Ranking the ArenaBowls, #9: ArenaBowl XXVI

The Arizona Rattlers and Philadelphia Soul met in ArenaBowl XXVI one year after meeting in ArenaBowl XXV. Arizona won the first meeting by a final score of 72-54. They were looking for a repeat while Philadelphia was looking for revenge.

Arizona scored first when Nick Davila threw an eight yard touchdown to Maurice Purify. Philadelphia tied the game when Dan Raudabaugh found Ryan McDaniel from 15 yards. The game was tied at seven at the end of one.

Davila’s second touchdown pass went to Rod Windsor to give Arizona a 14-7 lead. Derrick Ross rushed for a one-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14. After both teams scored again, Arizona kicked a 18 yard field goal with 26 seconds left to give them a 24-21 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the Souk took their first lead when Raudabaugh connected with McDaniel for a second time. Arizona took the lead back with a touchdown from Davila from Kerry Reed. They took their 31-27 lead into the final quarter.

Arizona pulled away in the fourth quarter when Davila and Windsor connected on another touchdown to expand their lead to 38-27. The Soul were not able to overcome it and Arizona went on to win by a final score of 48-39.

Windsor (10 receptions, 245 yards, two touchdowns) went on to win the offensive player of the game. Mauric(nine tackles) was named the game’s defensive player of the game.

Ranking the ArenaBowls, #11: ArenaBowl XXII

2008 was the end of an era. Players’ salaries were skyrocketing, but the league itself struggled to maintain, and a deal at the end of the season fell through. No one quite knew it yet back in July, but teams, players, and fans knew they would be lucky if they saw another season. But before that, there was ArenaBowl XXII, and if it was over, the league would go out with a bang.

The San Jose SaberCats expected to return and defend their title in New Orleans. Although they started the season 5-5, they had an easy path to the big game thanks to an 11-5 record and a Western Division title. After a 64-51 win over Colorado in the divisional round, the path became even easier thanks to a Grand Rapids upset over top-seeded Chicago. the SaberCats dispatched the Rampage handily, punching their ticket.

The Philadelphia Soul were a good team in a surprisingly tough division. After an 8-8 finish in 2007, the Soul beat that win total by starting 9-0, including a win against their rivals, the Dallas Desperados. After surviving a rough month of May (1-3 record), Philadelphia regrouped and won their final three games to finish 13-3 and edge Dallas for the Eastern division crown and the #1 seed.

The Soul’s path nearly ended before it started. in their Divisional round game against the New York Dragons, Larry Brackins appeared to score the game-winning touchdown as the horn sounded. Upon review, his knee appeared to be down before the ball crossed the goal line. However, the call stood and the Soul survived and advanced. After a 70-35 win against Cleveland, Philadelphia earned the right to play for their first title.

In front of a crowd of 17,244 at the Smoothie King center, Mark Grieb and Matt D’Orazio matched each other pass for pass to start the game. San Jose struck first thanks to a Rodney Wright, Jr. touchdown, but Philly came right back thanks to a Brent Holmes score.

The two teams combined to score on the first six possessions of the game, and with nine minutes left in the second quarter, the Soul began to take charge. Larry Brackins caught a 20-yard pass from D’Orazio, and after a stop, D’Orazio ran eight yards for a score to extend the lead to 34-20. Jason Geathers answered back thanks to a 23-yard pass from Grieb, but a Connor Hughes field goal at the gun gave Philly a 37-27 lead at the half.

Picking up where they left off, the Soul scored the first nine points of the third quarter thanks to a Chris Jackson scoring catch and a safety. Geathers scored again for the SaberCats, but the game reverted to both teams holding serve on each possession, leaving San Jose at bay through most of the second half.

Down 59-42 with just 39 seconds left, the SaberCats were determined to go down fighting. A quick drive ended with a 26-yard pass from Grieb to Wright, Jr. Then the SaberCats recovered the onside kick, setting up a 17-yard pass from Grieb to Geathers. However, lightning didn’t strike twice, and the Soul recovered the second onside kick and ran out the clock.

Philadelphia swept the game’s awards, as MVP went to D’Orazio (26/43, 302 yards, 7 TD, 0 Int, TD run), Chris Jackson (11 rec, 146 yards, 3 TD) won Offensive Player of the Game, Gabe Nyenhuis (sack, pass breakup, forced fumble) was named Defensive Player of the Game, and Mike Brown (five kick returns, 72 yards, six tackles, two pass breakups, forced fumble) won Ironman of the Game honors.

It was indeed the end, as the league decided to cancel the 2009 season to form a better financial strategy, and returned in 2010 under the management of Jerry Kurz. While it was a summer to remember for the city of Philadelphia (where the Phillies won the World Series just a few short months later), the league as a whole would sadly never be the same again.

Ranking the ArenaBowls, #15: ArenaBowl XXV

New Orleans, LA- The Arizona Rattlers won their first ArenaBowl title in 15 years by upsetting the heavily favored Philadelphia Soul 72-54 at the New Orleans Arena in ArenaBowl XXV.

It was a chance at redemption for the Rattlers, who had lost in their last four trips to the ArenaBowl. None was more devastating than in ArenaBowl XXIV, when they lost at home to the Jacksonville Sharks on the final play of the game; an Aaron Garcia touchdown pass to Jeron Harvey. The following year, they returned to the big game, but as the decided underdog to the 15-3 Soul, who had the highest scoring offense in AFL history.

Arizona came out of the gate with an interception by Arkeith Brown, which led to the first of seven touchdown passes from Nick Davila to Maurice Purify. The Rattlers rode the momentum to a 27-13 lead at halftime, and were not going to allow a repeat of what had happened the previous year.

The Rattlers took control in the third quarter as Davila found Purify for touchdowns three times to increase the lead from 14 at halftime to as large as 28, to the point where the fourth quarter was essentially meaningless.

When the smoke cleared, Davila had thrown an ArenaBowl record nine touchdown passes en route to being named game MVP, and the Rattlers had come away with their first championship since 1997.

Darius Prince, King of ArenaBowl XXX

With a 22-point lead over the Columbus Lions, the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks were well on their way to the inaugural National Arena League championship game. Unfortunately, the Lions were able to come all the way back and pull off the upset in a 52-50 victory.

The loss hurt wide receiver Darius Prince. “I felt it was a game we should have won,” he said, “We played great for the first three quarters but when you can’t put a whole game together, that is what happens. Columbus wanted it more and they showed it.”

Columbus would fall to the Jacksonville Sharks in the National Arena League championship game on July 10 and the season was over. Prince wasn’t done playing football, however. The Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League brought him in for a tryout and by July 25, he was a member of the team.

Just a month and one day later, Prince and the Soul were in ArenaBowl XXX. Prince would get his  chance at a title just two months after falling short in the NAL. He wanted to be sure there would be a different result this time around.

“I was just trying to prep my mind for the biggest game in my life thus far,” he said. “I’ve never played on a stage this high before. [I] knew the atmosphere would be something I never experienced before. I just tried to calm myself, play football and have fun.

“At the end of the day that’s what we are here for so I told myself to just let the game come to me and play the game like I know how to,” he said.

Down 20-7 nearing halftime, the Soul were down, but not out. “Nobody was down. Players and coaches were just trying to stay positive and keep the spirit high,” Prince said. “Not taking anything away from [the] Tampa [Bay Storm], but at that point they scored on a missed field goal that was returned for a touchdown, a receiving touchdown and that interception.

“You take the missed field goal and interception away, it’s a 7-7 game,” he went on. “The game of arena is so fast that anything can happen. We knew we would get the ball back after that go down and score to make the game closer. We have the best defense in the league and we knew that if they could get another stop we could make it happen on offense.”

Philadelphia scored at the end of the half and found themselves down 20-14. They dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Storm 28-7. They would go on to win by a final score of 44-40, winning their second consecutive ArenaBowl title.

Due to his performance (five catches, 27 yards, two touchdowns), Prince was named ArenaBowl XXX MVP.

“It’s a surreal feeling. There were so many other teammates well deserving of this award,” Prince said. “If you told me back on July 25 when I signed I would be the Arena Bowl XXX MVP, I’d probably look at you like you were crazy.

“It’s just the craziest feeling ever to be named MVP. This may be a individual award but this wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for my coaches and teammates. They deserve a lot of credit. To take a rookie like myself and prep me for two big games at the end of the season wasn’t easy,” he went on. “Watching film with me in our off time, helping me read coverages as I’m running my routes, coaching me up at practice, talking to me on the sidelines during games. It wasn’t always the offensive guys, either. Some of our defensive backs would help me and coach me up after I run a route against them.

“That’s what makes this team special. We want to win as a team, nobody plays for themselves. We all buy into what coach is selling us. So I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart because if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have played the game I played. I wouldn’t of been prepared for it the way I was without them.”

Prince also said he wouldn’t be returning to the Steelhawks for the 2018 season. “The future is with the Soul or higher,” he said. “Lehigh [Valley] is a great organization, but it was a platform to get to a higher level such as the Soul or CFL/NFL.”