With the change of the calendar to August comes the flip of the AFL season to the playoffs. Four conference semifinal matchups, four thrilling ends, the road to Orlando officially begins!
American Conference Semifinals
1Jacksonville Sharks 69, 4Tampa Bay Storm 62
For the second week in a row the Storm traveled into the Shark Tank to face the division-champion Sharks, except a spot in the conference championship was on the line. Could the Storm notch their first win in Jacksonville, or would the Sharks earn a clean sweep of the in-state foes?
The night began when Michael Lindsey fielded the opening kick and made a 25-yard return to his own eighteen-yard line. Shane Boyd completed his first two passes to move the ball into enemy territory, but a pair of incompletions setup a fourth-and-eight. A critical play on the opening drive of a playoff game can set the tone for the rest of the time, and Boyd rose to the occasion when he stepped up in the pocket and found Lindsey for a fourteen-yard touchdown. Jeff Hughley quickly got the home fans back on their feet when he nearly returned the ensuing kick, but had to settle for a 49-yard return to Tampa Bay's eight-yard line. Two plays later Bernard Morris found Jeron Harvey for a six-yard score to get Jacksonville on the board, but the extra point was no good. Shane Boyd responded with two completions in his next three passes, highlighted by a 32-yard touchdown catch and run by Tyrece Gaines. The touchdown trading continued when Morris and Boyd each directed seven-play scoring drives that had Tampa bay leading 21-13 early in the second quarter. A third straight seven-play drive failed to produce points when Morris fumbled when he was sacked at Tampa Bay's eleven-yard line by DeMarcus Tyler and R.J. Roberts made the recovery. Tampa Bay was unable to take advantage of the takaway when Tracy Belton intercepted Boyd four plays later. Jacksonville looked prime to cut back into the deficit when Bernard Morris completed three straight passes and a seven-yard run by Matt Marcorelle placed the ball at Tampa Bay's six. The drive ended empty-handed when Donald Smith intercepted Morris' end-zone pass on the next play. This time, Tampa Bay was able to capitalize on the opportunity when Joe Hills hauled in a four-yard touchdown to end the half. The Sharks began the third quarter staring at a fourteen-point deficit, but it quickly grew to 21 when Morris was sacked on the second play of the quarter by R.J. Roberts; who recovered the ball for a scoop-and-score. Bernard Morris bounced back by leading a five-play, 35-yard drive that ended on his eight-yard touchdown to Markee White. Tampa Bay quickly answered when Shane Boyd connected with Michael Lindsey for a 45-yard touchdown on the very next play; giving the Storm a 41-20 lead with 7:45 left in the third. Everything looked to be in Tampa Bay's hands, but that's why the game isn't over until its over. On the next drive, Morris completed a sixteen-yard pass to Jeff Hughley and then scampered down the side lines for a 27-yard gain to quickly have the Sharks in scoring range. Hughley plunged into the end zone on a three-yard receiver-sweep two plays later to get the margin back to two scores. Marco Capozzoli missed a pair of early extra points, but made up for it by recovering his own onside kick on the next kickoff keep the ball with the men in red. Jacksonville seized the moment three plays later when Jeron Harvey turned a quick lateral into a 26-yard touchdown run that all of sudden turned this into a 41-33 game with three minutes in the third. Capozzoli kicked it deep on his next time but the decision failed as Shane Boyd fired another quick strike, this time a 43-yarder to Joe Hills to give the Storm a 48-33 advantage going into the fourth quarter. Down by two scores in your house during the playoffs is never a good feeling, but if there is time anything is possible. Bernard Morris kept the hope alive with back-to-back completions to start the period, throwing a 26-yard score to Jeff Hughley. Les Moss rolled the dice trailing by nine early in the fourth when he called for a two-point conversion. The decision proved worth wile as Capozzoli caught a lateral from Hughley and reached it across the plain to move the Sharks within seven. Now that the offense was doing their part it was time for the defense to make a stand, and they did when Tracy Belton and Micheaux Robinson batted away passes on third and fourth down to give the ball back to Bernard Morris at Tampa Bay's five-yard line. After being sacked on first and goal, Morris fired an eleven-yard strike to Jeron Harvey that tied the game with Marco Capozzoli's extra point with 8:28 to play. Just like that the tide had completely turned, but Shane Boyd weathered the storm, no pun intended, and completed three straight passes to move the ball to Jacksonville's three-yard line. Boyd plunged into the end zone three plays later to get the lead back with 3:41 remaining. Jeff Hughley had a 32-yard return on the following kickoff to put the ball at midfield. The good field position looked to be squandered when a pair of would-be touchdowns were erased because of penalties, creating a third-and-twenty. With the clock nearing the final minute and momentum looking lost someone needed to provide a spark, and who better to do so than the quarterback!? Bernard Morris took the third-down snap and quickly decided to tuck it and sprint down the left sideline, throwing a powerful stiff arm on the way to a 35-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 55. The Storm recovered the ensuing onside kick and scored in two plays when Joe Hills caught an eight-yard touchdown. Once again the home team found themselves trailing, but answered the call with a quick four-play drive that resulted in a seven-yard snag by Markee White. Les Moss took a gamble earlier that paid off, and he took and cashed in on a bigger one when he had Jeff Hughley take a direct snap and dive into the end zone on a second, successful fake-extra point to give the Sharks their first lead of the night with eight seconds to spare. Shane Boyd took the field with six seconds but had no chance to be the hero when Matt Marcorelle flew into the backfield untouched and planted him into the ground, knocking the ball into the end zone, allowing Derrick Summers to make the game-sealing recovery for a touchdown. The Sharks rallied with a 36-point fourth quarter that featured a pair of big defensive stops and two gutsy, successful two-point conversions that allows them to move on to their third straight American Conference title game with a 69-62 win.
Stat Leaders:
Tampa Bay (7-12) - eliminated Jacksonville (13-6)
Shane Boyd 17-33, 282 yds, 7 TD, Bernard Morris 28-37, 266 yds, 6 TD,
Int; Rush TD Int; 5 rush, 72 yds, TD
Joe Hills 7 rec, 95 yds, 3 TD Jeron Harvey 13 rec, 113 yds, 3 TD; 26-yd TD run
Michael Lindsey 5 rec, 77 yds, 2 TD Jeff Hughley 8 rec, 106 yds, 2 total TD
Rashad Barksdale 9 tackles Markee White 7 rec, 47 yds, 2 TD
Donald Smith 6 tackles, Int Tracy Belton Int
R.J. Roberts 2 Fumb Rec, Def-TD Matt Marcorelle sack, FF
Demarcus Tyler/Rodney Beamon sack Derrick Summers Fumb Rec for TD
2Philadelphia Soul 59, 3Orlando Predators 55
The other American Conference semifinal also paired opponents for a third time in 2013 when the Predators traveled to Philadelphia to square off with the Soul on CBS Sports Network. Could Philadelphia pull off a clean sweep of their own, or would it be the Preds making it back to the conference championship with their first ever win in the City of Brotherly Love?
The action got off to an explosive start when the first pass from Aaron Garcia and Dan Raudabaugh each respectively resulted in 45 and 43 yard touchdowns. Garcia quickly had the Predators back in the lead with back-to-back completions to T.T. Toliver, highlighted by a 22-yard touchdown. Tanner Varner shifted early momentum to Orlando when he picked off Raudabaugh's pass on second down; resulting in a one-yard run by Mykel Benson four plays later to make it 21-7. Dan Raudabaugh responded on the next series by completing all three of his pass, pulling the Soul back within seven on a eight-yard strike to Andrae Thurman. Through out the second quarter Aaron Garcia tossed a pair of touchdowns and Derrick Ross ran in two scores, with a blocked extra point by Bryan Robinson being the lone difference in a 34-28 game by the one-minute warning. After Ross's second touchdown, Orlando recovered an onside kick but squandered the short field when James Romain intercepted Garcia in the end zone. Dan Raudabaugh led an efficient seven-play, 29-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard field goal by Carlos Martinez to send the Soul into halftime only down by three. Just like the first one, the second half got off to a lightning quick start when Raudabaugh tossed a 34-yard score to Emery Sammons on his first pass and Aaron Garcia completed consecutive passes, that was highlighted by a 29-yard touchdown, to Jarvis Williams. Touchdown catches by Andrae Thurman, T.T. Toliver, and Larry Brackins sent Philadelphia into the final stretch with a 52-48 advantage. Aaron Garcia put the Predators back in the lead when his third straight completion went to Maurice Williams for a ten-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. With the pressure of a home playoff game mounting, Dan Raudabaugh stepped up in the clutch. He completed three of four passes on a five-play scoring drive that gave the Soul a 59-55 edge on an eight-yard catch and run by Thurman. Orlando got the ball back with 8:01 to play and Garcia led a eight-play drive that lasted over five-and-half minutes. The drive ended in no points because the Soul defense made a huge goal-line stand, that featured three straight stuffs of Mykel Benson inside the six-yard line. Raudabaugh and the offense had a chance to put the game away with a six, but incompletions on second and third down setup a fourth-and-four at Philadelphia's 21 yard-line that failed to pickup the first down. The Orlando defense gave Aaron Garcia and his offense one, final chance to win the game by giving them the ball at Philadelphia's 23-yard line with 54 seconds remaining. After a pair of completions, Garcia found T.T. Toliver for a 16-yard gain to the seven with 38 seconds left. Orlando had four tries to get seven yards with plenty of time, but came away empty-handed when on first and goal Brandon Perkins broke into the backfield and sacked Garcia; forcing a fumble that was recovered by Calvin France to end the threat. Derrick Ross took the ensuing handoff and dove forward to run off the remaining time, securing a hard-fought 59-55 win that sends the Soul to their second straight American Conference championship game.
Stat Leaders:
Orlando (7-12) - eliminated Philadelphia (13-6)
Aaron Garcia 18-28, 296 yds, 6 TD, Int Dan Raudabaugh 24-34, 325 yds, 6 TD, Int
Mykel Benson 8 rush, 10 yds, 2 TD Derrick Ross 10 rush, 17 yds, 2 TD
T.T. Toliver 5 rec, 84 yds, 2 TD; 15 rush yds Andrae Thurman 12 rec, 131 yds, 3 TD
Jarvis Williams 7 rec, 81 yds, TD Emery Sammons 6 rec, 117 yds, 2 TD
Maurice Williams 3 rec, 68 yds, TD Tiger Jones 5 rec, 57 yds
Prechae Rodriguez rec, 45 yds, TD Larry Brackins rec, 20 yds, TD
Tanner Varner 9 tackles, Int James Romain 4 tackles, Int
Dominic Jones 6 tackles Brandon Perkins sack, FF
Calvin France 4 tackles, Fumb Rec
Carlos Martinez 1-1 FG (25), 8-8 PAT
National Conference Semifinals
3Spokane Shock 69, 2Chicago Rush 47
The central division champs traveled to Deaf Valley to face the three-seeded Shock in the first conference semifinal in 2013. Could Erik Meyer and crew lead Spokane back to the National Conference title game, or would a couple surprise changes provide a big enough spark for the visiting Rush?
Spokane got the ball to start the contest and scored the night's first points when Erik Meyer quickly completed two passes, including a 23-yard touchdown to Kamar Jorden. On Chicago's first possession it was Luke Drone who stepped onto the field to lead the offense, because Carson Coffman was ruled out with a shoulder injury right before the opening kick. The short notice didn't effect Drone as he completed all four passes on the opening scoring drive that resulted in Jared Jenkins nine-yard touchdown. Dan Frantz missed the extra point; he was also a late addition as Jose Martinez suffered a injury in the final walk through hours before the game. Adron Tennell had a pair of thirteen-yard receptions on Spokane's second series to move the ball to Chicago's ten-yard line, but the it was all for not when Meyer was sacked by Anthony Hoke and fumbled on first and goal. Luke Drone completed all four passes on a second scoring drive that gave the Rush a 13-7 lead on Jared Jenkins' second touchdown catch. Erik Meyer responded with completions on six of seven passes on the ensuing series and gave the lead back to the Shock by tossing a thirteen-yard score to Tennell. Terrance Sanders made an interception on fourth down to end Chicago's third drive, but Spokane failed to capitalize on the turnover when they failed to gain a first down of their own. Luke Drone quickly put Chicago back in front with a fifteen-yard touchdown to Reggie Gray at the six-minute mark in the second quarter. Erik Meyer answered back by completing back-to-back passes to Adron Tennell, tying the game at 20 on his 23-yard touchdown grab. In the final minutes of the first half Beau Bell and Jeremy Geathers combined for a third-down sack to spark a stop on downs. The Shock utilized excellent time-management in the final minute and ended the half with a 27-20 after Meyer's one-yard touchdown run. Luke Drone faced his first major test on the opening drive of the second half with his team trailing by seven. Drone continued to impress by finding Reggie Gray for a 29-yard score on third down to tie the game at 27. Gray's touchdown was only the first of five scores that each offense traded in the third quarter; leading to a 41-41 game by the start of the fourth. Erik Meyer began the final period with four completions to Adron Tennell, including a five-yard connection that gave the Shock back the lead. Chicago answered with a six-play, 43-yard drive that was kept alive with a key nine-yard catch by Jared Jenkins on fourth down. J.J. Payne punched in a one-yard on the next play to make it 48-47. The ensuing extra point by Dan Frantz was no good, keeping it a one-point game with 6:58 remaining. Meyer led Spokane on a penalty-filled, four-play scoring drive that pushed the lead to eight on his three-yard run. Luke Drone led the Rush back onto the field facing an eight-point deficit with under three minutes to play. Chicago's hopes of a comeback ended when Drone's pass on first down was floated into the hands of Ruschard Dodd-Masters who returned it seven yards for a score; giving the Shock the first major bit of breathing space for either side. Drone and the offense come right back out, this time trailing by fifteen with 1:38 left. Deaf Valley erupted two plays later when Dodd-Masters made his second interception return for touchdown in as many minutes to secure a 69-47 playoff win for the Shock. Luke Drone played a pretty good game, other than the three interceptions in the final three minutes, to keep things interesting for the majority of the game. Spokane will face a western division rival for the right to go to Arena Bowl 26 in the conference championship.
Stat Leaders:
Chicago (10-9) - eliminated Spokane (15-4)
Luke Drone 23-38, 250 yds, 6 TD, 4 Int Erik Meyer 23-31, 235 yds, 5 TD; 7 rush yds, 2 TD
Jared Jenkins 10 rec, 70 yds, 4 TD Adron Tennell 11 rec, 123 yds, 3 TD; Rush TD
Reggie Gray 7 rec, 116 yds, 2 TD Brandon Thompkins 8 rec, 72 yds
Vic Hall 7 tackles Kamar Jorden 4 rec, 40 yds, 2 TD
Anthony Hoke/Tyus Jackson sack each Terence Moore 8 tackles, Int
Kelvin Morris Fumb Rec Terrance Sanders 4 tackles, Int
Rushcard Dodd-Masters 2 Int, 2 Ret-TD
Beau Bell/Jeremy Geathers 0.5 sack each
1Arizona Rattlers 59, 4San Jose Sabercats 49
The defending champs opened their 2013 postseason by hosting a bitter rival for the second straight year in a conference semifinal. Could the Sabercats unseat the champs, or would the Rattlers "protect the Pit'?
The next big chapter in one of the AFL's best rivals began when Fred Williams fielded the opening kick and made a short ten-yard return to his own three-yard line. A third-down sack by Tyre Glasper went with two incompletions by Russ Michna to force a turnover on downs on the game's opening drive. Nick Davila didn't waste any time in capitalizing on his defense's early effort by finding Rod Windsor for a five-yard touchdown on his first pass. Michna got the 'Cats their first points by completing all four of his passes on the following possession, tying the game with a eight-yard touchdown to James Roe. The back-and-forth battle continued as Davila and Windsor connected again on Arizona's second series, this time for a 32-yard score. Michna and Davila traded touchdown passes until the middle of the second quarter when a seven-play drive by San Jose failed to produce points after the Rattler defense forced four straight incompletions. The defense provided Arizona with an opportunity to create some distance in the final minute of the first half, but Davila and company were unable to when Garrett Lindholm's 39-yard field tailed wide left to keep the Rattlers' lead at seven. Arizona had another chance to grow their lead with the opening possession of the third quarter. Nick Davila led an eight-play, 35-yard drive that stopped short of the end zone at San Jose's seven-yard line, setting up another field goal try. Lindholm's kick went wide left again, but this time the bounce of the rebound net fell into the hands of Clevan Thomas who returned it 49 yards for a Sabercat touchdown. Nick Davila and Russ Michna traded touchdowns on the ensuing possessions to keep the game at 35 with 5:58 to go in the third. San Jose grabbed its first lead of the game when Huey Whittaker intercepted Davila's first-down pass and returned it 22 yards for a score. Trailing for the first time didn't dismay the Rattlers, as Davila answered by directing a four-play scoring drive that tied the game at 42 on his two-yard strike to Tysson Poots. Russ Michna led a six-play drive into the fourth quarter, that setup a second and goal at Arizona's two-yard line. It looked like the 'Cats would retake the lead, but the momentum swayed back to the home guys when Jabari Fletcher fumbled the handoff and Jeremy Kellem made the recovery. Nick Davila pounced on the game-changing play with four completions to three different receivers to lead a five-play, 48-yard drive that put the snakes back in front on Odie Armstrong's one-yard run. The ball continued to bounce Arizona's way, literally, when Garrett Lindholm's ensuing kickoff took a favorable bounce of the nets and Tysson Poots made a net recovery. The Rattlers earned the largest lead for either side when Maurice Purify hauled in a two-yard score three plays later to push the margin to 56-42 with 7:03 remaining. Russ Michna kept San Jose's hopes alive when he scampered into the end zone for a twelve-yard run that capped-off a six-play, 45-yard scoring drive. Arizona recovered Nich Pertuit's onside kick and added to their lead when Lindholm connected from 17 yards with 54 seconds to play. Clevan Thomas had a 22-yard return on the ensuing kickoff to give Michna and the offense the ball at their own fifteen-yard line, down by two scores with less than a minute to play. San Jose needed a quick score and some luck to pull of this comeback, but got neither when Virgil Gray intercepted Michna four plays later and Nick Davila ran out the remaining time. Arizona held on to win 59-49 to eliminate their bitter rivals for the second straight season, but even more importantly advancing to their third consecutive National Conference title game.
Stat Leaders:
San Jose (13-6) - eliminated Arizona (16-3)
Russ Michna 20-36, 238 yds, 4 TD, Int; Nick Davila 21-35, 233 yds, 7 TD, Int
15 rush yds, TD Rod Windsor 9 rec, 123 yds, 3 TD; 25 rush yds
Jason Willis 7 rec, 84 yds Tysson Poots 6 rec, 60 yds, 2 TD
Fred Williams 7 rec, 84 yds, TD Maurice Purify 6 rec, 50 yds, 2 TD
James Roe 3 rec, 35 yds, TD Garrett Lindholm 1-3 FG (17), 8-8 PAT
Huey Whittaker 2 rec, 29 yds, TD; Marquis Floyd 7 tackles
Int-ret TD Jeremy Kellem 4 tackles, Fumb Rec
Nich Pertuit 7-7 PAT Virgil Gray Int
Ken Fontenette 8 tackles Tyre Glasper sack
Clevan Thomas 5 tackles, FG-ret TD
Francis Maka sack
Conference Championships
-- Both games are Saturday, August 10th
American Conference: Philadelphia @ Jacksonville
National Conference: Spokane @ Arizona
For more on any of these four games, the Arena Football League, or the road to Arena Bowl 26 go to: http://www.arenafootball.com/sports/a-footbl/sched/afl-a-footbl-sched.html http://www.arenafootball.com/arenabowl/
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