Cavs reluctantly head to Arizona

By DAVID BUCK
Star-Tribune staff writer

If Dan Maciejczak had his way, Wyoming wouldn't be playing this game.

The Cavalry play at Arizona tonight and Wyoming's coach sees no point in playing the Adrenaline to conclude the regular season. The two teams play again on the Fourth of July in the first round of the American Indoor Football Association playoffs, and Maciejczak would prefer to skip to today's game.

"Going to Arizona means absolutely nothing," Maciejczak said. "We are not going to do anything in any way, shape, or form to make them think that we care about this game. The only reason we are playing this game is because they have home fans, and by requirements of the rules, we have to play."

Maciejczak compared today's game to those at the end of the NFL season that have no playoff implications. Maciejczak plans to rest his top players in order to get them healthy for the playoffs.

"In a perfect world I would sit everybody, and I would suit 20 guys that I didn't care if they get hurt or not," Maciejczak said.

Cavs quarterback Matt Strand is not making the trip to Arizona, and wide receiver Johnnie Young will also sit out the game. Maciejczak said he might also rest a defensive lineman and he plans on testing players at different positions.

Though the game doesn't impact the first-round playoff game, the Cavs would like to get back to winning. Wyoming suffered its second loss of the season last week in a 58-52 double overtime game at New Mexico.

"The last couple of weeks we haven't been too strong," defensive lineman Tomasi Kongaika said. "... We would like to come away with the win (and) confidence."

Maciejczak said he doesn't want to test any new plays because Arizona could use what it sees to help plan for next week's playoff game.

"To play a team full-go in Arizona ... then turn around and play them the following week at home... you are putting together a scenario where it is tough to beat a team back to back that many times. We are tying to win a national championship, so I feel the best chance we have is to get healthy, come home, give them everything we got.

"... I truly wish we didn't have to play it."

'FAMILY GUY': Making sure he stays healthy isn't the only reason Cavs quarterback Matt Strand is staying home today.

The bigger -- actually smaller -- and more important reason is the quarterback wants to spend time with his new daughter, Alaina Grace Strand.

"With the game not meaning anything and having a new addition to the family and everything, I'm going to take the week off and be a family guy this weekend," Strand said.

Alaina Grace was born at 3:15 a.m. on Sunday.

The Cavs quarterback was not there for the birth because he was in New Mexico with the team.

"I'm a little disappointed that we couldn't be back, but we knew going into the season that there was a chance that I wouldn't be here," Strand said. "Anytime you have a kid born, it's one of those things that you don't want to miss, so we just deal with it."

The team changed flights so Strand could get to back to Casper quicker, but he knew there was no chance of making it back in time to see his daughter enter the world.

"We did almost as much as we could without having our own jet," Strand said.

The Strands also have a son, Will, who is almost 2.

Contact sports reporter David Buck at (307) 266-0596 or david.buck@trib.com.

Cavs Tracker

TODAY: Wyoming at Arizona, 7 p.m.

RECORDS: Cavalry (11-2); Adrenaline (10-3)

UP NEXT: Arizona at Wyoming, Friday, 6 p.m., in a first-round AIFA playoff game.

LISTEN LIVE: Go to www.wyomingcavalry.com for an Internet broadcast of tonight's game.

HE SAID IT: "Going to Arizona means absolutely nothing. We are not going to do anything in any way, shape, or form to make them think that we care about this game. The only reason we are playing this game is because they have home fans, and by requirements of the rules, we have to play." -- Wyoming coach Dan Maciejczak.