The 2026 American Arena League season is in the books, and the Columbus Lions walk away with a tight, but in control, win over the Wheeling Miners to complete the AAL’s comeback in heart-stopping fashion. The weekend was filled with more than just pregame festivities and a dogfight of a game; we also got AAL Media Days and a very special announcement. The 8th team and fourth addition for the 2027 season, the North Texas Steam. All of this followed with a “State of the League” Address by Commissioner O’Hanlon! Needless to say, it was a huge weekend for the AAL on and off the field!
We will divert slightly from our usual breakdown in this final version of Everything AAL. This week, Shane Majoris, who writes the Wheeling sections every week, and I will give you a breakdown from each team’s perspective. We both had a deeper look into each franchise. Shane attended the majority of the Miners’ home games, and I was able to attend some Columbus games giving us an inside look.
Table of Contents
2026 AAL Championship
Wheeling Perspective
The Wheeling Miners fell to the Columbus Lions in a hard-fought AAL Championship showdown. Despite scoring the game’s first 14 points, the Miners were unable to hold on and ultimately dropped a 49-46 decision—another one-possession battle against the Lions. While the outcome didn’t go Wheeling’s way, the action never slowed until the final seconds ticked off the clock.
The Miners struck first with a touchdown pass to Alex Coleman on their opening possession. The defense followed with a quick stop, and Wheeling capitalized as Daryll Clark connected with Ranius Daramola for another touchdown to build a 14-0 lead.
That’s when the AAL’s Gold Ball rule came into play. Trailing by 14, Columbus elected to use the Gold Ball and found the end zone through the air before converting the PAT to tie the game. The ensuing kickoff resulted in a fumble and safety, giving the Lions two more points and possession once again. From that point on, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle, with the Miners taking a 20-16 lead into halftime.
The second half featured more trading scores, but Columbus eventually built a multi-possession lead. Wheeling battled back to cut the deficit to two points before the Lions added their final touchdown of the afternoon to extend the lead to 49-40. On the game’s final play, Daryll Clark connected with Ranius Daramola for a touchdown as time expired, bringing the final score to a much closer 49-46.
While the result wasn’t what Wheeling or Miners Nation had hoped for, there is no denying the championship-caliber arena football that fans witnessed. Congratulations to both organizations on outstanding seasons and a championship game that delivered from start to finish!
Written By: Shane Majoris
Columbus Prospective
We have hammered on the point that Roger Beck came in and revitalized the entire franchise, everything from equipment, housing, to the game day experience. When he came in, expectations also changed, and in a big way. This wasn’t championship or bust, more like a championship is a must, and as we all know, they accomplished what they set out to do even before week one.
Despite being the one seed, they traveled to Wheeling to make the attempt at a title, and the trip may have left them a bit rusty, at least for the first half. Early on, the fear that you really can’t beat the same team three times in a single season began to creep in. Columbus would have the single worst offensive Quarter of the season, scoring nothing.
The normally explosive Blain Espinosa seemed off kilter at best, making bad timing throws, and finally being stopped in the RedZone. The break didn’t come until late in the second. After a fourth and goal interception by Cameron Bergeron to thwart off a three-score lead for Wheeling, Columbus would active thier first ever goldball, mostly because this was the first time all season they had been down by more than 10.
The Goldball call would pay off; a dart from Espinosa to Smith in the front of the end zone erased the lead, tying the game 14-14. The ensuing kickoff saw a complete breakdown on special teams and the lead right back to Wheeling.
The second half would be a completely different story; the Lions would go on a 20-0 third-quarter tear. The kind of offensive reemergence you only see out of a coach like Damian Daniels. The explosion would also see the defense completely lock down Wheeling, accounting for a Total of 6 TFLs and two sacks. It seemed like they gave Clark no longer than 2 seconds to get the ball out for the majority of the second half.
Ultimately, the lead would be too much, despite the subpar day at QB (Espinosa 13/24 147 yards) and a worse day on the ground (Marco Lee 7 Rushes for 16 yards), they would hold. The lead only fell to a single score in the final seconds. It marks the end of one of the most dominant seasons in Lions history, and a new era for Eastern/Southern Arena Football!
2026 AAL2 Championship Game
\We all expected a heavyweight fight between two established developmental arena football teams. Instead? We got an absolute thrashing by Peach State. Offensively, they had first-half trouble, but as the game progressed, their consistency (that has won them games all season) became a huge factor.
As for Steel City, the offense, especially the Offensive line, seemed to falter down over down. At various points in the second half, they stalled due solely to the pass rush from the Cats. At the end of the day, James Moreland simply had the better athletes and the seasoned experience as a head coach to win on the big stage! That being said, Steel City is no slouch, though talking, your only loss of the season in this fashion stings.
AAL News:
AAL State of the League Address
\If you missed it, Kevin Ohanlon and his staff put on a show. This show includes additional teams and, in reality, an added layer of confidence heading into 2027. Check it out below:
AAL commissioner State of the League Address
AAL makes 8th Addition:
As you may have found already, the American Arena League has made its 8th (but probably not final) addition for the 2027 season, the Steam. Owned and operated a new ownership group in the area. As we get more information on the team, we will relay it to the fans!
Overall, it was a fantastic championship game, and shaping up to be just as good an offseason. Strong leadership and well-meaning ownership are starting to be a theme no one can ignore as we see more teams added! If you’re new to the AAL or have been here since the announcement, keep checking in! We will bring you all the ins and outs of the league throughout the offseason! If you are a fan of the sport in general, check out Around the Indoor Football World every Saturday morning at 7 AM Central for all the happenings across all of the sport!
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