The Griffon News

The professional football season may be over, but it marks the beginning for arena league and semi-pro football teams such as the St. Joe Ravens, whose season started last month.

The St. Joe Ravens are a semi-professional, eight on eight football ball team that play on an outdoor field, as opposed to playing indoors in an arena. They belong to the CPFL, or Central Plains Football League and have been around the area for years.

Unfortunately, not too many people are familiar with the CPFL, or even knew the St. Joe Ravens even existed. To the many that do not get a chance to play college football, the St. Joe Ravens may be your alternative.  

General Manager, Head Coach and current Missouri Western non-traditional student, John Gillock, brings opportunity to the St. Joseph area and currently to at least 10 Missouri Western students. How do you know if semi-professional football is right for you? According to Coach Gillock it’s all about exposure.

 ”It’s mainly for those looking for exposure and that are looking to make it to the next level,” Gillock said. “I recommend any player that either wants to get looked at by a college, an arena team, or anyone that still has a love for football or wants to play.”

Although the players are not paid, eligibility is not an issue when playing semi-pro football. “Players pay a fee to play and to be eligible, so they will not lose any NCAA eligibility,” Gillock said.

For two Missouri Western students and key players, Marcellus Stewart and Ro’Tez Irby, the St. Joe Ravens gives them a chance to develop and display their talents in hopes of opening more doors in football.

“You get experience and possibly get looked at by Arena Football League and National Football League scouts searching for new talent, making this a very good opportunity,” Stewart says.

To Irby, the Ravens are not only an experience tool, but also a positive outlet to stay out of trouble. “It makes me feel like I’m doing something with my life. I don’t want to end up like my uncle or my cousin who are in jail, so I feel like this is giving me something productive to do, I feel great when I’m doing this,” Irby said.

With optimistic hopes for the year, the St. Joe Ravens are preparing for their pre-season game against the Sioux City Bandits on Sunday, March 2, at 3 p.m. 

For more information on the St. Joe Ravens, visit the website www.cpflfootball.com/stjoeravens. It gives the team schedule and information about the members of the team. The website also gives information about the Central Plains league, which is the league that the Ravens play in.