The Logan Stampede competes in the AA division of the RMFL and will be hosting the AA championship game on June 27 at 7 p.m. at Logan High School. This year has been almost magical for the Stampede in terms of their record. The Stampede are riding an undefeated season after not making the playoffs their first season in 2008. Logan ended with an even season in 2008. A league declared forfeit reversed a loss and entered in the RMFL record books a 4-4 inaugural season. This year has been different. The Stampede reversed a three game losing skid at the end of 2008 by winning their first contest of the 2009 season against the Mount Ogden Marauders by a score of 19 to 10. They then went on a rampage shutting out their next three opponents and scoring 114 combined points in those three games. While they didn’t shut out another team on the season, their outcomes for the remaining season games had one thing in common – victory for the Stampede. Logan was forced to play their final regular season game against the Big Sky Division’s top team, Great Falls Gladiators, who also had a perfect record at game kickoff. Logan handled the Gladiators and won that game 29 to 13 at Utah State’s Romney Stadium. The unblemished season allowed the Stampede into the playoffs as the number one team in the AA division and earned the team a first round bye. The second round playoff game matched up the Stampede and the Intermountain Division’s top team, Magic Valley Bulldawgz, in what would be a hard fought battle until the end. It appeared the Stampede just didn’t want the game bad enough after the Stampede wasted three quarters without scoring. That all changed in the fourth quarter when the Stampede erased a 14 point deficit and tied the game. With six ticks on the clock the scoreboard showed a tie game at 14-14 and the Stampede were set up for a last second field goal. The field goal was true and with only 3 seconds remaining in the contest the Stampede has notched a 17 to 14 lead. The final kickoff of the game drained the clock without any real return and Logan was on to the Championship game. Logan now must face the Great Salt Lake Division’s top team, Utah Valley Desperados, in the AA championship game. No one can say that Logan had an easy ride to the championship game after having to play two of the other division’s top teams and now facing off against the only remaining division’s top team. This will truly be a battle of the strongest in the AA division of the RMFL. The Desperados bring to the game an impressive record with only one loss on the season and that was to the Magic Valley Bulldawgz, the team the Stampede barely beat in the second round playoff game. This game should be a battle to the end. With two teams as evenly matched as these, it makes one wonder if the outcome might have something in common with the Cache Valley Bear’s AAA championship game of 2009. It took the Bears three overtimes in 2009 to capture their first championship in just their third season in the league. Saturday night will prove if the Stampede can capture a championship of their own, in their second season, and how many minutes it takes to achieve their goal. Regardless of what ultimately happens, the RMFL will recognize Cache Valley in both the AAA level and now the AA level. The Stampede is expecting a huge local crowd to cheer them on to victory on Saturday night. Again, the game will be hosted by the Stampede at 7 p.m. at Logan High School. |
|||
Logan, UT -- The Rocky Mountain Football League (RMFL) is well aware of the caliber of football played at the semi-pro level in Cache Valley. The reigning AAA Champions, the Cache Valley Bears, are from here and have been a force to be reckoned with in the past few years since they began playing in the RMFL. This year was a struggle for the Bears and, although they did make it to the playoffs, they exited the playoffs with only one game after a spirited battle owing primarily to having a skeleton crew. The AAA division will have a new champion from outside of Cache Valley, but the RMFL has a new Cache Valley team to watch in the championships this year – the Logan Stampede.