Eirball.Football – Irish Australian Football Archive

Recap

Report

Albany Empire won the 2022 NAL Championship in blistering fashion, reeling off 41 unanswered points after Carolina Cobras took a 7-6 lead. Albany quarterback Sam Castronova fired six touchdown passes at the appropriately-named MVP Arena in New York State to make the Empire back-to-back NAL Champions. Even though Albany were 47-7 up after three quarters the never-say-die Cobras punched back with a Zack Brown Fumble Recovery in the Endzone and a 38-yard Adam Smith Touchdown catch but time ran out for the Cobras as the Empire prevailed 47-20 thanks to a 3-yard TD run by Castronova less than two minuters into the game; a catch from Aaron Wascha for a 13-7 Albany lead after a 3-yard Kendrick Ings TD pass; Aaron Wascha scored a second TD catch and another TD pass from Castronova as well as a 10-yard Darius Prince TD put Albany 34-7 ahead. Two more TD passes by Castronova for Albany put the game beyond doubt: to Marquel Wade a lineman Cornelius Lewis to give the Empire an unassailable 47-7 lead at the end of the third quarter. [Reference: 10]

Schedule References

[1] National Arena League (2021) Standings – Regular Season 2022 [Internet] Available from: https://www.nationalarenaleague.com/stats#/1200/standings?division_id=15180&render=division [Accessed 23 December 2021]

[2] National Arena League (2021) Schedule 2022 [Internet] Available from: https://www.nationalarenaleague.com/stats#/1200/schedule?all&division_id=15180 [Accessed 23 December 2021]

[10] National Arena League (2022) Empire Conquer Cobras 47-20 in NAL Championship [Internet] Available from: https://www.nationalarenaleague.com/news/empire-conquer-cobras-47-20-in-nal-championship [Accessed 27 September 2022]

Logo references

[3] Albany Empire Facebook (2021) Profile Picture, April 21, 2021 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/AlbanyEmpireNAL/photos/a.114119940511473/224039989519467/ [Accessed 23 December 2021][Actual Logo Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/175722931_224039992852800_3153126319118634559_n.png?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=ohlvircLPMoAX_F9cMm&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT90KU5WOVOZR4Y8VkZsjP154jfk_OubmKE2B2R0ka4eWg&oe=61E834C7 ][Accessed 23 December 2021]

[4] Carolina Cobras Facebook (2021) Profile Picture, January 30, 2019 [Internet] Available from:https://www.facebook.com/CARCOBRAS/photos/a.729681523895324/1018696151660525/ [Accessed 23 December 2021][Actual Logo Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/51150903_1018696154993858_4453961032473247744_n.png?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=hIm2yhgPPcYAX_v7TQx&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT9oPksC5cZ3I_mCfXQwS3923TLy2BqZN6BqlfrhS6VP2Q&oe=61E961A6 ][Accessed 23 December 2021]