Arena football: Outlaws, Blackhawks to battle for coveted No. 2 seed

As the Mathewson Exhibition Center scoreboard dipped to triple zeros last Saturday, drawing an end to the Mid-Missouri Outlaws’ 53-27 win over the visiting Florida Scorpions, the focus immediately shifted to the Iowa Blackhawks.

Without even being prompted, Outlaws head coach Ben Lyles — following a question about Kyle Middleton’s six-touchdown effort in the postgame interview — talked only briefly about his five-year signal-caller before switching the subject.

“I’m pretty excited about the Blackhawks coming next week,” the first-year coach said.

And appropriately so, considering the implications surrounding Saturday’s 7 p.m. showdown at the Mathewson.

In a winner-takes-all setting, up for grabs is the No. 2 seed and home field advantage in the semifinals of the American Professional Football League playoffs.

“It’s a huge game and once again, we’ll be glad to have the home fans supporting us,” Middleton said after last week’s win.

The Blackhawks are 0-2 against Mid-Missouri in Sedalia, where the Outlaws have won 33 of 34 games since their inaugural 2007 campaign.

The track records, though, haven’t phased the Blackhawks, who kept pace with the 5-4 Outlaws last week with a 59-25 win over Springfield.

Talking with Daily Nonpareil sportswriter Tony Boone, Blackhawks quarterback Chuck Wright issued a little bulletin board material following last week’s win:

“We fully expect to win, and we plan to win,” Wright said. “This was merely the stepping stone to get back to play the giant up in Sioux City. We fully expect to go down there and win — no ifs, ands or buts about it.”

Lyles’ response?

“I admire the confidence,” the first-year head coach said. “Any of us that go out there and play or coach expect to win. That’s just the attitude you have to have.

“We’re confident, too. We’re back to the point where we’re playing Outlaw football and we’re ready for that stretch run.”

After a four-game skid that overshadowed a 3-0 start, the Outlaws have won two straight, including a 44-40 come-from-behind win over the Blackhawks on May 28 to keep their aspirations of hosting a playoff game alive.

The win pulled the Outlaws even at 3-3 in the all-time series with the Blackhawks. Two of the losses came on a last-second ruling, which has been the norm for a series in which five of the six matchups have come down to the final play.

“I expect it to be a pretty close, competitive game that will go down to the wire,” Lyles said.

And the offense, which has been injected with new life thanks to the return of Moa Palepale, will go a long way in determining the outcome.

Palepale, returning from a professional stint in Europe, had three scores last week to compliment a night where Middleton, who has thrown for 32 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions, found five different receivers for scores.

“He’s a sparkplug,” Middleton said of Palepale after last week’s game. “He’s great on defense, he’s awesome on offense and you saw what he did on special teams. So he’s just a playmaker for us and he’s going to be big during this key stretch.”

The young offensive line — Tony Vaka, Lucas Ficken, Henry Hamilton and Dan Tuiono — has also had a huge role in the recent turnaround, giving Middleton plenty of time to step up in the pocket and make his throws.

“I don’t want to lose sight of what the offensive line has done,” Lyles said. “It’s a totally new offensive line and those guys have just continued to get better.”