Palmer opened up with an 18-17 win over Scylla. / Photo courtesy Palmer College RFC Facebook
While all DI and DII clubs compete toward their respective championships in the spring, portions of the field contest a significant amount, if not all, of their league games in the fall for weather reasons. Those competitions with spring-centric (or a very light or late fall) schedule, are excluded from the below list, and for the most part, haven’t published their respective league schedules anyhow.
EAST
DIVISION I (6): Albany (NY), Boston (MA), Charlotte (NC), NOVA (VA), Philadelphia (PA), Raleigh (NC). New competition that combines Atlantic North, Mid-Atlantic and South teams, and spans the fall and spring. Teams play each other once, leaving room for the Gold Cup games in the spring among other fixtures. Competition begins Sept. 15.
EMPIRE
DIVISION II (13): Teams are divided into four pools – Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Upstate (NY) – and the majority of teams play poolmates twice and then two other teams from the GU for a total of six regular season games. So there’s a lot of crossover. Competition begins Sept. 8.
MID-AMERICA
DIVISION II (6): Kansas Bison, KC Jazz (MO), Omaha (NE), Springfield (MO), St. Louis (MO), Wichita (KS). Teams play each once across a split season. Competition starts Sept. 22
MID-ATLANTIC
DII NORTH (5): Pennsylvania’s Brandywine, Doylestown, Harrisburg, DIII promotion Northeast Philadelphia, Phoenixville. Competition begins Sept. 8: Harrisburg vs. NE Philly, and Brandywine vs. Doylestown.
DII SOUTH (5): Chesapeake (MD), D.C. Furies, James River (VA), Norfolk (VA), Severn River (MD). Home-and-away series across fall and spring. Games begin Sept. 8: Severn River vs. Norfolk, James River vs. D.C. Furies
DIII NORTH (4): Lehigh Valley (PA), Philadelphia (PA), South Jersey (NJ), York & Lancaster (PA).
DIII SOUTH (5): Frederick (MD), MD Stingers, NOVA (VA), Patuxent River (MD), Rappahannock (VA). Home-and-away series across fall and spring. Games begin Sept. 22.
MIDWEST
DIVISION I (4): Chicago (IL), Detroit (MI), Minnesota Valkyries, Wisconsin. Teams play home and away, and Aug. 25 was opening weekend: Valkyries 32-12 Wisconsin; Detroit 32-12 Chicago. The region will name its two Gold Cup participants after the Midwest Championship in the fall.
DII EAST GOLD (6): Akron (OH), Buffalo (NY), Cleveland (OH), North Buffalo (NY), Pittsburgh Forge (PA), South Buffalo (NY). League competition starts Sept. 8
DII EAST GREEN (4): Cincinnati Kelts (OH), Circle City (IN), Columbus (OH), Indianapolis Hoydens (IN). Teams play each other home and away; competition starts Sept. 8
DII WEST GOLD (4): Chicago Sirens (IL), Fox Valley (IL), Grand Rapids (MI), Rockford (IL). Home-and-away competition began on Aug. 18 and Rockford and Fox Valley have forfeited matches thus far.
DII WEST GREEN (6): Chicago Lions (IL), County Will (IL), Milwaukee Scylla (WI), Minneapolis Menagerie (MN), Palmer College (IA), Twin Cities (MN). With the exception of the Lions, teams play two of five opponents twice, and the remainder once for a total of seven regular season games.
Last weekend, Twin Cities defeated County Will 39-0, and Palmer College edged Milwaukee Scylla 18-17. During opening weekend, Chicago Lions beat Twin Cities 43-19.
NEW ENGLAND
DIVISION II (9): Amoskeag (MA), Burlington (VT), Charles River (MA), Hartford (CT), North Shore (MA), Portland (ME), Providence (RI), Upper Valley (NH), Worcester (MA). Teams play each other once, all in the fall. Competition begins Sept. 8
PACIFIC NORTHWEST
DIVISION II (9): Bend (OR), Boise (ID), Budd Bay (WA), Chuckanut Bay (WA), Emerald City (OR), Eugene (OR), ORSU (OR), Portland (OR), Tacoma (WA). Teams play each other once over fall and spring. Competition starts Sept. 8