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Club Football: Bears ready for UVM, playoff run

Inaugural North Atlantic Conference game Saturday vs. Catamounts

By Adam Clark

Posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009, 12:10 am

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While the University of Maine football team prepares for their game at James Madison this weekend and a march toward a division title, another football team on campus has wrapped up their division title.

The UMaine Football Club, playing in the semi-pro New England Football League 2, clinched the East Division crown two weeks ago and hold a 5-1 record heading into the playoffs.

Before they play either the Northeastern Wolverines or Woonsocket Wardogs in a Nov. 14 home playoff game, the Black Bears will use their bye week to play the University of Vermont on Saturday evening at Alfond Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m.

The game is more than just filling a bye week for the Black Bears. Recently, UMaine and Vermont became the flagship members of the North Atlantic Conference of the National Club Football Association (NCFA). This governing body oversees collegiate club athletics, including baseball and softball.

“This is exactly what we’ve been striving for,” said UMaine president and coach Eric Whitman. “We’ve spent the last four years playing against semi-pro competitions, and it’s been fun to be able to play some solid teams, but our ultimate goal was to have a league or conference and play other schools exclusively.”

Four to six schools in the Northeast region are expected to join the conference for the 2010 season. Sacred Heart University, UMass-Lowell, St. Lawrence University, Northeastern University and Boston University are in the process of starting club football programs.

UVM provides stiff test

With both teams playing in different leagues this season and neither team meeting last season, UMaine and UVM won’t be familiar with one another despite being future conference rivals.

In 2007, the teams played two games against each other and split, with the visitor coming out victorious in each contest.

This season, the Catamounts are winless while the Black Bears we undefeated until last weekend’s 34-7 loss to the Connecticut Spartans.

“With the overall club series tied 1-1, there are major bragging rights for this game,” Whitman said. “Both are power running teams, so it should be a solid smashmouth football game.”

Overpowering Spartans knock off Bears

The East Division crown was clinched heading into last weekend’s road matchup against fellow unbeaten Connecticut. The battle of the league’s best didn’t turn out the way the Black Bears would have liked it to, considering the Spartans could be what stands in the way of an NEFL2 title.

Connecticut wore down a UMaine defense — short four starters — that had been stout all season. The Spartans scored the first 34 points before the Black Bears tacked on a fourth-quarter touchdown on a Mark Ensworth reception to close out the 34-7 defeat.

“I think that this loss is a reality check to our team,” Whitman said. “We do have flaws and they were exploited by the Spartans. We need to get back to the basics, have a solid week of practice and get back to good execution.”