The Tribune

THE Commonwealth American Football League, welcoming the return of at least one team from Grand Bahama, is scheduled to start its 2012 season at DW Davis playing field 1pm Sunday.

According to league public relations officer John Nutt, the opening day classic, which was scheduled two weeks ago, will see the rematch of the 2011-12 Boil Fish Bowl championship game between the defending champions V8 Stingrays and former defending champions, the Orry J Sands Pros.

After a dominating CAFL run of seven titles, the Pros hope to return as the league’s top team.

The Stingrays, who were formed in 1970, won the team’s first CAFL title and hope to double in 2012-13.

The Stingrays are expected to be led by CAFL’s leading rusher and MVP, Jamal Storr. Over the off season, the Stingrays sought to improve their passing game to lighten Storr’s load.

Stingrays head coach Lawrence Hepburn says he knows that the Pros have vengeance on their minds and knows that his team has to be better to repeat.

The Pros, on the other hand, hope that returning collegiates will help them to reboot.

Sherwin Johnson will return as the head coach. He said nobody goes out to lose, but after they got beat last year, he is hoping that they can turn things around this year as the team seems more focused and have been practicing harder than in years past where he believed complacency set in.

After winning so much, Johnson felt that complacency set in and his guys took too much for granted and they got stunned by the Stingrays.

The Pros have boosted their running game with the acquisition of former Jets player Jason Davis and will see the return of four-time league MVP Charles Edwards.

The duo may boast one of the best backfields since Apples Edwards and Ken Kerr.

As for the oldest football team in the CAFL, the Jets seek to recover from the three straight championship game losses in 2008, 2009, 2010 and as well as their lackluster 2011 year.

A rejuvenated Jets have seemingly put together a crop of young budding stars with a few brave flag players from the Bahamas Flag Football League in their rebuilding process.

Nutt further revealed that the CAFL will also see the return of inter-island competition with the joining of another nostalgic football team of the 1970s.

The Freeport Hurricanes, in an attempt to bring the CAFL back to Grand Bahama after six years, will play their first game in over 20 years against the Pros on November 17 in Freeport.

Nutt said the league is also in negotiations to include a second team from Grand Bahama.

“The league welcomes the fans press to this exciting year of the real game,” Nutt said.