While Baltimore's Canadian Football League franchise is busy making last-minute preparations for Sunday's Grey Cup game, Baltimore's newest semipro football team will be trying to chase down a Mason-Dixon League title.
The Baltimore Renegades, a team that formed in late August after the Baltimore Bears disbanded, have overcome obstacles -- on and off the field -- and their final hurdle will come at 7 tomorrow night when they take on the North Carolina Charlotte Blast for the league championship at Lansdowne High School.
"This is our destiny," said Renegades head coach and general manager Randie Brunner. "We want to prove that you can win a championship on a little budget. We're the poorest team in the league and we've overcome a lot of adversity this season, but that has just made us stronger and made us pull together more as a team."
Before the season started, the Renegades scrambled to find a practice field, a game field and money for equipment and expenses.
"People thought we would fall on our faces and we want to prove them wrong," said Brunner, who coached the Bears the past four seasons. "We started believing we could do it from the beginning and now we're one game away from making it a reality."
The Renegades (11-1) advanced to the final by defeating the Metro Bulls of D.C., 22-21, in last weekend's Northern Division championship. Wide receiver Gary Oakes, who scored the winning touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Darryl Jackson, says he was hesitant leaving the Arbutus Big Red to join the Renegades this summer.
"I thought we were good enough to make the playoffs, but I never thought we would come this far," said Oakes, who went to Calvert Hall and Shepherd College.