NAL Carolina Cobras

Week 17 Preview: Cobras vs. Steelhawks

Published on July 24, 2018 under National Arena League (NAL)
Carolina Cobras News Release


GREENSBORO - The Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (0-13) seek a win in their final home game of the season as the Carolina Cobras (8-5) come to town. The Cobras this season are 3-0 against the Steelhawks, with two out of the three meetings taking place in Carolina. Although Carolina completely dominated the Steelhawks in every aspect of the ball game in their two home games, their matchup six weeks ago in Allentown was much closer. Carolina ultimately came out victorious, winning 58-38, but never seemed to have a secure lead during the game, with Lehigh Valley always responding, after the first quarter.

The Cobras started out fast in that game, putting up 21 points and allowing zero in the first quarter. After that, however, the Steelhawks benched then-starting quarterback Matt Foltz for Caleb Walton, who accounted for six touchdowns and one interception in the remainder of the game.

The Steelhawks, in order to win this game, need to keep this game as close as possible for as long as possible. In their loss last week to Maine, they were able to stay within striking distance in the first quarter, only being down 14-7. They couldn't keep up with Jonathan Bane and his offense, however, and were outscored 36-7 in the remaining three quarters.

Lehigh Valley may not be looking towards the playoffs, but that won't stop them from trying to play upset and stop the Cobras from reaching their goals. Carolina's hopes of obtaining the number one seed in the playoffs were all but dashed after their crushing last-second loss to the Pirates last week, but still, have high hopes at being able to clinch the number two seed. A win over Lehigh Valley would be a huge step in the right direction, as well as a Massachusetts win over Jacksonville this week. This game, however, will be the Cobras second long bus ride up north in a week, their first time ever playing back-to-back road games.

Look for Cobras linebacker Anthony Ellis to make more noise this week, after his stellar performance against the Steelhawks two weeks ago, scoring two touchdowns off of fumble recoveries in the Cobras 78-9 win over the Steelhawks.

Notable Statistics:

Carolina's offense averages a league-high 57 points per game, compared to Lehigh Valley's, which averages a league-worst 24.6 points per game.

Carolina's defense averages a league-best 40.2 points allowed per game, compared to Lehigh Valley's which averages a league-worst 57.7 points per game.

Carolina's 69-point win over the Steelhawks earlier this season was the largest margin of victory by any team this season.

The game will kick off this Saturday, July 28, 2018, at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at 7:00 E.T.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



National Arena League Stories from July 24, 2018


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.

OurSports Central