After 20 weeks only four teams are left standing in 2013, just one win away from Orlando. A whole season's work has come down to this and the drive to Orlando concludes with a pair of conference championship games in the second week of August. Who will be advancing to Arena Bowl 26!?
American Conference Championship:
2 Philadelphia Soul vs. 1 Jacksonville Sharks - Saturday, August 10th at 7 p.m. EST
The Soul and Sharks will fight for the conference crown for the second consecutive season, this year doing battle in the Shark Tank. These two foes met once during the regular season, a week six meeting in Philadelphia that ended with the Sharks walking away with a 55-53 win. Both teams had to win a dogfight in their respective conference semifinal to continue their 2013 season a keep alive the dream of an Arena Football championship. Jacksonville scored 36 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a sloppy and subpar performance in the first three quarters to eliminate their in-state foes, Tampa Bay, 69-62. The Soul used defense to overcome Aaron Garcia and his Orlando Predators. The Philadelphia defense put together a stout fourth quarter that only surrendered seven points to Orlando while shutting them out for the final thirteen minutes of the game, including the sealing strip-sack by Brandon Perkins that preserved a 59-55 victory for the Soul. The Soul won the 2012 meeting 89-34, but I'm pretty sure we won't be seeing a repeat of that in 2013. The Sharks would love nothing more than to avenge last year's loss in front of their own fans, but Philadelphia won't go down without giving a hell of a fight. Will the Soul return to the Arena Bowl in 2013, or will the Sharks make their second trip in three years?
Keys to the Game:
Jacksonville - Avoid turnovers and protect Bernard Morris. For Bernard Morris to use his versatility and mobility to neutralize the Philadelphia pass rush. Marco Capozzoli also needs to have a better game kicking extra points, can't miss two again this week. The Sharks' pass rush and whole defense should benefit from the return of Aaron Robbins--do what you have done all year and create pressure and get sacks.
Philadelphia - For the Soul to win on the road they will need to get Derrick Ross going to hold off Jacksonville's AFL-best pass rush. Dan Raudabaugh will also need to equally distribute passes to all three of his receivers. The defense needs to force Bernard Morris into trying to do to much with pressure and long, solid coverage.
Prediction:
Both of these teams put together a championship-caliber fourth quarter in order to advance to thise game. Home field advantage is pivotal in the postseason, home teams are 4-0 so far, but somebody has to lose and I think it will be the Sharks. Philadelphia has been the better team since June and only lost by two points in the meeting back in May, when Jacksonville was at its best this season. Philadelphia 62, Jacksonville 54
Tale of the Tape:
Jacksonville Sharks: 13-6 (7-0 South)
- South Division Champs
- Defeated Tampa Bay 69-62 in Conference Semifinals
- 3 straight wins; and won last 5/6 games
- Notable wins: @ Philadelphia (wk. 6), sweep of Orlando (wks. 10&16)
- Home record of 7-3; all three losses to the West division. Scored 51.9 ppg and allowed 47.7 ppg
Key Stats:
- Bernard Morris 257-394, 2746 yds, 55 TD, 9 Int; 306 rush yds, 11 TD
- Jeron Harvey 146 rec, 1593 yds, 35 TD
- Markee White 105 rec, 1133 yds, 19 TD
- Jeff Hughley 82 rec, 889 yds, 29 TD; 32 rush yds, 5 TD
- Terrance Smith 12 Int, ret-TD; 3 Fumb Rec, 74.5 tackles
- Micheaux Robinson 4 Int, 2 ret-TD, 78 tackles
- Tracy Belton 94.5 tackles, 3 Int, 2 Fumb Rec, 1 Def TD
- Sack Leaders: Jerry Turner (12), Aaron Robbins (9), Matt Marcorelle (8.5), Rashaad Duncan (6.5)
Philadelphia Soul: 13-6 (2-2 East)
- East Division Champs
- Defeated Orlando 59-55 in Conference Semifinals
- 8-2 record since June
- Notable wins: season sweep of Chicago (wks. 7&16), @ San Jose (wk. 18)
- Road record of 7-2, won seven of eight. Score 58.9 ppg, Allow 44.6 ppg
Key Stats:
- Dan Raudabaugh 390-573, 4699 yds, 96 TD, 14 Int
- Derrick Ross 153 rush, 506 yds, 35 TD; 13 rec, 669 yds, 4 TD
- Tiger Jones 150 rec, 2121 yds, 37 TD
- Andrae Thurman 117 rec, 1197 yds, 16 TD
- Carlos Martinez 126-140 PAT; 6-7 FG, long 47
- Rayshaun Kizer 82 tackles, 9 Int, 1 ret- TD
- LaRico Stevenson 74 tackles, 7 Int, 2 Fumb-ret TD
- Bryan Robinson 11 sacks, 2 FF, 6 blocked kicks
- Joe Goosby 68.5 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 Int, 2 ret-TD
National Conference Championship: (CBS Sports Network)
3 Spokane Shock vs. 1 Arizona Rattlers - Saturday, August 10th at 9:30 p.m. EST
CBS Sports Network will broadcast a wild western showdown in the National Conference championship on Saturday night. The Shock will make their second trip to the Snake Pit to face off with the Rattlers for the third time this season. Both of the regular season meetings saw the home team winning by seventeen points, but this time promises for a much closer contest. The Shock earned their second appearance in the National Conference championship game by defense. Erik Meyer and the offense traded blows with the Rush for the good part of 57 minutes, but it was Ruschard Dodd-Masters who stole the headlines with TWO interception-return touchdowns in the final three minutes to allow Spokane to pull away by a final of 69-47. Nick Davila and the Rattlers slayed a western-rival in San Jose en route to hosting their third straight National Conference title game. Arizona advanced because of opportunistic plays made by Jeremy Kellem and Tysson Poots in the fourth quarter that allowed the snakes to "protect the pit" with a 59-49 win. Will Arizona raise the conference crown for the third year in a row in the Pit, or can Spokane do something that's not done often by winning in the desert?
Keys to the Game:
Arizona - For the Rattlers the key is to simply play your game and trust what you got: in MVP-candidate Nick Davila, a star-studded receiving core, a stout defensive line, the "big-three" of a secondary, and the AFL-best kicker Garrett Lindholm. The one thing that has been a red flag for the snakes this year has been turnovers in bunches, even in the conference semifinal win i.e. Clevan Thomas' field-goal return touchdown and later Huey Whittaker's pick-six, cant happen this week against a hungry Spokane squad.
Spokane - The Shock are arguably the second-best team in Arena Football and also need to just play their game. They also bring a MVP-candidate in Erik Meyer, a versatile group of receivers that is led by Adron Tennell, a disruptive pass rush headlined by James Ruffin and Beau Bell, an elite secondary that features three defensive backs who all have big-play ability, and Taylor Rowan who in eleven games has put together a very efficient season. Spokane's best chance to unseat the champs is to force an early turnover, or make a big return to flip momentum in their favor and then carry it until the final whistle.
Prediction: This is as much of a toss-up as you could ask for in a conference championship, but I will stand by my Arena Bowl pick and give the edge to Arizona. At the end of the day this should be an epic game that will be remembered for years to come, but experience factor plays a role in these types of games and moments. Arizona 65, Spokane 63
Tale of the Tape:
Arizona Rattlers: 16-3 (5-2 West)
- West Division Champs
- Defeated San Jose in conference semifinals 59-49
- 7-2 record since June
- Notable wins: season sweep of Philadelphia (wks. 1&11), @Jacksonville (wk.7), @Chicago (wk 9), Spokane (wk. 13), and season sweep of Orlando (wks. 6&16)
- Home record of 9-1. Score 68.8 ppg, Allow 44.8 ppg
Key Stats:
- Nick Davila 353-541, 4847 yds, 110 TD, 15 Int; 6 rush TD
- Odie Armstrong 72 rush, 171 yds, 25 TD; 13 rec, 190 yds, 2 TD
- Rod Windsor 110 rec, 1590 yds, 42 TD
- Kerry Reed 70 rec, 961 yds, 24 TD
- Maurice Purify 51 rec, 740 yds, 9 TD
- Tysson Poots 45 rec, 533 yds, 18 TD
- Virgil Gray 15 Int, 4 ret-TD, 93 tackles
- Arkeith Brown 8 Int, 4 ret-TD, 79.5 tackles, sack
- Marquis Floyd 9 Int, 1 ret-TD, 81 tackles
- Marcus Pittman leads team with 6.5 sacks
- Garrett Lindholm 7-12 FG, Long (47); 158-168 PAT
Spokane Shock: 15-4 (4-2 West)
- Defeated Chicago in conference semifinals 69-47
- 6 straight wins and, winners of their last 10/11 games
- Notable wins: vs. Arizona (wk. 4), sweeps of: San Jose (wks. 5&11), San Antonio (wks. 10&18), and Jacksonville (wks. 12&17)
- Home record of 7-2; 6 straight wins. Score 61.6 ppg, and allow 48.9 ppg
Key Stats:
- Erik Meyer 403-591, 4667 yds, 112 TD, 11 Int; 120 rush yds, 15 TD
- Adron Tennell 156 rec, 1792 yds, 49 TD; 77 rush yds, 7 TD
- Kamar Jorden 95 rec, 1087 yds, 26 TD- Terrence Sanders 96 kick-ret, 2265 yds, 6 TD; 101 tackles, 7 Int, 3 ret-TD
- Paul Stephens 77.5, 12 Int, 3 ret-TD
- Sack leaders: Beau Bell (8.5), James Ruffin (8), Terrence Taylor (7)
Find out who will be on their way to Orlando on Saturday night, the action kicks off at 7 p.m. EST!
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