MFL News

MFL-Al Star Nominees:

MFL-Al Star Nominees:

PIONEERS
DE Tony Aitkin, DT Kym Trueblood, LB Scott Ramsdell, CB Keith Hooks, S Brian Warden RB Brian Holmes, RB Dave Hildebrandt, WR- Wesley Hill, WR- Damien Washington QB Nate Harrington, OL Anthony Thomas, OL Mario Foster

Thunderbirds
Ramon Burroughs CB, Randy Lee SS, Jeremiah Duvall OLB, Chris Camacho ILB, Ron Menard DT, Mike Deitel DE, Matt Boehlke OT, Trevor Rolfes OT, Dave Stone OG, Lance Nelson WR, Solomon Johnson WR, Damion Cannaday WR, Chris Esterely QB, K Michael Jacobs,DB Scott Schendzielos, DB Todd Western

Stampede
LB Nathaniel Coward, FS Darrin Dzuck, LB Nick Farrell, SS Rob Smith, NT Kevin Szczyrbak, DE Aeto Taele, DE Dan Turcotte, Jr., DB Courtney Walters, OL Garnet Asmundson, OL Korey Jazdzewski, FB Joe Dupree, QB Michael Spriggs,
RB Kevin Guillory, 160 carries 1,114 yards rushing (6.96 ave.), 10 TD's, (MFL Player of the Week three times, MLFN Player of Week ), 3 2-pt. conversions, 8 catches 60 yards & one receiving TD,

Lumberjacks
Riza Mahmoud RB, Tony Arnold OL, Tony Dupree LB,Michael Dupree LB, Jordan Hastings DB,Montae Bailey DB,John Richmond LB/DB, Ben Jass QB

Vikings
WR Andre Morris,DB Anthony Long, WR Johnny Parker, P Josh Black, RB Quinten Billingslea, LB Darrell Richards, RB Jim O’Regan, DT Jason Holt, LB Kenny Reuter, OL Ray Wynter, OL Chris Roscoe,DT Jon Peters

Rough Riders
K Nathan Weess, P Travis Mangene, RB Keontay Jackson, TE Arron Woelfel, WR Donte Pettis, DB Tony Ford,LB Billy Alexander,DB Marvin Hooker

Threshers
DB Troy Tyler, DL Jermaine Reed,DB Shauwn Echelberry, RB Nick King, QB Tyrone Tyler, WR John Day

Titans
Rashem Sharp WR, Ryan Sheldon WR, Brian Doyle LB, Rick Axtell OL, Sam Blocker RB, Tim Fortney RB

Maulers
RB John McCoy, OL Jason Weber, WR Evan Blanks, LB Quincy Bryant, DB Jeff Walton, DL Dan Whiteside

Article written by Commissioner on 09.30.06 @ 11:40 AM CST [...more]

Titans Lumberjacks Merger

The 2005 Mid-America Football League Champion Twin Cities Titans and the 2004 Mid-America Football League Runners Up Minneapolis Lumberjacks have merged two great ownerships and organizations to form one great team poised for a National Playoff run in 2007.

Announcing the "TWIN CITIES LUMBERJACKS"

2007 Coaching and Support Staff

Head Coach: Jim MacKinnon
Defensive Coordinator: John Dewey
Offensive Coordinator: Brett MacKinnon
Defensive Line Coach: Andres Masis

Team President: Rory Brinkman
Vice-President: Mike Iverson
General Manager: Mike Iverson
Director of Recruiting: Rory Brinkman
Secretary: Mary Iverson
Director of Operations: David Brinkman
Side Lines Manager: Sue Kjelvik
Team Doctor: Howard Fidler
Team Trainer: Andres Masis

The Titans and Lumberjacks would like to thank everyone for their support through the years and look forward to a successful future with the merger of these two great organizations.

-Mike and Rory
Article written by Commissioner on 09.29.06 @ 03:52 PM CST [...more]

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.


Article written by Commissioner on 09.28.06 @ 10:39 AM CST [...more]

Thunderbirds move to Championship Game

T-Birds vs Stampede: Recap
Thunderbird D with Another Shutout
Heather Reinhart
2006-09-24
 The Central Minnesota Thunderbirds got the win they needed on Saturday when the T-Birds topped the visiting Superior Stampede 30-0.
 It was the fifth shutout of the season for the Thunderbirds, who improved to 7-1 with the win.But the victory did not come as easily as the score would indicate.
 The Thunderbirds went four-and-out on their first possession and handed the ball to the Stampede, who marched down the field and threatened to score. The Thunderbirds defense regained control just in time, and kept Superior out of the end zone.
 "We were adjusting and we were tweaking things and we finally figured out what we had to do to stop them," Coach Chad Baldwin said.
 Central Minnesota quarterback Chris Esterley found Lance Nelson for a 15-yard touchdown late in the first quarter, but Mike Jacobs' extra-point missed and the Thunderbirds led 6-0.
 Early in the second quarter, the Mike Dietel and Ray Reinhart put pressure on the Stampede quarterback and forced him to throw from the end zone. He was charged with intentional grounding, and the Thunderbirds were awarded a safety to go ahead 8-0. Two minutes later, the lead stretched to 14-0 when Esterley completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Damien Cannaday. (Jacobs' extra point was blocked.)
 Esterley continued to click on offense when he completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Blake Schwegel late in the first half. Jacobs made the extra point and the Thunderbirds took a 21-0 lead into halftime.
 The Stampede had several chances to score in the third and fourth quarter after the Thunderbirds defense was called for numerous penalties. But the defense showed its strength when it counted and kept the Stampede out of the end zone.
 Randy Lee had a third-quarter interception for the T-Birds, and also picked up a botched punt, which gave the Thunderbirds the football deep in Stampede territory. Jason Dumler added an interception in the fourth quarter and returned it 20 yards.
 "Defensively, we did our usual," Coach Baldwin said. "Offensively, we had a great first half and in the second half, we were just flat."
 While the offense wasn't as strong in the second half, the T-birds did manage to add nine more points to the scoreboard.
 Jacobs kicked a 17-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to put his team ahead 24-0. Later, Eric Wessels ran 15 yard for a touchdown (extra point attempt failed) and the Thunderbirds won the game 30-0.
 The victory was Central Minnesota's fourth victory over Duluth/Superior in the past two years. In those four games combined, the Thunderbirds have outscored the Shoremen/Stampede 136-3.
 "You never would think that by how tough they are," Baldwin said. "They pushed us to the limit. They drove us three times and we stopped them."
 Despite the Thunderbird penalties, which totaled more than 100 yards in the game, the defensive effort was the highlight of the game.
 "The defense does nothing but impress me every week," said Wessels. "They just keep throwing shutouts."
 Mike Illies led the defense effort with five solo tackles and one assist. Lee, Dumler and Ramon Burroughs each had four tackles in the win.
 Defensive end Jeremy Gothman said he enjoys being a part of "the best defense in the country," and added that the slew of penalties was due to being over anxious.
 "We want to jump the ball and destroy them and to be a champion, you've got to hold back," he said.
 Gothman also gave credit to the offense.
 "Our offense is coming together very well," Gothman said. "Esterley was amazing."
 Esterly completed 11 of 19 pass attempts for 168 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's win. His lead receiver was Cannaday, who caught two passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Nate Middleton caught one pass for 25 yards, and Nelson added two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown.
 Wessels led the rushing game with 13 carries for 50 yards.
 "This game I had the most opportunities to carry the ball," he said. "My confidence had gone up with each game."
 Eric Tarasewicz added seven carries for 14 yards, and Esterley had three carries for 11 yards.
 Wessels said the victory was very much a team win.
 "Our offensive line was fantastic this game," he said. "Both running backs did a great job of falling forward and getting extra yardage."
 With the win, the Thunderbirds advance to the Mid-America Football League Championship game, which will be played at 6:35 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at Macalester College in St. Paul.
 The Thunderbirds will face the Midwest Pioneers in the championship game — the only team they have lost to this season. That loss came by a score of 17-14 in the Thunderbirds' season opener.
 "They got us at the beginning of the year and it'll be nice to get them when it matters," Wessels said.
 "I think it'd be nice to get another shot at the Pioneers," Baldwin added.


Article written by Commissioner on 09.27.06 @ 09:53 PM CST [...more]

Stampede vs Thunderbirds

Stampede vs Thunderbirds

It's the new season: Playoffs
2006-09-20 Heather Rienhart
 The Central Minnesota Thunderbirds will begin playoff action Saturday at St. John's University and will face the Superior Stampede — a team they trampled 21-0 earlier this season.
 Coach Chad Baldwin said the Stampede have added players to their roster since the previous meeting, and Saturday's game should be a good contest between two strong teams.
"They're a different team now," he said, adding that Superior has a different quarterback now. "They've definitely improved by adding more skill players."
 In fact, the Stampede defeated the Midwest Pioneers 24-10 last month — the team that handed the Thunderbirds their only loss of the season.
 "They've beaten a lot of good teams," Baldwin said.
The Mid-American Football League playoffs began last week and Superior (7-2) defeated the Cedar Valley Vikings in the opening round. The Thunderbirds (6-1) had a first-round bye due to being ranked No. 2 in the league and will see their first playoff action on Saturday.
"I like the match-up," Baldwin said. "I'm excited to play them because they're a tough team."
The history between the two teams has the Thunderbirds well out front. In the past three years, the T-Birds have outscored Superior 100-plus points to 3.
 "Regardless of the score of our games, they've always been a tough team to play," Baldwin said. "They're very physical. When you play these guys, you know you played them. You feel it the next day."
Because of the first-round playoff bye, the Thunderbirds will have had nearly a week off since their last practice on Sunday, Sept. 17.
"The hurt to us is that it takes us longer to get started," Baldwin admitted. "Some teams you can afford to start slow against and some teams you can't. I'm not sure where (the Stampede) fall in that category."
Saturday's game is tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John's University. The game time will be updated on the team's web site later this week.
 Baldwin noted that in the last game between the two teams, the Stampede wore their blue and white jerseys, which were very similar to the T-Birds' blue and gold. He hopes the opponent brings its white jerseys to the field this time around.
The winner of Saturday's game will play the winner of the Minneapolis Lumberjacks vs. Midwest Pioneers game the following weekend. That game will be for the MFL Championship, held on Saturday, Sept. 30.

Article written by Commissioner on 09.21.06 @ 11:22 AM CST [...more]

Stampede Silent Auction/Sponsorship Appreciation a Huge Success

The Superior Stampede celebrated their first season by saluting their 2006 sponsors with an appreciation dinner/silent auction at the Keyport Lounge & Restaurant in Superior on Saturday night. The Stampede auctioned off several items, including: pair of Vikings/Rams tickets (donated by the St. Louis Rams Organization), autographed Packers football (donated by the Green Bay Packers organization), Reggie White print (donated by Tim Cortes), autographed electric guitar (handcrafted and donated by Coach Blair of the Stampede), 3-night stay at Wild Eyes Wilderness Resort in Canada (donated by the Frye family), and many, many, more items. Fun was had by all, and the city of Superior is truly buzzing about their first ever playoff game this Saturday against Cedar Valley.
Article written by Superior Stampede on 09.11.06 @ 03:07 PM CST [...more]

Stampede versus Vikings Preview

The #3 Superior Stampede (6-3) will host the #6 Cedar Valley Vikings (5-4-1) Saturday at 7:00 at Ole Haugsrud Memorial Field on the campus of the University Wisconsin-Superior in the first round of the Mid-America Football League playoffs. While the Stampede name may be new to the playoffs, their experience isn't. Most Stampede players have made it to the league semi-finals the past two years in both the GPFL and the MFL. The Vikings, however, enter their first post-season play, having defeated their first MFL team, the Minnesota Maulers, a few weeks ago. The Stampede are led by MFL Player of the Year candidates RB Kevin Guillory (1,114 yards 10 TD's), and DE Dan Turcotte, Jr. (21 sacks). The Vikings are led by RB Quinten Billingslea (6-0 230 Upper Iowa University), QB Shaun Wilson (5-11 215 Upper Iowa University), & WR Gabrille Noah Betts. The game can be heard on The Fan 560 WEBC radio. If the Stampede win, they will travel to Collegeville, Minnesota (St. Johns University) on 9/23 to play the Central Minnesota Thunderbirds. If the Vikings win, they will travel to Mounds View, Minnesota to play the #1 seeded Midwest Pioneers.
Article written by Superior Stampede on 09.11.06 @ 11:28 AM CST [...more]

Texas Holdem Tourney for Thunderbirds

Guys and Gals:

Most of you know but for those of you that don't the Thunderbirds are doing very well this year. Currently we are 5-1 and have shut out our last three opponents. We are currently Ranked 14th in the 3A National Footballs Top 25. With a win this Sunday afternoon at St.John's U (4pm) we will secure 2nd place in the MFL standings and a 1st round bye in the playoffs. As a team we feel very confident of our chances of winning the MFL this year and going on to Nationals again this year. Again as most of you know this becomes very expensive and we have to do some fundraising to accomplish our goals.

I am setting up a Texas Hold'em/silent auction Fundraiser for Oct. 21st at Salida Depot in Big Lake, MN. We held a similar fundraiser last year and raised about $2800. It wasn't a lot but it was enough to pay officials and get us some practice time at the Huskie dome. This year our goal is to raise $10,000 to help offset the expenses of travel as well as officials and field fees.

Here is how everything will work for the Texas Hold'em/Silent auction at Salida. We are going to open up the tournement to 300 people and ask for a $30 donation to play in the tournement. Along with that $30 donation they will have the oppurtunity to win door prizes given away every 15 minuntes along with drink and food specials from the bar.

The silent auction will be set up in the hall like last year and will be open from the time we start til 5pm when the auction will stop. The only Catch is you have to be their at 5:30pm to collect and pay for your item. Anyone not there to purchase the item after going through all the items will lose their bid to the next highest bid.

Here is what I need from anyone willing. I need people to come play in the Tournement, donate prizes or go out and get donations from businesses, and workers. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are able to help out with any of these requests. Also along with letting me know what you able or willing to help out with give me some details as to what you will be able to do.

Just to give you some ideas of what went over very well last year for auction prizes were. T-Wolves, Wild, Vikings, tickets. Fishing Trips, A weekend at a Resort. Gift Certificates from Resturnants...FYI:(No Gift Certificates under $25 dollars in Value for the Auctions). But we can use as many as you can get for the door prizes. Any Pro Sports apparel, Golf Bags, Anything to do with Hunting or Fishing.

Thanks for your time concideration.


Ray Reinhart

P.S. please get back to me a.s.a.p. so I can get started setting this up.


Ray Reinhart
10476 64th Way NE
Albertville, MN 55301
Cell: 320-260-1966
Article written by Commissioner on 09.06.06 @ 03:25 PM CST [...more]

Defense stars, offense stumbles in Cedar Valley's 0-0 tie

Monday, September 4, 2006 7:47 AM CDT
Defense stars, offense stumbles in Cedar Valley's 0-0 tie
By ROD PAYNE, Courier Sports Writer

CEDAR FALLS --- The bend-but-don't-break defense has now officially been changed by the Cedar Valley Vikings after Saturday night’s clash with the River City Rough Riders at the UNI-Dome.

Both teams entered the contest tied with 5-4 records and fighting for a playoff spot. And so it was fitting, if also frustrating, that they ended the late-season North American Football League a 0-0 tie.

"We are a bend and break the opposition's offense type defense," explained coach LaShane Saddler. "These guys have been breaking apart offenses and just tearing them down all season. Unfortunately tonight our offense was not running well enough to win."

As a result,
Article written by Commissioner on 09.04.06 @ 06:31 PM CST [...more]

Vikings score another win, 24-13

Sunday, August 27, 2006 6:09 AM CDT
Vikings score another win, 24-13
By KELLY BEATON, Courier Sports Writer

CEDAR FALLS -- After their games, it's not uncommon for the semi-pro Cedar Valley Vikings gridders to joke around with their opponents, engaging in friendly banter.

Of course, between whistles, the foes are trying to gouge each other's eyes out.

This is football after all.

"We're going to beat the man in front of us until he wants to take himself off the field," explained Vikings fullback Jim O'Regan, a Waucoma native.
Article written by Commissioner on 09.03.06 @ 01:17 PM CST [...more]