Final Standings 2021

Reference: [2] / Standings Calculated Automatically from Schedule Results. *Qualify for Playoffs. Tie-Breaker: 1. Head-to-Head. # Central Iowa Chiefs forfeited all 8 games (0-17)

Playoff Schedule

References: [3,4]

Regular Season Schedule

References: [2]

Recap

The Southern Plains Football League featured 14 teams divided in two divisions in 2021, with one team of interest to Irish readers: the Med City Freeze, based in Mayo High School, Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo being one of Ireland’s traditional 32 counties [20]. The Freeze started the 8-game regular season with a 38-0 win at home in Mayo High School versus Buffalo Ridge Wildcats, an Inter-Division Game. The Freeze followed this up with a crushing 64-0 victory at Madison Warriors in Wisconsin. Week 3 saw Med City improve to 3-0 with a 22-10 at Albert Lea Grizzlies in Forest City, Iowa. The Freeze suffered their first defeat in Week 4, 0-10 at home to North Iowa Bucks but remained in the Playoff spots [2].

A bye week for the Freeze followed in week 5 and the last weekend in May was a rest week for the whole league. Back into action in Week 6 at the beginning of June, the Med City Freeze defeated Central Iowa Chiefs 17-0 to improve to 4-1. In Week 7 the Freeze suffered their second defeat of the season in an Inter-Division game, 8-32 at Des Moines Blaze in Iowa, eventual Champions of the SPFL in 2021. A crucial game followed with fellow Division Championship hopefuls Midwest Rampage, with Med City winning 6-0 at the Rampage in Iowa Falls, Iowa. The Freeze were now 5-2 and their Final match of the season was another crucial game against the 4-3 Minneapolis Warriors. The Freeze won 20-12 at Woodbury School in Minneapolis to finish 6-2 at take the East Division title on Head-to-Head over Midwest Rampage [2].

The Freeze were to play Midwest Rampage again in the Playoff Quarter-Finals and this time it was to be at home in Mayo High School. Med City were again victorious over their rivals winning 27-16 to advance to the Semi-Finals where they travelled to Des Moines, Iowa to take on the Blaze, losing 14-20, their second loss to the eventual Champions in 2021 as the Blaze took the Championship Game in Lake Benton, Minnesota 34-21 versus the undefeated Sioux Empire Crusaders from Harrisburg, South Dakota [3-4].

About the Southern Plains Football League

The Southern Plains Football League is an Amateur 9-man (9v9) Adult Contact American Football League based primarily in Minnesota, but also Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The League has been operating for 20 years in 2021 and was once known as the Windom Football League (Wisconsin/Minnesota), and also the Great Plains Football League before becoming the Southern Plains Football League about 2011 [21].

Note: To see home towns and fields please click on the home games of the teams in question.

Map of USA

Picture Credit: Map of usa / Image ID: 43240523 Copyright: captainvector / Shutterstock. Reference: [22]

Minnesota Football Stock Image

Logo References

[1] SPFL (Southern Plains Football League) Facebook (2018) Profile Picture, September 16, 2018 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/SPFLfootball/photos/a.240255752713425/2176098605795787 [Accessed 8 January 2022][Actual Logo Image at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/41856524_2176098609129120_5263189513068347392_n.png?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=174925&_nc_ohc=03YVK1BFSbEAX9PGhz-&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT_XzroRx8Vh8Fpv6MZ_IquCU4MYuE_k_VWaASqf-oNwYg&oe=61FE630D ][Accessed 8 January 2022]

Schedule References

[2] Southern Plains Football League (2022) Schedule – Spring 2021 [Internet] Available from: https://www.myspfl.com/teams/default.asp?u=SPFLFOOTBALL&s=football&p=schedule&viewseas=Spring_2021 [Accessed 8 January 2022]

Playoff Schedule References

[3] Southern Plains Football League (2022) Schedule – Spring 2021 Playoffs [Internet] Available from: https://www.myspfl.com/teams/default.asp?u=SPFLFOOTBALL&s=football&p=schedule&viewseas=Spring_2021&gametype=12 [Accessed 8 January 2022]

[4] Des Moines Blaze Amateur Football Team Facebook (2021) Post, July 30, 2021 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/DesMoinesBlaze/posts/10159448445318501 [Accessed 8 January 2022]

Team Logo References

[6] Albert Lea Grizzlies (2022) One_Team [Internet] Available from: https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/football/ALGRIZZLIES/One_Team.jpg [Accessed 8 January 2022]

[7] Tony Ashby@td4six Twitter Account (2017) Photo, June 13, 2018 [Internet] Available from: https://twitter.com/Td4six/status/1006917757760180224/photo/3 [Accessed 9 January 2022][Actual Image Reference at: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DflKDAvVAAEEH2V?format=jpg&name=large ][Accessed 9 January 2022]

[8] Central Iowa Chiefs Facebook (2017) Profile Picture, December 14, 2017 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/IowaChiefs/photos/a.1065721260234501/1065724453567515/ [Accessed 9 January 2022][Actual Image Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.18172-8/25188669_1065724453567515_2057593190737743135_o.png?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=X0Wj7YWj_u0AX9AfCSB&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT_JWEfYzlK6jF5totAymhNcWIR5LSmfdHnbW0794oVhdw&oe=61FEBFF2 ][Accessed 9 January 2022]

[9] Dakota Bulldogs (2022) news1515189318107 [Internet] Available from: https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/football/SPFLF-DAKOTABULLDOGS/news1515189318107.jpg [Accessed 8 January 2022]

[10] Madision Warriors Twitter (2022) Photo, [Internet] Avaiulable from: https://twitter.com/MadisonWarriors/photo [Accessed 9 January 2022][Actual Photo Reference at: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1051656898217500673/u6bUtHua_400x400.jpg ][Accessed 9 January 2022]

[11] Med City Freeze (2022) homelogo [Internet] Available from: https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/football/SPFLFO-MEDCITYFREEZE/homelogo.jpg?t=0.9785372513918881 [Accessed 8 January 2022]

[12] Midwest Rampage (2022) homelogo [Internet] Available from: https://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=SPFLF-MIDWESTRAMPAGE&p=home&s=football [Accessed 8 January 2022]

[13] Minneapolis Warriors Facebook (2021) Profile Picture, July 7, 2021 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/minneapoliswarriors/photos/a.438181306355071/1898420170331170/ [Accessed 9 January 2022][Actual Image Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/215626917_1898420180331169_7764273806743488573_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=_PEAlGUFqzkAX9FESED&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT8YWmYTyzoV32jbZx3ORvhAWrF6LaHuiVn6YVdl3cpbZg&oe=61E06A01 ][Accessed 9 January 2022]

[14] Mountain Lake Lakers (2022) Laker_Logo [Internet] Available from: https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/football/MOUNTAINLAKELAKERS/Laker_Logo.jpeg [Accessed 8 January 2022]

[15] North Iowa Bucks Twitter (2013) Photo, December 16, 2013 [Internet] Available from: https://twitter.com/NorthIowaBucks/status/401550296360308736/photo/1 [Accessed 9 January 2022][Actual Phot Reference at: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZKX3c9CAAAtHG2?format=jpg&name=240×240 ][Accessed 9 January 2022]

[16] Sioux Empire Crusaders (2022) homelogo [Internet] Available from: https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/football/SIOUXEMPIRECRUSADERS/homelogo.jpg?t=0.45249754413668525 [Accessed 8 January 2022]

[17] Tri-State Buffalos (2022) homelogo [Internet] Available from: https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/football/TRISTATEBUFFALOS/homelogo.jpg?t=0.9422881633673946 [Accessed 8 January 2022]

[18] Watertown Rebels (2022) homelogo [Internet] Available from: https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/football/SPFL-WATERTOWNREBELS/homelogo.jpg?t=0.6213743670018055 [Accessed 8 January 2022]

Home Field references

[19] Albert Lea Grizzlies (2022) Locations [Internet] Available from: https://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=ALGRIZZLIES&s=football&p=locations [Accessed 8 January 2022]

[20] Med City Freeze (2022) About [Internet] Available from: https://www.medcityfreeze.com/teams/default.asp?u=SPFLFO-MEDCITYFREEZE&s=football&p=about [Accessed 8 January 2022]

About SPFL References

[21] Southern Plains Football League (2022) About [Internet] Available from: https://www.myspfl.com/teams/default.asp?u=SPFLFOOTBALL&s=football&p=about [Accessed 8 January 2022]

Map Reference

[22] Shutterstock / captainvector (2022) Map of usa [Internet] Available from: https://www.123rf.com/photo_43240523_map-of-usa.html?vti=nlw9ggr72e3pa7slpn-3-99 [Accessed 9 January 2022]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Bart Barden.

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 9 January 2022

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2022

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved. The Logos and Photos used in this article remain the property of the organisations and individuals which own the copyright and are used here for educational and information purposes only.