KATS CRUISE 68-30 AT WASHINTON FOR 8TH IN A ROW TO CLINCH AF1 SEMIFINAL HOME PLAYOFF BERTH

KATS CRUISE 68-30 AT WASHINTON FOR 8TH IN A ROW TO CLINCH AF1 SEMIFINAL HOME PLAYOFF BERTH

EVERETT, WASH. -- The Nashville Kats traveled to the great northwest the first weekend in July to make sure they would stay at home the first weekend of August.

With Friday’s 68-30 win at the Washington Wolfpack, the Kats (10-1) clinched a bye in the first round of the AF1 playoffs July 25-26 and guaranteed a home semifinal playoff game Aug. 1-2 at F&M Bank Arena in downtown Clarksville.

Dates and times have yet to be determined. The semifinal winners advance to the AF1 Arena Crown championship game on Aug. 8-9 at a site to be announced.

The Kats still sit atop the AF1 heading into the last game of the regular season on Saturday at Albany at 6 p.m. CDT. The Firebirds (8-2) sit in second place heading into a Sunday night game at the Beaumont Renegades.

A loss Sunday by Albany would clinch the No. 1 overall playoff seed for the Kats regardless of Saturday’s outcome versus Albany.

The Kats’ defense was the star of the show led by defensive back Omari Alexander with four interceptions, while Amos Coleman II added another pick. The Wolfpack had only 138 yards of total offense with nine first downs on 44 plays.

The Kats’ offense was led by quarterback Tyler Kulka, who completed 20 of 33 passes for 368 yards and five TDs. The Kats had 394 yards of total offense on 43 plays and 15 first downs.

The Washington Wolfpack (5-6) are now tied for fifth in the AF1 standings with the Michigan Arsenal (5-6). The top six teams make the AF1 playoffs with seeds Nos. 3-6 playing July 25-26.

Winners of eight games in a row, the Kats swept the season series versus the Wolfpack. The Kats beat Washington 45-3 in the season opener at home on April 25.

The first half was full of fireworks. The game started looking like it would be a back-and-forth shootout as both teams scored on their first two possessions. Nashville got the ball first and wasted no time scoring a touchdown as Tyler Kulka hit Kendyl Williams for a touchdown. Nashville missed the extra point. 

Quarterback Jaiave Magalei returned to the Wolfpack lineup after missing time with a broken non-throwing hand. He looked like he hadn’t missed a step at all as he connected on four passes in the first drive. The last pass was a 10-yard throw to Deshon Williams for a touchdown to give the Wolfpack a 7-6 lead. 

Six plays later, Nashville took the lead back as Malik Honeycutt ran for a five-yard touchdown to take a 13-7 lead. Byron Edwards didn’t allow Nashville to lead for long, returning the kickoff for a touchdown. The Wolfpack missed their extra point, tying the game up at 13-13. On Nashville’s next drive, Donyai Dixon punched the ball free, and Edwards recovered it, giving the Wolfpack the ball back going into the second quarter.

Magalei was pressured more often in the second quarter. That didn’t stop him from evading pressure and running for a touchdown to take a 20-13 lead. The constant pressure on Magalei didn’t let up. The Wolfpack did not get back into the end zone the rest of the quarter. Meanwhile, Nashville scored on three consecutive drives and got a safety to extend their lead to 35-20 at halftime. 

To start the second half, the Wolfpack weren’t able to get a hold of the kickoff, and the Nashville Kats recovered the ball for a touchdown, adding to the Wolfpack deficit, 41-20. After Magalei was injured, Coach JR Wells turned to quarterback Andrew McBride on the next drive. McBride played for the Beaumont Renegades earlier this year and has only been with the Wolfpack for a few days. Right after McBride threw an interception, Donyai Dixon got the ball right back, intercepting Tyler Kulka on the very next play. McBride threw another interception, his third of the day. 

Nashville kept their foot on the gas, scoring with 13 minutes left in the game to extend their lead to 61-20. Andrew Boyle hit a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. On the kickoff after, Dixon ripped the ball away from Coleman and returned it down to the two yard-line. McBride ran the ball in from the two-yard line to cut into the Kats’ lead, 61-30. A touchdown run by Maxwell extended the Kats’ lead to 68-30. 

For the regular season, the Kats finished 7-0 at home, including last Saturday’s win over Beaumont. Other home wins include the season opener April 14 versus the Michigan Arsenal (78-40), April 27 over the Washington Wolfpack (45-3), May 9 against the Oregon Lightning (64-21), May 16 versus the Oceanside Bombers (63-49), June 13 versus the Minnesota Monsters (48-32) and June 20 against the Albany Firebirds (78- 69).

(Justin Mark of the Washington Wolfpack contributed to this story.)