Playoff picture taking shape in af2

by Walter L. Johnson II
Published on July 9, 2002 under arenafootball2 (af2)

With just three weeks remaining in the 2002 regular season, the af2 playoff picture just got a little bit clearer, with six teams clinching playoff berths, either by getting the job done themselves, getting a little help from other teams, or a combination of both.

Two of those teams that used that scenario were the Tennessee Valley Vipers (11-2) and the Birmingham Steeldogs, both of whom needed wins plus a Pensacola loss to clinch playoff berths. While the Steeldogs (9-4) downed the still winless Mobile Wizards (0-13) 53-24 last Friday, the Vipers had to survive a scare on the road against the Louisville Fire (2-11) before sealing a 48-34 last Saturday. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Birmingham, while Tennessee Valley took home its fifth win in its last six games. All in a good night's work for these Alabama squads indeed.

Still, one other shoe had to drop before fans of both teams could make plans for the postseason. That came in the form of the Pensacola Barracudas (6-7), who saw a 44-32 lead at the end of the third quarter disintegrate in a 54-51 loss to the Macon Knights last Saturday. But the Barracudas didn't go down without a fight, as they scored with 16 seconds left to take a 51-46 lead. Pensacola made the mistake of squib-kicking the ball on the relatively short arena football field, however, and the Knights returned the kick to the Barracudas 24-yard line. The botched squib kick would be very costly for Pensacola, as Macon scored the game-winning touchdown with just five seconds to play when quarterback John Rayborn and wide receiver Martez Wesley connected for their fourth score of the game. The loss officially ended the Barracudas playoff hopes.

As for the Vipers and the Steeldogs, they'll face each other this Saturday in Birmingham, Ala., with Tennessee Valley clinching the National Conference's Southern Division title should it win. Meanwhile, the Macon Knights, now 12-2 on the season, get a well-deserved week off before squaring off against the aforementioned Birmingham squad in its final home game on July 20.

In the American South, the Tallahassee Thunder won round one in the "War on I-10" in convincing fashion, trouncing the Jacksonville Tomcats 70-31 in Jacksonville, Fla. last Saturday. With the win, the Thunder improved its record to 8-5, while the Tomcats were all but pushed to the brink of elimination from playoff contention, falling to 5-8 on the 2002 season.

The night before in Augusta, Ga., the Florida Firecats kept their playoff hopes alive by stomping the home-standing Augusta Stallions (11-2) 54-29 at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center. The loss not only ended a five-game winning streak for the Stallions, it also the first home defeat for Augusta as well. And that setback, combined with Macon's come-from-behind win over Pensacola, cost the Stallions first place in the American Conference Eastern Division, with the Knights holding a slight half-game edge heading into this weekend. But Augusta can pull itself back into a first-place tie with idle Macon this Saturday should the Stallions go on the road and defeat a Charleston squad (6-7) that's coming off a 49-44 upset win over the Richmond Speed (10-3) at home last weekend. By the way, the Swamp Foxes are trying to keep slim playoff hopes alive with another surprise weekend.

Having said that, both the Thunder and the Firecats can seal the American South's two playoff berths with either wins and/or losses by both the Swamp Foxes and Tomcats this Saturday. The Thunder will play host to the Columbus Wardogs (3-10), while the Tomcats will take on the winless Mobile Wizards. It should be yet another exciting week of af2 action as the regular season gets ever closer to the finish line.

Well, that's it for now. Enjoy the rest of the week, and cheer your favorite team on to victory this weekend.

arenafootball2 Stories from July 9, 2002

• Playoff picture taking shape in af2 - OSC Original by Walter L. Johnson II
• Carolina Rhinos QB Ramone Robinson Named af2 Offensive Player of the Week - Carolina Rhinos
• Browner, Burt Honored - af2
• Stringfield Returns to Nighthawks - Norfolk Nighthawks

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