June 24, 2025 - 118 Games Today

2025 Arena Crown Preview: Albany Firebirds vs Nashville Kats

June 23, 2025 - Arena Football One (AF1) News Release

The first ever Arena Crown takes place this Saturday - and we've got all you need to know for the big game. Before you sit down and enjoy the crescendo of this Arena Football One season, let's take a look at the two teams and how we got to this point.

The Albany Firebirds have waltzed through the regular season unscathed. They came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. they opened with the SW Kansas Srotm winning by 58 in an absolute blowout. They never slowed down, regularly putting up gaudy numbers. They saved one of their best performances for last as they capped their perfect season with a 98-12 win over Washington. After a perfect 10-0 regular season, they steamrolled the Salina Liberty by a score of 75-44 to advance to the championship game.

On the other side of the ball, the Nashville Kats took a slightly different route to get here. The Kats started the season with back-to-back losses against each of the team's they'd meet in the playoffs - the Firebirds and the SW Kansas Storm. Then they'd eek out a win over the Oregon Lightning before going on a massive run that brought them here. The playoffs got them another crack at the Storm. After jumping out to a lead, they managed to hold on to win a close one 48-43.

Key Players to Watch

For the Albany Firebirds, things start and end with MVP finalist Sam Castronova. The Bethany College graduate has been everything the team need this year in terms of a leader. He's put up crazy numbers, all while directing traffic as well. He led the league in passing touchdowns this year with 48, which was seven more than any other quarterback in the league. He also finished third in passing yard on the year despite playing less games than each of the guys in front of him. That's also neglecting some of the rest he got during many of their blowout wins.

Castronova obviously had to have a place for those balls to land as well. While there were plenty of threats out there, none of them were more devestating than Duane Brown. Over his 10 games played, he racked up 30 touchdowns, which was good enough to lead the league. Albany's favorite target also wasn't skimpy on the yardage. He picked up 909 yards, which put him just seven total yards behind the league leader. Also, not to be outdone by his quarterback, Brown also received a nomination as one of the three finalists for the MVP award as well as for Offensive Player of the Year.

On the other bench, we're looking to the other side of the ball for players to look out for. While Nashville had a formidable offense all year, they would likely not be here if it wasn't for the defense. The secondary in particularly was huge at getting the squad some extra possessions - keeping them in games that they may have otherwise fell behind in. Perhaps the most dangerous part of that defense was Shaun Lewis. Lewis led the league in interceptions on the year as the only player to hit double figures (10). He was also a big part of the semifinals win with five tackles and a pass deflection.

We'd also be remiss to not mention Tyler Kulka. Although the Nashville quarterback didn't exactly light up the statistics pages, his ability to protect the ball was also important for them. Over nine games and over 250 pass attempts, Kulka was only intercepted twice. That set up a lot of the scores for Nashville, which largely came on the ground. Kulka actually posted three of those rushing touchdowns himself.

Previous Meetings

These two teams saw each other twice during the regular season. Obviously, since they are undefeated, Albany came out on top in both of those contests. The first game came during Week 3, with their second contest coming a bit later in Week 9.

The first came was the more competitive of the two with Nashville giving Albany an early scare. Nashville's offense got off to a quick start as Albany trailed at the end of the first quarter for one of the few times this season. However, their 21-16 lead would be short lived with both teams active on the scoreboard in the second quarter. The big change in that game would come in the locker room at halftime. After a rallying speech from head coach Damon Ware, the Firebirds defense was lights out in the second half. Nashville would only manage to score seven second half points and would fall 42-34.

The teams' second run in would be a bit more of the saw, but would have a bit more offense. Once again, the Kats jumped out to a 10-7 lead in the first quarter and had Albany on the ropes. Albany similarly entered halftime with just a two point lead and the need to pick up some momentum. And just like last time, they came out of the half red hot. In the third quarter, they scored 28 points to just seven for the Kats - putting things out of reach in that one. Albany would go on to win that one by a score of 71-55.

X-Factor

The turnover game could just be the biggest part of this game. The secondary of Nashville has nabbed their fair share of picks on the year, but were somewhat quiet when playing Albany this year. Over the two games, they managed just one interception and just one fumble recovery. Albany, who relied on their defense less than Nashville did, had three picks in those games and two fumble recoveries. If Nashville is going to flip the switch and pull off the upset, they might need to win the takeaway game.

You can watch the Arena Crown live this weekend. Kickoff for the final game is at 1pm EST this Saturday - June 28th. The event will air from the MVP Arena in Albany, New York on Vice TV.

Arena Football One Stories from June 23, 2025

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.