEnigmaticOne
58 - OL Bob Abuoy - Central Pennsylvania* - H-Town

Draft Order and Picks

1 - Louisville Thunder
Picks: 1, 7, 14, 23, 27, 40, 53
Needs: OL, LB, RB, WR

2 - Providence Gold Stars
Picks: 2, 15, 28, 41, 51
Needs: OL, DL, QB, LB

3 - Toronto Steelheads
Picks: 3, 16, 29, 42, 50, 55
Needs: WR, DL, OL, QB

4 - London Tigers
Picks: 4, 17, 30, 43, 46, 47, 54, 56, 58
Needs: QB, OL, DB, WR

5 - Long Island Raiders
Picks: 5, 18, 44, 48, 57
Needs: OL, LB, WR, TE

6 - Montreal Rouge
Picks: 6, 13, 19, 32, 45
Needs: RB, WR, DL, OL

7 - Halifax Mariners - 1st round pick belongs to Louisville
Picks: 20, 33, 59
Needs: TE, RB, DB, QB

8 - Minnesota Serpents
Picks: 8, 21, 31, 34, 49, 60
Needs: OL, DB, TE

9 - Indiana Victors
Picks: 9, 22, 35, 61
Needs: DL, DB, S, RB

10 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths
Picks: 10, 36, 62
Needs: LB, DL, OL, RB

11 - Boston Independents
Picks: 11, 24, 37, 63
Needs: LB, OL, RB, DL

12 - Ottawa Royals
Picks: 12, 25, 38, 64
Needs: OL, WR, TE, DL

13 - Buffalo Blue Wings - 1st round pick belongs to Montreal 
Picks: 26, 39, 52, 65
Needs: DL, LB, OL, S

1970 Free Agency Part 1

DB Aquilio Ruiz had the most eyes on him as free agency broke out, with the 27-year-old looking for a long-term deal that would pay him handsomely. The amount that Ruiz was asking for did take some of the top teams out of the mix, who were getting short on cap space already. 4 teams would ultimately fight over Ruiz’s services. Those teams were London, Long Island, Louisville, and Providence. Ruiz used the interest to his advantage to get his asking price higher, taking the Tigers out of the mix, who didn’t think the investment was worth it this early into their rebuild. In the end, Long Island and Louisville would make the biggest push, but the Thunder would win the sweepstakes, locking Ruiz in for a 4-year deal worth a total of $137,400. 

Young WR Al Allmendinger also attracted a lot of attention from teams, with his speed and youth being big desires for many. While there would be several offers, Allmendinger wanted the best opportunity to shine as a top target. In the end, that would land him in Boston to be paired up with QB Nathaniel Braddock. Boston would continue to spend big, adding DL Bjorn Sigmarsson to make a significant upgrade in their front 7 and then DB Tim McGovern to help with the depth in their secondary. Ultimately, these are strong signings that could get Boston back to the top again. 

Bjorn Sigmarsson was just the tip of the iceberg of veterans looking to a new home. Some were looking for a title, specifically, DL Craig White, who would land with the Royals in hopes of capturing a McCallister Cup and DL Tournel Guay would elect to stay in Buffalo to compete for titles instead of chase money. Not all of the veterans would find a new home, as DB Jayson Klyde would be left with nothing really on the table so far, despite being looked at as one of the stronger free agents in the class. 

Sticking in the top 10, there were still several veterans who were looking for new opportunities. Specifically, LB Orion Carter, who wanted a place where he could be the star LB. Carter would elect to sign in Minnesota to reunite with former teammates like DL Albert Sullivan and WR Sebastian Dassler. Carter is expected to be the anchor on defence, but along with plenty of young talent around him like the 1969 1st overall pick, LB Garrett Roberts. 

There were a pair of career Victors, that would be left without a contract in RB Raymond Green and DL Fred Webster. The two players would elect to head over to the team's newest rival, the Pittsburgh Blacksmiths, in hopes of seeking revenge on their former team. Of course, everything balances out as former Blacksmiths’ RB Tresean Jones would take Green’s spot in Indiana. 

The Raiders would be quite aggressive, as GM/Owner Wayne Tillman sought to make massive improvements on defence. He would bring in both LB Bear Donnelly and LB Red Clarkson who should be significant upgrades over the previous core. They would also grab DL Tyrone Powers for the D-line in hopes that the player can finally find his footing with his 3rd team. DB Bobby Bastian and S Sully Callahan are also solid additions to the team’s secondary. 

The QB market was relatively quiet, with Providence appearing to be the only team looking for a new option under centre with their new management. While they could still keep QB Ulysses Lawyer in the starting role this season as a bridge QB, they also hoped that they may be able to upgrade for a better bridge option. The choice would be between QB Landon Ross and QB Tyrion Gainsborough. In the end, the team would elect to sign QB Landon Ross. Ross played the last two seasons in Long Island under Providence’s new OC Kerry Holder’s system, which was the deciding factor. As for Gainsborough, despite interest from the Thunder, he would elect to stay with the Royals for one more year in hopes of taking another shot at a job next offseason. Former 10th overall pick, QB David Simmons does have some potential landing spots on the table, but none of the teams are ready to commit as they feel that some of the QB options at the draft may be more interesting to them over Simmons, who played pretty mediocrely for the winless Thunder last season.  

Top 25 Free Agency
1 - DB Aquilio Ruiz - HFX -> LOU - 4Y, $34,350
2 - DL Bjorn Sigmarsson - LOU -> BOS - 2Y, $30,000 - NTC
3 - LB Orion Carter - BUF -> MIN - 2Y, $28,000 
4 - WR Al Allmendinger - TOR -> BOS - 3Y, $24,500
5 - RB Raymond Green - IND -> PIT - 2Y, $24,000
6 - LB Bear Donnelly - HFX -> LI - 2Y, $25,000
7 - TE Jesse Butler - TOR -> PIT - 2Y, $23,500
8 - DB Jayson Klyde - MTL
9 - QB Tyrion Gainsborough - OTT -> OTT - 1Y, $18,000
10 - QB Landon Ross - LI -> PRO - 1Y, $19,500
11 - RB Tresean Jones - PIT -> IND - 1Y, $18,000
12 - OL Ted Cole - MIN -> PRO - 2Y, $15,000
13 - S Tom Parrish - IND -> PRO - 2Y, $21,000
14 - OL Amos Sewell - OTT -> MIN - 2Y, $17,500
15 - DL Craig White - PRO -> OTT - 1Y, $23,500 - NTC
16 - RB Ronald O’Sullivan - PIT
17 - WR Russell Wilcox - MTL -> PRO - 1Y, $19,000
18 - DL Tournel Guay - BUF -> BUF - 1Y, $17,250
19 - WR Doug Piva - PRO
20 - WR Alexei Dubois - LOU -> TOR - 1Y, $22,000
21 - DB Tim McGovern - IND -> BOS - 2Y, $17,250
22 - DL Tyrone Powers - PIT -> LI - 2Y, $17,500
23 - QB David Simmons - LOU
24 - DB Tyler Hill - MIN -> LDN - 2Y, $12,750
25 - RB Théodore Lemieux - HFX -> MTL - 1Y, $18,250

1970 Re-Sign Stage

INDIANA GEARING UP FOR A BIG PUSH, APPLEWHITE LOCKED IN AT QB
Last season was a disappointment for the Victors who fell to the Pittsburgh Blacksmiths in overtime in the West Division Semi-Final. As the team is gearing up for the 1970 season, they are looking to make a push at the cup with many veterans returning to the team. The returning vets are headlined by captain, DB Kelly Kirkland and WR Silas Peyton. They also locked up several key pieces like WR Ed Edwards, OL Viktor Stahl, and LB Marshall Langenbrunner. However, the biggest question mark was at QB with the contract of QB Tom Applewhite. In the end, the Victors were able to get Applewhite signed for 3 years at $42,000 a season. The star QB becomes the 2nd highest paid QB in the league only second to QB Charles Lemieux of the Buffalo Blue Wings. Now, the Victors did leave one key piece unsigned and that was RB Raymond Green. Green has been a solid player for many years, but it looks like the team was not willing to pay to keep him on the roster, so they will be searching for a new option.

OTTAWA KEEPS KEY DEFENSIVE PIECES AND VETERAN RECEIVING CORE
The Royals came just a point short of their 5th McCallister Cup at the end of the 1969 season, so it was no surprise the team made sure to keep several key pieces from the roster. The big fish was young defensive superstar DL Bernhard Hartmann, who locked into a 4-year deal worth $137,000. The Royals also kept DL Zane Tannith and LB Sam Wheeler with 2-year deals as well. At WR the Royals would maintain all 3 of their 30+-year-old WRs in captain Marshall Leonard, Piers Key, and Ottawa-native Cedric Peterson. This does leave 28-year-old Colby Bancana as the youngest member of the core, although 1969 2nd-round pick, WR Matthew de la Cruz, may change that if he makes the roster this season. The Royals have had one of the best cap situations in the league over the last couple of seasons which allowed them to make sure they got their team back, but they also showed some caution with star QB Drake Young due for some big money next season.

TILLMAN AND BRAY CLEAN HOUSE IN LONG ISLAND
After a pair of miserable seasons, the Raiders were expected to be making a lot of changes come this season. RB Dareion Fields and DL Ilya Mikaelov would be the only key starters to get new contracts, as many of the team’s pieces would be cut from the team. LB Ed Krzano and LB Calvin Hardy were both dumped along with WR Chad Anderson and TE Ryan Hatcher, who were both trade acquisitions over the last couple of seasons. At QB the team is sticking with Ivan Sanchez, who still has a year left on his deal, and letting go of QB Landon Ross who certainly wanted to see what opportunities were out there for him. Sanchez does have a short leash this season as he has just not gotten to where Tillman has wanted over the past season.

HALIFAX MAKES COST CUTS
The Mariners elected to overpay a bit for their roster last season in hopes of continuing to compete for a title. However, after missing the postseason last year and the costs becoming too high for the team, they had to make some changes by letting some star players walk. DB Aquilio Ruiz is easily the biggest loss for the team. The former 3rd overall pick wanted more money than the Mariners were willing to offer so he elected to move on. He also joined LB Bear Donnely and DL Chauncy Overstreet who both were cuts for the Mariners. Luckily, some of the players still wanted to play in Halifax so the team was still able to lock up key pieces like star DL Pat Butler and last season’s leading receiver, Shane Steadman. However, the changes may not be done in Halifax as some other expensive contracts may get moved yet.

TORONTO SUFFERS LOSSES
The Steelheads have seen a steady decline as players have retired. Now, they would typically just replace the old with the new and young, however, you can’t do that when they leave. It appears that a couple of the younger pieces in the organization have decided to move on. Both WR Al Allmendinger and TE Jesse Butler have left the team. Allmendinger, a former 2nd rounder, has developed into a really solid young WR for the team while Butler has been a solid starter. While it seems that both have left due to wanting to be in more pass-heavy teams, there are rumours that the front office could be an option, especially due to the DL Lawrence Armstrong trade situation from a few years ago. The situation is manageable, but with several other key young pieces’ contracts ending after this season, they could have issues down the line.

FREE AGENTS
Ruiz is easily the strongest player available with his skill set and age being right in his prime. Of course, there are a lot of other key players that have decided to leave their teams. DL Bjorn Sigmarsson felt that his spot was in jeopardy with the Thunder drafting a pair of young DL over the past few drafts, and a 0-12 season certainly didn’t make him want to stay. LB Orion Carter has also decided to leave Buffalo after having his role shrunk in the Blue Wings' defence with their acquisition of Dallas Dillard last season. RB Raymond Green is joined by a few other backs, most notably, Tresean Jones and Ronald O’Sullivan, who were both not extended in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was unable to come to an agreement with their starting back in Jones, as the two sides were far apart on money. DB Jayson Klyde may fly under the radar as a top free agent, especially with Aquilio Ruiz leading the way, but Klyde has been a very solid piece for the Rouge for many years. Teams looking for QB will have a couple of options as well with QB Landon Ross and QB Tyrion Gainsborough being the most viable options. Ross has played well with the Raiders and could be a strong target for a team seeking a stable option. Gainsborough on the other hand is just a year removed from leading the Royals to a 10-2 record in 1968 and has certainly earned a shot with another team. QB David Simmons didn’t look great in his first opportunity to start with the Thunder following Buck Murphy’s injury, but he is still young which may be enough for a team looking at some future potential.

Top 25 Free Agents
1 - DB Aquilio Ruiz - HFX
2 - DL Bjorn Sigmarsson - LOU
3 - LB Orion Carter - BUF
4 - WR Al Allmendinger - TOR
5 - RB Raymond Green - IND
6 - LB Bear Donnelly - HFX
7 - TE Jesse Butler - TOR
8 - DB Jayson Klyde - MTL
9 - QB Tyrion Gainsborough - OTT
10 - QB Landon Ross - LI
11 - RB Tresean Jones - PIT
12 - OL Ted Cole - MIN
13 - S Tom Parrish - IND
14 - OL Amos Sewell - OTT
15 - DL Craig White - PRO 
16 - RB Ronald O’Sullivan - PIT
17 - WR Russell Wilcox - MTL
18 - DL Tournel Guay - BUF
19 - WR Doug Piva - PRO
20 - WR Alexei Dubois - LOU
21 - DB Tim McGovern - IND
22 - DL Tyrone Powers - PIT
23 - QB David Simmons - LOU
24 - DB Tyler Hill - MIN
25 - RB Théodore Lemieux - HFX