South Central Hawgs to open season at Mountain Lake’s Munson Field
Sooey!
Mountain Lake area pigskin aficionados will have the opportunity to catch the South Central Hawgs adult nine-man full-contact amateur football team in their season opener this Saturday, April 29, with kick-off at 5 p.m. at Munson Field.
The Hawgs are cosidered “prime pork” following their 2016 National Championship title win over the Salem (Oregon) Skallywags 45-20 in the Nine-Man National Championship Football Series game played in Albany, Oregon on Saturday, July 30. The Skallywags, a semi-pro football team, represented the National Nineman Football League.
The Hawgs advanced to the title game by upending the previously-unbeaten Buffalo Ridge Wildcats 26-19 on Saturday, July 16 to win their fifth Southern Plains Football League (SPFL) Championship.
Local members of that title team included a Mountain Lake connection – brothers and Haw team members Jordan Kirk and Carter Kirk, along with their dad, Tim Kirk, Mountain Lake Public School Phy Ed instructor and Mountain Lake Area (MLA) Wolverine 9-Man Football Team, the squad’s offensive coordinator.
At 6′ 2″ and 275 pounds, Jordan Kirk was an anchor for both the offensive and defensive lines; Carter Kirk, at 6′ 7″ and 240 pounds, was a wide receiver and linebacker and 6′.
While Carter will not be returning to the Hawgs for a second year, Jordan will suit up for his third go-round with the team, and Tim will return to the sidelines. Stepping up to play for the Hawgs will be 2015 Mountain Lake Public High School (MLHS) grad Derek Harder, along with Junior Garcia, who will graduate this spring from MLHS.
The Hawgs, based in Truman, play in the West Division of the SPFL.
Additional division foes include:
+ Buffalo Ridge Wildcats, who play on the West Side Field in Lake Benton.
+ Dakota Bulldogs, who play at the Cadwell Sports Complex in Mitchell, South Dakota.
+ Tri-State Buffalos, whose home field is the Hills-Beaver Creek High School football field.
+ Watertown Rebels, who play at Great Plains Lutheran High School Field in Watertown, South Dakota.
Teams in the East Division are the Albert Lea Grizzlies (Albert Lea), Med City Freeze (Rochester), Midwest Rampage (Carlisle, Iowa), North Iowa Bucks (Rockwell, Iowa) and Southeast Minnesota Warhawks (Kasson-Mantorville).
The Hawgs’ 2017 schedule is as follows:
+ Saturday, April 22 – Bye Week.
+ Saturday, April 29 – Tri-State Buffalos at Munson Field in Mountain Lake, 5 p.m.
+ Saturday, May 6 – Buffalo Ridge Wildcats at Truman High School Field, 5 p.m.
+ Saturday, May 13 – Watertown Rebels at Truman High School Field, 5 p.m.
+ Saturday, May 20 – at Dakota Bulldogs at Cadwell Sports Complex, 3 p.m.
+ Saturday, June 3 – Bye Week.
+ Saturday, June 10 – at Watertown Rebels at Great Plains Lutheran High School Field, 4 p.m.
+ Saturday, June 17 – at Buffalo Ridge Wildcats at West Side Field in Lake Benton, 6 p.m.
+ Saturday, June 24 – Tri-State Buffalos at Truman High School Field, 5 p.m.
This league has evolved over the past 15 years, and over the course of that time, has been known as the Windom Football League and the Great Plains Football League – and for 10+ years now as the SPFL.
In addition to the contingent from Mountain Lake, team members hail from Houston, Texas; Wells; Truman; Chisholm; St. Peter; Fairmont; Lake Crystal; Buffalo; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Lewisville; Corpus Christi, Texas; New Richland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Eden Prairie; Winnebago; North Mankato; Chandler, Arizona; Ellensburg, Washington; Wabasso; Amboy and Mankato.
To follow the Hawgs this season, go to: http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/?u=SCHAWGS&s=football.