Second-half surge drives Albany Firebirds to ArenaBowl 33; defeat Liberty in semifinals

ALBANY, N.Y. — The #2 Albany Firebirds will advance to ArenaBowl 33 after defeating the #3 Salina Liberty 80-59 behind a strong defensive effort in the second half.

The Firebirds opened the game with a rouge on the kickoff. Both teams fought back and forth early on, as Albany led 44-42 going into halftime.

The Firebirds outscored the Liberty 36-17 in the second half with Salina only scoring five points in the third quarter.

“One more goal has been checked off the list,” Firebirds Head Coach Damon Ware told Arena Insider after the game. “Hats off to Salina Liberty for a hard fought game. We have built a team with great athletes and great character and we knew from training camp we could win it all. Super excited to be in New Jersey and playing the game at American Dream!”

Firebirds quarterback Jake Medlock went 22-30, threw for 269 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Wide receiver Darius Prince led the team with seven receptions, 80 yards and two touchdowns.

Liberty quarterback Charles McCullum Jr was pressured throughout the night and ultimately threw four interceptions and sacked four times. He finished the game going 19-27, 266 yards and five touchdowns.

Firebirds defensive back Markus Smith led the defense with three interceptions – two of the picks resulted in touchdowns.

The Firebirds will play either the Billings Outlaws or Nashville Kats in ArenaBowl 33 on July 19 at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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Anthony Carter

Anthony Carter is the founder and publisher of X1 Media and Arena Insider. Carter grew up in Philadelphia, PA and graduated from Elizabethtown College. He’s a former news anchor, reporter and producer. Carter is also a proud member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). Want to connect with Anthony? Send him an email: acarter@thexonemedia.com

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