Albany Firebirds Move on to the ArenaBowl
July 14, 2024 - Arena Football One (AF1)
Albany Firebirds News Release
It was a barn burner at MVP Arena. The Albany Firebirds secured their trip to ArenaBowl XXXIII at the American Dream with their victory over the Salina Liberty. The final score of 80-59 is not enough to know how close this game truly was. Salina played with a fury that would not be stopped until late into the second half.
Business as Usual for the Firebirds Offense
The Albany offense did exactly what it always does. From their second drive, they dominated the Liberty defense from top to bottom. The first play of the game for the Albany offense resulted in an interception, but from then on, they scored on every single possession. Seven touchdowns can be attributed to Jake Medlock-five of them through the air and two on the ground. He had nearly 300 combined yards on 73% completion.
Medlock's options for targets were that of a buffet. He used four main receivers throughout the game. Early on, it was the new guy, Isiah Scott. In fact, his very first catch with the Firebirds was a first quarter touchdown, lowering the shoulder and breaking through tackles.
He would not score again through the air but would get plenty of targets for the following quarters. On the other hand, there was good old Darius Prince, but he did have a rough start to things. Erick McIntosh of the Liberty covered him, and had definitely had his number through the first quarter.
The rest of the offense would be made up of Marque Wade, who scored twice on only three receptions, and Darien Townsend, who offered up nearly 90 yards between receiving and kick returning.
Early Success for Salina
The first two quarters for Salina were competitive. Going into halftime they only trailed by two and had held a lead multiple times. In the very beginning, they were helped by Freddie McGee III, who intercepted Jake Medlock's first pass of the game immediately after Victor Tolentino Jr. intercepted Charles McCullum's very first pass of the game.
The rest of Salina's success came through long passes in busted defensive coverages. Whether it was a play-calling issue on Albany, strategic play-calling for Salina, or simply mistakes on Albany defenders, the Liberty never let the opportunities go to waste.
Impact Players for Salina
Salina's biggest contributor was Ed Smith Jr., without question. He put up massive yardage in kick returns and gave the offense some absurdly advantageous field position. In just three returns, he ran for 110 yards, being stopped barely short of two kick return touchdowns. Twice, he was able to set the offense up for first and goal.
Demarius Washington and Caleb Smith held it down for the Salina passing game. They had a combined 156 yards and three touchdowns, being the primary targets for Charles McCullum.
Impact Players for Albany
Who knows what the outcome of this game would have been without Markus Smith? It was simply his night on defense. Spectacularly enough, he recorded more interceptions (3) than he did tackles (2). Two of those interceptions he took to the house.
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