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04/05/2006: "Thunderbirds vs Pioneers: MFL Championship"

Thunderbirds vs Pioneers: Review
MFL Championship
Heather Reinhart
2006-09-27
 The Central Minnesota Thunderbirds will have something to prove when they head out to Macalester College in St. Paul on Saturday for the Mid-America Football League Championship game.
 The Thunderbirds have just one loss this season and that came at the hands of the Midwest Pioneers in the season opener. The 17-14 defeat is something the Thunderbirds haven't forgotten, and the team hopes to get its revenge when the two teams meet head-to-head in the championship game Saturday night.
 The Pioneers made their way into the championship game after defeating the Minneapolis Lumberjacks 34-28 in overtime last weekend. Central Minnesota defeated the Superior Stampede 30-0 in the semifinals.
 Coach Chad Baldwin said the Pioneers are better now than when the two teams met earlier this season, but he believes his team has improved as well.
 "I think our problems that we faced last time, we've solved," Baldwin said.
 Among those problems were having some athletes play out of position due to a lack of players. The team had also made some adjustments in its secondary that were still new. Now, the team has everything down solid.
 "All the things we struggled with in that game we've solved," Baldwin said. "They should be non-factors this time."
 What may be a factor this time around is the weather.
 The Thunderbirds have played their last two games in the rain and might face the same soggy weather on Saturday as rain is forecasted for the metro area.
 Baldwin said he isn't concerned about the potential weather hazard because the rain didn't hinder his team any in the previous games. The Pioneers, however, struggled to hold onto the ball in their semifinal game with the Lumberjacks. If it rains again this weekend, the Thunderbirds might have the advantage.
 "They had a lot of turnovers due to the wetness of the ball and we didn't have any," Baldwin said.
 The Pioneers are 9-2 overall this season, while the Thunderbirds are 7-1. The two teams have a long history and Baldwin said that will make things interesting on Saturday.
 "We both know each other's schemes well enough that it's who stops the other team's scheme the fastest and who can adjust the fastest that will win," Baldwin said. "It comes down to knowledge and mental ability."
 The last time the Thunderbirds won the MFL title was in 2001. The team also advanced to the MFL Championship game in 2002 and in 2005, but lost both times to finish second. This year, they'd like to be back on top.
 "That's definitely something we'd like to improve on," Baldwin said. "I think we're peaking at the right time."
 The MFL Championship game is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at Macalester College in St. Paul.