Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh, offensive lineman Adam Smith visit Footballstories The Radio Show and Editor Al Thompson the week before their opener.

If you haven’t noticed, the Soul Arena Football League team was able to bring back the core of their 2015 team that forged a 15-3 regular season record only to lose in the conference final to the Jacksonville Sharks.

This group, led by quarterback Dan Raudabaugh, came back for a reason…it wasn’t for money. It’s no secret the pay in the Arena League is modest.

“We’ve got a big goal in front of us this season,” Raudabaugh said recently. “Nothing less than a World Championship for Mr. Jaworski.”

All Arena offensive lineman Adam Smith echoed his quarterback’s words.

“It is the main reason if not the reason I came back,” Smith said. “I was telling some guys the other day, I’ve played at a couple different levels, I’ve played a lot of years in my life, and I’ve never won a ring at any level in any sport I played. We’ve got a special group of guys here on the team, special coaches, ownership. I’m excited to win one this year.”

Smith checks in at 6-foot-5, 325 pounds (at least). Last season he caught an incredible nine touchdown passes (lineman go out for passes in the AFL, obviously).

In his first two seasons in the league, the popular blocker recorded 23 passes for 188 yards and count ’em…12 touchdowns.

This year he hopes to make it 10 TD receptions for the season. “We’re going for as many as we can get him,” Raudabaugh said with a laugh.” When asked what kind of dance he would do if No. 10 came in the ArenaBowl and helped the Soul win the title. “I’d probably just fall down and cry,” Smith said.

The Soul, who are based in Voorhees, New Jersey, got off to a good start for that elusive title with a 69-41 win over the Cleveland Gladiators (0-1) in front of 12,944 fans at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Friday night.

“This was a great way to start our season,” Soul head coach Clint Dolezel said. “We are ArenaBowl or bust and with a win on the road, we are one step closer. I am looking forward to having this next week to fix the errors and prepare for the home opener against Jacksonville.” The opener took place April 11 at the Wells Fargo

Against Cleveland wide receiver Darius Reynolds led the receiving core with eight receptions for 79 yards and three touchdowns. Shaun Kauleinamoku added seven catches for 95 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan McDaniel had five receptions for 53 yards and one touchdown.

Raudabaugh completed 21-of-33 passes for 233 yards and seven touchdowns. Cleveland’s Chris Dieker completed 19-of-35 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Tracy Belton led the Soul defense with eight total tackles while Dwayne Hollis added one tackle, two interceptions for 33 yards. Joe Goosby added six total tackles and an interception. LaRico Stevenson had six total tackles. Jake Metz, Wes Mauia, Teddy Jennings and Justin Lawrence all contribute one sack.

The roster heading into the 2016 season looks very similar to the roster from last season, with many of the same players filling prominent roles. However, in order to get over the hump and into the ArenaBowl, the team knew it needed to add depth at a few positions to stay at the top of its game throughout a grueling 16 game schedule.

The Soul upgraded at the defensive back position with the acquisition of Tracy Belton, a veteran who can play both cornerback and safety. On the offensive side, the biggest addition was wide receiver Darius Reynolds, who helped the San Jose SaberCats win the ArenaBowl title last season.

“The main focus of this offseason was to improve in the secondary and and get a game changing receiver,” said Assistant Head Coach Phil Bogle.

Dolezel is no stranger to success in the AFL, both as a coach and as a player.

Last year he was awarded the Marcum-Moss Coach of the Year Award, making him the first in Soul history to receive the award.

In his third season with the team, Dolezel led the Soul to a 16-4 record including the playoffs and an appearance in the American Conference Championship Game.

“Some of the best coaching years are when you do the least. Last year was one of those years that I might have done less than other years because of the talent level of the players and coaching staff.” said Dolezel. “Awards are a product of the people around you.”

Dolezel’s success as a coach reflects his success in the AFL as a player. In 2001 he won an ArenaBowl Championship as the quarterback for the Grand Rapids Rampage. He was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and in the same year was ranked No. 8 on the list of the AFL’s 25 Greatest Players.

“There’s no doubt about it, you can see Dolezel’s experience as a player in his coaching style,” Bogle said. “He played with the same intensity, the same fire that he coaches with, which feeds through our team.”

That intensity has rubbed off not only on Bogle, but the players as well.

“If you are a competitor and you play this game, in order to take that next step you have to hate to lose more than you like to win,” Raudabaugh said. “I can just feel the fire in our guys bellies right now. We’re ready and locked in.

His head coach is not spewing any gracious party lines about this season, said Dolezel…

“It’s championship or bust for us.” *