Why Philadelphia Soul Will Win ArenaBowl XXXI

The Philadelphia Soul have won the last two ArenaBowl games against the two most storied franchises in Arena Football League history in the Arizona Rattlers and Tampa Bay Storm.

They will be looking to become the third team in league history to win three consecutive ArenaBowl titles (Detroit Drive 1988-1990, Arizona Rattlers 2012-2014). With the roster that they have, they can certainly reach that milestone.

Just about all of their star players on offense, including quarterback Dan Raudabaugh, wide receivers Darius “Money” Reynolds and Shaun “SK” Kauleinamoku and fullback Jeramie Richardson, will be returning. They will also be bringing back kicker Adrian Trevino, who’s won Kicker of the Year the last few seasons.

Veteran defensive back Dwayne Hollis will also be back with the Soul. He has been a key factor for their championship-winning defense. James Romain and Torez Jones, who were teammates with the Beijing Lions of the China Arena Football League under coach Clint Dolziel, will be joining him in Philadelphia in 2018.

Their road to a three-peat begins on April 14 when they travel to Albany, NY to take on the expansion Albany Empire. With all four teams being loaded with talent in the AFL, their quest for a third straight title won’t be an easy one, but anything is possible.

Georgia Doom Sign Veteran Wideout Christian Wise

The Georgia Doom have signed veteran Christian Wise. Wise last played in the China Arena Football League with the Shanghai Skywalkers.

He is all too familiar with playing in the state of Georgia. His career started in 2008 when he played for the Albany, GA team. In 2009, Wise went to play for the Albany (NY) Firebirds. He recorded 1,999 total yards, 19 touchdowns, three kickoff return touchdowns, and one interception – all done in a span of just 10 games!

In 2010, Wise began his Arena Football League career. Over the next six seasons, he played with several teams including the Cleveland Gladiators, Pittsburgh Power and Spokane Shock.

Over his career in the top-tier arena league, he caught 64 passes for 923 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also did well playing on other sides of the ball. On defense, he recorded six interceptions. On special teams, he recorded 1,052 kickoff yards and one return touchdown.

In 2016, Wise was drafted by the Shanghai Skywalkers of the China Arena Football League (CAFL). Shanghai finished in third place in the league, but Wise joined by much arena talent such as wide receivers Shaun Kauleinamoku and Mike Washington and quarterback Shane Austin.

The Doom will play their inaugural season in the American Arena League, a merger of the Arena Pro Football (APF) and Can-Am Indoor Football Leagues. The season kicks off on March 17 with the title game set to be played on Saturday, June 30.

Philadelphia Soul 2017 Season in Review

The Philadelphia Soul’s road to an ArenaBowl title seemed to have been one of the easiest roads in league history. They had a very talented team and did just what they needed to do with it.

Philadelphia was dominating opponents left and right, getting off to a 10-0 start. Quarterback Dan Raudabaugh led the league in several passing categories, but unfortunately, he also threw 10 interceptions. That’s not a stat he would like to see.

Wide receivers Darius Reynolds, Shaun Kauleinamoku and Ryan McDaniel were all there to back Raudabaugh up. All three of them caught at least 20 touchdowns (35 for Reynolds, 23 for Kauleinamoku, 20 for McDaniel).

They also acquired running back Mykel Benson from the Arizona Rattlers. Benson was with Arizona in ArenaBowl XXIX, when they lost to the Soul. For the second consecutive season, he led the league in rushing, including 23 touchdowns.

Following their lone loss to the Baltimore Brigade, the Soul won the remainder of their regular season games by an average of 23 points. Despite the Brigade keeping it close in their semifinal matchup, Philadelphia prevailed to advance to ArenaBowl XXX.

They got off to a really rough start as Raudabaugh missed his receivers often.  Reynolds also dropped two wide open touchdown passes, one on a fourth down. After a pick-six, the defending champions found themselves down 20-7.

They wouldn’t go down that easy, however. They would go on a 28-7 run, including a couple turnovers on downs from Tampa Bay. In the end, they would defeat Tampa, 44-40 to win their second consecutive ArenaBowl title.

An unlikely hero became the key to their victory in the game. Former Lehigh Valley Steelhawks wide receiver Darius Prince was named the MVP of the game, catching two touchdowns.

There’s already room for concern, however. Owner Ron Jaworski said postgame that Raudabaugh played the second half with a torn ACL. That could mean he could miss time in 2018. Nonetheless, the Soul will be going for their third consecutive title in 2018.

Philadelphia Soul Defeat Tampa Bay Storm to Win ArenaBowl XXX

The Philadelphia Soul hosted the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl XXX at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia was looking to win their second consecutive ArenaBowl title and the Storm were looking to win their record sixth title.

James Romain intercepted a Randy Hippeard pass on fourth down and the Soul took over. They would attempt to capitalize with a field goal, but the kick was no good. Kendrick Ings would return it all the way for a touchdown to give Tampa a 6-0 lead after the extra point was missed.

Following two wide open dropped passes by Darius Reynolds, Philadelphia turned the ball over on downs and Tampa took over. Both teams turned the ball over in the first quarter, which ended with the Storm holding their 6-0 lead.

Philadelphia finally got on the board when Dan Raudabaugh found former Lehigh Valley Steelhawks receiver Darius Prince for a two-yard touchdown. The extra point gave them a 7-6 lead. Hippeard finds Hills for a deep touchdown to give Tampa Bay the lead back at 13-7.

Alvin Ray Jackson intercepted a Raudabaugh pass and returned it for a touchdown to give Tampa a 20-7 lead. Nearing the end of the first half, Mykel Benson rushed for a one-yard touchdown to make it a 20-14 game. Tampa wouldn’t score and they took their 20-14 lead into the locker room.

On the first drive of the second half, Raudabaugh and Reynolds connected on a long touchdown to give the Soul a 21-20 lead. Tampa took the league back with a touchdown from Hippeard to Ings. Benson scored on another one yard touchdown to give Philadelphia the lead right back. That would prove to be the score at the end of three.

After Tampa turned the ball over on downs, Raudabaugh found Prince for a one yard touchdown to make the score 35-27. A sack on Hippeard in the end zone gave the Soul a 37-27 lead. The Storm would recover their own onside kick, then Hippeard would throw a bomb to Justin Hilton for a touchdown to make it a three point game.

Philadelphia would re-take their 10 point lead after recovering Tampa’s second onside kick attempt. Raudabaugh found Shaun Kauleinamoku for a touchdown. Dwayne Hollis intercepted a long Hippeard pass with 2:40 left.

Philadelphia would run out the clock and win ArenaBowl XXX by a final score of 44-40. The title is their second consecutive and their third in franchise history.