The semifinal matchup between the Salina Liberty and the Albany Firebirds will feature the league’s highest-producing offense and highest-producing defense. The Firebirds get the benefit of hosting this game in front of a hungry, rowdy fanbase. It has been nearly a month since there was a game at MVP Arena, and it will be rocking.
Albany’s Rapid-Fire Offense
The Firebird offense has been untouchable throughout the entire season. The offense averages over 50 points per game, largely due to the contributions of quarterback Jake Medlock and wide receiver Darius Prince. It is no secret that these two guys run the offense. Between Medlock and Prince, they lead the league in a dozen offensive categories.
Together, and with the contributions of the rest of the receiving core, they attack the field vertically with great success. More often than not, deep ball, one-on-one matchups will go in favor of the Firebirds.
Darius Prince is on top of all receiving categories in the league and is good for almost 24 points per game. So, the emphasis is going to be on him, but what contributors might fly under the radar? Likely, it will be Darien Townsend and Phillip Barnett.
These two talents have had the misfortune of playing behind Prince but have the capacity to be great. Townsend has been the number two and is great for yardage. Barnett has played fewer games and does not get many targets, but he is there when he is needed.
The Firebirds can work from the ground, too. Head Coach Damon Ware has explicitly stated that he believes there is room for designed runs in more than short-yardage situations.
Jake Molonich has been their guy this season, and he is used well within the scheme of the Albany offense. He is a bulldozer and can force the ball forward.
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The Liberty Defense
The shining point of the Salina season has been their defense. In the regular season, they averaged less than 30 points allowed in a game. Lots of credit has to be placed on their linemen.
Henry Kellogg, Justin Foster, and Travis Taylor have the availability to overrun offenses and speed them up. Those three are in the top five for tackles for losses, and two of them are in the top six for sacks.
Medlock, who is highly mobile, will challenge their dominance. However, Medlock has taken a fair amount of sacks over the season (15 sacks over 8 games). Clearly, they will have a chance to break through the Albany offensive line, but the Albany offense is not just predicated on the pass.
They do have the ability to mix in the rush through Jake Molinich, who is a top rusher in the league. He is an eighteen-wheeler coming through the gap, and anybody who puts up four yards per carry deserves special attention from the defense.
Salina’s defensive backfield is going to face a real challenge. The Albany receivers have a deadly vertical attack that is hard to keep up with. Especially considering the Salina defensive backs have been stuck in the middle of the road in the regular season.
Noteworthy DBs include Freddie McGee III, the league leader in interceptions, Deetray Matthews, who leads in tackles, and Rodrick Jarrett, who is very well-rounded at his position. Back in Week 4, Salina allowed the most points of their season against the Outlaws.
In that game, QB Isaac Harker passed for over 180 yards on only 13 completions, showing that the deep ball could take over the DBs.