The AIF, American Indoor Football held their annual league meetings this past December 6^th at the Historic Yorktowne Hotel in York Pa. Ownership groups from all 2013 AIF teams where represented at the meeting, the Harrisburg Stampede, Roc City Thunder, Washington Eagles, West Virginia Badgers, York Capitals and last year’s  AIF Champion the Cape Fear Heroes  Also in attendance was the ownership group from the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Pa. market who has committed to play in the 2014 season.

The first order of business announced was the six AIF team members that will be playing in 2013 as well as the under contract expansion markets of Wiles-Barre/ Scranton Pa. and Baltimore Maryland with the return of the AIF to 1^st Mariner Arena in 2014. In addition the AIF announced it was in discussions with two ownership groups about securing teams in the State of South Carolina for the 2014 season

In a long day of meetings league officials and team owners covered a wide variety of topics from team budgets, team revenue streams, vendor products, a weekly AIF radio podcast as well as the radio broadcasts of team games. In addition a league executive and standards committee was formed featuring the owners of three AIF teams as well as members of the AIF ownership and management team to steer the direction and vision of the league. The final order of business was the 2013 AIF Schedule which was completed and will be released to the public in the next several days. 

Harrisburg Stampede Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that the Stampede has signed DL Justin Young for the 2013 Season.

Justin is a native of Germantown, Maryland where he attended Northwest HS. He was a 3 year letterman and an All-County selection. Justin’s college football career started at Virginia Tech and then he transferred and graduated from Morgan State located in Baltimore.  

We are very excited to get Justin into camp and get him acclimated with our system and his teammates. We are looking at playing Justin on the D-Line, but he brings with him the ability to also play on the Offensive line as well. He is one of several linemen signed this season that can play on both sides of the football and that is huge in the Indoor game. At 6’5” and 297lbs, Justin is another big, strong and athletic Stampede lineman and we expect big things from him this season.

Just a Reminder: Stampede Open Player Try-Outs will be posted on our team web site and FB page very soon.

Harrisburg Stampede Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that WR Darnell Burton from William Tennent HS in Warminster, Pa and Cheney U,   has signed with the Stampede for the 2013 Season.

Darnell has the size and speed to be an instant game changer for the Stampede. The key to his success will be in the speed in which he transitions to the indoor game. At 6’2” and 200lbs Darnell has the size to make life difficult for defensive backs.

“DB comes to the Stampede from the Cheney Wolves, a member of the PSAC. The PSAC is one of the strongest Division II conferences in the country. I always look for PSAC talent and every team I have ever coached indoors has always had PSAC players on my roster. The kids that we get from these schools are always well coached. They practice hard, they play hard and they are fundamentally sound and they are just good kids on and off the field. This is a great opportunity for Darnell and we hope he takes full advantage of it” commented Nowotarski.

Just a Reminder: 2013 Stampede Open Try Outs will be posted very soon on our Team Web Site and FB page

Harrisburg Stampede Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that the Stampede has come to terms with one the of the teams most versatile players, Josh Finafrock.

The Waynesboro HS and Juniata grad has spent most of his post college career with the Chambersburg Cardinals. Last season was his first year with the Stampede. Josh found himself on the game day 20 man roster as the back-up QB. With a 20 man roster it is very easy to find yourself playing another position for a variety of reasons. Josh found himself playing wide receiver; extra point and field goal holder as well as positions on the kick-off and kick return teams.

As back-up QB, Josh did get in some game night snaps. Josh threw 36 passes and completed 14 passes and 5 of those completions were for touchdowns. He also had 4 solo tackles from his special team position. On Offense he was asked to jump in the game at wide receiver due to a series of injuries during the game and complied 3 receptions for 23 yards. 

“Josh is a great team player. He works hard at practice and he always understands each and every game plan that we have set up, but he knows the QB’s game plan, the wide receivers game plan and all the special team game plans. He has a fantastic understanding of the game. He is a go to player and is a big asset to our team and is well respected by his team mates and coaching staff.” commented Coach Nowotarski.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a part of the Stampede 2013 Roster ??…The Team’s first Open Work Out will be posted soon on our Team Web Site and FB pages.… Don’t Miss It !

Harrisburg Stampede Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that Veteran Defensive Stand-Out Jermaine Thaxton has re-signed for the 2013 Season.

After finishing his HS football at Pottsgrove, Thax picked the West Virginia Mountaineers to continue his education and football career. After graduation, Jermaine played in the AFL, AF2, CIFL, AIFA and this past summer was a member of the Chambersburg Cardinals.

Jermaine was a top contender for 2012 League Defensive MVP. Thax compiled 48 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 2 pass deflections, 2 interceptions and forced 3 safeties from his jack linebacker position. “He really studies the game and his opponent. He watches a lot of film and always shows up ready to play” commented Coach Nowotarski

Jermaine currently lives in Lemoyne Pa just outside Harrisburg. Being a veteran and a local guy is such a plus for us (the stampede). Thax is always involved with our camps and appearances and constantly gives back to the HBurg and surrounding areas. 

Just a Reminder: Stampede Open-Try Out Schedule will be posted very soon on our Web Site and FB pages.

Harrisburg Stampede’s Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that WR Aaron Yarbough has signed with the Stampede for the 2013 Season.

Aaron is a player with quickness, speed and runs crisp routes. The former Mount Vernon HS and Virginia Military Institute Grad has been a player that Coach Nowotarski has had to game plan against many times from his time with the Baltimore Mariners.

Aaron signing with the Stampede will re-unite him with QB EJ Nemeth. The combination of Nemeth to Yarbough was among the tops in the AIFA as the Mariners completed a perfect 16-0 record in 2010 and claiming the AIFA Championship.

“There is so much more to Aaron then his stellar athletic career”, mentioned Nowotarski. “He is exactly the type of player you want on your team. He is un-selfish in his play and studies the game and his opponent to increase what he can give the team every time he steps on the field. Aaron is also a community minded young man. He is a Deacon of Musicians with his church. He speaks to Youth Groups about Family, Education, Character, Discipline and Faith. He graduated from VMI with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. This is just a well-rounded young man and again is the type of player we strive to find and sign with the Stampede,” commented Nowotarski.

Just a Reminder: Dates for Open Try-Outs for the 2013 Stampede will be posted very soon on our Team Web Site as well as our FB and Twitter pages.

Harrisburg Stampede’s Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that the Stampede has come to terms with four Stampede players from the 2012 squad.

The Stampede have re-signed Offensive players, Wide Receiver Scorpio Brown and Running Back Eugene Goodman. On the Defensive side of the ball, the Stampede have signed Defensive Backs Armar Watson and Travis Proctor.

Scorpio led the League with 45 receptions for 631 yards and 15 touchdowns. Eugene led the League with 317 yards rushing on 39 carries. He also had another 151 yards receiving and combined for 13 touchdowns. Armar had an outstanding season and was a high consideration for League Defensive MVP. Armar had 10 interceptions, 2 of them were returned for touchdowns. He also had 24 pass deflections, 25 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. Armar also had 3 receptions and a TD catch on the offensive side of the game and not to mention 2 kick-off returns for touchdowns. Travis was a rookie for the Stampede in 2012. He worked hard and became a member of the 20 man game day roster. He was a major contributor on all Special Teams, but also added 15 tackles and 3 pass deflections as a defensive back.

“Having these four players back for the 2013 season along with our players that have signed will give us a solid start to putting together a Championship team,” commented Nowotarski. “As we get ready to start the Stampede Open Try-Outs along with players that are signed already, really sets up a great deal of competition for positions.” 

Just a Reminder: Stay tuned for our Stampede Open Work-Out dates. Stampede Box Seat Season Tickets are On-Sale NOW

Harrisburg Stampede’s Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that he has re-signed Offensive Linemen, Randell Bennett for the 2013 Season.

Anytime you can bring a player like Randell back for another season is a big plus for your Offensive. The 6’6” 330lb guard and former Grambling Tiger is a big time young player and just keeps getting better each season, commented Nowotarski.

Randell makes his home in Connecticut but when he returns to Harrisburg for the season he also takes the lead and embraces the community, especially the events we do with the schools. Randell took a very active part with the Stampede’s involvement of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” and Beyoncé’s ”Move Your Body” exercise programs. The programs were developed to get kids up, active and exercising. Randell also took part in the Teams Football Frenzy. A special day that the players and coaches spent with the children from the Easter Seal Central Pennsylvania.

“Randell is certainly an upper level player and is a great community player and we are proud to have him on our Stampede roster. We are expecting him to have an outstanding season and that should bring scouts out see him and hopefully a shot at an upward move,” commented Coach Nowotarski. 

Just a Reminder: Stampede Box Seat Season Tickets are on Sale Now…Stampede Open Try-Outs Dates will soon be posted.

Harrisburg Stampede’s Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that the Stampede has re-signed local player and fan favorite Will Hines for the 2013 Season.

Will Hines is one of those players that are just finding out how valuable he is to a team.

He is an All-Purpose player. In the past Will only played one position, LB. Last season with the Stampede Will found out he is way more talented at this game and at several positions. Will still played some LB, but added all 3 positions on the D-Line. Will also learned several of the Offensive Line positions just in case there was a need for him to play Offense and he plays on almost every special team. The 2013 season will again find him as a multi-position player. We have even talked about Will expanding his position expertise and give him some running back work when we go to a big set.

Will is not only a versatile player for the Stampede. He is a fan favorite and always has time to be with the kids after the games to take pictures and sign autographs. He is a team leader on and off the field and makes it a point to get along with all his team mates.

Just a Reminder: Stampede Box Season Tickets are on Sale Now and always check out our web site for several Off-Season Team Meet and Greets.

Harrisburg Stampede’s Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that the Stampede has come to terms with 2012 Offensive Player of the Year, EJ Nemeth for the 2013 Season.

Sometimes it takes a few years for teams to gel and become the type of team that is in the hunt every year for a Championship. The Stampede was in that hunt last season but came up just a bit short. According to Offensive League MVP, EJ Nemeth, “We have some unfinished business to attend to”.  Head Coach Nowotarski likes that attitude in his QB and his Team. “Having most of this group stay together for another season and under a system that they understand and being led by EJ is just the type of situation you want your team to be in as the off season progresses”.

EJ led the Stampede Offense with a mix of passing and running. EJ rushed for 134 yards on 37 carries and 16 touchdowns. He completed 133 passes of 257 attempts for 1639 yards and 33 touchdowns. It was those stats in just 9 games along with his leadership that put the Stampede in position to win a Championship and made him the Leagues Offensive Player of the Year. “We didn’t reach our goal and win the Championship, the motivation right now is to come back for the 2013 season with only one goal on our minds, to win a Championship”, commented Nemeth.  

Just a Reminder: Stampede Box Seat Season Tickets are On-Sale NOW.