PIERRE, S.D. – The All Nations Football Conference will be gaining several teams for the upcoming 2020 season. McLaughlin, Standing Rock (North Dakota), Omaha Nation (Nebraska) and Winnebago (Nebraska) have officially joined to make it a 16-team league joining the original 12 team league of Native American schools in South Dakota. The league was formed last year and it accomplished the goal in 2019 as the schools saw a 60 percent increase from 2018, while three schools fielded football programs for the first time. Lower Brule superintendant Lance Witte was the driving force in the formation of the new league. Witte anticipates more schools could still join in the future, mentioning Pine Ridge and Todd County as possibilities. Tribal and public schools with an enrollment of 50 percent or more Native American students are eligible to join. Witte says the conference will be divided into two divisions of eight teams each for the coming year with The East Division includes Winnebago, Omaha Nation, Flandreau Indian, Tiospa Zina, Crow Creek, Lower Brule, St. Francis and Marty. The West Division consists of Standing Rock, McLaughlin, Red Cloud, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, Oelrichs, Takini, Little Wound and Crazy Horse. The regular season starts Sept. 4 and it concludes Oct. 23. The playoffs are Oct. 29 and the top-four teams in each division advance to the postseason. The semifinals are Nov. 6 and the title game is Nov. 14 the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Crow Creek defeated Lower Brule in last year’s title game played at the DakotaDome.
(Information for above story found on www.mitchellrepublic.com/Sports)
