Teams suit up for beginning of football season

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Kentavist Brackin | Dustin Fox (jumping), and Chris Fuller (left), Foster Bulldogs wide receivers, attempt to catch a pass while defensive back Christopher Mensah attempts to stop them during practice, Feb. 13.  

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JAPAN

03.05.2010

Story by Lance Cpl. Kentavist Brackin 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

The U.S. Forces Japan-American Football League season starts up soon and many teams are filling their player rosters to ensure they have enough players.

The league had participation from all four services on island last year after Marines on Camp Foster pushed to get the tackle football team, the Foster Bulldogs, formed.

This year, one of the many challenges the league's teams face is replacing some of their experienced players. Deployment in support of combat operations, temporary duty assignments and orders to another duty station deplete the teams' rosters.

"Our team last year was a very talented group of individuals who performed exceptionally well together as Marines throughout the season," said Corey Moore, a wide receiver for the Foster Bulldogs, the previous season's defending champions.

Replacing players is not the only challenge last season's teams face.

Six teams participated in the league last season. The Misawa Jets, Yokota Warriors and the Yokosuka Seahawks made up the northern division from mainland Japan and the southern division consist of the Kadena Dragons, the Torii Station Wolfpack and the Foster Bulldogs on Okinawa.

This year, teams remain the same except for a restructured and renamed Joint Task Force Wolfpack, formerly the Torii Station Wolfpack, and a new northern division addition, the Atsugi Falcons.

The Wolfpack changed its name because the team will include players from Torii, Camps Courtney, Schwab and Hansen and Kadena Air Base, said Darell Keith, head coach for the Wolfpack.

The Wolfpack are now the first and only team in the league composed of Marines, sailors, airmen and soldiers.

"It is an honor to coach so many people from so many different diversities. Last year, I brought a knife to a gunfight, but this year I am bringing a howitzer," said Keith. "I thought the biggest challenge would be to unify them but that is not the case."

One challenge he and other league teams deal with every practice is getting the Marines, E-3 and below, to practice on Camp Courtney and back to their camps on time because they don't have cars, said Keith.

"A lot of our Marines receive rides from their Army teammates on the weekend," he added.

The different physical training standards and weight requirements of each service also presented a challenge for the league teams.

"Some of teams we played last year had players that were a lot bigger than us simply because they didn't have as strict a weight standard as the Marines do," said Frank Bryant, a quarterback for the Foster Bulldogs. "Likewise many of the players we would have like to use are on BCP [Body Composition program]."

The Foster Bulldogs had to learn about and adapt to each team during their games to overcome challenges like this, according to Bryant.

One of the biggest gridiron challenges for the previous season's teams this year will be the Falcons.

"They are an unknown team that no one has seen play, has footage of or knows anything about," Keith explained.

The league teams are scheduled to begin scrimmage games next month and will kick off their season in May.

• Date Taken: 03.05.2010
• Date Posted: 03.22.2010 01:51
• Story ID: 46972
• Location: CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP