The Racine Raiders announced their 2006 schedule at the team's awards banquet Saturday evening. The team will remain in the North American Football League's Great Lakes Region and Western Lakes Division. The team will have four non-league games and ten league games.
The Raiders season starts out against the St. Paul (MN) Pioneers at Historic Horlick Field on June 25. The Raiders defeated the Pioneers in a game last season that featured extremely high on-field temperatures. The Pioneers captured the 2003 and 2004 Mid-America Football League championship. Last year was a transition year for the team.
The Raiders then invite the Gateway Fury to Historic Horlick Field for a July 1st match. The Fury are entering their fifth year of competition and are members of the Minor League Football Association (MLFA). They have yet to post a losing record and have won a Midwest Football League championship, four Midwest Football League postseason appearances and three Mid-States Tournament honors. The Fury are known for a hard-hitting defense and have numerous close games.
The final pre-season game takes place on July 8th against the Grand Rapids (MI) Thunder at home. The Thunder, also members of the MLFA, finished the 2005 campaign ranked fifth in the Midwest Region and 20th in the nation by Minor League Football News (MLFN) with a mark of 12-1. They are led by All-American Second Team Midwest quarterback Dan Richardson. Richardson also received MLFN's Midwest Region Player of the Year Award for quarterbacks.
The Raiders kickoff the 2006 NAFL campaign with a game against the Hoosier (IN) Hurricanes, a team new to the NAFL, on July 15. The Hurricanes join the Raiders, Eagles, Gladiators and Marauders in the Western Lakes Division. The Hurricanes were members of the Ohio Valley Football League last season. They finished the year as MLFN's Class AA National Champions with a 12-1 record. They had several All-Americans on their roster and received New Team of the Year from MLFN.
The Raiders hit the road for two straight weeks against familiar opponents in the Milwaukee Marauders (July 22) and Kane County Eagles (July 29). The Marauders finished the 2005 campaign ranked 14th in the Central Region by MLFN while the Eagles took home the top honor in the Central Region with a 16-2 record.
The McHenry County Gladiators then visit Historic Horlick Field on August 5th. Last season's game at Horlick proved to be one of the most exciting games in Raiders' history as quarterback Gary Griffin heaved a pass into the end zone that was caught by wide receiver Jermaine Sorenson as time expired to give the Raiders the win.
The Detroit Downriver Diesel come west to Racine to battle the Raiders on August 12th. The Diesel were the MLFN Comeback Team of the Year in the Midwest Region. They finished the season ranked 11th nationally by the publication with an 11-1 record.
The Raiders are looking to fill their schedule on August 19th. However, the team is excited to play internationally for the first time since 1989 again in 2006 as they travel to London, Ontario, Canada to battle the London Silverbacks. The team is in their third year and play at Western Ontario University.
The Raiders then get a league mandated bye week to recover from the Canada trip before having to travel to Indiana to play the Hoosier Hurricanes on September 9th. The team will return home against the Milwaukee Marauders (September 16th) and Kane County Eagles (September 23rd) before batting the McHenry County Gladiators on the road on September 30th.
This is one of the most challenging and Raiders' season schedules in years. The Raiders play nearly half their games against nationally ranked teams from 2005.
Visit the Racine Raiders website for the full schedule in a table format.