Week Nine in the National Arena League was a weekend of decisions. Not mental, but more of teams collectively deciding where they wanted the rest of their seasons to go. It was also a weekend of division, as we saw two of the three games all but end the hopes of two teams, and lock in two others.
NAL Week 9 Reviews
Salina 48 Louisiana 30
This game was typical, really for both teams. The Rouxgaroux getting off to a slow start, the usual consistency on the ground you see from Salina, and then a late-game surge for the Roux that is never quite enough. Anyone rooting for Louisiana has to be frustrated at this point with the lack of organization that is displayed week after week.
They have good pieces in place to grab wins but are outcoached at the beginning of every single game. Quite the opposite happens in Salina, Coach O’Neal seems to have a game plan to match his opponent no matter the opponent. Especially with stall worth Tracey Brooks in the back field.
It was an “in-waves” kinda game… both scoring in waves, getting hot and cold… but experience in these situations showed through. Right out of the gate we saw stalled drives early (that we are accustomed to) for Blair and the Rouxgaroux. Sacks and penalties plagued the Louisiana offense in the first half. While they struggled Evan Lewandowski proceeded to light up the defense on drive number one. He even got crushed diving into the end zone but a score nonetheless.
The first would wind on and at 3:16 to go, the scoreboard read 13-0. We would finally see Louisiana get on the scoreboard, but miss the first of many missed extra points. Tracey Brooks, who ended the day with a serviceable 30 yards and two touchdowns, led much of the short yardage. Dajon Richard, the recent signing from Dallas, on the other hand struggled to gain even a single yard, averaging less than 1.5 yards a carry. The back and forth would see leads as large as 34-12. Though it wouldn’t last long.
Louisiana stormed back with methodical, efficient drives off of two uncharacteristic Liberty turnovers, one a pick at the end of the third, another a bad snap. Moton showing a glimmer of what he could be heaved one in on a through the (Wall) door catch, and it suddenly seemed like we had a game, 34-30 Liberty! Until…. the Louisiana we all know showed back up. Down by eleven, the next drive would get down to the four, before bad plays and stupid penalties shoved them all the way back to their own side of the field. Brooks would take a 9-yard carry( 4 plays later)to the end zone after a failed fourth and extremely long for Louisiana.
In the end, it was what we expected.
Louisiana Outlook:
Abysmal, there isn’t even a lot to reflect on here. The Rouxgaroux have had glimpses of good, but never truly put together a full game. We commend Blair on his hard work to get to this point, but this team never really seems prepared for the task at hand. Dallas’ untimely demise puts this team in a situation, one that with a schedule rework, will most likely see more blowout losses and a 1-8 end to the season.
Liberty Outlook:
O’Neal, no matter the league, no matter the ruleset, seems to have his teams prepared. With four games to go, their only two losses could have gone either way. They are 100% a lock for the playoffs, seeding probably won’t go their way because of the two-loss log jam for third, but don’t count them out. Half of their games are very winnable, and the other two are revenge spots. If they can go 1-1 in the SWK and Sioux City matchups, 7-3 may get them a bye.
Pueblo 44 Colorado 37
Early on, you would have thought these two had swapped uniforms pregame. The Spartans came out of the gate looking polished. Pueblo on the other hand seemed as if they couldn’t get out of their own way for the entire first quarter. The thing is big-time players make big-time plays when they have to, and that (paired with trigger-happy refs) would be the deciding factor.
This is only the second time these two have met, but from the chippy environment, you wouldn’t have been able to tell. In front of a depleted Colorado crowd that can only be compared to the kind of crowds you see drawn for semi-pro teams. We are in no way questioning the stability of Colorado, but attendance was rough.
If you weren’t waiting on the chain gang to try to catch up ( they had multiple delays). you where watching ( as mentioned before) Colorado’s defense looked like the best in the league, for the first quarter at least. The first two drives that had little issue containing Hollins, or stopping the run, jumped out to an easy 12-0 lead. That ended up being the largest lead of the day, both would respond with TDs pushing us to 19-8 as Colorado’s kicker struggled to even put up extra points.
The biggest factor in the comeback was the inability to predict the Punishers offense, two different TD runs were set up by long throws deep inside Colorado territory. The late score, late as in under fifteen seconds, was still responded to with two quick passes and a 29-yard FG by Victor Leventritt.
The second half was more of the same, only this time Pueblo had the defensive stranglehold. The third quarter would come and go and never see a Spartan score. All the while Pueblo came out on fire, the first play of the second half being a 45-yard pass to the house. This would be followed by exchanging interceptions, and a new game plan for the Punishers. The ground played a huge part in the change, 93 total yards between 3 players (and 5 total rushing TDs) helped slow the game pace to a near hault.
It seemed from this point on that the entire goal was to control the pace of the game. They did it perfectly, getting it to a point that with less than two minutes left, and a missed extra point by Colorado, they had a 38-37 lead. It was far from over though, a failed onside kick, a let them score play.. and a worn-down defense still gave the Spartans a chance. All signs indicated a dramatic end, but unfortunately (for Shaw and company)a sliding/diving interception would kill all hope and end it.
We would be failing our readers if we didn’t point out the fact that this may have been the most sloppy game this season for either team. Penalties flew the entire game, bad snaps, and undisciplined mistakes were sprinkled into every drive of this game. What really set them back was the horrid kicking game put on display by the boys from Denver. The 3+ missed extra points and no real option to kick field goals put them in a play from behind situation that even the best teams can’t overcome.
Pueblo Outlook:
This was a get-right spot, and even if it was ugly it was a win. This isn’t the same overpowered squad we got in the first few weeks of the season but as they proved in this situation they still have it. They are a playoff lock, but don’t expect them to lay down the last few weeks. Avoiding a re-tooled Omaha or angry Salina in the first round is pivotal to a deep playoff run. We fully expect them to win out and challenge for one of those top two spots
Colorado Outlook:
The only thing between the Spartans and having a record like Omaha’s, is two one-win teams and a now-expelled Bulls squad. They have had ups and downs but failed when it really counted. They have a high probability of making the playoffs, but it isn’t pretty. We fully expect them to lose most of their games down the stretch and early out of the playoffs. The entire season this has been a story of good but not good enough, and it’s not going to end now.
SWK 41 Amarillo 38
The Warbirds continue to be one of the more interesting teams this season. While they have shown flashes of great football, there shown more of the bad that is indicative of their record on the year. This week was the first game for former defensive coordinator Jimmy Johnson, now head coach for Amarillo.
The offense would have possibly their best outing of the season. With both Powell and Croft seeing action under center they would combine for 170 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. The passes were spread out evenly between receivers, with Christian Stokley being the target for two touchdowns. Unfortunately, Amarillo’s defense gave up just about whatever SWK drew up offensively, including the game-winning touchdown in the final quarter.
The Storm continue their strong season with another win to propel them to 7-0, a playoff berth, and an already franchise-tying mark for wins in a season. Of course, the fact that Struck is out left the second half of the season up in the air. Trae Self came in and did exactly what you hope for from your QB2, manage the game well and drive the offense down the field.
SWK got a big boost from their running game with running back Jaden Sutton getting 58 yards and scoring 4 touchdowns on the ground. Defensively they did what they had to do to win, primarily in the fourth quarter. Even with one of their more shaky performances on the season the Storm defense played locked down in the final quarter and held on a final Amarillo effort late to hang on for the win.
In a game many thought would be a one-sided affair, SWK and Amarillo had a wire-to-wire matchup. The first quarter was back and forth for the offenses with only a single point separating the teams. The Storm would have a strong second quarter by the defense and add 10 to their lead going into halftime. Momentum would swing in the third and Amarillo would make up ground entering what would be a slugfest-style final period. The quarter would see both scores only a few minutes in and from there on out it would be the defense’s time to stand for both sides. Ultimately SWK would prevail in an instant classic to remain unbeaten on the year.
Amarillo Outlook:
Another tough loss on what is turning into a long season for the warbirds. The remaining schedule isn’t much better with 3 league games left, all being against playoff teams. The team did play well with Johnson at the helm so it will be interesting to see how they perform this last month of the regular season.
SWK Outlook:
Undefeated and officially clinched for the playoffs, need I say more? You can argue their toughest test remaining for the regular season is next against Salina. After a tougher-than-imagined game against Amarillo, it will be something to watch for the Storm. Will they continue to win close games or can they put their cleats down and play well above an opponent in one of these final games?
Written By: TJ Bartholomew
Highlights and Drawbacks
Last week was a wild week for off-the-field news, this week on the other hand has been much calmer. This isn’t a bad thing in our opinion. After a week of absolute chaos seeing things stabilize is fairly comforting for all involved. We will still cover the standings and even the playoff locks, but this week’s NAL Review will be just a tad bit shorter than usual.
NAL Standings & Playoff Picture
Playoff Locks
SWK- Home Playoff Game
Pueblo– Home Playoff Game
Path to the 6th Seed
Louisiana– Beat Omaha Twice
Omaha– Beat Louisiana Twice
Amarillo– Upset 2 of the top 4 teams, with 4 of the top 4 left on the schedule
Our Prediction: Omaha Clinches on May 30th with second win over Louisiana
While the majority of the playoff picture may be clear, the battle for 6th gets good this coming weekend. The pair is both struggling, but Omaha seems to have new life after the blowout win two weeks ago. It’s all shaping up to make for a fun and dramatic final four weeks. The overall product has improved and we are thankful for the low impact that the schedule rework had.
Keep checking back as the season progresses! We will be working to bring you any news that comes about, including the playoff picture and super early expansion news! Like always if you love NAL football tune into Around the Indoor Football World only on Shady Sports Network this Saturday at 7 AM central!
If you need to catch up:
National Arena League (NAL): Week 8 Review
National Arena League (NAL): Week 7 Review
National Arena League (NAL): Week 6 Review
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