Injury Report: Week 12

ATLANTA, GA – The National Arena League enters week 12 with more great matches as our first game kicks off Saturday, June 24 as the Battle for Texas continues between rival San Antonio Gunslingers (7-1) and West Texas Warbirds (2-7) in this heated in-state rivalry. The game is set for 6pm (CST) 5pm (EST) at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, TX. Last week, the Warbirds flew back into the game on a major comeback and were just points away from stunning the #1 ranked Gunslingers but San Antonio came away with the win 55-49. The Gunslingers currently master the rivalry 2-0 but both matchups have come within single digit margins. Expect game three of the Battle of Texas to be just as thrilling as the Gunslingers look to hold on to that #1 seed gaining closer each week to the postseason. Following the weekend, Monday Night Football returns to Arena Football with a very great matchup the #2 ranked Jacksonville Sharks (6-2) take on the #3 ranked Carolina Cobras (5-3) Monday, June 26 at the Vystar Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL with kickoff at 7pm. The Cobras fuel up for their third straight road game with their last game resulting in an upset loss to Orlando. Now the Cobras have a chance in North Florida to not only gain a win but tie the Sharks as both teams will be tied at 6-3. However for the Cobras to catch a breakthrough on their long NAL road tour they will have to take down the Sharks who are on a four-game win streak and playing in their notorious home arena “The Shark Tank.” Fans can expect two really good arena football games in week 12. Teams that will not see action this week are the Orlando Predators (3-5) and the Fayetteville Mustangs (4-4) as they are both scheduled for bye weeks in week 12. See full injury reports for the teams facing action.  

SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS (7-1)
Coach Shaw and his Gunslingers continue to blaze through the NAL season finding ways to win against their opponents and staying strong on top as the only one-loss team in the NAL standings. This will be their third matchup against the Warbirds at home as it is hard to beat any team three times in a season the pressures leans more on the Gunslingers than the Warbirds as many top seeds hope for the Gunslingers to fall out of the number one spot playoff seed. This game will be a great opportunity for San Antonio to reaffirm to all NAL teams their dominant season, their dominance in this rivalry against a familiar opponent as the post-season expectations loom. The #1 seed is currently for the Gunslingers to grasp or let it slip no team has a better record going into week 12. See full injury report as the Gunslingers look to defend their home turf and near-perfect record.


DB - Kyle Chandler (Out, Concussion)

DL - Justin Alexandre (Questionable, Shoulder)

WR/DB - Darius Banks (Questionable, Ribs)


WEST TEXAS WARBIRDS (2-7)
Coach Smith and his Warbirds have proven that they are much better than their record and are becoming a NAL upset favorite as they may be the late-season spoiler team this year as many top teams in the past have been knocked down a seed or completely out of the playoff race by scrappy talented teams with losing records. The Warbirds appear to fit the mold and after two close games against the Gunslingers it wouldn't be too stunning if this is the week the Warbirds finally put a loss in that near-perfect San Antonio record. One factor is the Warbirds star LB/WR Trevon Shorts who had a freak performance last week dominating on both sides of the ball if he continues to be a playmaker this week we may see this game fall in favor of the Warbirds regardless of records because when it comes to rivalries, there is tremendous pride involved. Look out for another great Texas rivalry game. See battle report from Coach Smith.

DB/LB - Dorell Brown (Out, Season-Ending Injury)

CAROLINA COBRAS (5-3)
Coach Fuller and his Cobras have faced a long stretch of road games you can’t help but to think the players and coaches can’t wait to get back to the Snake Pit where the team has a 3-1 record. Lately the Cobras have had record highs and record lows in the last few weeks whether it's the road that wearing on them, long season fatigue, or teams are starting the figure out these impressive Cobras it will be very interesting to see which Cobras team shows up to Jacksonville on Monday night. Will it be 86-point force of nature we saw in West Texas? Or the turnover prone squad that fell to the Predators (3-5) in Orlando. Good or bad their opponent this week is the same a menacing #2 Jacksonville Sharks (6-2) perhaps one of their toughest opponents of the season. To make matters even tougher Jacksonville activated their franchise All-NAL receiver Devin Wilson who will make his 2023 debut after leading the Sharks in receiving for the last several seasons. Going into this game Jacksonville appears to be overstocked with the talent, Carolina will have to play smart and reduce turnovers to take a great shot at hurting the Sharks season as Jacksonville hasn’t had as much success at home at 2-2 they are not indestructible. A Cobras victory could shake up playoff scenarios in the weeks moving forward.

The Cobras have no injuries to report this week.


JACKSONVILLE SHARKS (6-2)
Coach Gibson and the Jacksonville Sharks are swimming forward on a four-game win streak beating four different opponents in their wake (Empire, Gunslingers, Mustangs, Warbirds) and they do not look like they are slowing down as some teams have weaken due to injury and fatigue the Sharks seem to be getting stronger circling the league transactions reloading their ranks with even more talent on both sides of the ball than they had at the start of the season. With a strong home crowd and fierce opponent Monday night may prove to be a perfect playoff preview of what the ever-evolving Jacksonville Sharks can do. See Coach Gibson’s injury report.

QB - Conor Blount (Out, Season-Ending Injury)

WR/LB - Khalil McClain (Out, Season-Ending Injury)

K - Marc Orozco (Out, Season-Ending Injury)

OL/DL - Justin Carter (Out, Short-Term Injury Reserve)

Check out both week 12 games online at nationalarenaleague.com or visit the league’s YouTube channel for current and past games.  



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. 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