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From an observer’s point of view, Day 1 at the 2025 USAFL Nationals at the Kino South Sports Complex could be summed up with one word… perfect.
Sure, the teams that didn’t go 2-0 today (or the two women’s teams that went 1-0 and got a bye) won’t fully agree, but if we’re talking about everything else, it was delightfully pristine. A cloudless sky, temperatures that didn’t get out of the mid-70s, a lush surface that could be confused with an Irish meadow, and the Catalina Mountains stretching up to catch a view of Aussie Rules football in its finest.
There were, as there always is, upsets, close games, and some great individual and team efforts during the first nine hours of this 28th championship carnival. Some teams will go to bed tonight with dreams of partying at Corbett’s with medals around their necks, others will, well, start their party a little early.
Here’s what happened on Day 1, and what we’re looking forward to as we head into Championship Sunday in Tucson:
Women’s Divisions:
The new format seemed to be a hit, and it created additional intrigue on Sunday when traditional D1 sides went up against teams that had largely been combined into Division 2. But in the end, we’re left with four exciting semifinal matches for two trophies.
Minnesota’s D1 title defense hit no snags, blanking New York 57-0 in their qualifying match. Golden Gate, the only full team in the field, got blitzed by Denver/Sacramento’s pressure play to win their match by two goals, allowing the Bulldogs combo to earn the other bye.
Arizona held home turf by coming home winners in their play-in against Portland, and tried to pull what Denver did by pressuring the Maidens in their quarterfinal match. But the Gaters were too good, turning aside the Hawks 20-2.
Austin couldn’t find the big sticks in their match against the DC Eagles, but did so enough times to advance. They then faced New York in what will go down as one of the best games in years, kicking a goal after the siren to pip the Magpies 19-18 and advance into their first ever Division 1 appearance.
So while we won’t see a fourth straight Freeze-Maidens Grand Final, we’ll get it as a semifinal on Sunday morning. The winner of that game earns the right to take on either Denver or Austin in the Division 1 Grand Final. The Freeze will try to run it back for their second straight title, the Maidens their eighth in nine years, the Bulldogs their seventh overall, and the Crows attempt their maiden D1 crown and fourth straight overall with the three D2s in a row they’ve collected.
New York can ease the pain of their tough loss if they can win two games on Sunday. They’ll face off against Portland in one D2 semifinal, while it’ll be Portland vs DC Eagles in the other.
Men’s Division 1:
Though Golden Gate and New York will certainly have something to say about it, we appear headed for our fifth Austin-Denver Grand Final in the last six years.
The Crows were victorious in Pool A, extending their record Nationals win streak to 27, with victories over New York and Sacramento by a combined 135-13. Sacramento gave New York a tough go in their opening game, but a 42-13 win by the ‘Pies got them into the semifinal.
Denver topped Pool B with an equally commanding pair of performances, turning aside Golden Gate and Houston in a 135-17 aggregate. The Roos’ opening win over the Lonestars sees them into the other semifinal.
Austin’s search for a 10th Men’s D1 title has them go through Golden Gate first, while Denver will try yet again to equal the Crows with their ninth overall if they can get by New York in the semis.
Men’s Division 2:
Seattle is on a mission to wipe away bad memories of the last two Nationals. Their 107-5 total victories over Baltimore and L.A. were evident of that, as the Grizzlies firmly locked up Pool A. Baltimore and LA had a fierce opening battle on Cooper’s Field to kick off the tournament, but the Dockers won out, clinching their spot in the semis.
San Diego, searching for a return to the D2 Granny for the first time since 2019, accounted for DC and the Austin reserves en route to the top seed in Pool B. DC also had a straight forward victory over the Crows to finish second.
The Lions, who defeated the Dockers to take out that 2019 D2 title, will face Baltimore again in one semifinal. Their reward will be either the Grizzlies or Eagles as winners of the other semifinal.
Men’s Division 3:
The only division at this year’s carnival using the traditional eight team, two pool format sees the team at the top of each pool in the catbird seat heading into Sunday. And if form holds, it will be an all-Hawks Grand Final.
Host Arizona scored victories over Columbus and Chicago to pace Pool A. The Hawks, winners of the 2021 D3 final and runners up the following year, face Nashville on Sunday morning for a chance to get back to the Grand Final. If they lose by enough points, the Swans or Cats can sneak in with a win on percentage.
Philadelphia, who combined with ‘Zona to win in ‘21, is on the precipice of making it back to the Grand Final, this time with Houston. A tight win against North Texas and a solid win against Minnesota puts them in an almost must-win situation against Portland on Sunday morning. If the DemonHawks fall, the winner of the Freeze/Devils game assuredly goes through on percentage.
Men’s Division 4
The five team round robin sees the Denver Reserves/Wisconsin combination 2-0 after Saturday, with wins over Wasatch and Orange County. The Giants, WarGulls, and St Louis Blues all sit on 1-1, with the Oklahoma Buffaloes in fifth at 0-2. The DogBats combine has looked good through the first two games, as they both look for D4 championships again.
Men’s Division 5
With a 2-0 record thanks to victories over North Carolina/Des Moines and Baton Rouge, the Maine Cats are in a great spot to make the Grand Final from the four team field. The Tigers/Roosters and Tigers/Brawlers are at 1-1, with Virginia at 0-2. The top two teams after the Sunday morning matches will play in the D5 Final.
