While veteran teams are at the core of Tri-Point’s structure, some new and exciting teams will be competing too.  The birth of four new area teams will be a big part of the league’s inaugural season. Teams often come and go quickly in the “semi-pro” world. It is a hurdle that many leagues and their teams face every year. With that being said, Tri-Point hopes to use its unique structure to help new teams to stabilize and become a perennial option for the young men in their communities to continue playing football. All four first year teams have owners and/or staff who have been a part of the “semi-pro” scene for many years. That fact makes the odds much higher for the new teams starting in Tri-Point this year. Let’s take a brief glimpse at these new teams.

WPA Rough Riders – Brownsville/Uniontown, Pennsylvania area

Owners – Jay Brooks and Voneric Cook
Head Coach – Jay Brooks
Game 1 – Hosting the Greensburg Golden Hawks

With so much talent in and around the Pittsburgh area, the Rough Riders look to tap into that deep pool. This season may ultimately prove that this area has the most talent on the board too. This past offseason seen two very talented Pitt area teams dissolve and fold. One of them being a yearly powerhouse in semi-pro rankings. If the Rough Riders take advantage of their location (equally between Pittsburgh and Morgantown) then they may be an exciting and surprising team to watch this season and into the playoffs.

Marietta Bulldogs – Marietta, Ohio

Owner and Head Coach - Gary Shelton
Game 1 – Traveling to the West Virginia Black Knights

There seems to be a team in pretty much every medium-sized to big city all over Ohio. The Bulldogs may have decided to set up shop in the one area without one. There is a ton of talent along the Ohio River Valley and close proximity to Parkersburg, WV will be a blessing. That’s not to say the untapped talent from small towns in the Marietta area, like Caldwell should be ignored. Like every square inch of the tri-state area, guys down there are hungry to keep playing the game we all love. Will that hunger fuel the Bulldogs to a deep playoff run?

Bredren Knights – Columbus, Ohio

Owner and Head Coach – LaWon Sellers
Game 1 – Traveling to the Ohio Bears

Columbus, Ohio has a deep history of talented semi-pro teams over recent years. Ohio’s capitol is not only one of the largest cities in Ohio, but also home to Ohio’s most dedicated football fanbase. What better way to start up a new team and cement it for the future than to plop yourself down right in the middle of it. The Bredren Knights did just that. They started out the right way too. The Knights began an early push this fall to recruit and they seem to have garnered a lot of attention from prospective players in their area. It will be hard not to succeed in such a talented area and with drive to find talent that the Knights are showing thus far... there is no reason Columbus can’t provide another championship level team.

Ohio Bears – Whitehall, Ohio

Owner and Head Coach – Buddy Williams
Owner – Demone Gore
Owner – Noah Prentiss
Game 1 – Hosting the Columbus Bredren Knights

Much like the Knights, the Bears will be pulling talent from the Columbus area. Rather than the hustle and bustle of being right in the mix, the Bears have an opportunity to tap into the heavily talented suburbs east of town. From Gahanna to Zanesville there is a ton of talented players looking for a shot to get on the field. That is not to say that the Bears won’t be drawing from the capitol as well. The Bears may even become winners off the field as well as on with mentions of community involvement for the organization. Community interaction is a great way to help your area while also bringing awareness of the opportunity to play football. The Bears just might set themselves up for success while helping their community do the same.

“New teams always carry risks, but even well established, prospective championship teams fold after winning rings. Our new guys all have experienced guys on board and our league board members plans to help support those teams with advice and help if they need it. That was part of the plan when we began brainstorming the structure of Tri-Point’s organization” - Doug Horning (GM of the Ohio Gladiators)