The 79th AAABA Tournament championship game will feature two teams that haven’t been in the summer showcase for decades.
The undefeated Buffalo East Coast Orville’s (5-0) will face Columbus TNT Knights (4-1) at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Sargent’s Stadium at the Point.
Columbus will make its first AAABA championship appearance since 1993, when the Ohio franchise finished second to Baltimore after a tight 5-4 loss in the final at Point Stadium.
Buffalo’s wait has been even longer. The New York franchise will play for the crown for the first time in 44 years.
Buffalo’s previous AAABA Tournament championship game appearances, all runner-up finishes, included:
* 1980-Baltimore 15, Buffalo 0
* 1976-Baltimore 5, Buffalo 0
* 1967-Baltimore 16, Buffalo 5
* 1964-Detroit 3, Buffalo 1
* 1953-New Orleans 9, Buffalo 3
Buffalo and Columbus will bring a new look to the title game. In eight previous AAABA Tournaments since 2015, either New Orleans or Johnstown/Johnstown-2 have played in the championship game, with those two cities facing each other five times. COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 event.