Final Standings

Note: Standings calculated automatically from results – for Official NAL Standings please visit the National Arena League Standings webpage at: Reference: [1][See below for References]

Playoff Schedule

For Official NAL Schedule please visit the National Arena League Schedule webpage at: Reference: [2][See below for References]

Schedule

For Official NAL Schedule please visit the National Arena League Schedule webpage at: Reference: [2][See below for References]

Weekly Recap

Week 1 (23 April 2022)

There were three close games in week 1 of the 2022 National Arena League all decided by a converted touchdown. Columbus Lions defeated Jacksonville Sharks 56-49, Carolina Cobras won 59-51 at Albany Empire, and Orlando Predators prevailed 44-36 against San Antonio Gunslingers in Texas [References: 1-2]

Week 2 (30 April 2022)

In a match-up between two 1-0 teams Carolina Cobras had an easier than expected 48-26 victory over Orlando Predators. Two 0-1 teams met in Florida where Albany Empire won by a single point (61-60) at Jacksonville Sharks. Columbus Lions joined Carolina Cobras on 2-0 after defeating San Antonio Gunslingers 46-45, leaving the Texas expansion team 0-2. [References: 1-2]

Week 3 (7 May 2022)

Carolina Cobras moved to 3-0 with a 53-48 defeat of Jacksonville Sharks who fall to 0-3. In a battle of two 1-1 teams Albany Empire prevailed with a 78-61 victory over Orlando Predators [References: 1-2]

Week 4 (14 May 2022)

In two match-ups between undefeated teams playing winless teams Jacksonville Sharks (1-3) gained their first victory of the season, 49-20, versus Columbus Lions (2-1), who suffered their first defeat. In a much closer game Orlando Predators (1-3) lost 34-36 to Carolina Cobras (4-0). [References: 1-2]

Week 5 (20-22 May 2022)

Carolina Cobras moved to 5-0 scoring over double the San Antonio Gunslingers points with a 72-35 victory while Albany Empire destroyed Jacksonville Sharks 62-29 to move to 3-1. [References: 1-2]

Week 6 (28 May 2022)

Albany Empire (4-1) defeated Columbus Lions (2-2) 39-31 as Jacksonville Sharks (3-4) defeated a previously undefeated team for the second time in three weeks as they sneaked by Carolina Cobras (5-1) 59-57 in a high-scoring game. Meanwhile in Florida Orlando Predators heaped more misery on San Antonio Gunslingers, winning 63-52 in the battle of the bottom two teams. [References: 1-2]

Week 7 (3-5 June 2022)

Orlando Predators (3-3) capitalised on their first win of the season the previous week to win again, 48-44, versus Columbus Lions (2-3). Jacksonville Sharks again managed to both score big and ship big as they narrowly defeated San Antonio Gunslingers 72-67 to move to 3-4. Meanwhile in Upsate New York, Albany Empire (4-2) fell 50-58 to Carolina Cobras (6-1) in a possible Championship decider. [References: 1-2]

Weeks 8-14 (10 June-23 July 2022)

By the end of the Regular Season Albany Empire had clinched the Regular Season title with an 8-4 record, matching their 4-2 start for the second half of the season. The Empire just finished ahead of Carolina Cobras (9-5) on winning percentage (0.667 to 0.643) with Columbus Lions a close third on 7-5. Carolina had stumbled over the second half of the season, going 3-4 after a 6-1 start. Columbus went 5-2 in the second half to put themselves in Championship contention. Jacksonville Sharks (7-7) also made the playoffs as they went 4-3 in the second half with San Antonio Gunslingers (4-8) and Orlando Predators (3-9) the two teams eliminated from the Playoffs. [References: 1-2]

Playoffs (30 July 2022)

With homefield advantage Albany Empire squeezed by Jacksonville Sharks 68-67 in a high scoring encounter to advance to the NAL Championship Game where they were to meet Carolina Cobras who won 65-51 versus Columbus Lions in a similar high-scoring game at Greensboro, North Carolina.

NAL Championship (13 August 2022)

Albany Empire won the 2022 NAL Championship in blistering fashion, reeling off 41 unanswered points after Carolina Cobras took a 7-6 lead. Albany quarterback Sam Castronova fired six touchdown passes at the appropriately-named MVP Arena in New York State to make the Empire back-to-back NAL Champions. Even though Albany were 47-7 up after three quarters the never-say-die Cobras punched back with a Zack Brown Fumble Recovery in the Endzone and a 38-yard Adam Smith Touchdown catch but time ran out for the Cobras as the Empire prevailed 47-20 thanks to a 3-yard TD run by Castronova less than two minuters into the game; a catch from Aaron Wascha for a 13-7 Albany lead after a 3-yard Kendrick Ings TD pass; Aaron Wascha scored a second TD catch and another TD pass from Castronova as well as a 10-yard Darius Prince TD put Albany 34-7 ahead. Two more TD passes by Castronova for Albany put the game beyond doubt: to Marquel Wade a lineman Cornelius Lewis to give the Empire an unassailable 47-7 lead at the end of the third quarter. [Reference: 10]

Map of USA showing NAL 2022 Team Locations

2022 National Arena League Preview

After a reduced schedule of 8 games in 2021 due to Covid-19 concerns, the National Arena League has scheduled a full 14-week schedule with each team playing 12 games for 2022. Jersey Flight have left the league after finishing 2-6 in 2021 and have been replaced by San Antonio Gunslingers, giving the NAL a footprint in Texas. Albany Empire shall be defending the title they won in 2021 with a 7-1 record and two 2-Touchdown victories in the playoffs: 79-62 versus Columbus Lions in the Championship Game after a 55-41 defeat of Carolina Cobras in the Semi-Finals. With four of the six teams playing in the postseason playoffs, each team shall fancy their chances of making it beyond the regular season, with San Antonio and Jacksonville Sharks (2-6 in 2021) targetting the playoff places won by Orlando Predators (4-4 in 2021) and Carolina Cobras (3-5 in 2021). Columbus Lions (6-2 in 2021) and Albany Empire should be favourites to reach the playoffs again.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CONTRIBUTOR

Wangkun Jia Item ID: 2055516044

ABOUT THE NAL

The National Arena Football is a AAA (Third Level) American Football League based primarily in the Northeastern & Southern States of the USA. It is one of 2 AAA Arena Indoor Football Leagues in the USA, the other being the Indoor Football League (Midwest and West).

ABOUT ARENA / INDOOR FOOTBALL

Indoor (also known as Arena) Football plays an 8 v 8 version of American Football on a converted Ice Hockey Rink 50-yards long with 2 10 -yard endzones. Teams have 5 downs (attempts) to score or the ball is turned over – 3 of which must be passing plays. It is therefore a higher scoring game than standard 11 v 11 American Football. The main difference between Arena Football and Indoor Football is that there is no rebound net either side of the goalposts in Indoor Football. Arena Football rules allow the ball stay in play when it comas back off the rebound nets.

References

Schedule References

[1] National Arena League (2021) Standings – Regular Season 2022 [Internet] Available from: https://www.nationalarenaleague.com/stats#/1200/standings?division_id=15180&render=division [Accessed 11 June 2022][Last Accessed 27 September 2022]

[2] National Arena League (2021) Schedule 2022 [Internet] Available from: https://www.nationalarenaleague.com/stats#/1200/schedule?all&division_id=15180 [Accessed 23 December 2021][Last Accessed 27 September 2022]

Logo References

[3] Albany Empire Facebook (2021) Profile Picture, April 21, 2021 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/AlbanyEmpireNAL/photos/a.114119940511473/224039989519467/ [Accessed 23 December 2021][Actual Logo Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/175722931_224039992852800_3153126319118634559_n.png?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=ohlvircLPMoAX_F9cMm&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT90KU5WOVOZR4Y8VkZsjP154jfk_OubmKE2B2R0ka4eWg&oe=61E834C7 ][Accessed 23 December 2021]

[4] Carolina Cobras Facebook (2021) Profile Picture, January 30, 2019 [Internet] Available from:https://www.facebook.com/CARCOBRAS/photos/a.729681523895324/1018696151660525/ [Accessed 23 December 2021][Actual Logo Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/51150903_1018696154993858_4453961032473247744_n.png?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=hIm2yhgPPcYAX_v7TQx&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT9oPksC5cZ3I_mCfXQwS3923TLy2BqZN6BqlfrhS6VP2Q&oe=61E961A6 ][Accessed 23 December 2021]

[5] Columbus Lions Facebook (2021) Profile Picture, January 5 2021 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/Lionsfootball/photos/a.394426010611320/3553889807998242/ [Accessed 23 December 2021][Actual Logo Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/135232744_3553889814664908_5635971999624288916_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=8Z9JZ2zOO9MAX-qI9qp&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT8NNz6e5afjgI29U5LzGzVHTiZQJ-wt7mNigAdqWfu1Hw&oe=61E9CE0B ][Accessed 23 December 2021]

[6] Jacksonville Sharks Facebook (2021) Profile Picture, April 8, 2021 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/jaxsharks/photos/a.447633111742/10158252413896743/ [Accessed 23 December 2021][Actual Logo Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/171575270_10158252413901743_5558377385564098303_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=NHluAl2NqAYAX_X6GGB&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT-1F6HsHx4X-w7Z2zbvhrur29bz3TGNwdd4-DxEAN_F3g&oe=61E9AB9A ][Accessed 23 December 2021]

[7] Orlando Predators Facebook (2020) Profile Picture, November 22, 2020 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/PredatorsNAL/photos/a.111663323669188/216208296548023/ [Accessed 23 December 2021][Actual Logo Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/127025930_216208299881356_1495890677339676587_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=B6aAth-qw-sAX8jcA7g&tn=7uF7rGUPgPXI7zGG&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT8y49iFCKl8yfkyiCKbxhPZiWaomzkjW2HiUzVybSmReA&oe=61E85DBC][Accessed 23 December 2021]

[8] San Antonio Gunslingers Facebook (2021) Profile Picture, April 5, 2020 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/210sagunslingers/photos/a.107469927582326/107588840903768/  [Accessed 23 December 2021][Actual Logo Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/92099595_107588847570434_4538398238381703168_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=nj11ENCAd8oAX-aUQw4&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT9PpdfDGBgOlDXck_mgS9hfmlojTW60qccrmQz39fHqzA&oe=61E95ACB ][Accessed 23 December 2021]

NAL Championship Report Reference

[10] National Arena League (2022) Empire Conquer Cobras 47-20 in NAL Championship [Internet] Available from: https://www.nationalarenaleague.com/news/empire-conquer-cobras-47-20-in-nal-championship [Accessed 27 September 2022]

IMAGES

[9] National Arena League (2018) logo [Internet] Available from: http://www.nationalarenaleague.com/images/logo.png [Accessed 26 November 2019]

[1] Sutterstock / Wangkun Jia (2019) Amway Center, Orlando [Internet] Available from: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/orlando-jan-24-2019-amway-center-2055516044 [Accessed 24 December 2021]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Todd Zboyan & Tim Leadingham.

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 27 September 2022

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2022

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved. The Logos and Photos used in this article remain the property of the organisations and individuals which own the copyright and are used here for educational and information purposes only.