Playoff Spot, Bragging Rights, On the Line in Keystone Collision

July 25,2014
By MIKEY WONSOVER
The AFL season is winding down.
With just one week left in the regular season, the playoff picture is coming into focus. The matchups of Arizona versus Portland, San Jose versus Spokane, and Orlando versus Pittsburgh are already set for the 2014 AFL Postseason. But the last wildcard spot and No. 4 seed in the American Conference is still up for grabs.
The Philadelphia Soul (9-8) and the Tampa Bay Storm (8-9) have everything riding on the last week of the season. With a win or Storm loss, the Soul can clinch the last playoff spot. But if Tampa Bay wins and Philadelphia falls, the Storm can steal the final wildcard spot. If this late-season drama wasn’t enough for the Soul, they will be playing their last game of the regular season in enemy territory against one of the hottest teams in the League.
Philadelphia will make the five-hour trip to Pittsburgh on Saturday in the ninth meeting in Keystone Collision history. The Soul held a 4-2 advantage in the series heading into this year, but the Power have turned the tables this season. The game between the two Pennsylvania teams is unlike the regular week-to-week AFL matchups.
“There certainly is a different atmosphere,” Power head coach Ron James said of the Keystone Collision rivalry. “There are a couple aspects to it when you’re playing an in-state rival in your own division. The biggest aspect of it is that it juices up the crowd. When we go down there, the Philadelphia crowd really likes to see Pittsburgh take their lumps so to speak. I think it’s the same thing here for our Pittsburgh crowd. They like to get after the Philadelphia folks as well. We’ve played them twice already, both were fantastic football games.”
The Power have won the previous two games against the Soul this season by a combined nine points. Pittsburgh took the first game 65-57 in Week 8, thanks to an eight-touchdown-to-no-interception performance by Power quarterback Tommy Grady. The Week 14 matchup was an instant classic.
Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh put Philadelphia up 56-54 after a three-yard touchdown pass to V’Keon Lacey with just 35 seconds left in the game. A failed onside kick by the Soul gave the Power prime field position at the Philadelphia 13-yard line. That gave kicker Julian Rauch more than enough room to connect on a 23-yard field goal as time expired, giving Pittsburgh a one-point victory. Close losses have doomed the Soul this season.
“We’ve struggled finishing games,” defensive back LaRico Stevenson said. “Not making plays when we’re supposed to make plays. It’s things that we’ve done to ourselves that have really hurt us. Not finishing plays, not catching balls when we’re supposed to, not making tackles when we’re supposed to, blowing coverage. All of the aspects of hurting a team, we’ve done it.”
Stevenson has been on both sides of the Keystone Collision. The five-year AFL veteran spent time with the Power in 2011 and 2012 before joining the Soul during the 2012 season. He endured a breakout season in his first campaign in Philadelphia, finishing with a career-high 74 tackles and seven interceptions in 2013.
“It was a different experience,” Stevenson said of his time in Pittsburgh. “Ever since I’ve been in Philadelphia, it’s a big notch up from where I was at. I love Pittsburgh, but man Philly is totally different. I love it here.”
Having played for both teams in the American East rivalry has given Stevenson a unique perspective.
“When I was there, the rivalry was intense,” Stevenson said. “Now that I’m here, the Pittsburgh fans and Philadelphia Soul fans are totally different. Our fans are great. What I’ve seen since I’ve been here, it’s made me love this game a little bit more every time I play against Pittsburgh. It’s totally different for me. I get pumped up for all the games, they’re all the same to me at the end of the day, but it’s going to be a little bit more for this one right here because of who we’re playing.”
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have had remarkably different seasons. The Soul have the richer history of the two teams, winning the ArenaBowl in 2008 and reaching the championship game in 2012 and 2013, but Pittsburgh has flipped the script this season. The Power are in the midst of a franchise-record 11-game winning streak, with their last loss coming in Week 7 to a then-undefeated Cleveland Gladiators squad. Pittsburgh has the third-most wins in the League this season with a record of 14-3, while Philadelphia has yet to clinch a playoff spot. The turnaround season for Pittsburgh has had a monumental affect on the football-crazed city.
“I think it’s got to feel great for the organization and our fan base,” James said. “For me, I don’t know any different. I’m used to being in tough divisions out in the West with Spokane, Arizona, and San Jose, and now with Cleveland and Philadelphia. It’s great competition and I love it. Hopefully our fans get something special out of it. The fans here in Pittsburgh are rabid football fans. They’ve really been pining away for a winner here in the AFL and finally we’ve been able to give that to them. I know it’s been a special season for our fan base and our ownership group. We’re just hopeful that we could push this thing to the limit this year.”
The Soul aren’t accustomed to losing, but the team now has a chip on its shoulder when it matters most.
“It is a different feeling,” Stevenson said. “We are predominately one of the top teams. This year injuries and not finishing games has hurt us. Now that we’re at the bottom, scratching and fighting for the top, we want it much more. It makes your team hungrier, it makes us closer, it makes us know what are goals are. We want to beat this team much more.”
Rivalries are intense. Emotions run high, physicality is prevalent, and aggressive play is the norm, but on-field animosity won’t get in the way of a cherished friendship between the opposing head coaches.
“For me it’s always special when we play Philadelphia because one of my former players, Clint Dolezel, is the head coach at Philadelphia,” said James, who coached Dolezel in stints with the Houston ThunderBears and Las Vegas Gladiators. “I know Clint and his family real well. It’s always fun to play those guys. It’s always fun to compete against your friends.”
The Keystone Collision goes beyond the state of Pennsylvania. The entire AFL and its fan base will benefit from what is becoming one of the best rivalries in the game.
“It’s very important for us, for the League, and for the fans. It’s a great rivalry,” Stevenson said. “Pittsburgh has been real good this year, one of the top teams. We right now are trying to get to the playoffs. There are players on our team that have been in situations like this with a playoff atmosphere. We’re ready for it. With this game, it’s exciting right now, I’m telling you. It’s going to be a good game this weekend.”