On a hot, overcast Saturday at Ralston High School, with rain dripping from the clouds, the Omaha Stockmen dismantled the Albert Lea (Minnesota) Grizzlies 42-7. 

The Stockmen, 5-1 and champions of the Frontier Conference of the Southern Plains Football League, are Omaha's answer to summer football. 

The Stockmen have played semi-professional football since 2015. They're Omaha's latest incarnation of minor league football.

Omaha's football history dates back to the 1960s, when the Omaha Mustangs fielded teams loaded with former college and pro players eager to continue their football careers. Other teams that have taken the field over the years include the River City Raiders and Midwest Chaos. 

Professional minor leagues invested in Omaha in the early 2000s, with three seasons of the United Football League's Nighthawks and a single season of the Mammoths of the Fall Experimental Football League. 

The Omaha Beef is the oldest indoor football team in the United States, having played for more than 25 years. 

Stockmen players take the field purely for the love of the game. They don't get paid to play. They're responsible for their own gear, outside of helmet logos and jerseys. They buy their own meals when they play road games. Players cover their hotel bills for any overnight stays. 

But for players such as Jayden Swensen, it's an opportunity to extend their playing careers. Swenson, 12 years removed from quarterbacking Omaha Benson High School, loves barking out signals, rolling out and throwing the ball down field or pulling the ball down and scrambling for yardage. 

"It kind of gives you an opportunity to live out your dream," Swensen said. "When I was at Briar Cliff (University), my grades were bad. I wasn't doing my work, and I decided to move back home and start coaching. This gave me an opportunity to play again, and I've kind of stuck with it ever since." 

Swensen's minor league career has included stints with other teams. He started his career with the now-defunct Council Bluffs Spartans, with whom he spent two seasons. He spent another season with the Midwest Chaos, an Omaha-based team. 

"I had a cup of coffee with the Beef," he said. 

The Stockmen play in the nine-team Southern Plains Football League. Based in Minnesota, the SPFL fields teams in Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. 

SPFL teams use nine players on the field, instead of the traditional 11. With Omaha in its first season as part of the league, owner Jason Mathers believes the Stockmen have found their perfect fit following years in other leagues. 

"We just feel there are not a lot of big guys out there to recruit, and you need an offensive line to win," Mathers said. "They're hard to find these days, so we had to go down to nine-man, where you need fewer linemen, and it helped kind of cure our roster issues." 

Omaha typically uses three linemen, instead of the traditional five found in 11-man football. Some SPFL teams use four linemen. 

Because he had an issue finding enough players - 11-man teams need 50 on their rosters, with at least nine offensive linemen - Mathers didn't field a team in 2025. 

In the SPFL, teams only need 20-25 players, which are easier to recruit, he said. 

For Swensen, playing nine-man football wasn't much of a difference, having only three blockers. 

"When I take off, there's just a lot more space, so it really wasn't a big adjustment for me," he said. 

Trying to play indoor football on a field the size of a hockey rink was more of a challenge when he tried out with the Omaha Beef, Swensen said. 

It was OK that his coffee with the Beef was to go, because he enjoys playing outdoor football more, Swensen said.

Against the Grizzlies, Swensen looked like a man among little boys, as he ran wild and connected through the air with receivers on scores of 55, 73 and 96 yards. He also rushed for a 15-yard score. 

While Swensen realizes his playing career nears its end, he'll focus on coaching duties this fall as the offensive coordinator at Omaha Benson. 

With his minor league career peaking after five seasons, Antonio Arriola looks to either continue playing for fun or possibly picking up a check, as he's in talks with an indoor team about joining it for the 2027 season. 

Arriola, a Bellevue East graduate, plays outside linebacker. He rejoined the team this season following a stint with the Beef. 

Believing the Stockmen play a level of football similar to the successful teams of small-college football, such as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Morningside University and Northwestern (Iowa), Arriola appreciates not having it as a full-time job. 

"It's that level of competitiveness still, but also fun at the same time," Arriola said. "You go out there, playing football, but then you can also focus on other stuff throughout the week."

While players cover their expenses, Mathers owns the team because he loves football. 

"I lose money most years, but I’d say what drives me is the relationships that I've built with the players," Mathers said. "I coached for a long time on the staff and have known a lot of the guys who are on the team right now, so the relationships I've built with them, and just to continue to provide that opportunity and entertainment for people who want to come out and enjoy football without that pressure of, we're not expected to be champions. We're just out here playing football, having fun, but we're gonna put on a good show for fans." 

The Stockmen have won their fair share of championships - five - over the last 12 years. From 2021 through 2024, Omaha won four consecutive titles in the United Championship Football League and the Heartland Football Association, as well as the minor league national championship in 2023. 

They'll pursue their sixth championship as the SPFL playoffs kick off in mid-July. As long as they win, home games will be played at Ralston High School.

Tim Trudell is a freelance writer and online content creator. His work has appeared in Flatwater Free Press, Next Avenue, Indian Country Today, Nebraska Life, Nebraska Magazine, Council Bluffs Daily Non-Pareil and Douglas County Post Gazette, among others. He is a citizen of the Santee Dakota Nation.