The number one game of the 2017 National Arena League (NAL) is finally being revealed today. Before we take a look at what our number one game is, lets take a look at our NAL Top Five Games so far.
No. 5: Monterrey Steel @ Corpus Christi Rage
The Steel and Rage fought a long battle until the Steel’s defense showed that they could be the one to have the most impacting defense in the game, having a game-securing interception with under a minute to go, beating the Rage 33-30.
No. 4: Monterrey Steel @ Jacksonville Sharks
The Monterrey Steel were looking to finish the season strong, facing the undefeated Jacksonville Sharks. The Steel were trailing most of the game, but came back late in the third quarter, being the first team to lead against Jacksonville in 2017. The Steel continued their lead and recovered the game-securing fumble in the end zone for a touchback with less than a minute to go, beating Jacksonville 44-37.
No. 3: Columbus Lions @ Lehigh Valley Steelhawks Playoff Edition
It was do-or-die, go big or go home, or whatever you want to say, but there was no more losing for either team as the Lions traveled up to Allentown, PA to face the Steelhawks for the first-ever playoff game of the NAL.
The Lions were showing a football team how to give a game away early, allowing 21 points before scoring anything. The second quarter got a little better for Columbus, but still fell short at halftime.
A back and forth third quarter gave Columbus the strength to find ways to score, leading to an impressive comeback in the fourth quarter. One issue for Columbus was that Lehigh Valley could kick a deuce to send the game into overtime. The kickoff was a squib kick into the crowd and ended the game 52-50 with Columbus taking over and advancing to the NAL Championship game.
No. 2: Columbus Lions @ Jacksonville Sharks
The big game finally arrived and the last teams to survive were about to face each other in the championship game. The Columbus Lions were battling the Jacksonville Sharks for a third consecutive championship victory.
The game went off to a slow start for Columbus, but also went a little slow for Jacksonville, too. Jacksonville scored 13 points in the first half while Columbus scored no points.
Columbus finally scored on their opening drive of the second half. Jacksonville doing what they do best kills the clock in the third quarter. The Sharks killed the clock in the third quarter, but also scored a touchdown to make it even tougher for the Lions to come back.
The fourth quarter was intense for all fans at the game and watching at home. The Lions started to score while the Sharks started to step back and let the clock wind down. That works when you’re in the lead, but not when it is a close game.
About three minutes to go in the game, Jacksonville throws an interception in the end zone that would have secured a victory for them. The Lions ran the ball, Jacksonville used all their timeouts, and the Lions ran the ball again. With the score being 27-21 with less than 30 seconds left when Columbus about to score to win, Jacksonville showed a lot of panic.
With 11 seconds left, the snap was botched, and Jacksonville recovered the ball at their own nine yard line.
NAL Top Five: No. 1 – Columbus Lions @ Lehigh Valley Steelhawks
On April 9, 2017, the Columbus Lions went up to face the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks in a regular season battle. The Lions were still figuring each other out at the time, having a 2-1 start before this game.
The game started out real slow for Columbus just like their second game against each other. The Lions were very slow to get on the board and keep up with the Steelhawks. The first quarter came to an end with Lehigh Valley on top 21-6, looking like they would have the game done and over with already.
The second quarter started and the Lions were starting their comeback. They were scoring points while the Steelhawks were stepping off of the gas pedal. The Lions were the first to score in the second quarter, the Steelhawks scored next, and then the Lions finished the half with a touchdown. The score at halftime is 28-20 with the Steelhawks still on top, but not by much this time.
The third quarter was the most exciting for Lions fans because they found a way to stop or at least minimize the Steelhawks offense from scoring. The Lions found something offensively as they got some long touchdown passes. The score to close the third quarter is 35-33 with the Steelhawks hanging on by a thread.
This is the main reason why this game is at number one. The fourth quarter started with a very close game and great comeback by Columbus and it ended a very close game.
The final quarter was finally under way and we’re about to see who can finish strong without any panic. The Lions continued their rhythm offensively, but so did the Steelhawks. The Lehigh Valley offense had to do something if they wanted to stay in this fight because their defense wasn’t going to win this game for them.
After many scores from both teams, we are finally down to the final minute of the game. The Lions were on defense with just more than a minute to go while they are down 47-53. Their defense stopped the Steelhawks and forced them to attempt a field goal. The Steelhawks missed what could’ve been the game-winning field goal.
The Lions take over with 44 seconds left at their own five yard line. The Lions score a touchdown in 25 seconds, leaving the clock to 19 seconds for Lehigh Valley to do something. The score at this point is 54-53 with the Lions in the lead and first lead-change of the game.
Lehigh Valley lets the clock go down to seven seconds left at their own 21 yard line. They take one more snap and throw the ball deep to about the Lions 10 yard line and quickly runs the ball in the end zone after the catch, scoring the game-winning touchdown with two seconds left. The kickoff is a squib kick right down the middle, ending the game with Lehigh Valley getting a close victory over the Columbus Lions 60-54.
Statistics
Lehigh Valley Steelhawks
Quarterback Warren Smith Jr. threw 23-of-41 for 234 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. Not only did he do that, he threw the game-winning touchdown pass.
Smith Jr. also lead the team in rushing with three carries for 38 yards and one touchdown.
Wide Receiver Warren Oliver had nine catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns.
Brandon Renford for the Steelhawks Wide Receivers had an impressive eight catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns.
Columbus Lions
Quarterback Darren Daniel threw 28-of-45 for 285 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Daniel also lead the Lions in rushing with five carries for 16 yards and two touchdowns.
Wide Receiver Jarmon Fortson had nine catches for 116 yards and one touchdown.
Michael Reeve for the Wide Receivers had eight catches for 92 yards and four touchdowns.
Individual Winners
For the Quarterback position, the winner of this battle goes to Smith Jr., throwing the game-winning touchdown and throwing for more yards and more touchdowns than Daniel did.
Smith Jr. also out-numbered Daniel for rushing, getting over double what Daniel did. Smith Jr. did his 38 yards in three carries while Daniel did 16 yards in five carries.
The winner for the Wide Receivers has to go to Renford. His 106 yards came out to be what won the game for Lehigh Valley. Without the additional 34 yards on the final offensive play, Renford wouldn’t have won this battle, but his hustle on the final play and in the final 10 yard sprint really showed that he could out-perform any other receiver in this fight.
Top Five Recap
Monterrey Steel were looking like they were going to take the cake with the most top games of the season, but the Columbus Lions took that away from them, getting the three toughest games, number three, number two, and number one. Is it safe to say that the Lions had the toughest schedule of the NAL? Comment what you thought of this series and the list.
Did your team make the NAL Top Five list? What would your top five games of 2017 be? Be sure to comment. We would be more than likely to hear what you have to say.
