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Following the departure of Jerrid Edgington to
Arkansas, formerly the commissioner and copyright holder of the
Evergreen Football League, the teams decided to reform as the Washington
Football League.
Yakima appeared to be the team to beat rolling
undefeated until the final week of the season losing to Wenatchee.
Inspired by the win, the Rams went on to upset the Shockers in Lacey
while the Wolfpack in their first season of joint operations knocked off
Yakima. A tight 14-7 game ensued giving Wenatchee their first ever
league championship. Wenatchee hosted the GNFA championship
leading the undefeated OFL champion Monarchs until losing in a dramatic
comeback by Portland.
During the off season prior to 2010 a team was
thought to be forming in the Tri Cities once again but it never
materialized and the Blue Mountain Stars dispersed with a group
reforming as the Hermiston Hurricanes winning the battle of local teams
over the Umatilla Coyotes which failed to take the field.
The league also decided to operate without a
commissioner. Turmoil ensued with the Okanogan Commandos informing
the league they would never play the Yakima Mavericks again following an
incident in Naches. South Sound and Wenatchee would square off in
the playoffs again with the same result of Wenatchee exiting the
Shockers, while Hermiston dispatched Spokane in back-to-back weeks.
Hermiston would survive the opening week loss to
Yakima to run the rest of the table to a WFL Championship.
However, the team disgraced the league when they refused to travel the 2
hours to Portland to take on the undefeated Monarchs in the GNFA
Championship.
The 2011 edition of the WFL was a downsized version
of 6 teams. Yakima and South Sound left for the newly formed PFL
while the North Sound Sting folded up into the Bellingham Bulldogs.
Hermiston was expected to be challenged, but they
got more than they bargained for, and the entire league was shell
shocked by a rookie wide receiver. But he wasn't from the Wolfpack
or the Rams, the wideout was Steve Stockton of the Okanogan Commandos.
Stockton shattered records and led the Commandos to their first ever
league championship and final #4 ranking in the GNFA.
2012 started off as usual with the typical battles the WFL has become
accustomed too including a huge game between the Rams and the PFL North
Bulldogs. Wenatchee dominated the game defensively through three
quarters clinging to a 10-0 lead until Bellingham broke loose for 3
scores in the 4th. This would be Wenatchee's only loss on
the season. More amazingly, the Rams won their playoff and
championship game with no regular season QB and a head coach under
center. Mickey White earned GNFA Coach of the Year for his efforts
in winning the league title for the 2nd time in four years.
Hermiston closed down as a franchise only to see a group of Hurricanes
return to their Blue Mountain roots starting the Waitsburg Elite.
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