Cavalry are ready for legitimate title game

By DAVID BUCK
Star-Tribune staff writer

This year the championship game will be real.

Wyoming has a different feeling going into Friday's American Indoor Football Association Bowl II than last year's Professional Indoor Football Championship.

After playing a full regular season of 14 games and winning two playoff games to get to AIFA Bowl II, the Cavalry know the winner of this week's game is truly worthy of being called champion.

"There is no comparison," Wyoming coach Dan Maciejczak said. "Last year was just last team standing. This year, I felt like we earned it. Everybody said that we are in a weak division in the West Division, but I think we were in a division that started off weak and got very strong and was very competitive at the end of the season."

Getting a full season of games against legitimate teams is just one difference compared to last year, when the Cavs were in the National Indoor Football League. The NIFL fell apart during the season and Wyoming finished the year against the Fayetteville (N.C.) Guard in the PIFC, an unofficial title game set up by the teams' owners.

Fayetteville beat Wyoming 48-34, and both teams joined the AIFA this year. The Cavs fared better than the Guard, who finished the season at 5-9 and in last place in the East Division of the Eastern Conference.

"Last year was such a defunct league that you didn't really earn anything by getting there," Cavs quarterback Matt Strand said. "The only thing we earned was a good game to end the season at Fayetteville."

This year getting into the playoffs and the championship game feel earned, now all the Cavs have to do is win.

"The league was falling apart last year, man," Cavs running back James Jones said. "We are in a very stable league, we've got guys that are heading the league (and) taking good care of us. The league is just a lot more stable, man. ... It's more of a professional championship."

n MUDCATS FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURE: Mississippi made it to the Western Conference championship before losing to the Cavs, now there is a question of whether the team will make it to next season.

The Mudcats bled money this season with the highest-paid coaching staff in the league until the head coach and two assistants resigned because of money issues. Mississippi had the right to host the conference championship game, but chose to defer it so that they could save money. Mississippi majority owner Jim Waide said in the days leading up to the game that he didn't see fans or sponsors jumping on his team's bandwagon, and he's not sure of the Mudcats' status for next year.

"At this point, I don't know what I'm going to do, given the fact other teams are doing so much better (financially)," Waide said. "I don't want to move the team. I want to keep them here. I don't want to see the team leave. I would hate for it not to go forward."

AIFA co-owner John Morris said he recently had a meeting with Waide and was able to cut about $300,000 from the Mudcats' budget, which could help Waide keep the team in Tupelo for another year.

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

Cavs Tracker

AIFA Bowl II: Wyoming at Florence (S.C.), 5:45 p.m., Friday, Florence Civic Center

RECORDS: Cavalry (13-3); Phantoms (12-4)

REAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Though the Cavalry competed in the Professional Indoor Football Championship last year, the team considers AIFA Bowl II a legitimate title game.

HE SAID IT: "There is no comparison. Last year was just last team standing. This year, I felt like we earned it." -- Wyoming coach Dan Maciejczak.