Minnesota Spartans (0-0 Overall, 0-0 Midwest Football Alliance)
at
Chippewa Valley Predators (0-0 Overall, 0-0 Northern Elite Football)
April 20, 2012 – Carson Park (Eau Claire, Wis.) – 7:30pm Kickoff
LAST MEETING: First meeting all-time.
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY: First meeting all-time.
ALL-TIME RECORDS: Minnesota 0-0 Overall All-Time, 0-0 MFA All-Time; Chippewa Valley 83-30 Overall All-Time, 29-8 NEFL All-Time
NEFL Coaches’ Poll Ranks: N/A
NEFL Power Rankings: N/A
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CHIPPEWA VALLEY PREDATORS – This is the first game of the season for the Chippewa Valley Predators, based in Eau Claire, Wis. The Predators begin their twelfth season of football following a loss in the NEFL championship game (Elite Bowl IV) to the St. Paul Pioneers, 15-0. The Predators finished last season with a record of 9-2 overall, and 8-2 in the NEFL (including 2-1 in the playoffs).
This is the Predators’ first meeting against the Spartans. The Predators have played in the same league as one of the members of the Midwest Football Alliance, the Iowa Sharks, but never played them during their days in the Great Plains Football League.
Quotes from Head Coach Martin Adams
On facing a team that has never played a contest: “What we focus on is what we do as a team. It’s also a great opportunity for our coaches to make in-game adjustments.”
On facing a few players from last year’s Minnesota Dragons (NEFL) team: “We know that they bring a lot of talent to the field, and that’s what we look for as we prepare for the season with a non-[league] game.”
On the team’s non-league schedule: “We’re trying to get as much experience as possible early in the season. We’ve got some new guys that we’re evaluating as we prepare for the season.”
On comments from other teams after the scrimmage last week, in which several teams noted that the Predators were lining up reigning league MVP at running back, Vince Furby, at wide receiver: “We’re just trying to get the ball in his hands more. He’s an explosive player. He’s also very unselfish and willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
MINNESOTA SPARTANS – This is the first-ever contest for the newly-formed Minnesota Spartans. They will play their home games at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota as a member of the Midwest Football Alliance, a 10-team league spanning five states (Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Illinois and Nebraska). The team is owned by Will Staple, who previously played for the Minnesota Dragons of the NEFL. A few other Dragons players are members of the Spartans this season as well. The Spartans face the Dragons next Saturday at Hopkins High School.