From the Commissioner's Desk

A big weekend ahead — and an important venue update to share. TheSan Antonio Toroshave moved their home games to theWheatley Heights Sports Complex, a community-built sports campus on San Antonio's east side. The Toros made the announcement on social this week (read the announcement on X). With the new venue comes a new time slot: the Toros–Black Gold matchup is nowSunday Night, June 14 at 7:00 PM CSTon the United Football Media YouTube channel.

Saturday opens with what's shaping up to be a marquee Northern Division clash — theOhio Valley Ironmentravel to Mason for their season opener against theCincinnati Dukes, and one of these two teams will lift the Northern Division trophy on July 12. We've got Week 2 recaps, a historic first from the Continental Shift, an Ironmen "Did You Know," and a thank-you to our league-wide partners inside.

All games stream live onUnited Football Media.

Feature Story · Game of the Week

Northern Division Showdown: Ironmen Open at the Resurgent Dukes

Ohio Valley IronmenatCincinnati Dukes
Saturday, June 13 · 7:00 PM EST · Atrium Stadium · Mason High School · Mason, OH
Live onUnited Football Media

This one matters. With the Northern Division title to be decidedJuly 12, Saturday's matchup is functionally a championship-implication game in disguise. Win, and you take pole position. Drop it, and the road back gets steep fast.

TheOhio Valley Ironmen, under head coachManny Matsakis, reported to camp last Friday and have had a focused week of practice atFleming Field in Shadyside, Ohio— their permanent practice facility — whileMartins Ferryremains their home game venue. The Ironmen carry a remarkable backstory into this opener: a year ago, the program ran the table —undefeated and unscored upon. The CoFL season is a new challenge, and we'll find out quickly whether last year's defensive standard travels to Mason.

TheCincinnati Dukessit at2–1and are trending in the right direction. After dropping a Week 1 non-league game at Walnut Hills, head coachDaryl "Slash" Mooreand quarterbackKimani Murrayput on a clinic last week in a 54–24 dismantling of the Kentuckiana Calvary at Atrium Stadium. The Dukes carry one of the league's most explosive passing attacks into Saturday — see the Week 2 recap below for the eye-popping line on Murray.

The takeaway:Ironmen toughness meets Dukes firepower with division supremacy on the line. If you're picking one CoFL game to circle this weekend, this is it.

Week 2 Recap

Murray Lights It Up, Syndicate Make History in West Texas

Week 2 Results · Saturday, June 6MatchupScoreNotesCincinnati Dukesdef. Kentuckiana Calvary54–24Murray: 15/25, 424 yds, 6 TDTexas Syndicatedef. Tall City Black Gold23–20First-ever "Los Dos" · 3 INTs (Temoney 2)

Dukes 54, Kentuckiana Calvary 24

Cincinnati put on a passing clinic at Atrium Stadium in Mason. QuarterbackKimani Murraywent15-of-25 for 424 yards and six touchdowns, generating explosive play after explosive play despite a17-minute time-of-possession disadvantage. A four-time MVP and three-time Offensive Player of the Year in the Blue Collar Football League (BCFL) — where the Dukes were back-to-back champions before stepping up to the CoFL — Murray has now amassed more than7,000 passing yards and 196 touchdown passesin a Dukes uniform ([All Access Football](https://www.allaccessfootball.com/)).

Syndicate 23, Black Gold 20 — and the Birth of "Los Dos"

On the road at Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland, theTexas Syndicatebounced back from a Week 1 shutout loss to the Toros with a23–20slugfest win — and madeprofessional football historyin the process. During theContinental Shiftfourth quarter, Syndicate punterOwen Meisterplaced the ballbetween the uprightsfor a2-point "Los Dos"— the first time in pro football history a punter has done that.

The Syndicate's defense did the rest, intercepting Tall Citythree times, including a pair by safetyAbraham Temoney. LinebackerTedrick Loweryled the team with five tackles (All Access Football). It was a defining first win for the Syndicate and a debut moment for one of the league's signature rule innovations.

This Week in the CoFL

Two Nights, Two Marquee Matchups

Saturday, June 13 & Sunday, June 14MatchupKickoffVenueGAME OF THE WEEK
Ohio Valley Ironmen atCincinnati DukesSat · 7:00 PM ESTAtrium Stadium · Mason High School · Mason, OHSUNDAY NIGHT
Tall City Black Gold atSan Antonio TorosSun · 7:00 PM CSTNEW:Wheatley Heights Sports Complex · San Antonio, TX

Sunday Night spotlight:The undefeated, unscored-uponToros(2-0, +95 point differential) host the Black Gold in their first game atWheatley Heights Sports Complex— a brand-new home that gives San Antonio's east side a marquee pro football stage. Tall City enters looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season.

Watch live:Both games stream onyoutube.com/@UnitedFootballMedia. The Continental Shift fourth quarter remains in effect for both contests — and after last week, expect more teams to start practicing their "Los Dos" attempts.

Scheduling Update

Texas Herd Affiliate Reminder & Ironmen Schedule Tweak

NON-MEMBER AFFILIATETheTexas Herdare playing three road games as a non-member affiliate. They arenot eligiblefor the Southern Division title — but their resultsdo countin the standings for the Syndicate, Black Gold, and Toros, with the Southern Division Championship set for the weekend ofJuly 11.

Ironmen schedule note:Due to a restructuring that sends Ohio Valley on the road this Saturday, the Ironmen will beoff next weekend (June 20)and then return home for athree-game home standto close out the regular season. Look for ticket information and home-stand details on the team's site shortly.

Did You Know?

The Ironmen Almost Joined the CFL — in 1969

Here's a piece of football history worth filing away: back in1969, the originalOhio Valley Ironmenpetitioned to join theCanadian Football League. The bid came up just a few votes shy of admission. More than half a century later, the Ironmen are back, the CoFL is back, and the Canadian-influencedContinental Shiftfourth-quarter ruleset is right there in the league's DNA — a quiet nod to the bridge between American and Canadian football that the Ironmen once nearly crossed.

League Partner

Thank You to Light Helmets

The CoFL extends its thanks to league-wide partnerLight Helmets, whose support of so many of our clubs has helped equip our players with first-class gear from the ground up. Player safety, performance, and professionalism are core to what we're building — Light Helmets is part of how we deliver on that promise.

Learn more atlighthelmets.com.

Follow the League

Voices Worth Following

• Liam Smith— official CoFL weekly Power Rankings →@LiamCoFL on X

• All Access Football— weekly CoFL recaps and analysis →allaccessfootball.com

• Ric Serritella, NFL Draft Bible →@RicSerritella on X

Ownership Opportunity

Bring the CoFL to Your Market

The CoFL is built on a multi-entity ownership model — each club operates as its own business with its own ownership group, supported by the league's shared brand, rulebook, and operational playbook. As we look ahead to 2027 expansion and continue building stable foundations in current markets, we are actively engaging prospective owners across the country.

Markets of particular interest include mid-sized cities without an existing major-league professional football presence, communities with strong high school and small-college football culture, and metros with proven minor-league sports support. The league also offersSEC-registered equity crowdfunding pathwaysfor fan ownership — a first-of-its-kind structure in modern pro football.

• Turnkey league operations, brand, and rule structure

• Regional rights model with built-in local talent pipeline

• Affordable, family-priced fan experience proven to scale

• Fan equity tools and labor/community partnerships to deepen local investment

Explore Ownership

Inquiries from prospective owners, investors, and market champions are welcomed at the league office via coflfootball.com/ownership.

Next Up inThe Continental

Next week's issue will feature a full Ironmen–Dukes recap, the Sunday Night debut from Wheatley Heights Sports Complex, an updated Liam Smith Power Rankings, and an early look at the Southern Division standings as the Texas Herd road slate approaches. Have a question for the league office or a coach? Reply to this email — selected questions will be answered in print.

Until then, see you on the broadcast.

— The CoFL League Office

Watch live:youtube.com/@UnitedFootballMedia
Power Rankings:@LiamCoFL
Media inquiries:[email protected]