INJURY REPORT: WEEK 7

Three Matchups in Three States this Weekend

ATLANTA, GA – The National Arena League enters week 7 after a single matchup in week 6 this weekend will bring fans plenty of football with three big matchups in North Carolina, Florida and Texas. Starting off the weekend we have the Carolina Cobras (3-1) hitting the road to face the Fayetteville Mustangs (2-2) with kickoff set for 7pm tonight. Saturday we have two games including the Albany Empire (1-3) versus the Jacksonville Sharks (2-2) in Jacksonville, FL with the game starting at 7pm. Into the midwest we have our second in-state rivalry game with the battle for Texas as the San Antonio Gunslingers (4-0) facing the (1-3) West Texas Warbirds in Odessa, TX. After a tough loss against the Cobras, the Orlando Predators (1-3) will enter a bye week before they play back to back Texas teams following the Orlando bye week. See full injury report below. 

CAROLINA COBRAS (3-1)

The Cobras ranking #2 overall in league standings but their defense is proving to be second to none. This week they will face one of the highest scoring offenses. The Fayetteville Mustangs not only have the second highest score this season (68) they are averaging 49 points a game. The Cobras defense will definitely have the chance to prove themselves this week. Offensively the Cobras have one of the best rushing offenses in the NAL with their diverse range of offensive weapons; last week they scored five rushing touchdowns, a season-high. They scored on the ground with their dual fullback threats in Zack Brown and Kevin Voyles but they also score often on the ground with their mobile quarterback Malik Henry.  See injury report below.

WR/LB - Jalen Rima (Out)

WR/DB - Miles Kelly (Out)

DL/FB - Kevin Voyles (Probable)

FAYETTEVILLE MUSTANGS (2-2)

Coach Gunnings and his Mustangs are at a cross roads with a even record of 2-2 and their in-state rival this game would be victory milestone to show the NAL where the direction the Mustangs are heading. With key talent like quarterback Rakeem Cato and WR/KR Kendrick Ings the Mustangs have the high-powered offense to compete against the Cobras league-leading defense but will the Mustangs defense slow down the Cobras offense led by star quarterback Malik Henry? See Fayetteville injury report. 

WR - Julius Gregory (Out, Knee, Long-Term Injury Reserve)
OL/DL - Jordan Harris (Out, Ankle, Short-Term Injury Reserve)

JACKSONVILLE SHARKS (2-2)

The Jacksonville Sharks and their new head coach Jason Gibson have had great wins and close loses with both of their loses coming from a 1-point difference the Sharks could easily be 4-0. This weekend they will have a chance to get their first home victory and improve their record to 3-2. Coach Gibson seems to have solved his solution at quarterback as Jacksonville has seemed to be holding auditions for the role of quarterback and kicker in past weeks. This week fans will see if Sam Castronova can have the same championship success in Jacksonville as he did in Albany. The Sharks new kicker Carl Meyer will get a shot at keeping the starting role on special teams. See Jacksonville’s injury report. 

QB - Connor Blount (Out, Long-Term Injury Reserve)

ALBANY EMPIRE (1-3)

The Empire have a long trip to Florida but with many players and coaches falling into place the long trip may pay off for chemistry. Recently signed quarterback Jonathan Bane can use every hour he can get learning this new offense and Empire can expect a roaring crowd in Jacksonville but the Sharks have yet to win a home game so we will see if the Empire can continue the Sharks losing streak at home. See full injury report from Menas.

WR - Farrean Toney (Out, Long-Term Injury Reserve)

WR/DB - Nikolas Brassel (Questionable, Knee)

SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS (4-0)
The Gunslingers look to stay undefeated and have a good shot at doing so they face a struggling West Texas Warbirds (1-3). However, the Warbirds recently gained a victory and will look to defend their home turn. The Gunslingers are the #1 team in the NAL week 7 and the #1 team in Texas, Coach Shaw should be confident going into this game even if it is on the road in Warbird territory. The goal for San Antonio is to gain the win and not get too banged up doing so as there are 10 more weeks in the season they will need to reserve their health as they look to be the front runners in the postseason race. Too many injuries may not be worth one victory, this week included. See the Gunslingers injury report. 

OL/DL - Dontae Angus (Out, Foot, Short-Term Injury Reserve)

DL - Justin Alexandre (Questionable, Shoulder)

WR/DB - Arthur Hobbs (Questionable, Foot)

WEST TEXAS WARBIRDS (1-3)

The Warbirds have struggled but after gaining their first win but nothing may keep the spark alive in West Texas more than to win a rival game in Odessa. The Warbirds will have home-field advantage and a bye week may be just want they needed to prepare for their hardest opponent of the season as the Gunslingers are off to their best season in the NAL. Another advantage the Warbirds will have is that they are the healthier team going into this game with only one injury to report. See Coach Smith’s injury report below. 

OL/DL - Talitiga Poloai (Out, Short-Term Injury Reserve)

ORLANDO PREDATORS (1-3)
After a 1-3 start the Predators will have a bye week to reflect and focus on the games ahead as the season is long, the Predators talent pool has improved. Coach Herky has the task of turning this season around in Orlando. The Predators have several injuries to report. 

WR/KR - Darius Prince (Active, Torso)

DL/FB - Freddie Booth (Out, Leg, Short-Term Injury Reserve)

All three games can be watched online at nationalarenaleague.com, fans can also visit the NAL’s YouTube channel to watch the live stream 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