Photo by Nick Henthorn Wheeling’s Pete Savrides celebrates a first down during the Miners’ North Division Championship against the Jersey Bearcats on June 23. The Miners will take on the Peach State Cats on Saturday inside WesBanco Arena.

WHEELING – The Wheeling Miners will be playing their final game in the American Arena League 2 on Saturday. They hope to set off into the future with some hardware.

Having already announced their move to the National Arena League back in June, the Miners have plowed ahead in their inaugural season, dispatching the Jersey Bearcats in the AAL2 North Division Championship. Now, it’ll be a date with the Peach State Cats which stands between Wheeling and an AAL2 championship.

Kickoff for the championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday inside WesBanco Arena. The Miners have seldom been challenged through a perfect season, now 9-0, scoring an average of 49.3 points per game while allowing an average of 12.9 per.

The Miners sport a collection of serious talent, much of which was recognized by the league this week, with quarterback Grant Russell taking home league MVP and league Offensive Player of the Year, and defensive back Dontae Mason winning league Defensive Player of the Year.

Mason has been a ball-hawk for the league-leading Miners defense, and made perhaps his biggest play of the year in the biggest spot yet. Mason went for a pick-six in the fourth quarter of Wheeling’s North Division championship game against Jersey, a play which sealed a 28-17 victory.

“Dontae started the season off with the Steel City Stampede,” Wheeling head coach Josh Resignalo said. “He played in that first game and we beat them pretty good. We did like what we saw on film with him, and we felt that if he was in a good situation and had some other good players around him, he could really help us. His first game with us he had four picks. So we knew we made the right choice, he made plays for us all year long. Specifically in that playoff game, he had the game-clinching pick six to really end it and secure the win.”

Russell has had multiple games where he has thrown for more touchdowns than incompletions, and has powered the runaway train of an offense the Miners have rode to a perfect regular season.

He was unavailable for Wheeling’s North Division Championship game, instead off on a long-scheduled honeymoon with his wife, but the Miners’ QB1 will be out there as Wheeling goes for the gold.

“Grant’s a stud,” Resignalo said. “He is the perfect picture for what you want your quarterback to be. He’s a leader, he’s a great face of the team, he’s a fan favorite, and that displayed itself in the playoff game when everybody’s social media went crazy- ‘Where’s No. 12? Where’s Grant at?’ That caused a lot of turmoil and I kept it under wraps for a reason because I didn’t want any outside noise affecting the players’ mindsets. We got through it.

“People could forget that Grant hadn’t played since 2019 when he was the starting quarterback for the Columbus Destroyed in the AFL. He had had a few years off, he was a teacher, he was a coach so he was still able to sling the ball around a little bit, but not like it is when you’re preparing for a season. […] It was a no-brainer to reach out to him this year and that was something that he wanted to do. We’re excited for where he is and he’s looking forward to taking the next step into the NAL.”

Peach State is coached by James Moreland, and the Cats won their own division championship against the Waco Tornadoes 30-2.

“They’ve got a few guys who have some experience, their coach/owner is a former player,” Resignalo said. “He’s been doing a good job with this team for the last few years and they’re definitely going to come ready to play.”

With a move to the NAL on-tap for next season, Resignalo sees an opportunity to leave AAL2 as conquerors- with a perfect record and championship trophy to show for their first year of operation.

“I feel like we’ve gained momentum after each game, gained some more fans after each game which is awesome,” Resignalo said. “I think capping an undefeated, perfect season off with a championship would set us up really well, give us momentum going into the offseason and getting prepared to go into the NAL.”

“It’s going to be a fun time all-around, and I’d say Peach State’s in trouble.”