Palmer grad to make FXFL debut Wednesday

PALMER — Former Palmer Moose standout Junior Aumavae is expected to make his FXFL debut with the Boston Brawlers Wednesday night.

Aumavae and the Brawlers play the Omaha Mammoths Wednesday at 5 p.m. Alaska time. The game can be seen live on ESPN3 online at espn.go.com/watchespn/index?.

Aumavae, a defensive lineman, will don the No. 90.

Last month, Aumavae, a 2004 graduate of Palmer High School and former Moose football star, signed with the Brawlers, one of four teams in the FXFL, the new developmental football league.

“I’m pretty excited. It will give me another opportunity to get on the field and show my talents,” Aumavae said by cellphone from his home in Green Bay, Wisc.

According to its website, the Fall Experimental Football League, “is a professional football league, which serves as a developmental platform for players, coaches and referees.”

The 2014 FXFL will feature four teams in a six-week regular season. Regular-season games will be on weeknights and televised, according to the website.

Aumavae, a former member of the practice squad of the NFL’s New York Jets, said the FXFL is looking for players with NFL credentials for the new league. Aumavae said references with NFL connections helped find him a spot in the FXFL. He hopes this opportunity could lead to a shot with another NFL team.

“It’s a good opportunity for me to go out there and actually play a game, instead of just working out, ”Aumave said.

Since signing with the team, Aumavae has been participating in the league’s training camp in Omaha, Neb.

Aumavae and the Brawlers travel to New York to face the Brooklyn Bolts on Oct. 15. The Brawlers, who play their home games at Harvard Stadium, host their first game Oct. 31 against Brooklyn.

The fourth team in the league is the Miami Blacktips.

Aumavae, an interior defensive lineman, is one of five defensive linemen on the Boston roster. Three on the roster are designated as defensive ends. Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Terry Shea is Boston’s head coach.

Boston’s current 40-man roster includes former Clemson standout quarterback Tajh Boyd, a sixth-round selection of the New York Jets in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Since his last stint in the NFL, Aumavae has been living in Green Bay, training at Don Beebe’s House of Speed. Aumavae did garner interest from NFL teams during the offseason, he said, but nothing materialized.

“I’ve just been training up here, waiting for another opportunity,” Aumavae said. “I think this is the break I need. It’s another opportunity to showcase my talent on film.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.