Harbor Monsters Gearing Up to Defend ArenaMania Title in 2nd Season

Duluth set to host Knoxville Bandits on May 24th.

DULUTH, Minn.- It’ll be hard to top their first season as a franchise. But, the Duluth Harbor Monsters are confident they have the pieces in place to repeat as ArenaMania champions.

The Harbor Monsters  hit the practice field for the first time on Friday ahead of their exhibition game against the Knoxville Bandits a week from Saturday.

Some of the notable returners this season include QB’s Ja’Vonte Johnson, and Hassan Brockman, and defensive back De’Ron Maxwell.

New this year in the Arena League is two new teams, the Eau Claire Axemen and the Hot Springs Wiseguys.

Head Coach Tony O’Neil says it’s great for the league but added they’re ready for whatever the new squads may bring them.

“We’re headed in the right direction. I know that the league plans on having at least 10 teams. We want to support each other as far as organizations. We want everyone to thrive. We want rosters to be competitive so that the fans have engagement. We don’t want it to be one-sided. We definitely look to repeat but we’re not looking for a one-sided, we’re looking for the competition. Hopefully they’ve done their job because we know we’ve done ours,” said O’Neil.

There’s also plenty of new faces on the team this season. That includes former NFL and XFL wide receiver Dan Williams III.

“It was just the opportunity. Once Steve gave me the opportunity, I took it and ran with it. Only thing you need is a chance in life to be great at your position you in, at your craft. He gave me the opportunity and I took it and ran with it,” said Williams.

The Bandits and Harbor Monsters begin battle at 7 PM next Saturday at the DECC Arena.