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by Walter L. Johnson II
July 14, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)


Three weeks remain in the 2005 arenafootball2 regular season, and the competition for playoff berths has become very intense. While the American Conference has five of its six spots in the postseason locked up, the six playoff berths in the National Conference are still very much up for grabs, with the top six teams separated by three games.

Having said that, how did things go in Week 15? Let's read on to find out.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE RACE: The Manchester (N.H.) Wolves moved one step closer towards clinching the East Division title, thanks to an easy 63-36 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers. While the win improved their record to 11-2, the Wolves could've wrapped up the East Division crown had both the Green Bay Blizzard and the Louisville Fire lost last Saturday. The Quad City Steamwheelers, who ended Manchester's ten-game winning streak, helped fill in one piece of the puzzle by knocking off the Blizzard 40-37. But the Fire chose not to co-operate, as it routed the San Diego Riptide 62-40 in front of 8,107 fans at Freedom Hall Saturday night.

Despite the loss to Manchester, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton still managed to clinch a playoff berth with a 7-6 record, as the Macon (Ga.) Knights closed in on the American Conference's sixth and final playoff berth with a 68-51 win over the Birmingham Steeldogs. The win improved Macon's record to 6-7, while clinching no worse than a tie for the sixth seed in the American Conference playoffs, as the South Georgia Wildcats edged the Albany (N.Y.) Conquest 58-57 Friday night. Both teams are now 3-10 on the season. However, both teams have virtually no hope of making the playoffs. The same fate also applies for the Arkansas Twisters, who fell to the Florida Firecats (11-2) on the road, 50-41 despite a valiant effort. The Twisters also fell to 3-10 on the season. It appears that at least one of these three teams will have to win out, and hope the Knights lose their last three games, two of which are on the road. Even then, it would take a huge turn of events for Albany, Arkansas, or South Georgia to sneak into postseason play.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE RACE: Just when it appeared they would run away with the top seed for the upcoming playoffs, the Memphis Xplorers have suddenly fallen on hard times, as they have lost back-to-back games, the latest a 44-41 defeat at home to the Tulsa Talons last Saturday. The loss dropped Memphis to 10-3, while Tulsa upped its mark to 9-4.

Meanwhile, the Rio Grande Valley Dorados also moved to within one full game of the National Conference's top playoff spot, with a 66-52 win over the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings in Bossier City, La. The win also allowed Rio Grande Valley to maintain its hold on the first place tiebreaker in the West Division, as well as the second seed in the playoff race. The Dorados also bring a 9-4 mark into Week 15 action.

The other three spots in the National Conference also remain up for grabs, as the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz moved into the fourth spot thanks to an easy 77-52 rout of the Amarillo (Tex.) Dusters on the road last Sunday. Both teams are now 8-5, but Oklahoma City holds the tiebreaker against Amarillo on the strength of its win.

Finally, Quad City not only extended its win streak to three straight games, but also remained ahead of the Central Valley (Calif.) Coyotes in the tiebreaker for the sixth and final playoff spot in the National Conference with its win over Green Bay. As for the Coyotes themselves, they stayed in playoff contention with a hard-fought 50-43 win over the Bakersfield Blitz. Both teams improved to 7-6 overall with their respective wins.

DRIVE TO THE PLAYOFFS: Here's how the playoff picture would look if the season ended right now:

AMERICAN CONFERENCE:

1. Manchester (11-2)*#%

2. Florida (11-2)*%

3. Green Bay (8-5)#%

4. Louisville (8-5)%

5. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7-6)%

6. Macon (6-7)

Projected playoff match-ups: Macon at Green Bay, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Louisville

First round byes: Manchester, Florida

NATIONAL CONFERENCE:

1. Memphis (10-3)*

2. Rio Grande Valley (9-4)*#

3. Tulsa (9-4)

4. Oklahoma City (8-5)#

5. Amarillo (8-5)

6. Quad City (7-6)#^

KEY: *--Current division leader or champion

#--Currently holds tiebreaker

%--Clinched playoff berth

^--Quad City currently holds tiebreaker over Central Valley for final playoff spot

Projected playoff match-ups: Quad City at Tulsa, Amarillo at Oklahoma City

First round byes: Memphis, Rio Grande Valley

A LOOK AHEAD: There are at least five games with playoff implications in Week 15. All of these games will help the following teams mentioned move one step closer to postseason play, or one step closer to sitting at home come August. Let's take a brief look at each of the games.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7-6) at Florida (11-2): The Pioneers and Firecats square in this critical battle for playoff positioning. Although they have clinched a first round bye by way of winning the South Division title, the Firecats still must win out, and hope Manchester loses at least one of its final three games. As for the Pioneers, they'll be in the playoffs no matter what. It's just a question of whether Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will go into postseason play with some momentum, or go in limping.

Rio Grande Valley (9-4) at Tulsa (9-4): Both the West Division title, as well as the first round playoff bye that goes with it, will be on the line this Saturday when the Talons host the Dorados. Rio Grande Valley held on to edge Tulsa 65-64 in a thriller on June 11.

Manchester (11-2) at Memphis (10-3): The Wolves head south to face the Xplorers in an interconference match-up with playoff implications. Manchester can win the American Conference East Division with either a win, or losses by Green Bay or Louisville. On the other hand, it doesn't get any easier for Memphis, as that squad hopes to snap a two-game skid, while maintaining its tenuous hold on the top seed in the National Conference, not to mention the Midwest Division.

Amarillo (8-5) at Quad City (7-6): The Dusters take the trip up north to battle the Steamwheelers in yet another game with playoff implications. Quad City is peaking at the right time, having won its last three games. As for Amarillo, the Dusters hope to bounce back after being embarrassed by Oklahoma City at home last weekend.

Louisville (8-5) at Oklahoma City (8-5): The Fire and the Yard Dawgz will square off in another interconference game that will impact the playoff picture in both the American and National Conferences. While Louisville has already clinched, the Fire still has hopes of improving its playoff position, as it currently sits in fourth place behind Green Bay. As for Oklahoma City, the Yard Dawgz must win to solidify its playoff chances.

QUICK PICKS:

Last week: 6-4

Season-To-Date: 81-47 (.633)

Green Bay over Albany (Friday)

Bakersfield over Bossier-Shreveport (Friday)

Florida over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

South Georgia over Birmingham

Tulsa over Rio Grande Valley

Macon over Arkansas

Manchester over Memphis

Quad City over Amarillo

Oklahoma City over Louisville

Central Valley over San Diego

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