Neumeier said the dominance of South Ogden was bad for the league for many years, but it is now becoming a positive.

"They stocked up and whipped up on everybody," he said. "The UFL had dwindled to four or five teams. It was discouraging, but now it's coming to an end. Since they moved to the RMFL, they've had better competition. They're not dominating anymore. They haven't lost, but only by their chinny-chin-chin."

By winning so many RMFL championships, South Ogden has had the opportunity to play in the North American Football League.

Neumeier said the NAFL's name is deceiving because it is more of an association.

"It contracts with leagues and has a national tournament," he said. "It has no league games, though."

Neumeier said the Rhino-Raiders have won a couple of Western area tournaments, but no team from the RMFL has ever won a national tournament.

There are two divisions in the RMFL — AAA and AA. The Rhino-Raiders play in AAA, which is the higher of the two levels. The Muddogs play in AA.

Neumeier said the difference in the two divisions is primarily the number of players on the teams.

"In AA, there are about 30 to 40 players on the teams," he said. "In AAA, there are 50-60. You'll also see linemen in the 300-pound range. There are also A-level teams across the country that will have about 15 players."

Stireman said unlike most levels of football, there is a huge discrepancy in the age of the players.

"Our team has by far the oldest average age," he said. "There's a guy for the Utah Wolverines that's about 50 years old. He's a teacher and a coach on the side. There's a wide range. A lot of players are right out of high school."

Most of the fans that watch RMFL games are family members and friends of the players, but Stireman said his team has a bit of a following.

"Against the Bears, there were 800-1,000 people," he said. "A lot of them are fans of Weber State. There are 15 or so ex-Weber players on the team. A lot of the fans want to see players that they watched in college."

There are more than 600 semi-pro teams across the country, but Neumeier said there is still room for more.

"There are still untapped markets," he said. "The league will continue to grow. There's a small conference of seven or eight teams in Colorado that could join. Idaho is fairly full, but Montana could grow. We've had teams in Elko (Nevada) before."

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E-mail: bhinton@desnews.com