# 2016 CAFL season

The 2016 CAFL season, the first season in the history of the China Arena Football League (CAFL), began on October 1, 2016. On November 6, the Beijing Lions defeated the Qingdao Clipper to win the first China Bowl.

## Draft

The league held its first draft on June 10, 2016. 120 players were drafted with 60 of them being Americans, including 43 who have Arena Football League experience. 60 players from China or players who are of Chinese descent were selected as well. On June 15, the league held a supplemental draft (rounds 21 to 22) in which an additional 12 players were selected.
Note: The picks are not in chronological order. They are a list of picks by team and the round they were selected in. For example, Guangzhou did not select first in every round.
| Round | Guangzhou | Dalian | Shanghai | Shenzhen | Qingdao | Beijing |
| 1 | David Wang – OL (CN) | Joe Hills – WR | Shane Austin – QB | Du Feng – DL (CN) | Bryan Randall – QB | Wayne Tribue – OL |
| 2 | Brennen Carvalho – OL | Billy Lai – OL (CN) | Liu Shuai – WR (CN) | Wang Shida – DB (CN) | Jason Holman – OL/DL | Neal Tivis – OL |
| 3 | Yang Hao – LB (CN) | Talib Wise – WR | Dwayne Hollis – DB | Zhang Jia Qi – OL (CN) | Jake Metz – OL/DL | James Romain – DB |
| 4 | Tyre Glasper – LB | Kwok-Wing Steve Tang – DL (CN) | Shaun Kauleinamoku – WR | Colin Madison – OL | Rayshaun Kizer – DB | Teddy Jennings – DL |
| 5 | Dexter Davis Jr. – DL | Phillip Garcia – QB | Justin Lawrence – DL | Xin Xu – DL (CN) | Joe Phinisee – DB | Collin Taylor -WR |
| 6 | Andre Martin – WR/DB | Yan Li Guang – DL (CN) | Wang Lei – DB (CN) | Robert Williams Jr – DL | Kevin Kuo – OL/DL (CN) | Paul Chih-Ping Cheng – DL (CN) |
| 7 | Frank Trotter – DL | Ameer Ismail – LB | Gu Xu Bing – FB (CN) | Dak Britt – QB | Xavier Boyce – WR | Chris Dieker – QB |
| 8 | Qiu Xun Da – WR (CN) | Qu San Zhi – OL/DL (CN) | Mike Washington – WR | Terrance Smith – DB | Sun Shuo – OL/DL (CN) | Xing Long Xiong – WR (CN) |
| 9 | Duane Brooks – WR | Jarrod Hernandez – OL | Zhang Dong Sheng – OL/DL (CN) | Adrian Ferns – FB/LB | Reggie Gray – WR | Calvin Fance – DL |
| 10 | Lavasier Tuinei – WR/DB | Wang Bing – DB (CN) | Willie McGinnis – DL | Larry Max Westphal – OL | Tanner Varner – DB | Zhang Tian Hao – OL/DL (CN) |
| 11 | Sun Mo Han – OL/DL (CN) | Jordan Mosely – OL | Travis Miller – OL/DL | Han Shao Chuan – LB (CN) | Zhang Tian Shou – FB/LB (CN) | Tsu Yao Lam – WR/DB (CN) |
| 12 | JJ Raterink – QB | Fan Zheng Yu – LB (CN) | Xu You Peng – OL/DL (CN) | Tristan Purifoy – WR | He Shi Lei – WR/DB (CN) | Chen Yun Chen – OL/DL (CN) |
| 13 | Li An – DL (CN) | Kent Richardson – DB | Zhao Zhen Nan – WR/DB (CN) | Shen Yu Lan – FB (CN) | Matt Moss – DL | Zhang Xiao Zha – WR (CN) |
| 14 | Liang Xin Hao – WR (CN) | Kap IP – WR (CN) | Christian Wise – WR/DB | David Hong – OL/DL (CN) | Wondell Rutledge – OL/DL | Erwin Sennett Wu – DB (CN) |
| 15 | Virgil Gray – DB | Darnell Burks – DB | Taylor Russolino – K | LaChristopher Lee – WR | Yang Peng Sheng – DB (CN) | Junxing Zhang – WR/DB (CN) |
| 16 | Ma Jin Hui – DB (CN) | Ma Zhen – WR (CN) | Kevin Bartie – DB | Xu Xin Tian – WR (CN) | A Tie – OL/DL (CN) | Chris Hemphill – WR/DB |
| 17 | Zhang Hai Tao – OL/DL (CN) | Maurice Woodard – WR/DB | Zheng Yu Jiang – FB (CN) | Lin Yi Hong – DB (CN) | Baihetiyaer Tuerxun – WR/DB (CN) | Li Xiang – OL/DL (CN) |
| 18 | Guo Xu – OL/DL (CN) | Lai Shan Yu – WR/DB (CN) | Tian Ye – FB/LB (CN) | John Keith – DB | Zhang Tian Chu – WR/DB (CN) | Pat Clarke – K |
| 19 | Alex Carder – QB | Anthony Sanders III – DL | Xiao Yu – OL/DL (CN) | Kimo Naehu – K | Guo Rui Bin – K (CN) | Zhang Xiang Yu – OL/DL (CN) |
| 20 | Zao Yun – WR (CN) | Xu Chang – FB/LB (CN) | Xie Kun – QB (CN) | Lui Sze Ting – DB (CN) | Wang Shi Xue – LB (CN) | Luke Collis – QB |
| 21 | Luis Vasquez – DL | Qui Zixuan – K (CN) | Fan Rong – OL/DL (CN) | Yu Tao – QB (CN) | Sean Brackett – QB | Rustin Mayorga – FB |
| 22 | Ding Long – K (CN) | Jawad Yatim – QB | Sergio Gilliam – WR | Elvis Matagi – DL | Li Chao Ren – K (CN) | Chen Long – QB (CN) |
* CN indicates Chinese national or of Chinese descent
Sources:

## Regular season
### Week 1

| Date | Kickoff | Away | Score | Home | Game site |
| October 1 | 2:00 p.m. | Guangzhou Power | 35–38 | Qingdao Clipper | LeSports Center (Beijing) |
| October 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Dalian Dragon Kings | 19–47 | Shenzhen Naja | LeSports Center (Beijing) |
| October 2 | 3:00 p.m. | Shanghai Skywalkers | 53–54 (OT) | Beijing Lions | LeSports Center (Beijing) |

### Week 2

| Date | Kickoff | Away | Score | Home | Game site |
| October 8 | 11:00 a.m. | Guangzhou Power | 32–45 | Shanghai Skywalkers | Damai Center (Dalian) |
| October 9 | 3:00 p.m. | Shenzhen Naja | 41–48 | Beijing Lions | Damai Center (Dalian) |
| October 9 | 7:00 p.m. | Qingdao Clipper | 43–36 | Dalian Dragon Kings | Damai Center (Dalian) |

### Week 3

| Date | Kickoff | Away | Score | Home | Game site |
| October 15 | 2:00 p.m. | Shanghai Skywalkers | 61–48 | Shenzhen Naja | Guoxin Gymnasium (Qingdao) |
| October 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Dalian Dragon Kings | 7–40 | Guangzhou Power | Guoxin Gymnasium (Qingdao) |
| October 16 | 3:00 p.m. | Beijing Lions | 47–33 | Qingdao Clipper | Guoxin Gymnasium (Qingdao) |

### Week 4

| Date | Kickoff | Away | Score | Home | Game site |
| October 22 | 2:00 p.m. | Beijing Lions | 70–25 | Dalian Dragon Kings | Guangzhou Gymnasium (Guangzhou) |
| October 22 | 7:00 p.m. | Qingdao Clipper | 51–49 | Shanghai Skywalkers | Guangzhou Gymnasium (Guangzhou) |
| October 23 | 3:00 p.m. | Shenzhen Naja | 39–47 | Guangzhou Power | Guangzhou Gymnasium (Guangzhou) |

### Week 5

| Date | Kickoff | Away | Score | Home | Game site |
| October 29 | 2:00 p.m. | Dalian Dragon Kings | 21–63 | Shanghai Skywalkers | Shenzhen Dayun Arena (Shenzhen) |
| October 29 | 7:00 p.m. | Beijing Lions | 55–32 | Guangzhou Power | Shenzhen Dayun Arena (Shenzhen) |
| October 30 | 3:00 p.m. | Qingdao Clipper | 40–47 | Shenzhen Naja | Shenzhen Dayun Arena (Shenzhen) |

### Standings

2016 CAFL standingsviewtalkedit :
| Team | Overall | Overall | Overall | Points | Points | Records | Records |
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | Home | Away |
| Beijing Lions | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 274 | 184 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Qingdao Clipper | 3 | 2 | .600 | 205 | 204 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Shanghai Skywalkers | 3 | 2 | .600 | 271 | 206 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Guangzhou Power | 2 | 3 | .400 | 186 | 184 | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Shenzhen Naja | 2 | 3 | .400 | 222 | 215 | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Dalian Dragon Kings | 0 | 5 | .000 | 98 | 263 | 0–2 | 0–3 |
Sources:

## Postseason
### 5th-place game

| Date | Kickoff | Away | Score | Home | Game site | Recap |
| November 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Dalian Dragon Kings | 30–46 | Shenzhen Naja | Shanghai Oriental Sports Center (Shanghai) | |

### 3rd-place game

| Date | Kickoff | Away | Score | Home | Game site | Recap |
| November 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Guangzhou Power | 52–57 | Shanghai Skywalkers | Shanghai Oriental Sports Center (Shanghai) | |

### China Bowl

| Date | Kickoff | Away | Score | Home | Game site | Recap |
| November 6 | 3:00 p.m. | Qingdao Clipper | 34–35 | Beijing Lions | Shanghai Oriental Sports Center (Shanghai) | |
Source:

## Awards
### Individual season awards

Note: The Steel-man is named for his "all around excellence at several positions". The Judge Spirit Award, named after CAFL founder Marty Judge, is given for "exemplifying football excellence, leadership and special contribution to the league".
| Award | Winner | Position | Team |
| Offensive MVP | Shane Austin | Quarterback | Shanghai |
| Defensive MVP | Torez Jones | Defensive back | Beijing |
| Steel-man | James Romain | Defensive back/receiver/kick returner | Beijing |
| Judge Spirit Award | Mike Washington | Wide receiver | Shanghai |
Source:

### All-Pro teams
#### All-Pro North Division All-Stars

Offense :
| Quarterback | Luke Collis, Beijing |
| Wide receiver | Collin Taylor, Beijing Reggie Gray, Qingdao Tian Chu Zhang, Qingdao |
| Fullback | Rustin Mayorga, Beijing |
| Offensive lineman | Wayne Tribue, Beijing Neal Tivis, Beijing Tian Hao Zhang, Beijing |
Defense :
| Defensive lineman | Calvin Fance, Beijing Paul Cheng, Beijing Steve Tang, Dalian |
| Jack linebacker | Ameer Ismail, Dalian |
| Middle linebacker | Jake Metz, Qingdao |
| Defensive back | Torez Jones, Beijing James Romain, Beijing Kent Richardson, Dalian |
Other :
| Placekicker | Patrick Clarke III, Beijing |
| Athlete | Bryan Randall, quarterback, Qingdao Talib Wise, wide receiver, Dalian Siguang Yan, defensive lineman, Dalian |
Coaches :
| Head coach | Clint Dolezel, Beijing |
| Assistant coach | Steve Criswell, Qingdao |
| Chinese assistant coach | Jeff Mei, Beijing |
Source:

#### All-Pro South Division All-Stars

Offense :
| Quarterback | Shane Austin, Shanghai |
| Wide receiver | Mike Washington, Shanghai Shaun Kauleinamoku, Shanghai Xu Xin He, Shenzhen |
| Fullback | Dashawn Johnson, Guangzhou |
| Offensive lineman | David Wang, Guangzhou Travis Miller, Shanghai Max Westphal, Shenzhen |
Defense :
| Defensive lineman | Robert Williams, Shenzhen Frank Trotter, Guangzhou Willie McGinnis, Shanghai |
| Jack linebacker | Ling Zi Hao, Guangzhou |
| Middle linebacker | Tyre Glasper, Guangzhou |
| Defensive back | Cameron McGlenn, Guangzhou Dwayne Hollis, Shanghai Wang Lei, Shanghai |
Other :
| Placekicker | Taylor Russolino, Shanghai |
| Athlete | Dak Britt, quarterback, Shenzhen LaChristopher Lee, kick returner, Guangzhou Guxu Bing Fe, fullback, Shanghai |
Coaches :
| Head coach | J.W. Kenton, Shenzhen |
| Assistant coach | John Lyles, Shanghai |
| Chinese assistant coach | Robert Wang, Guangzhou |
Source:

### Dream Team

The CAFL Dream Team was selected by fan vote.
Dream Team :
| Quarterback | Dak Britt, Shenzhen |
| Offensive lineman | Jia Qi Zhang, Shenzhen |
| Defensive lineman | Robert Williams, Shenzhen |
| Running back/Fullback | Dashawn Johnson, Guangzhou |
| Wide receiver | Xu Xin He, Shenzhen |
| Defensive back | Tanner Varner, Qingdao |
| Linebacker/Middle linebacker | Hong Jia Wei David, Shenzhen |
| Kicker | Taylor Russolino, Shanghai |
Source: