NATIONAL ARENA LEAGUE
FOOTBALL
National Arena League
menuESPINOSA, REECE AND ROSS TAKE HOME WEEKLY HONORS FOR THE LIONS
COLUMBUS, GA— Following a dominant victory on Saturday against the Jacksonville Sharks, a number of players received awards for their performances. Mason Espinosa was named the NAL Offensive Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week for the Columbus Lions. Marvin Ross was named the NAL Defensive Player of the Week and Air Force Reserve Defensive Player of the Week for the Columbus Lions. Desmond Reece received the AllState Catch of the Week for his touchdown grab.
In Saturday’s win, Espinosa led the way for the offense with 24 completions on 37 attempts for 262 yards and six touchdowns. Five of those touchdown passes from Espinosa came in the first half as the Lions jumped out to a big lead at halftime. This was Espinosa’s fourth game in a row with over five touchdown passes and it marked the first time this season that he received the NAL Offensive Player of the Week award.
On the defensive side, it was the four turnovers forced by the Lions defense that played a big role in Saturday’s victory and Marvin Ross was a force to be reckoned with on that defense, with three interceptions on the night. This was Ross’s first game with an interception since the season opening loss to the Empire and now the former First-Team All-NAL selection has four on the season, which leads the NAL.
Desmond Reece was one of three Lions players with a receiving touchdown on Saturday as Espinosa was finding his receivers all over the field. Reece’s diving touchdown grab was one of the highlights of the game and put the Lions up 32-12 late in the second quarter. Recce finished the game with three catches for 46 yards and the one touchdown. That catch was his sixth touchdown of the season, good for 7th most in the NAL.
The full stream of Saturday’s game against the Sharks with Jared Dillard and Aidan Kowalski on commentary can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6M8tyZYwG8.
The Lions will hope to carry this momentum with the next week as they travel to Greensboro to take on the Carolina Cobras on June 26. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. EST. The game can be watched live with CTV Beam, at https://www.nationalarenaleague.com/home or on the NAL’s official Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSzSD8STXiEVPVtUDO9juhA.
ABOUT THE COLUMBUS LIONS
The Columbus Lions are members of the National Arena League (NAL). Founded in 2007, the Columbus Lions are starting their 15th season in 2021. The Lions are a 3x league champion and 13 playoff appearances in their rich history. The Lions play their home games at Hughston Field in the Columbus Civic Center. Lions Season Ticket Memberships are on sale now call (706) 322-3336 or visit columbuslions.com. Follow the Lions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lionsfootball/, twitter @columbuslions and instagram.com/Columbuslions.
ABOUT NATIONAL ARENA LEAGUE
The National Arena League was founded in 2016 and hosted its inaugural season in 2017 as the premier league in arena football. The National Arena League will kick off its fifth season in 2021. For more information regarding expansion opportunities or partnerships, contact Commissioner Chris Siegfried at chris@nationalarenaleague.com For more information about the NAL visit www.nationalarenaleague.com, facebook.com/nationalarenaleauge, twitter.com/NALfootball, Instagram.com/nationalarenaleague.