As the first excessive heat warning of the year was issued by the National Weather Service on May 22 and television reports recommended against any strenuous outdoor activity, scores of players for the Island Warriors and the Henderson Wolverines of the Wild West Football League suited up in pads and strapped on their helmets to tackle each other as well as the brutal 105-degree temperatures in the inaugural WWFL championship game, dubbed Wild West Bowl I.

The WWFL, founded by Las Vegas Eastside Cobras coach Mike Howard in October 2004, plays two seasons -- an eight-man, outdoor arena season in winter and an 11-man outdoor season in fall. The winter season, which wrapped up recently with the championship game -- won by the Warriors, 48-36 -- featured five teams: the Warriors (8-1), the Wolverines (5-4), the Cobras (4-4), the Las Vegas Rollers (3-5) and the Marauders (1-7).