Playoff Picture Becoming Clearer for Horsemen
Published on June 20, 2003 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Kentucky Horsemen News Release
With three games left in the NIFL regular season, the Lexington Horsemen find themselves in a tight race for a wild-card playoff berth in the Atlantic Conference. After last week's losses by the Horsemen (62-58 to Tennessee) and the the Fort Wayne Freedom (52-49 to Sioux Falls), the Atlantic Conference playoff picture has been reduced to three teams competing for two remaining spots.
Ohio Valley (11-0, 9-0), the Horsemen's opponent this week, has clinched the Atlantic East division championship and a berth in the playoffs. The Greyhounds will be defending a 15-game winning streak when Lexington comes to visit on Saturday night. In the Atlantic South division, the Lake Charles LandSharks (10-2, 7-2) have locked up a playoff spot as well.
Lexington, Houma and Fort Wayne will battle it out over the final three weeks of the season to see who will grab the two wild card openings in the playoffs. Houma, with only one game remaining on its schedule, merely has to defeat Evansville (0-12, 0-10) on June 28 to earn a bid.
Lexington (8-3, 5-2) and Fort Wayne (7-4, 4-3), who play each other on June 28 and again on July 5 to close the regular season, face the following scenario: should Lexington defeat Fort Wayne in either of their two matchups, the Horsemen will make the playoffs, and the Freedom will be eliminated. Should Fort Wayne beat Lexington twice in the last two weeks of the season, the Horsemen will be eliminated, and the Freedom will earn the final playoff berth.
Additionally, should the Horsemen go 2-1 over their last three games, in any combination, they will earn the third seed in the playoffs and likely face Lake Charles in the first round. If the Horsemen defeat Fort Wayne once, but lose their other two games, they will earn the fourth seed in the playoffs and will most likely have to travel to Wheeling to face the defending league champion Ohio Valley Greyhounds in the first round.
The current contenders for the postseason:
Ohio Valley 11-0 (East division champion, clinched playoff berth)
Lake Charles 10-2 (South division leader, clinched playoff berth)
Houma 9-4
Lexington 8-3
Fort Wayne 7-4
DOUGIE ALLEN INJURY UPDATE
Horsemen WR Dougie Allen underwent surgery yesterday at the UK Ambulatory Surgery Center to repair the partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which he injured in the Horsemen's May 17 win over Beaumont. Dr. Darren L. Johnson, Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery at UK, performed the surgery and termed it "very successful," adding that Allen should be able to return to the field for next season.
OTHER NEWS
The Horsemen game will be broadcast live at 7:00 PM EST on WLAP 630-AM.
The Horsemen's final regular season home game will be Saturday, June 28, at 7:30 PM against fellow playoff contender Fort Wayne. It will also be Fan Appreciation Night in Rupp Arena, featuring numerous prizes and giveaways to be awarded to fans in attendance. For tickets to the June 28 game against Fort Wayne, please contact the Rupp Arena ticket office at 859-233-3535.
Arena Football League Stories from June 20, 2003
- Predators Head Coach Dies - Orlando Predators
- Playoff Picture Becoming Clearer for Horsemen - Kentucky Horsemen
- Talons Conducting Fan Survey at Saturday's Game - Tulsa Talons
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.
