Arena Football One Week 13 Preview

Arena Football 1 is back, with three games in action for Week 13. The Liberty will travel west to take on their in-state rival, Storm. Salina is looking to maintain their spot in the playoffs, while the Liberty has already clinched a spot. The Tritons will head North to take on the Lightning. Both teams are looking from the outside in to make the playoffs, sitting in the sixth and seventh spots, respectively. Monday night, the Kats will travel out to Big Sky country to battle with the Outlaws. This is potentially the most compelling game of the week. Nashville sits in the driver's seat for a playoff spot, while Billings is looking to make up ground.

Salina Liberty at Southwest Kansas Storm

Saturday, June 7, 7:00 PM EST VICE*

*VICE REBROADCAST ON SUNDAY, JUNE 8 @3:00 PM EASTERN

The Storm are set to host the Liberty on Saturday night. With playoffs already clinched for the Storm, the Liberty still look to secure their position in the postseason. Salina is coming off a 71-4 drumming of Washington and looks to push their win streak to three games. Southwest Kansas was off last week but pounded the Wolfpack in the previous week, 63-7. The two teams have matched up once this season, with a 22-20 win for the Storm.  

For Salina, Rakeem Cato has come in and solidified their quarterback spot. Cato has been excellent, protecting the ball, throwing only three interceptions all season. Tracy Brooks and Malik Honeycutt have both been some of the best offensive weapons, combining for 25 touchdowns, and will test the Storm's defense on every snap. 

Southwest Kansas has been one of the best offenses in the AF1 this year, led by Jalen Morton. His dual-threat ability has given opposing defenses issues all year. Catching his passes, Charles Hall IV and Demarius Washington are two of the top receivers in the league. The duo has combined for 1179 yards and 24 touchdowns. Defensively, Michael Lawson is putting together a Defensive Player of the Year-type season. Leading the league in tackles, 66, and adding another 5 interceptions.

Corpus Christi Tritons at Oregon Lightning

Sunday, June 8, 9:30 PM EST EVERGREEN

The Tritons and Lightning faced off in Week 9, where the Lightning ran away with a 52-20 victory. Neither team is currently eliminated from the playoffs, but they will need to take care of business and have some magic in the standings happen. Corpus Christi is coming off a 44-39 loss to Nashville, while Oregon faced Billings and walked out with a 58-7 beatdown. 

Fred Payton has done his best to compete for the Tritons. He has had an up-and-down season. Last meeting with the Lightning was not his best showing, and they will need him to eliminate some of the turnovers. Richy Anderson II has been his favorite target and has had one of the better seasons in the league. The Tritons will need to contain the Lightning's explosive offense this week.

Dalton Cole has been firing on all cylinders this year, leading the league in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns. He is also second in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns. However, he has been a gun slinger, which does make him prone to an interception, sitting atop the league in interceptions thrown. Cole's favorite target, Kris Lewis, is fourth in receiving touchdowns and is a big play waiting to happen. In recent weeks, the Lightning's defensive line has turned a corner, led by Mike Fields, Jeremiah Spicer, and Miquel Pillow-Smiley.

Nashville Kats at Billings Outlaws

Monday, June 9, 8:00 PM EST EVERGREEN

The Nashville and Billings game Monday night is setting up to be a pseudo-playoff game. With the Kats sitting in the third playoff spot at 5-3 and the Outlaws in the fifth spot at 4-6, this game could shake up the standings significantly. This will be the only matchup these teams play this season. The Kats are coming into this game hot, winning four of their last five games. On the other side of the field, Billings have only won two of their last five games.

Tyler Kulka has come on strong this season, leading the league in yards per game at 183.6. Jordan Gandy has been his go-to guy with 462 yards and 11 touchdowns. Robert Jones Jr. also has hauled in 11 touchdowns, making the duo tough to stop near the endzone. The Nashville secondary has been dangerous all season. Isaiah McFarland and Shaun Lewis have combined for 17 interceptions. The Billings offense will have to be smart with the ball to avoid them making plays.

The Outlaws recently added two big-time players in Malik Henry and Darius Prince. Their connection has been strong from the moment they stepped on the field together. Billings also added Hunter Swoboda, who previously played for the Outlaws. This trio should continue to help the Billings offense evolve. Defensively, the Outlaws have not been a typical lockdown unit, Cedric Walker normally produces. They will need to make adjustments to make sure Kulka and company don't get the best of them.