Wardogs Football

NORTH SMITHFIELD – For the first time in league history, the New England Football League’s Colonial Conference championship game will take place in Rhode Island. On Saturday at 7 p.m., the Rhode Island Wardogs, who have several local players on their roster and play their home games at North Smithfield High School, will host the Western Connecticut Militia. This will also be the first time a team from the Ocean State has made it to the championship of the league’s premier level. The Wardogs won the North Atlantic Conference (AA level) championship two years ago and made the move up to the AAA level the following year. After going 4-6 in 2015, the Wardogs finished this season with a 9-1 mark and won playoff games against the Boston Bandits (last year’s champs) and the North Shore Generals (winners of eight regular-season games). The Militia, who play their home games in Danbury, Conn., were last season’s runners-up and have made it back to the title game with an 8-2 regular season and postseason wins over the Western Mass. Armor and the heavily favored Connecticut Bearcats.

The Wardogs’ roster consists of players from Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts, many of which were high school standouts. Their quarterback, Jeff Costa, was an All-Stater while playing for Tolman High in 2004, and seven other Pawtucket players are wide receivers Chris Walsh and Jared Coyle, linebackers Jordan Johnson and Najee Barros, running back Jason Lafond, and offensive linemen Jared Battersby and Manuel Romero.

The head coach is Blackstone’s Ruben Costa, who is also listed on the team’s roster as a linebacker, and rounding out the other local players are Woonsocket’s James Suber (wide receiver), Carlos Young (cornerback), Mike Powell and Matt Sanchez (linebackers), Cedric Wright (defensive lineman), Brien Glassford (defensive end), Ibn Barros and Manny Boone (offensive/defensive linemen), Eddie Ouellette (offensive lineman), and Stephen Bachand (tight end), and North Smithfield’s Dan Jordan (defensive back), Ryan Gaumond (linebacker), and Cody DeMarie (wide receiver), and North Providence's.  Admission to the game is $10. Visit www.nefl.us for more information about this game and the league.