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The Inferno? The heat was not there on Thursday By Kris Henry OK that didn't rhyme, but there seemed to be no rhyme or reason why a building dubbed the Inferno - housing a team called the Heat - would be as bitterly cold as it was Thursday night. About 2,900 diehard fans braved the chilly conditions at Jackson County Expo Park as Southern Oregon earned its first-ever National Indoor Football League victory, 22-19 over the Sioux City (Iowa) Bandits. Rainy weather outside the Inferno made conditions inside so cold that several Sioux City players were screaming out for the heaters to be turned on - and these were the guys who had the luxury of running up and down the field to stay warm. The problem is, the gas heaters were on. And off. And on. And off. "We had a safety switch flipping on and off," says Chris Borovansky, manager of the Expo. "The system was thinking too much gas was going in but really there wasn't. It was just a faulty switch." Heat kicker John Acosta didn't help matters prior to kickoff, either. Acosta, who drilled a game-winning, 43-yard field goal to secure the win, misfired during a pregame warm-up and brought the dangling goal posts down. Heat staffers, including owner Kevin Wells, were sent into a tailspin trying to get the goal posts back up with only 30 minutes left to game time. That process included opening two big roll-up doors behind the end zone to gain adequate access - effectively negating any prior work done by the heaters. "We can heat that building as much as we want, but when the goal posts fell down early on, there wasn't much we could do," says Borovansky. "All the heat we put into the building pretty much left." The concrete and steel building never fully regained a comfortable temperature, but Borovansky says the switch has since been replaced and he doesn't anticipate any more frigid conditions - unless, of course, the Heat opt to use the chill in the air as a weapon. "Between the bad switch and having the doors open, there wasn't much that could be done," he says. "But given that they won, maybe we ought to have it that way all the time." * * * BOROVANSKY WASN'T serious about keeping the temperature down, but these days it's hard to know who to trust when it comes to staging Heat games. A few weeks ago, Heat owner Kevin Wells guaranteed that cheerleaders would be on hand for Southern Oregon's game with Sioux City. An opening week snafu kept the University of Oregon cheerleaders in Eugene, but that situation was to be rectified. Flashing back to Thursday, the only thing close to a cheerleader in attendance was the Heat's self-proclaimed "Psycho Fan," complete with a painted-on Heat helmet over his bald head. "That's a good indication that we might get something going here," says Wells. "He was outside at 4:30 p.m. and the gates didn't open until 6." With Wells busy hanging goal posts and often acting as on-field coach, he says he didn't notice the absence of cheerleaders. "I will be making phone calls," he says. "At this point in time, even sure things aren't so sure anymore. We're 0-2 for home-game cheerleaders. I guess it's time to pull out the reserves." The lovable mascot Thor will make his return to the Inferno for Thursday's game with the Tri-City Diesel, and the Heat front office surely wouldn't turn away a call from prospective cheerleaders in the Rogue Valley looking for a Thursday night gig. For those wanting to follow in Psycho Fan's footsteps, he says it took two hours to apply the overall blue paint and side Heat logo of orange and white. What was unclear, however, was how long it took him to convince friends and family members to attend the game with him. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.