South Bay Stallions Bring Smash mouth Semi-Pro Football to the Area
By Robert Haugh
Providing a venue where players can be part of a team and stay in touch with people who share the love for the game, semi-pro football brings hard-hitting, smash mouth football to the Bay Area.
The most recent addition to the semi-pro football ranks is the South Bay Stallions, a new franchise of the Northern California Football League.
One of the biggest goals of the team, according to Head Coach/owner Kurt Zubler “is to win and provide the fans exciting football action.”
Stallions’ players come from a variety of circumstances. Most played in High school and Pop Warner, with a handful of newly graduated Junior College players. The Stallions have also garnered some players who had tried out for the San Jose Sabrecats. Many players have played in NCAA Division I and II.
Matt Martinez, Donny Johnson and Jason Walker are three local players who have past playing history in local Pop Warner football, such as the Santa Clara Lions or Sunnyvale Rockets. DB Antione Briggs is a 2007 Wilcox High School graduate who excelled then as a Charger.
Zubler wanted the “chance to call my own shots … to create a team in the South Bay to compete in the more competitive NCFL, and to do so with integrity.”
The NCFL’s objective is ‘to provide a football experience for the family,’ and with players that definitely have immense talent and skills, fans should expect to see a well-played game.
Seeing as NCFL rules are basically identical to the NFL, games are hard-hitting, exciting, often very close games.
According to Zubler, “Being part of the 16-team NCFL took months of planning for the Stallions coaches and management. Starting a franchise includes securing practice and game facilities, attending monthly league meetings, ensuring game day operations like scoreboards, referees, announcers, ticket takers and ensuring medical assistance is on-hand at games. Not to mention, preparing players to play in a game. It’s like playing the roll of Jed York, Scott McCloughan and Mike Singletary.”
The season consists of ten games, with the Stallions hosting five home games at Menlo Atherton High School. Their first home game is this Saturday, March 21 at 1:30 p.m.
Game tickets for Stallions’ home games are just $10 for adults, $5 for kids 13-18, and free for kids 12 and under.
For more information, visit www.sbstallions.com or visit the league site at www.ncflfootball.com
